FOR THE ARTISTS
Tanya Venom
“Hydrate the day before you sing, because it takes time for water to be absorbed by your vocal cords. Coughing and constantly clearing your throat can scratch your vocal cords, as well. Try to speak light and gently from the front of your mouth and, by all means, don’t sing when you’re sick!“
Miranda Lambert
“I love modern music, but I love old music—it’s what I gravitate to when I’m listening in my car: old country, old anything. I hope that 30 years from now someone feels that way about my music. I want that nostalgia for people who listen to me. I think I pull from that stuff. It stuck out to me, because it mattered to me.“
"Staying true to myself was my best career move. Not compromising my sound or my brand or who I am or anything. That’s the reason why my fans connected with me in the first place, they can feel it’s very much me, all of it." – KALI UCHIS
Dead Horse Branding
“Artists and companies need branding to cut through the noise and distinguish themselves.”
Loren Israel
“Your audience has to feel understood. It's my story. When I listen, when I sing along, when I see my favorite band, they're singing my song. That's it—that kind of sharing is the root of it.”
Joe Bonamassa
“Never compromise. If you know you’re good at something—it may not be the hippest thing—be the best damn accordion player in the world! If you’re rocking the sousaphone and have that drive and that thing, be the best damn sousaphone player in the world, or at least be the most enthusiastic—and be an entertainer.”
"Yes. People think you want the best label with the most well-known artists. But that’s not true. You’ll get shelved and that doesn’t, necessarily, mean you’re gonna win. You need somebody to work for you and with you. And that makes you wanna work harder for them."– DEREK DAY, CLASSLESS ACT
David Porter
“Study what has happened before. Respect what has happened before. Learn from what has happened before. Use what has already proven to work, find what makes you unique and palatable to a larger audience, and then do it.”
Rebecca Lovell
“Before and after shows I religiously follow a vocal warm-up and cool-down routine. There’s absolutely no reason that a singer shouldn’t be experimenting with this aspect of vocal caretaking. I don’t drink on tour. And pending how my voice is feeling on any given day, I will limit my talking as well. Prioritizing vocal rest and hydration is always a focus for me.”
Florence Dore
“I like to use a thesaurus. I try to write for 10 minutes every morning and do object deep dives to just get you thinking about the world in a real and sensory way. I also think about how to make cool metaphors. Sometimes it may go nowhere or it may just get you thinking about things in a songwriter way.
Milky Chance Clemens Rehbein
"Critics and hearing other people’s opinions can be helpful sometimes. But also trust yourself."
Kali Uchis
"I think I would definitely work on developing myself more as an artist privately before putting everything on the internet. People develop themselves as artists first. I started performing when I barely had one or two songs out, so I feel like I spent a lot of time working harder instead of smarter."
"The music that was given to me by my family was eclectic and worldly. As I developed my own taste for music, I began with rock & roll. But as I became an adolescent, hip-hop became my language. I learned about a lot of different styles of music by exploring hip-hop samples." – VIC MENSA
Delacey
“Have hobbies. Have other interests. Do other things that fulfill and inspire you, and you'll write better music.”
Megan Moroney
"As an independent artist, the most important thing is to keep the ball rolling; you need to put out good music consistently."
FOR THE COLLABORATORS
Mike Gowen
“From the beginning, I learned that successful PR is about building and nurturing relationships. Once I got to the point where I had all the systems in place and was able to have clients perform on late night TV and appear on prominent magazine covers, I felt my experience and risk tolerance level were at a point where I felt I could launch my own firm.”
Classless Act Franco Gravante
"It took years to find the right people. We went through a lot of members, as well. But this time it felt right. We’re like five brothers in a way. But it’s mostly about working, writing and to never stop having a good time. I think that’s really important."
“I’ll write a first verse and maybe a chorus melody, and then I don’t mess with it. I’ll try to get a hook, a first verse with a fire first line, and a vibe for the chorus. And then I take it to the writers I trust." – BAILEY ZIMMERMAN
Sandro Morales-Santoro
"Fellow composers should be seen as collaborators, not competitors. You can find community in the composing world. They’re all going through the same thing you are. Some are further ahead, some are just starting out, but they’re all part of a group of people who understand.”
Joy Ngiwe
“Remember, it’s something you’ll work on for a while, so find the project you’re passionate about. And make sure you have a good team―I’ve realized the importance of having a music editor, assistant and additional writers you can count on. They’ll be there when the deadlines are coming close.”
Judith Sherman
“There are musicians who’ve recorded regularly and sometimes I have to shake them and say ‘Hey, you can be perfect, but I’d rather you be inventive and use your imagination.’ Fortunately, that’s a skill that can be developed once you learn to trust yourself and the people in the booth.”
"I think it’s just that we share taste, and so our hit rate for each other is really high. When we miss, it’s not a big deal. Or, sometimes we’ll have an idea that is good but not right, and taking the time and not being satisfied until we get the thing that we’re most proud of, and not settling for something that functions, I think is a priority that we all have." – LUCY DACUS, BOYGENIUS
FOR THE PRODUCERS
Scotty Hills
“What makes a good song is the relentlessness to preserve the vibe that was originally started. If you got hit with some kind of heart dagger or something affected or inspired you to write, then you have a song. The best songs don't try too hard to be much more than that vibe—that thing that a small child that can barely speak should be able to explain—it's your melody.”
