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January 2, 2001 - The MP3 Dilemma

Sorry, I've gotten a little behind due to the holidays... I have been meaning throw out some of my thoughts on MP3

technology and the FREE MUSIC on the internet!

As a consumer/ listener, I love being able to go out to Napster and get free music (for the inconvience of the download time).

As a Song Creator, I can see that this is a problem with copyrights, royalties, etc.

The technology is here, so I'm not sure how this can be controlled. I'm sure that there will still be ways to 'sell' the music. The free music still requires a PC and the time to download the songs, additional accessories if you want to make copies to another format, and you don't get the full package (all songs on the albums, the CD, the pictures, etc.).

I'm sure that this will/has cut into mechanical royaltities and the music industry, musicians, songwriters may not be too happy about that.

One of my friends from CSC (Chicago Songwriters...) speculates that the record companies may increase album (CD) prices to cover the pirated copies (maybe $18.00 for a CD, knowing that there will be X amount of illegal copies made).

Another friend from work has suggested that this could actually be good for the artists and music industry in some ways. For example the free promotion of single cuts could increase sales of the albums.

I would think that people that would normally buy an album for one or a few songs only, will be quite happy with the Napster (or whatever) MP3 versions and the people that normally listen to entire albums will still prefer to just buy them.

It's hard to say what kind of effect this technology will have... Will Albums become more profitable than singles? Will the internet police attempt to outlaw the practice? Will the record companies attempt to collect internet royaltites?

I'm sure there are many more in depth articles out there, but from your 'regular guy' point of view... There you have the MP3 news according to Rob....

One last thought, The MP3/Napster thing reminds me of the name of a bookstore that I've noticed along Interstate 90... It's

Naughty but Nice...

Stay tuned...

December 21, 2000 - Chicago Songwriters Collective

A few notes back, I mentioned writing a little about the songwriting organizations that I belong to. I've written a little about

NSAI, but have not yet mentioned the Chicago Songwriters Collective that I also belong to. I like this organization for the networking. I have met a few really nice (and talented) people in this organization, and performed, one time, with many of them at a Borders bookstore a while back.

What is interesting to me about this organization is that it seems to be as much of a 'performing' musician organization as a songwriting organization (just my opinion, of course). I guess that maybe a majority of songwriters may also be performing musicians (just speculation).

I may be the exception here in that I would rather focus my efforts (and limited time available) on the writing side rather than the performing side. Both are very time consuming (especially when you have other lives to live also). I also realize, have been told, and have read in books how important it is to get real live audience reactions to your original songs. I would like to do this, but it just really takes a lot of additional time.

Therefore, my cheap substitution for live performances are these web pages. When I write a new song, I send out a message to the a list of friends, relatives, fellow songwriters, etc. and see what reactions I get (if any). I know this is not the optimum way to check out a new song, but it is something, and probably a little less time consuming than live performances.

I also send most of my new songs to the NSAI's song evaluation service, as I have mentioned here before. This is my more formal evaluation where I get (pay for) professional evaluations.

This way I get some "real people" evaluations, whenever I get a response on a new song on the web page and a more professional evaluation from NSAI. This gives me something to work with. I probably should do more live performances, but until I have more time, this is how I do it...

Well that's a little on the Chicago Songwriter Organization, with a big diversion into live performances...

Stay tuned!

December 17, 2000 - Instrumentals

I finished ONE instrumental (conversion) this weekend. I like doing this once in a while, but I'm not sure if it is really worth

the effort. I like the instrumentals but they always remind me how the words and human voice add that extra diminsion. With the two instrumental versions of the songs that I've written, I have kept it very simple. No flashy instrumental solo work or anything (I don't know if my "chop level" will allow me to do that now anyway), I just pretty much followed the vocal melodies the way that I originally wrote and recorded them.

For now I am just putting the instrumentals here. (I don't know if I want to include them with the regular song page, create an instrumental page or what... we'll see what the future brings...).

I used quite a bit of trumpet in the Forget instrumental, since I did this in a Jazz style. I originally tried some synth sounds, but went back to some simple trumpet phrases... Well, give it a try...

[REAL AUDIO ONLY for these. I can of course do any other format if you request...]

Play Instrumental version of Forget

Here's the older instrumental that I did. I did this pretty quickly as an experiment, but I think it's worth making it available for a listen...

Play Intrumental version of Get me Outta Here

That's it for now... Got work tomorrow, and I'll try to get that next song done (I do a lot of writing in my car going back and forth to work (lot's of otherwise wasted time. I also like being in the car for writing, there's something about it...).

STAY TUNED...

December 15, 2000

I have another song under construction (1 verse and the chorus). I don't really want to write about that until I get it done.

They evolve as I go along and I would just rather wait then try to preview or write about pieces of it.

Anyway, I am always trying different things also and I have been following up on an idea that I've had before (and tried at least one time (with my current songs)), which is to do Instrumentals. (I tried it with "get me outta here" aka "blue genes").

