Stoneman
|
6/23/2014 9:58:14 AM
Collaboration, Fun? Or Frustration?
The art Of Collaboration
For several years I have received tons of requests from other artists to collaborate. Unfortunately, my priorities have usually been to continue to work on my solo projects. But this year I decided to open up some spots in my production schedule for collaborations. The result has been a lot of fun mixed into some unexpected “ah shit” moments. You know? Those moments when you say “ah shit” how did I get myself into this mess. Overall though, it has been quite a thrill ride. I will be posting some of the songs I have been collaborating on every now and then.
One of the cool things about collaborating with other artists in the digital age is the fact that you don’t have to be in the same studio. Back in the day, when I collaborated with other artists, I had to travel to their location or they had to come to mine. But now I can collaborate with people from all over the world and never have to leave my little studio! Man, I love the digital age and the awesomeness of the internet. It has saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel and recording expenses.
Another cool thing about collaborating is the blending of styles and writing concepts with other artists. It gives you a whole new perspective of music and allows you to grow by being exposed to the uniqueness of others. One artist I have been working with gave me a whole new take on Hip-Hop. He is 42 years younger than me. The exposure to his creative process has caused me to write 4 new songs in a style I have never written before. Most of you know that I am not a genre purist like some artists. I love to produced every style of music that I am exposed to. Collaborating with other artists has given me even greater insight to the mysteries surrounding certain genres.
But all is not gold when mining the collaboration vein. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. There are a variety of reasons for this. Among them are incompatibility, lack of follow through and the ever present production pretenders who claim to be able to do a lot of stuff that they don’t know how to do. In one instance I allowed an artist to write the bridge to a song we were working on and he botched it so bad that I scrapped the entire song. Then there was the guy who didn’t even know what a song key is. When I explained he replied with an ominous “No one ever taught me about that”. I was kind of befuddled by that admission on his part but I worked him through it. I was reminded by the fact that I wrote hundreds of songs before I ever learned how to decipher the key signature of a song. All I knew was that what I was playing worked with the songs.
So, one of the things you should be wary of when collaborating is that some people may not be at your level and may not be able to deliver what they claim they can do. Then, there are those untrained prodigies out there. They may not know a lot about the mechanics of music but they have a gift at bringing fresh new ideas out of thin air. I am working with one young man like that. He has some fantastic ideas but is a bit lacking in regards to creating songs that have standardized song structures. Though he lacks some skills his talent makes it worth my while to work with him and mentor him into production proficiency. Plus, he is a really nice respectful young man. That is such a rare trait for young artists these days.
I like to set the ground rules for collaborating with me up front. “First things first” is a written 50/50 collaboration agreement. There are no exceptions to this rule. When you have everything in regards to compensation and financial responsibility already decided in writing, you don’t have to worry about future legal issues and misunderstandings if the song starts to generate revenue. I had that problem years ago when I played in bands. I was doing most of the writing and production and some members were offended by the fact that I gained more royalty revenues than them. So I learned that all financial issues should be addressed before you lay down one note or lyric for the song.
So, this year I am enjoying the mingling of my artistic voice with that of other artists. Most of my collaborators found me online. They heard my music and then contacted me with their requests. As the summer begins I am filled with positive energy and excited to see what happens with all my new collaborative friends. If you are looking for something new a fresh to work on, collaborating with other artists might just do the trick. Then again, it may prove to be way to frustrating and disappointing for you. Either case, giving it a try is worth it.
Have a great summer and.......... Stay Musically Productive!
|
|