MSR in NYC closing July 1 2016; Why are all the big studio's are going out of business?

A few weeks ago, the NYC recording studio MSR announced it would cease operations as of July 1 2016.This comes on the heels of Avitar Studios (formerly The Power Station) announcing it was up for sale.Why are all the NYC recording studios going out of business? What has happened to the need for big budget studios?

Change in Economics

I believe the answer is in the question. The idea of big budget recording is no longer economically viable. Artists are losing support from the production companies as artists are choosing alternatives to publication(CD Baby, Distrokid, etc). Who needs a big publishing house when you can self-publish and avoid the royalty and publishing fees? This is not a new phenomenon as the book industry is currently going through this same dilemma: Independent and self-publishing is undermining big publishing.

No More Editorial Process

What we are losing is the big publishing editorial process. As record labels are downsizing, so is their acquisition and editorial staff. No longer willing to take chances on failure, record labels are mostly going for established artists and thus not needing an entire department of editors. Without editors, executives are again not taking chances on new artists. New artists are now turning to the self-publishing route and thus undermining the entire business model.
What are we left with? A plethora of music to choose from, but no vetting process. This means that you have to hunt for new music or music in a genera (or sub genera, or sub sub genera) you like.

Computing Cost vs Performance

With good equipment being inexpensive in today's market, highly trained audio engineers who graduate from universities and technical schools are producing music without the big budget studio. The paradigm of graduating high school and interning at a studio no longer works in today's market. Most studios want interns who are already college trained, thus reducing the learning curve and getting a more productive employee quicker.
The new millennial employee is also extremely computer literate, which makes the paradigm of analog recording almost obsolete. Why record analog when the computing power of non-linear editing is not only cheaper (no costs for tape), but highly cost effective in terms of staff time. If you don't need 80 hours per song to do basics and fix mistakes and only need 20 hours with digital recording, big studios are losing out on 60 additional billable hours.

So Now What?

The paradigm has changed. The old way of analog and big studio recording was too rigid and inflexible. We are now an industry of individual production. We see this with new artists emerging out of the EDM genera who produce their own music and are more successful than established bands working in the old label paradigm. What we can see however is that there is still a need for experienced mixers and mastering engineers. With the resurgence of vinyl record sales, the back end of the production process is still thriving.

The need for good sounding mix rooms is still driving most new construction but the purpose is more for mixing and mastering, not for recording. This might not be a bad thing, but recording studios need to adapt to the changing market, or find themselves facing extinction in the production market. 

Minimalism in Production

On May 3rd of 2016, I had the opportunity to go to a special screening of a documentary called "Minimalism" which was based on the blogs, essays, and books of Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus.

They catalog personal accounts of becoming a minimalist by discussing their high paying corporate jobs and subsequent jarring life event which forced them to rethink their initial path; which inevitably led them to a more intentional lifestyle. Their story is compelling and life altering. It has forced me to rethink how much "stuff" I have and how to downsize in order to focus on more important things. If you are interested in learning more, I recommend starting with their blog and podcast at the same time. This combination paints the best picture of their lifestyle.

This got me thinking about minimalism in music production, specifically, those of us with home studios. How much "STUFF" do you have? Here was my simple list

13 guitars
4 keyboards
5 computers
30 XLR cables
50 misc cables
30 TRS/TS cables (various lengths)
400 CD's
100 books
30 Stomp Boxes
100 random assorted cables

If you are an audiophile like me, then you might have something very similar, including microphones and outboard gear. But in reality, how much of it do we need? The problem is, we hold value to things that might not have value at all. For example, out of my 13 guitars, only 1 held a value over $350. What was I holding on to?

I realized that my work space and my home space were stifling my creativity. Here was literally my thought on May 2nd, 2016: "I really should do some work on that intro song on my album, but my desk is a mess and I really don't feel like cleaning it. I just want to write. Oh well, I will just play some Fallout 4 instead".

On May 10th, I did something radical; I packed up most of my accessories and gear. I then only took out 2 of each thing, or as many as I would possibly

Q: Each guitar/mic/didgeridoo has their own timbre.

A: I did an experiment with this. I chose one guitar, an Ibanez RG series. As I plugged it in and recorded some pure tones from it, I challenged myself to try to mimic the pure tones out of my other 12 guitars using just this one guitar. The result: I was able to. What did this teach me?

That my ears were the most important commodity I had, not the guitar. If I was able to replicate most of the sounds using a combination of EQ, multi-band compression, and different distortion plug-ins, then, in reality, I didn't need 12 other cheap guitars.

Q: But I paid $500 for that thing!

