Excited music creators from all across the U.S. gathered in huge throngs last week (April 23-25, 2009) for the 4th Annual ASCAP “I Create Music” Expo, all excitedly hoping to happen upon a chance one-on-one encounter with a hot-shot A&R, publisher, or manager, gain valuable insight during the numerous panels featuring music industry veterans, or just simply meet other aspiring singers, songwriters, rappers, producers, and composers. Everywhere you looked there was a staggering amount of amazingly talented people, each one happy to be in the presence of so many other individuals pursuing careers in an industry that they all loved with an unyielding and unswerving passion.
The massive turnout was concrete evidence that the music industry, despite suffering from a severe decline of album sales and a constant increase in illegal downloading, is still alive and well in today’s society and there are hundreds of hard-working, creative individuals working zealously to restore it to it’s former glory.
The Expo, held in the plush and luxurious ballrooms of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, is the premier conference for producers, songwriters, and composers and included priceless, informative and creative business-focused panels, workshops, keynotes, One-on-One feedback sessions, networking events, master classes, incisive song critiquing, special performances, and music technology demonstrations featuring sponsors such as Cakewalk, a computerized audio production console.
Heavy-hitters in the music industry such as Johnta Austin, the 2005 Grammy award-winning songwriter for Mariah Carey’s hit song “We Belong Together”, Natasha Bedingfield, Ann and Nancy Wilson of the platinum selling rock group “Heart”, Wyclef Jean, Ron Fair, Pete Rock, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Drumma Boy, the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, and Warryn Campbell were just a few of the big names who graciously shared their knowledge and expertise on topics relevant to music creators. It was truly the perfect event for an artist to build up a professional network, hone their craft, and start paving the way for their road to superstardom.
Music Publishers: A View from the Top:
This highly anticipated assemblage of the minds of Irwin Z. Robinson, Chairman of Paramount Allegra Music, Martin Bandier, Chairman & CEO of Sony/ ATV Music Publishing, Roger Faxon, Chairman & CEO of EMI Music Publishing, David H. Johnson, Chairman & CEO of Warner Music Group, and David Renzer, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, was one of the most eye-opening panels of the Expo and provided it’s eclectic audience with a much needed reality check on the state of music publishing and the newly emerging challenges presented by media manipulation and exploitation in today’s modern world.
The polished and white haired Martin Bandier opened up the discussion by responding to a question posed by Irwin Robinson regarding how the publishing industry had changed from 1999 to 2009. “In ’99, a significant amount of revenue came from record sales. It was the heart of the ‘record boom era’ and there was no competition from free music or piracy. Now those mechanism revenues have fallen from about 65% to 35%, it’s a significant difference”. Then, David Renzer, seated three chairs down and decked out in an all brown suit, added his opinion on the question by stating, “Nowadays new artists are discovered off of Myspace and YouTube. There is a new business model. Artists are putting out their own albums, making the industry more challenging but also more empowering for new talent”.
Next, the most important question of the session was proposed… “Due to the increase of internet singles sales and the decline of physical albums, what do you feel is in the immediate future of the publishing business?”. Suddenly, the entire room fell into a hush as the soft hum of buzzing voices who had just seconds before been whispering their agreements with the panelists and “Uh huhs” with their neighbors abruptly died down. Roger Faxon shifted in his chair, took a deep breath and bravely answered, “ In the past, people bought albums based on hits. Now we are in a position to transition back into that dual market of individual songs versus full albums. The new strategy is to invest in a songwriter or unique talent that will capture a large audience. Having a song on an album is no longer enough; we are looking for that radio hit. We are currently moving away from the album formula and moving into a new business model of releasing one and two track packages”. As the audience sat in a stunned silence, digesting the information that most knew would eventually come to pass, David Renzer calmly added, “Three to five years from now, there will only be 6 track albums or a series of releases across the year”. Say goodbye to the 16 track album, folks.