Rachel White
“Experimentation is key. So many things are happy accidents and even if something dosen’t work for a song, you can save it for another time.”
Jimmy LaValle
“Being honest about boundaries and the type of composer you are is the best thing you can do and will best serve the project.”
Julian Scherle
“When I listen to something, I ask myself, ‘Do I have a reaction to this? Does my gut say this music means something?’ I think that’s where your personality and your unique voice comes in.”
Josh Gudwin
“My approach is, and always will be, song first, artist first. I always try to service the song and then the artist to push their vision through, whatever that may be. Our [own] opinions matter, but we’re not the ones putting out a song or album. The artist should be the happiest [one] in the process.”
"Mixing is the easy part. Communicating what that artist wants is the hard part. It has nothing to do with the gear and everything to do with your bedside manner.” – CHRIS LORD-ALGE
Milky Chance Clemens Rehbein
We never have anything in mind except the music itself. We’re driven by being in the moment. We work intuitively, so whatever comes out, whatever feels right, is what we go for. We never go into the studio and say, 'Maybe we should write a song about this and it should sound like that.' We just see what takes us.”
Rachel White
“One of the hardest things to do while you’re working is to trust yourself. Sometimes you ask
yourself, ‘Does what I’m doing sound good?’ Learning how to be less critical in the creation stage is important. You have to accept that the things that have brought you into the room will continue to propel you.”
Jason Graves
"You have to remember that technology is a tool you use to realize something you’re hearing in your head, and not as a crutch to help you finish something when you’re not inspired.”
FOR THE MASSES
Holly Knight
“Have some self-worth in order to not be blindsided by stupidity and the patriarchal attitude that still exists. Women who are successful have the chutzpah to just walk in there like they have every reason to be there and are going to show everybody how it's done. If you don't really believe that yet, if you're young and trying to get to that place, fake it ‘til you make it.”
“It does get a little bit exhausting, the travel, but you just have to put your mindset into the fact that for the next four months we’re gonna be living in and out of a suitcase, in a hotel, on a bus, in an airplane—”Alright. Great. It’s gonna be fun!” – ALICE COOPER
Molly-Ann Leikin
“As a writer, it’s part of your job to know who publishes the hit songs/artists in your genre each week on the Billboard charts. There is no fairy godmother who will do that for you.”
Gemi Taylor
“You don’t just pop out the room with a pen in your hand. You have to get hurt. Until you experience things, you can’t write about it or make somebody else believe it.”
Sandro Morales-Santoro
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. In the beginning, I always felt in a rush, worried about things happening fast enough, but you have to take it one step at a time. You have to network, you have to work on your craft, and then you have to work on your voice, which is what sets you apart from the rest and makes people interested in hiring you over someone else.”
Michael Lockwood
“I know from experience that when you’re trying to create something, if you go down a path that’s already been gone down, that path gets narrower. You have to get outside it, look for a back door to it, and dream up different ways to do the thing you want to get done.”
" If you build it, they will come. If you do it the right way, and not try to skip steps, you’ll have a long-lasting career." – JOE BONAMASSA
Julia Bhatt
Live in the moment a bit more—even if you're terrified—because once that [moment is] gone, you're going to regret running away from it.”
Clinton Sparks
“The secret of my success is patience, making a plan, and sticking to it. A lot of times, people let a speed bump derail them. But a speed bump doesn’t stop you from getting to your destination.”
David Porter
“If you know the purpose, you can lose yourself in that purpose, and not lose the authenticity and the credibility of what you're doing.”
Barton Stanley David
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
Damon Elliott
“You have to stay persistent and honest with who you are. Never let anything sway you. Sometimes, when you think you just had your big breakthrough, it turns out to just be a stepping stone. But you have to stay persistent.”
Rebecca Lovell
“I’ve fallen onstage, struggled to hear myself or played to the bar staff. Until you’ve truly hit the ground hard and tested your own mettle, you won’t know what you’re fully capable of.”
Bailey Zimmerman
“If it seems too good to be true, it’s probably too good to be true. A lot of people out there are going to blow smoke up your ass. They’re going to tell you one thing and mean something else. And they’re going to give you the runaround.”
"You have to be active in giving people things. Even if it’s not your music. Something During the pandemic, for better or worse, once a week I did a reading of a song lyric. It wasn’t like we had 10 million people watching it, but it’s trying to maintain a connection with people in a non-traditional way. " – RON MAEL, SPARKS
Rachel White
“It’s vital to be calm in stressful situations. People appreciate it when the person steering the ship has an air of calm.”
J.W. Roth
“I have always found you will make more money if you let passion drive you than if you let money drive you. It’s that simple. I don’t care if you’re making food or selling tickets or building an entertainment company. If you let passion drive you, you’ll win.”
Ben Johnson & Track45
“The amateur waits for inspiration to strike; the professional shows up to work and finds it. I think my thing is definitely showing up to work every day and chasing after inspiration, knowing sometimes it might not be there.”
Devin Kennedy
“Whether you want to be a songwriter, an artist, a producer, or anything in between, consistency is absolutely crucial.”