A: If you have ever tried to sell something on eBay, you know that the actual market value vs the retail is very skewed. I paid $550 for an Epiphone Les Paul Thru Body Sun Burst guitar back in 2001. The guitar was immaculate and sounded just like a Les Paul. However, on the market, used, this was only worth about $150-200. I attached a value to it that was not reasonable. When we buy something from Guitar Center or any retail shop, it is steeply marked up. Once you walk out the store with it or let the money back guarantee expire, the item automatically loses most of its value. I really had to look at my stuff as sunk money costs.

Q: But I might need that for a future album!

A: Minimalism teaches the 90/90 rule. If you have used the item in the past 90 days, or will use it in the next 90 days, then keep it. If not, donate it or sell it. I was holding about 110 cables I havn't used since recording a full drum kit in my old studio almost 10 years ago now. The most cabling I use is to my guitar amp and my Korg Kronos now. I did hold onto enought to connect everything at once, and then 1 spare. I only have 20 cables total now.

Q: Who would want this specialized equipment?

A: Schools. Most schools teach production, but don't have the budget to buy new equipment. If you donate the equipment to a school, then they can give you a receipt for a tax deduction. That tax dedution can be worth as much as reselling your equipment retail.
If you want cash in hand, eBay or Pawn Shop. Or donate the equipment to a donation center or thrift store. JUST GET A RECEIPT OF DONATION!

The Results

After about a month of cleaning up, I have noticed a significant amount of clutter gone. I have done this to other parts of the apartment and my girfriend is loving the change. The best way to describe the feeling is "freedom". Without the clutter and the extra stuff, we have been both creative with our free time. It is amazing to think that random objects could take away from creativity, but the truth is, visual clutter dosn't alow for creative flow because it takes your attention away from your creative idea. Now, don't get me wrong, I still have shorts, shoes, and t-shirts. I still have mic cables, microphones and a few guitars still, but I got rid of the excess and the things that didn't bring value into my life. The results were more creativity and produtivity... and more time to build better friendships relationships.

Press Release- Elizabeth Matthews named CEO of ASCAP: Letter to Staffers Included

Press Release:

ASCAP announced that Elizabeth Matthews has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of the organization. Matthews, who has served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at ASCAP since 2013, was a unanimous choice among the Board’s 12 writer and 12 publisher members. Matthews replaces former ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento, who retired on December 31st after 33 years of service to ASCAP, including 17 years as CEO. Matthews begins her tenure at the helm of ASCAP immediately.

“Now, more than ever, songwriters and composers need an advocate we can trust to ensure our work is valued fairly in a rapidly changing music marketplace,” saidASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams. “What we do is vital to the future of music. Beth’s experience in the global multimedia content sector, her deep understanding of the complexities of the music business and her passion for protecting the rights of music creators make her singularly qualified for the CEO role. Her enthusiasm for taking on the new challenges of the digital era is unparalleled.”

(pictured, l-r) ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), ASCAP songwriter Ne-Yo, Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) and Beth Matthews before a 2014 panel discussion hosted by Creative Rights Caucus Co-Chairs Chu and Coble on music licensing updates

As ASCAP’s Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Matthews played an important role in planning ASCAP's future. She led development of a six-year transformative strategic plan that anticipates the future competitive landscape and changing needs of ASCAP members and customers. Matthews was a key internal leader on modernizing ASCAP’s licensing systems and pushing for reform of ASCAP’s consent decree. She also spearheaded ASCAP's support for introducing the Songwriter Equity Act in Congress.

Prior to ASCAP, Matthews served as Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at Viacom Media Networks (formerly MTV Networks) since 1998. There she guided her Business and Legal Affairs teams through the early days of the shift to digital. Previously, Matthews worked in the Intellectual Property and Corporate Groups for Chadbourne & Parke and the Business Technology Group for Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.

In a letter to staffers, Matthews wrote: "

To All ASCAP Staffers:

It is with great excitement and commitment that I welcome the amazing opportunity of serving ASCAP, our members, our licensing partners and you -- the dedicated and talented employees of ASCAP who, like me, are inspired and driven by ASCAP's mission to protect, educate and cultivate the careers of music creators.

As I take on my new role as CEO, I feel very fortunate to have been mentored and guided by John LoFrumento these past two years. John's passion for ASCAP and his track-record of successful leadership were what inspired me to join ASCAP as EVP and General Counsel, and I am so grateful to him for his leadership and for being a personal mentor to me. I know that I can continue to count on John's unique perspective and valuable insights as I begin the work of leading ASCAP into a new era.

We all know that the world in which we have operated for the past decade has changed dramatically, and ASCAP has been at the forefront of efforts to meet the challenges of this new world, both internally and externally. Not only are we in active negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice to modernize our outdated Consent Decree, but as an organization, we pro-actively got ahead of the need to control our destiny by setting long term strategy and did not wait for market forces or regulators to tell us that we needed to change. Our work to develop a strategic six-year plan was approved by the ASCAP Board of Directors, who understood the value in taking a long view and setting a new course of our own choosing. Many of you had some role in our strategic planning efforts. Now is the time that we begin the journey of executing our strategic plan in order to transform our business and innovate at a faster pace than ever before. Our future is exciting to me and, I hope, to all of you.

