Sunday, September 8, 2013

Studio Negotiating with Mike Moore


Welcome back music heads!  Musicians find it hard to believe that the music industry is only 20% talent and 80% business.  Negotiations occur in every deal between the artist and the executive.  Being aware of the tricks of the trade will make your job a hell of a lot different in the business.  Few producers believe that negotiations can take place at anytime during a session.  One up and coming producer named Mike Moore of Dark Horse Recording in Franklin, Tennessee has the privilege to witness and record the most talented of artist.  In an emailed interview, Mike answered some of our questions of how negotiations affect the industry everyday. 
Mike Moore is a graduate of Dark House Institute and currently interns with their music production and engineering program.  Mike, himself, has over 16 years of experience in the business and has performed a wide range of percussive instruments throughout his career.  After earning his Bachelors of Music Performance from Christopher Newport University Moore performed in various show productions for Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia
 As a producer you work with a wide variety of talent.  Have you ever negotiated the production of a song an artist with little to no musical knowledge? How do you negotiate a change in a particular lyric that you think maybe incorrect to that artist? 
Mike: Luckily, all the people I have worked with have had a great understanding of their instrument. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have a formal education in music, so one of the toughest things in a session tends to be finding a medium for how to communicate about their songs. Always be polite and respectful, but if you are in the position of being a producer (which sometimes is an addition to being the engineer if no other producer is involved) don’t be afraid to speak up for what you believe could change for the better. I recently was involved in a session with a very talented writer, but there were a few lyrics that stuck out as being for shock value and seemed to undermine the intelligence of the artist or listener. It’s good to be honest and offer alternative lyrics as an example. If a formal producer is present, that usually means they are the one shelling out the money for the whole production of the music. Hopefully, the producer also has some music knowledge and it’s good to know their opinions as well. Usually artists (especially young ones) are appreciative of their producers for the help and are open to directions that are meant for everyone’s benefit. I haven’t witnessed any producers saying “It’s my way or the highway,” but there needs to be a mutual respect between artist and producer.
When negotiating the prices of your services with a potential client, have they ever used dirty tricks or tactics to get you to record for lower cost? 
Mike: I haven’t had to deal with any dirty tricks with clients personally (thankfully), but I have seen a studio owner on numerous occasions try to renegotiate the deals for studio time and asking for favors (studio testimonials on video which required additional scheduling for the busy client) beyond the original deal. I’m not sure if it’s out of forgetfulness or shadiness. Watch out for that. You’ll probably come across people who will try to take advantage of you at some point. Do your best to stick to what you think is fair to yourself in that case. Sometimes an artist wants to come up with an alternative deal because they may not be able to afford a session on their own, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe you could use their talent for some overdubs on another project, for example. At the studio where I spend most of my time there’s a mother and daughter who occasionally clean the owner’s house so the daughter can have studio time in return. A lot of time there’s room for making an alternative deal. Just don’t sell yourself short. It is a business and if you’re not making any money you may not be in business for long.
At the completion of a project, what mutual benefits are gained between you and the artist/client?
Mike: By the completion of a project it’s good to have the names of everyone involved, at least for your personal records. Try to get contact information for anyone you can (if you feel in the position to do so), because you want to build connections. It’s good to have business cards available and you may write some kind of personalized note on the back so the recipient has a reminder of where they met you. If you are the producer or engineer chances are they will remember you anyway. Once a session is finished there’s still editing, mixing, and mastering to be done, so there’s going to be continued communication between the client/producer and the engineer to transfer files and approve mixes. If nothing else, you’ve gained another experience in a continuous learning process. If things went really well, then you may have a returning customer who can help spread the word about your professional services. Who knows, if you happen to bond with the artist you may have gained a lifelong friend. After all, when you spend so much time in the studio with people, you want it to be with someone you get along with and have some fun making music.

For more information on Mike Moore visit his website and be sure to support his latest production called Karma which is now available on iTunes. 

Live the Music. . .