[Blogged by Erik Philbrook, editor-in-chief of ASCAP's Playback magazine. This was also posted to the ASCAP Web site, along with great slideshows of all three days of the ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO...]
In its second year, ASCAP's "I Create Music" EXPO was a success in every way possible. More than 2,300 music creators, panelists, industry professionals and exhibitors convened for three days in April at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel in for the only national conference devoted to songwriting and composing.
From the opening inspirational keynote address by ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman, to the closing "Wizards of Song" superpanel featuring songwriter-producers Glen Ballard, Mark Hudson, Don Was and Jerry Harrison jamming together on stage, the EXPO was an extraordinary opportunity for emerging and established music creators to develop their craft and connect with their community.
The 2007 EXPO was expanded to include more panels, performances and attendee participation than the year before. Highlights included:
- An interview with Academy Award-winning songwriter/composer Randy Newman, who gave a unique peek inside his creative process by performing songs from throughout his five-decade career;
- An "American Songbook" panel featuring songwriting heavyweights Hal David, J.D. Souther and Bill Withers; a "Comedy Music" panel featuring Alf Clausen, Tim & Eric, Seth MacFarlane and Kevin McDonald;
- A "Making it in Hip-Hop" panel featuring Bun B, Just Blaze, Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Chuck Creekmur, Nitti and Chamillionaire;
- A "Hitmakers" panel featuring some of today's chart-topping writer-producers, including Kandi Burruss, Mike Elizondo, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Matt Serletic and Damon Thomas & Harvey Mason Jr. (The Underdogs);
- Numerous other panels exploring the music and business of pop, country, film and TV, Latin, gospel, jazz, symphony and concert and rhythm and soul, all featuring some of the top writers, composers and experts in the industry.
- Other panels examined audio production, digital rights, legal issues and online marketing. Delving even deeper into the craft of music creating, special master sessions featured Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, John Corigliano, Holly Knight, Rick Nowels, Desmond Child and Johnny Mandel with his Big Band.
Each evening during the EXPO offered attendees an opportunity to experience musical masters performing their material. Gibson Pure sponsored four showcases:
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"Center Stage" featured Jimmy Webb, John Rich, J.D. Souther and Michelle Shocked;
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"Nashville in L.A." featured Dennis Matkosky, John Rich, Dave Berg and Brett James;
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"Rhythm and Soul Café" featured Rock City, Harlem, Keite Young and LeMarvin;
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and "Quiet on the Set" featured Rhett Miller, Matt Scannell, Jimmy Webb, Marshall Crenshaw and Sam Phillips.
A special showcase, featuring attendees who auditioned for a chance at peforming at the EXPO, was sponsored by Pump Audio.
Recognizing the opportunity to reach the most career-driven and serious music creators in , more than 44 exhibitors and sponsors participated in this year's EXPO. Special sponsor sessions presented by Gibson, Apple, Pump Audio, NOTION, Roland and Cakewalk gave attendees a chance to discover the latest music technology up close and personal.
The increase in attendance and participation at the 2007 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO was a testament to its value and relevance in the music community. The creative energy, spirited discussion and heartfelt camaraderie generated at the event was palpable and infectious. If the success of this year's event is any indication, the future of music is in good hands. If you missed this year's EXPO, I definitely hope to see you there in 2008...
Blogged by Cal State music graduate student and EXPO attendee, Julie Kenol...
The Master Session with Desmond Child was fantastic. A few songs were evaluated. He was able to get to the crux of it and give great constructive criticism. I truly appreciated his honesty and straight forwardness. Desmond touched on the need to continually discover new avenues to write because it is tough out there, and there is no time to waste! This was a powerful as well as wonderful experience and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to hear what he had to say.
Blogged by Cal State graduate music student and EXPO attendee, Julie Kenol...
The session titled You Don’t Stop: Making It in Hip-Hop offered much more valuable information then I expected. I heard from writers such as Bun B, who really gave some insight on the current state of Hip Hop – commenting that Hip Hop isn’t dead but rather the originally is missing. It seemed like more of a discussion then just me listening because of the “realness” and candor of their comments. I enjoyed the panelists' discussion about there being a sort of disconnect between the artist and the audience, and with the fast paced of the business, how there is no time to grow and have new experiences to write about. Also listening to Hip Hop producer Just Blaze, he emphasized how important it is to be yourself and not sound like someone else. Easier said then done when there is so much out there now, but I really felt his message through his passion and experience.