In the coming months, we will embark upon several new initiatives to turn ASCAP into an even more flexible, adaptive licensing and service organization that anticipates the needs of our constituents and provides them with best-in-class, innovative new tools and services. We have the most treasured and valuable repertory of musical compositions in the world. We will demonstrate to our publisher, songwriter, lyricist and composer members that we are the best at optimizing the value of their musical works at the lowest cost. We will show our licensees that we value them as partners and we understand the challenges of their business because their success is our success. And, we will explore ways in which we can create more value for everyone in the music licensing marketplace through collective licensing.

We will be doing a lot of things differently in the months to come, but we will stay true to the core values of ASCAP because those values are the reason that so many of us choose to work here. It is always so much fun to hear the stories of my colleagues at ASCAP, so many of whom are musicians or fanatical life-long music lovers. That love is what makes ASCAP unique and different. This is not just a job; it is a passion and a mission. I look forward to working with all of you to continue that mission while we build ASCAP into a new kind of organization for the future.

I would like to leave you with a promise. I know that change can be difficult, confusing and unsettling. My promise is to do my best to keep the lines of communication open so that we all understand our shared vision, challenges, direction and goals. Toward that end, we are planning an ASCAP Town Hall meeting with employees to take place in February or early March.

In closing, I especially want to thank Paul Williams and the ASCAP Board of Directors for their vote of confidence in me, and I want to thank all of you for your support as we work together to ensure the success of ASCAP’s next 100 years.

Beth

"ASCAP is an expansive, forward-looking and adaptive service organization that successfully built and grew the market for performance rights for songwriters and publishers in the United States. As CEO, I am excited about building upon our unique assets to offer new and innovative services to our members and our licensing partners. As new media platforms transform how people listen to music, it is critical that we evolve our own business model and update outdated music licensing laws to better reflect the reality of today’s music marketplace. I am honored to work on behalf of the world’s greatest music creators who call ASCAP home."
- ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews

Britney Spears no Autotune: Why to believe the producer William Orbit

So, if you haven't heard the Britney Spears song "Alien" with no "autotune" its worth a google, but it's been a bit tough to find since the label has been systematically removing them.

Here is Britney's producer's response to the leak.

William Orbit

""

Dearest Music Lovers, I have heard that Britney vocal link that everybody’s been discussing. It has been impossible not to as there have been many comments directing my attention to it. [I won’t re-posting it here]. I'd like to affirm that ANY singer when first at the mic at the start of a long session can make a multitude of vocalisations in order to get warmed up.

Warming up is essential if you’re a pro, as it is with a runner doing stretches, and it takes a while to do properly. I’ve heard all manner of sounds emitted during warmups. The point is that it is not supposed to be shared with millions of listeners.

A generous singer will put something down the mic to help the engineer get their systems warmed up and at the right level, maybe whilst having a cup of herb tea and checking through lyrics before the session really kicks off. It’s not expected to be a ‘take’.

I think that 99% of you reading this will totally understand.

Whomever put this on the internet must have done so in a spirit of unkindness, but it can in no way detract from the fact that Britney is and always will be beyond Stellar! She is magnificent! And that’s that.

Sincerely, William"""

Now that we have that out of the way, let's really understand what happened. THIS IS JUST A RAW VOCAL SCRATCH TRACK to get timing and system levels. This is not real, nor Brittany's real take. 

Two pieces of evidence point to this: 

1) The background music is not produced at all. In fact, it sounds like 1987 Casio midi instruments. This is because it is JUST a scratch track. There is no polishing of the background instruments. If this was meant to be a final take, then they would have the background instruments more polished so that Britney could convey more emotion in the take. 

2) There is clearly no emotion in the take itself. Emotion is a bit tougher to pick up. You can detect it with variations in a performer's melody lines. There will be more energy during important words and during the chorus. This "leak"obviously lacking energy which again points to it being a starting point in the process. 

So people ask me "why was this even recorded then if it was a practice take"?

With the advent of digital recording, we as recording engineers tend to RECORD EVERYTHING because now we have the space to. We would do this with tape but it was really expensive to use tape media and not very practical to record an entire 8 hour session and then go back and re-edit it just to find the correct parts. Now with computer recording, we have almost unlimited space with unlimited ability to document our session. So we record practice takes, because sometimes, just sometimes... we get that magic moment that goes on the record. This can also lead to mistakes like putting the wrong take on the rough mix or having the wrong material "leak out" to the media. 

I want to ask this however, when you are at this stage of the recording process, only 3-5 people have access to the recording session files... The engineer, the producer, the assistant engineer (protools operator), the artist and maybe the publicist... so who leaked this?