Photos by Juliet Lyons
The Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (LA AIMP) kicked off their inaugural songwriting camp gathering a motivated, intimate group of musical talent for a rooftop breakfast. Hosted by LA AIMP President (and CEO of Angry Mob Music) Marc Caruso, the camp included three days of writing in four separate studios, with writing groups shuffled daily, and a listening wrap party back on the rooftop of Angry Mob Music.
Launched with a mission to promote indie publishers and songwriting education, as well as diversify their audience and encourage more interaction between sync and Latin mixes outside of the usual loyal publishing crowd, participants consisted of predominantly unpublished writers. Focused on supporting self-published writers and DIY creators, the camp had a wide mix of songwriters and producers, with a combination of first-timers and camp veterans, and careers ranging from TV and film credits, to work on studio recordings. Each participant was given an opportunity to write to sync and artist placement briefs.
Prolific television and film composer, producer, and songwriter David Das (credits include scores for Lionsgate’s The Appearing and Trafficked, and teamwork on Jordan Peele’s US, HBO’s Allen v. Farrow) says it was an “inspirational challenge to be paired with some incredible co-writers and be writing new material on the spot for active briefs.”As a first-time camper, he had a fantastic time, adding that he, ”met some really impressive writers who I’m sure I’ll be working with again in the future.”
Having participated in and hosted multiple songwriting camps, award-winning Nitanee Paris’ songs have been featured in numerous film, TV, and commercial work (with credits including NICKELODEON, VIACOM/CBS, PARAMOUNT+, CBS Sports, CMT, NETFLIX, MTV, VH1, BET, BRAVO, etc.). Signed with multiple publishers, libraries, and licensing agencies, she has also worked with contestants on The Voice, Songland, and America’s Got Talent. “AIMP curated a stellar group of artists, writers, and producers for their inaugural camp, and it was a pleasure to work with each group to create music,” says Paris. “There is nothing like the teamwork and camaraderie that happens when everyone leans in together to write, record, and produce a song (or three) in one day. Angry Mob Music's Marc Caruso and AIMP's Juliet Lyons were fantastic hosts and created a memorable and productive musical adventure for everyone".
Jes Marie’s camping debut was a great time and she brought extensive recording and voiceover experience. With country-flavored vocals, Marie has credits including CBS’ “The Young & The Restless,” Hallmark Channel Original Films, and a Super Bowl LV III advertising placement. Marie’s debut single “Birds and the Bees” was selected as Spotify’s “New Music Nashville” playlist. Passionate about giving women a spotlight in music, Marie shares that she, “met wonderful people who became new friends and collaborators.” Grateful to Angry Mob Music and AIMP LA for putting the camp together, she says she has “already set up new co-writing sessions with some of the people I met at the camp.”
With 15 songs (13 for briefs and two open writes) written in three days with just 14 songwriter participants (including four producers and ten topliners), 70% of whom were female, the camp was a tremendous success. Resulting songs came from six separate briefs, of the 16 provided (8 sync and 8 artist). “It was exciting for AIMP/LA to engage such talented songwriters over these three days, foster a supportive community among them, and provide a creative studio environment for their talents to shine through,” concludes Caruso. “I could not be more pleased with the outcome of our inaugural song camp."
With the success of the camp, fantastic camaraderie, and undoubted future collaborations, the hope is to continue to add more songwriting opportunities in the future. In the meantime, AIMP will be holding its Global Music Publishing Summit in New York City on June 11.