Blogged by Cal State graduate music student and EXPO attendee, Julie Kenol...
The first session I went to was Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting. It was excellent, especially as a songwriter looking for better ways to write songs and get them placed on radio and in the commercial world. Ralph Murphy not only was hilarious but he gave some really concrete tools to use while writing. He mentioned that it’s important to know who you’re writing for which is something I’ve always heard – but the essential concept that he mentioned was to write for women and about women. That was really an eye opener because then he stressed how important each detail was and why. Over all I left with a greater understanding of what to think about while writing a song specifically geared towards radio.
The next panel I sat in on was Song Listening: Pop/Rock. I actually was looking for more in depth discussion on each song that was played. They went pretty quickly through the commentary part and not all the panelist spoke about each song, which I thought would have been helpful since they all come from different areas in the business. An interesting point that Lynn Grossman made was that as a Music Supervisor, it is really easy to place a song that has a general story and not something that is really specific, as those are harder to place. And that is really helpful to know especially when that is one of my goals.
I also sat in part of on the Funny Money: Writing Comedy Music. Unfortunately I missed some of panelists, but I caught Tim & Eric and heard Seth MacFarlane (creator of "Family Guy") speak. It was hilarious and I even heard a mini performance from Kevin McDonald of his “unfinished song.” I learned about the thought process a composer goes through in composing for shows like “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons” (Alf Clausen) and how music helps get the joke across.
Here's a link to the MySpace blog of a new songwriter who's attending the 2007 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO. She's got some great things to say about what she's been picking up in the various sessions:
"I have quickly learned what NOT to do and have scooped up a LARGE amount of info in a short period of time. The past few days have inspired me, informed me, and mostly given me the feeling that I belong. The people there are from a diverse group of artists at different levels in their careers and from a colorful cross-section of genres."
UPDATE: Here's another MySpace post about the EXPO - this one about Thursday night's evening performance at the club The Highlands, hosted by John Rich of Big & Rich and featuring performances by Rich as well as Jimmy Webb, J.D. Souther and Michelle Shocked:
"All I can say.....while bowing.....we're not worthy...we're not worthy!!!!
One cannot call this an ordinary 'songwriter's circle'. A truly amazing quartet of our all time greats were heard tonight at The Highlands. On the stage were Michelle Shocked, JD Souther, John Rich and Jimmy Webb.
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It was a real Master Class in songwriting. Cheers to all and continued success."
[Posted by Anne]
Blogged by Cal State graduate music student and EXPO attendee, Leni Thio...
[Panel Moderator: Shawn LeMone of ASCAP; Panelists: Shawn Clement, Joel C. High, HeathCliff Rothman, Penelope Spheeris. Film Your Issue is an annual film competition that challenges young filmmakers to submit 30 to 60 second films on topical issues. EXPO registrants were invited to submit their own original score to any of five short films chosen from FYI submissions.]
How does a musical score change the emotion of a film? Well, if you are wondering about how music can be an effective means of enhancing the feeling and mood of the film, the “Film You Issue” discussion at the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO probably would be interesting and challenging for you. Each of five short films was screened with three different original musical scores.
The first short film was “Children’s World.” The score by Ernest Adzentoivich was the best one I think. It has somehow scary and mysterious in the beginning, but then ends with childlike and happy music when the child in the film found his teddy bear. The musical twist at the end of the film is very effective. The other two score approaches were nice too.
The second film “Depression.” This is a difficult one to score. Three scores were written by Brian Wilbun, Robert Safir, and Greg Rogers. Again, they were all great but very different. Panelist Penelope Spheeris liked Robert Safir’s approach. She said she did feel a little “depressed” watching the film!
During the fifteen minutes of discussion with the panelists before the session ended, there was a tense moment between members of the audience as they were debating the different musical approaches to the films. The panelists commented that the audience was so into the music. HAHA - I agree!!!!
