We hear them every day.  The classic albums that made history and stood the test of time.  What is it about these songs and artists that make them so great?  Why do some artists consistently turn out really good music that you repeatedly turn on in the car, on your iPod, or online?  Is it luck, money, or politics with the radio stations?  Some of these things most certainly can contribute to a successful record.  I am telling you there are some more solid points to keep in mind.  If …

We all know a band.  Many of us are in bands.  Or solo artists.  Are there more today than there were 20 years ago?  Purely estimating, I would say that, yes, there are more bands and artists thanks to the accessibility to technology we have now.  What does it take to really do something with you music though?  
Here’s my short list.  It is in no way exhaustive, though.  I will be doing more in depth posts on some of these topics in the future, so get the RSS feed now!
6. Have some …

We all know that artists in today’s music industry are in general not making loads of cash. The question is, “why?”
The surface answer would be that the labels are taking all of the money for themselves. How much are they taking? How much does the artist get? It varies from artist and label, but typically it’s to the tune of pennies per album sold to the artist and the rest is divided up between the label, management, producer, etc. That huge advance that the artist …

Most of us have at some point seen an episode of the Fox TV reality show American Idol.  If you haven’t seen an episode, you’ve probably heard a song on the radio by one of the contestants that were on the show.
While many of them are really good, there are many other artists out there that are just as good and sometimes better that are playing shows and putting in tons of hard work and lots of hours travelling, playing, and working at their career.  Does that discount the talent …

If you’re a musician today preparing to record an album, you have a question to ask yourself.
Do I take my budget and go to a real recording studio or use the cash to buy my own recording gear and have my friends help?
Recording studios are closing more and more often these days.  The reason?  Artists don’t have the money to spend $125 per hour and make a full-length album.  But they do have enough money to buy enough gear for a 16 channel rig.
So is the “bang for your buck” tradeoff worth …