I believe that the vocals are about the weakest part of my recordings and performances (I don't claim the title "singer-songwriter" you know...). I like doing the vocals and can get the job done, but... in my opinion they are just average at best. I also like doing the lyrics and I believe that I am getting better at that (and that is something that I believe I CAN improve, rather than just being born with it (like a great voice)).

I believe that the music behind the songs, and the productions can maybe even be better when my vocals don't get in the way. I do plan on sending in some of the songs in for studio demos at some point, but until then, I wanted to experiment with instrumental versions of some of the songs.

For the sake of saving time (something I don't have a lot of) I am planning to use my current recordings and just replacing the vocal track(s) with instruments. I can't do this with some of them because I mixed the vocals in with other tracks or don't have enough room on the disks etc. But I think I can do it on many of them.

I was in the recording studio tonight (The other side of the basement, that is :-) ) and was working on the new one "Forget (that we ever cried)". I got a quick and dirty version done. It takes quite a bit of time just selecting the sounds to use, then I don't always have a lot more time and/or patience to do a meticulous recording. Anway, I'll check it later and decide what to do with it.

For solo/melody instruments I have a group of my favorite synth sounds (regular piano sound, flute, flugel horn, electric piano, various "synth" sounds, strings, etc.) and I also have acoustic guitar, electric guitar (with various effects and settings (limited on my current barley functional guitar) and trumpet (open or with various mutes (harmon being my favorite in general (when it fits)).

Oh yea, if the instrumental versions of the songs come out OK, maybe I can justify an upgrade in recording equipment (depending on what I would do with them (What a great excuse to get new stuff!!!)).

Anyway, stay tuned, I hope to do some recordings this weekend and maybe I will upload some of the instrumentals (if they are half way decent).

December 12, 2000

Alright, I finally got my format for the SongNote Page done! I know I will add to this and try to make it more interesting and easier to use as I go along, but the basic format is here. This will be my weekly songwriting "text" newsletter style updates. I will at least attempt the weekly updates (I may miss one here or there, this is my own time you know), and keep the newest entries on top.

Enough about the page format, etc... Here we go...

Since this is my first update, I have lots of stuff to start writing about, and don't quite know where to start...

Alright, my Songwriting organizations is as good of a place as any... I LOVE the songwriting evaluation service from NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) of which I am a member once again (2'nd round) (My main page has links to the NSAI page).

Anyway, I've had about 6 or 8 songs evaluated so far, and I think that the critiques that I have been getting have been very helpful. These are from published songwriters and they seem very direct (I know they have some basic format to follow and can't really tell you if you really suck (in those words)). It's very good common sense songwriting information, from experienced people that know songwriting and know the business...

I sent in the song Lifes Hard in the beginning of November and haven't gotten that one back yet (It must relate to the title). This is unusual and the longest that I have ever had to wait. I called to check the status and they sad that they were expecting to be sending it back Friday or early this week and that I could send in the next one (The normal rules are that you can only send in one at a time... Get one back... send another one (if you want)).

So I just sent in Forget (that we ever cried) today (Tuesday).

Wow, I love having a format to write about this stuff.... I could go on quite a bit right now, but it is getting late and I really got to go...

(Sheesh, I hope I get visitors... I think I'll probably keep writing this stuff anyway (because I'm obsessed!!!...)

I will probably do MORE than weekly updates for now, until I get some of my ideas out and the newness wears off a little...

For anyone who made it here and read this initial article...

Thank you... Please stop by again... Rob.

(November 2000):

Here's a note that I wrote up a while ago (on the writing, recording and producing process) and thought that it was an interesting article to include here:

20 hours for a 2 1/2 minute song

Here is some of my original text that I just wanted to keep...

Winter 1999 and Summer 1999, etc...

UPDATE: January 18, 2000

I just did the remix of Outta Here above from some of the tracks that I previously had.
I have 2 new songs in the works and pretty close to recording and fine tuning... I am about to go into "the studio" (that's the other side of the basement...) Stay tuned...

Some early web page notes...

UPDATE:
I just got some info on places to set up free pages for music sites and have created a few new pages. I am really getting a good internet presence!, Now all I have to do is write some good songs! (actually I am still working on it and currently re-writing parts of Dangerous Love (based on the NSAI songwriter comments)) among other things (rewriting and remixing old songs, reading, working on new styles and songs, sending more tapes to Nashville, Etc.).

I now have 2 new sites. One is on the "Ultimate Band Listing" site (UBL.COM) and the other is on the IUMA page (Internet Underground Music Archive). The IUMA page is a temporary address until they check me out and approve it for listing on their page.

Well, here are the links. Check em out when you get a chance (the content (songs, photos) is pretty much the same as MY pages but the framework is different).

Here's a note from one of my original pages (est. 1999)

These are working copies of the songs (mistakes included (where nessessary)).
In the case of these songs, they are probably a little Over-produced (with the effects) but I was experimenting and having fun with my synthesizer and it actually gives me good ideas (and keeps it fun).
I may tweak or rewrite major parts of these as I think of things and as the song development continues. I will probably add a little to the recordings once in a while also. STAY TUNED.

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