Spanning the Genres: Johnta Austin and Warryn Campbell:
This special panel brought Grammy Award-winning songwriter and recording artist, Johnta Austin and super songwriter/ producer, Warryn Campbell together for an honest and fascinating discussion on how to create popular music, as seen through the perspectives of two individuals who truly understand how to achieve success in the music industry. Warryn Campbell, who has amassed major commercial hits for artists such as Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Mos Def, Missy Elliot, and Musiq Soulchild, opened up the discussion with a brief bio on himself, starting with his industry origins at Death Row Records.
Interestingly enough, Campbell had the unique opportunity to work with Rap legend, Tupac, when he got his first big break composing the piano melody for “I ain’t mad at cha”, one of Tupac’s most famous songs. Jonta on the other hand, got his start when he gave a song he originally wrote for himself to R&B crooner, Tyrese. That song was “Sweet Lady” and it significantly helped propel the Watt’s born Tyrese into superstardom. Throughout the panel Jonta continuously urged the crowd to simply focus on creating great songs and not to worry about “being the hottest because hot gets cold. Instead, focus on consistency”. In a funny yet memorable metaphor, Austin suggested that songwriters “be like the flavors strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate because they are always in the ice cream shop. Rocky road and butter pecan chocolate chip are good, but they might not always be there. You need to be the songwriter that is always right there on point”. Meanwhile, Campbell advised the audience to “never write a song with money on your mind because it will never flow. It’s too much pressure and music does not like pressure”. Both industry vets encouraged the crowd to never rush a song because creating music is an art and therefore it not subject to the same rules that you may apply to more conventional jobs. As the panel ended, Campbell both surprised and pleased the crowd when he announced that he was currently working on a new project with both Amerie and Estelle, while Austin surprisingly admitted that he was headed to Nashville after the conference to meet and work with Carrie Underwood on an upcoming project. Go figure!
What Management Means: Presented by Billboard:
One of the most important decisions an artist may ever make is choosing whom they should sign with as a manager. Therefore ASCAP composed a powerful panel of management teams including Tim Blacksmith and Danny Poku of Stargate (Rihanna, Neyo), Ron Laffitte of Red Light Management (OneRepublic, Good Charlotte, Sum 41), Ann Donahue, Senior Editor of “Billboard” Magazine, and Mark Stewart of RedZone Entertainment (The Dream, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart), to help advise future artists on how to locate good management and how to know when and if you even need management. When asked on how they spot talent, Danny Oku of Stargate simply said it’s “about feeling”, while his partner Tim Blacksmith said, “It’s important to keep an open mind. Music is global and though they may not be big in America, an artist may be big in Europe. You have to believe in your client’s material”. Ron Laffitte followed up by saying, “It’s about three simple things. Do they have the look, work ethic, and focus?”. However, when Mark Stewart stated that “it’s good for artists to have that business drive and push”, Danny Poku countered with the argument that sometimes an artist’s business sense could be a hindrance if the artist thinks they know more than the manager. As the panel ended, Laffitte blessed the audience with a few helpful tips to propel their career to the next level: “Although “radio is still the most powerful tool to get music out, it isn’t the only tool. Expand your audience, make use of the Internet. But the most, most important thing to do is to get music on TV, especially in promos for shows”. P.S. And get good management.
Overall, the conference was a great source for the budding artist to get information from industry insiders on how to really make themselves blossom and standout amongst the masses. There were over 30 panels and showcases throughout the duration of the ASCAP Expo and each one focused on a different aspect of music creation of breaking into the industry, allowing the artist to pick and choose from a wide variety of seminars to take and further cultivate their craft. The musical performances were only icing on the cake. For a serious artist that is truly dedicated to pursuing a career in music, the ASCAP Expo is one event that should never be missed!
ASCAP is first and leading United States Performing Rights Organization and represents the world’s largest repertory of over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works, with over 350,000 songwriter, music publisher, and composer members. ASCAP is represented in almost all of the countries where copyright law exists and is dedicated to protecting the rights of its members. ASCAP distributes royalties based upon surveyed performances due to the licensing of public performances of its copyrighted works. It is the only American performing rights organization that is both owned and controlled by its writer and publisher members.
