6 posts tagged “music”
[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]
WELCOME! Everyone here at ASCAP is excited to kick off the 2nd Annual "I Create Music" EXPO. This year it’s even more special because we have a full week of activities – so much so that the Los Angeles City Council declared this week “ASCAP I Create Music Week” in Los Angeles.
I’m Erik Philbrook, the editor-in-chief of Playback Magazine, ASCAP’s official membership magazine. This week we have three California State University graduate music students acting as guest bloggers about the EXPO: Ince Kosasih, Leni Thio and Julie Kenol. They’ll be sitting in on the EXPO to give their insights and thoughts as aspiring music creators. Hopefully their posts will give those of you who couldn’t join us this week a feel for EXPO so you can consider checking it out for yourselves when it comes around again next year.
You’ll be hearing more from our guest bloggers soon, but here’s a little background so you can get to know them.
Ince Kosasih
Ince’s passion for music led her to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree. She then moved to Los Angeles and began working as a freelance composer, arranger and orchestrator. She is also an expert music copyist and continues to work with Global Music Copying, a full music preparation facility in Los Angeles. While freelancing, Ince is also in her final year attending California State University in LA, earning a Masters degree in Commercial Music.
Leni Thio
After graduating from Royal Holloway, University of London, Leni moved to Los Angeles to continue her studies in Commercial Music at California State University in LA. She plans to start her career in the music business field after she finishes her Master of Music program.
Julie Kenol
Julie will be graduating this June with her Masters in Commercial Music-Composition and Arranging at California State University in LA. After she graduates, she plans to continue writing, producing and recording music to ultimately get placed in TV and Films. Julie works at Universal Music Group and she is also a member of ASCAP.
We have a ton of things going on and we hope you’ll join us and our guest bloggers, Ince, Leni and Julie.