As composers, we might often wonder about which music works best to with a picture, whether it is better to use temp track or not, right? “TRUST YOUR HEART” is probably the best solution. That’s the most valuable advice I got from the panelists today. ^^ TRUST YOUR HEART~ TRUST YOUR HEART~ TRUST YOUR HEART ~
Blogged by Cal State graduate music student and EXPO attendee, Ince Kosasih...
After sitting in on the "TV Composers Confessions" panel Thursday afternoon, I cruised over to the Grand Ballroom to attend Randy Newman's session. It was packed!! But no worries, everybody got to see Randy Newman and didn't miss a thing because the room was equipped with these two gigantic projector screens (bigger than those screens that many young composers dream of hanging on their studio’s wall just to watch Sanjaya’s hair).
The audience was really excited when Randy Newman walked out to the stage and started singing and playing some cool chords on Steinway Grand piano. The whole session was filled with his performance of his songs that are already familiar to our ears, accompanied by his jokes that cracked up the ballroom. He performed many songs, from “I Love L.A.” to “You’ve Got A Friend in Me.” He also had the audience singing with him. I think the phrase was “He’s dead.” That brought a lot of excitement to the audience. Some probably found it as a tension and stress release moment because you got to shout as loud as you want (you had to be in pitch though).
To put it into one sentence, it was an unforgettable yet casual one-man concert. Randy Newman was a true entertainer and performer - very talented and witty. What a great session to end our evening!
Blogged by California State graduate music student and EXPO attendee, Leni Thio...
I sat in on a songwriting master class with moderator Jimmy Bralower and experts – Brad Aarons, Phil Roy, and Robert “EST” Waller.
Ten songs from ASCAP members were presented and commented on. It started with Leni Anderson’s “Meant To Be,” a linear song that speaks with sincerity and has a very nice blend between piano and strings. The panelists seem to really like it. This was then followed by “We Don’t Talk Like We Used To” by singer-songwriter Eliot Randall, a love song with a great arrangement.
Hallie Loren’s “Maybe I’ll Fly” speaks about a past relationship with great images from the world of fairly tales. She seems to be the popular one – many pictures of her were taken.
“Message for a Million Lives” was the next one. Nice Jazzy flavor with short and catchy lyrics, which portray the songwriter’s personality. He described himself as “A Big Kid” (LOL).
Then we moved to a completely different genre: a choral song by Linda Marcus called “River in ” (this song is a million copy seller in sheet music – WOW). The rest of the songs are “Thinking About You” by Stea Welsh and Margie Balter, “I’ll Be There With You” by Hube Kelman, “If I Lost You” by Michele Sharrow, “No More Sad Songs” by Kyler England, and “What Does It Takes” by Troy Brunell.
The ten songs received different feedback from the panelists ranging across all aspects of the art of songwriting – including how to make a song that sells, what makes a big hit, some advice on production and many more valuables insights.
This was indeed a very inspirational and useful master class. ^^
An attendee of the 2007 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO is blogging about some of the panels she's sitting in on. Check out thoughts from Alicia Bay Laurel here. She offers a great snaphot of the panel called "You've Got to Be Kidding: Writing Children's Music." [posted by Anne]
The first day of the 2007 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO closed with an amazing session in the Grand Ballroom - a conversation with / performance by a truly unique and gifted songwriter, Randy Newman. There was a huge crowd in attendance to hear the Q&A between Randy and moderator Paul Zollo, a noted music journalist and author of such books as Songwriters on Songwriting. As they talked about how Randy approaches his craft - particularly his tendency to write songs with the voice and point of view of eclectic and sometimes very "skewed" characters - Randy treated the audiences to performances of many of his songs (including many from his studio album "Bad Love").
Earlier in the day, the Grand Ballroom saw another packed house for a Master Session with legendary songwriters, producers and musicians - Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. (Jimmy is also an ASCAP Board member). The session was moderated by Gail Mitchell, senior correspondent for R&B/Hip-Hop at Billboard magazine. It was originally going to be in a smaller ballroom near the EXPO exhibitions area - but the overwhelming crowds made for a quick decision to move everyone to the largest room available. Everyone who sat in for the session was glad they made room for the overflow! [Posted by Anne]
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The Tranman! said:
[this is good]Wow...very cool. I wish I had a chance to go but I'm going to keep checking on these blogs for... read more
on Sitting In On the 'TV Composer Confessions' Panel
on Desmond Child