Coreen Sheehan - Five Star Music Makeover: The Independent Artists Guide for Singers, Songwriters, Bands, Producers and Self-Publishers

Copyright 2016 by Coreen Sheehan, Anika Paris, Eric Corne, Michael Eames, and Bobby Borg

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a newspaper or magazine reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Published in 2016 by Hal Leonard Books
An Imprint of Hal Leonard Corporation
7777 West Bluemound Road
Milwaukee, WI 53213

Trade Book Division Editorial Offices
33 Plymouth St., Montclair, NJ 07042

Lyrics from Box You Up used by permission of Natania Lalwani. Lyrics from So So Bad used by permission of Everett Coast (Danny Byrnes and Josh Misko). Lyrics from Dark Night used by permission of GSavage.

Printed in the United States of America

Book design by Kristina Rolander

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sheehan, Coreen. | Paris, Anika. | Corne, Eric, 1970- | Eames, Michael, 1967- | Borg, Bobby.
Title: Five star music makeover : an independent artists guide for singers, songwriters, bands, producers, and self-publishers / Coreen Sheehan, Anika Paris, Eric Corne, Michael Eames, Bobby Borg.
Description: Montclair, NJ : Hal Leonard Books, 2016. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016002864 | ISBN 9781495021756
Subjects: LCSH: Popular music--Vocational guidance. | Popular music--Writing and publishing--Vocational guidance | Singing--Vocational guidance.
Classification: LCC ML3795 .F5465 2016 | DDC 780.23--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016002864

www.halleonardbooks.com

Contents

With Coreen Sheehan

With Anika Paris

With Eric Corne

With Michael Eames

With Bobby Borg

Welcome, Singers, Songwriters, Producers, Artists, and Bands

Music is your life. You hear it streaming over the Web, thumping from car stereos, blasting at music festivals, and playing in stores and restaurants, and on television shows and films. You watch your favorite artists performing on video channels and you read about them winning awards. You feel that you have the raw talent to make it, and now its your time to be seen and heard! But with the overwhelming amount of information and services available to you in an oversaturated marketplace, where and how should you get started with your music career? Youve come to the right place!

How This Book Can Help You

Five Star Music Makeover is the collaboration of five industry professionals who have over 100 years of collective experience. The book cuts to the chase and provides aspiring artists with practical advice that would otherwise cost several years of personal experience and/or thousands of dollars in coaching and producer fees. In a digital age that allows musicians to act as their own record companies, create their own buzz, and create favorable industry alliances, there has never been a better time for an all-in-one book that tackles the important skills that musicians need to succeed.

What This Book Covers

While there are numerous factors that contribute to the success of an artists career, Five Star Music Makeover focuses on five important concepts:

Singing: A key element to the success of any artist or band is the unique and quality performance of the vocalist. Being a great vocalist requires countless hours of training and an understanding of how to build muscle memory for a controlled vocal production, increase vocal stamina, consistently deliver a stellar performance, maintain physical health while touring, and much more.

Songwriting: We all want to write that song millions will soon know by heart. But how do we take our musical inspirations and turn them into something memorable? To achieve longevity in the music industry, your original songs need to stand out above the rest. As a creative artist, your signature sound and style are imperative for survival. And, if you are part of a writing/production team, you have to be ahead of the curve to get noticed in the flooded marketplace. This section will delve into the intricacies of songwriting and help you discover ways to continually tap into your creative muse.

Recording: To succeed in the music industry today, independent artists require a combination of artistic and technical skills. So, whether you utilize new technologies or vintage equipment, capture your music on home recording gear or collaborate with a professional producer, always strive to produce music that showcases your strengths as an artist, at a professional level.

Publishing: Music publishing is the business of songsand your songs (a.k.a. your copyrights) are perhaps one of the most valuable assets that youll ever own. A song can go on to live and generate money long after your career is over, and even long past your time on the face of this earth. Music publishing is an area where fortunes have been both lost and found. In this section, youll learn how to make it a cornerstone of your career.

Promoting: Promotion, or, as some say, getting your music out there, involves much more than just building a website and updating the latest social networking sites. It requires a deeper understanding of your target audience, your unique selling points, and your competitive advantage in the music marketplace. Make no mistake, promotion is not just about doing things right ; it is about doing the right things and getting measurable results that take you to that next level of your career.

How This Book Is Unique

No other book in the marketplace today provides the collective wisdom of five music industry professionals discussing five key skills needed to succeed. Additionally, this book provides insiders stories and anecdotes, helpful tips, creative exercises, celebrity interviews, links to online media and author interviews, and all the practical expertise necessary to advance your music career. In a digital age where the web is overflowing with free and often misleading advice, Five Star Music Makeover is a complete and practical career guide, a resource that transforms artists from good to great.

Who Are the Authors?

Five Star Music Makeover features five authors on five specific areas of the music business:

Coreen Sheehan (Part 1: Singing) is a three-time winner of LAs Best Rock Vocalist Award, a music consultant for the series You Rock (VH1), and a nominee for the Grammy Music Educator Award in 2013 and 2014. She has toured and recorded with artists worldwide, sharing the stage with David Lee Roth and the Foo Fighters. Her work can also be seen (and heard) in TV commercials in the U.S., Germany, Japan (MTV), and South Korea. Coreen is the author of Rock Vocals and has written curricula for several music schools in Japan and for Musicians Institute, where she has won the Vocal Instructor of the Year Award and Curricular Appreciation Award. With more than twenty years of industry experience, she instructs and guest lectures at M.I., M.I. Japan, the Grammy Museum, UCLA and UCLA Extension, and more. Coreen resides in Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit her website at www.coreensheehan.net.

Anika Paris (Part 2: Songwriting) is a CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association) double platinum award-winning singer/songwriter, recipient of ASCAPs Abe Oleman Scholarship, and an HOLA Award Winner for outstanding music in a musical. As a poet, she was nominated for the International Latin Poetry Award for her book Woven Voices (Scapegoat Press), and is the author of Making Your Mark in Music: Stage Performance Secrets (Hal Leonard). Her songs can be heard in major motion pictures with Miramax, Lionsgate, and Universal. A classically trained pianist, she composes for Warner Bros Telepictures, Multistages, and the League of Professional Theatre Women. She has recorded three solo CDs and toured the world performing with Stevie Wonder, John Legend, and John Mayer. With over twenty-five years of experience on and off the stage, she is an adjunct professor at Musicians Institute and UCLA Extension and guest lectures at the Grammy Museum and USC. She splits her time between New York and California and resides in Los Angeles. For more information visit www.anikaparismusic.com.