It All Begins with the Music: Developing Successful Artists and Careers for the New Music Business Don Grierson and Dan Kimpel Course Technology PTR A part of Cengage Learning Australia . Brazil . Japan . Korea . Mexico . Singapore . Spain . United Kingdom . United States It All Begins with the Music: Developing C 2009 Don Grierson and Dan Kimpel Successful Artists and Careers for the ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein New Music Business may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means Don Grierson and Dan Kimpel graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, Publisher and General Manager, Course recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information Technology PTR: Stacy L. 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For your lifelong learning solutions, visit courseptr.com Visit our corporate website at cengage.com Printed in the United States of America 1234567111009 Acknowledgments Our sincere gratitude and thank yous to all of those who gave so freely of their expertise, knowledge, opinions, and experiences that we hope enrich these pages. The authors also wish to thank Kenny Kerner, and our students past, present, and future at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, not only for accepting our input, but for keeping us inspired in these new days. We appreciate the expertise and dedication of Cat Veit in transcribing and copy editing many of the interviews, Brian Lam for his author photos, and Michael Kurniawan and Raymond Ho for their support. Thank you to Mark Garvey and Kim Benbow, who shared our enthusiasm for this project. iii About the Authors Don Grierson, a legendary A&R executive, has worked with many of the most notable artists in modern music history. He was involved promotionally with the launch of Apple Records and The Beatles. Don worked in record promotion internationally and marketing, principally for Capitol Records. He was then a founding member and VP, A&R, for Capitol’s sister label EMI America Records, signing and working with acts such as Sheena Easton, Kim Carnes, Kate Bush, Sir Cliff Richard, J. Geils Band, and Kenny Rogers. This was followed by a very successful stint as VP, A&R, back at Capitol, where he signed and helped guide a number of hit-making acts, including Heart, Joe Cocker, Steve Vai, Megadeth, George Clinton, Tina Turner, Bob Seger, Duran Duran, Thomas Dolby, Billy Squier, and others. He later became Senior VP, Head of A&R, at Sony/Epic Records, working with such acts as Cheap Trick, Celine Dion, Bad English, Gloria Estefan, The Jacksons, Living Colour, and Cyndi Lauper. Don currently operates his own independent consul- tant company and is a faculty member at Musicians Institute, Hollywood, California. Visit Don online at www.dongrierson.com. Dan Kimpel, acknowledged as one of the American media's foremost authorities on popular music and songwriters, contributes to numerous interactive CDs, magazines, web sites, podcasts, docu- mentary films, videos, in-flight audio programs, and new media. His notable interviews include conversations with Leonard Cohen, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Green Day, Metallica, Fergie, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, and Dr. Maya Angelou. Dan is the author of Electrify My Soul: Song- writers and the Spiritual Source, How They Made It: True Stories of How Music’s Biggest Stars Went from Start to Stardom, Networking in the Music Business, and Networking Strategies for the New Music Business. A noted music business educator, Dan lectures at col- leges, universities, and conferences across the U.S. and Canada, and for five years conducted a master class in networking for graduating seniors at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in the UK. He is a current faculty member at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, where he was recently named MBP Teacher of the Year. Visit Dan online at www.dankimpel.com. iv Contents Preface: Dan Kimpel . .........................................xvi Preface: Don Grierson ........................................xviii Introduction ...............................................xxix Chapter 1 The Songwriter 1 Kara DioGuardi: Integrity Time . ............................... 2 Song Goddess ............................................. 3 Background Check . ......................................... 4 Casting Lots at Warners . .................................. 4 Laze & Royal ............................................. 5 Jason Reeves: Heart on Sleeve .................................. 5 Signing Story . ............................................. 6 Billy Steinberg: A Hit Songwriter’s True Colors ........................ 6 Riding with Roy . ......................................... 8 Cover Me . ............................................. 8 Strengths in Song . ......................................... 9 Diane Warren . .......................................... 9 View from the Valley . .................................. 9 Office Time . .............................................10 A State of Great . .........................................10 Keith Stegall: Rebel on the Row . ...............................11 Hot Man on the Bandstand . ..................................12 Into the Mix . .............................................13 Spotlights and Cat Fights . ..................................13 Lauren Christy: Baby, Remember Her Name . ........................13 Crawling with Susie Reptile . ..................................14 Meet The Matrix . .........................................15 Sandy Says . .............................................15 v vi It All Begins with the Music Cutting Korn . ............................................16 Music in the Mill . ........................................16 Tom Shapiro: Turn Right on Music Row . .......................17 Nashville Bound . ........................................18 Hooked on Hooks . ........................................18 Pam Sheyne: Collaborative Confluence ..............................19 A Nudge from Nigel ........................................19 Prose with a Purpose ........................................20 Naked in the Writing Room . .................................20 Chapter 2 The Artist 23 Gene Simmons: The KISS of Money . ..............................23 Back in the Day . ........................................24 Wicked Lester Left to Fester . .................................25 Merchandise and the Media . .................................26 Rules and Tools . ........................................27 Heart: The Musical Pulse of the Wilson Sisters . .......................27 A Flicker of the Future . .................................29 Feminine Wiles ............................................30 Eighties Ladies ............................................30 New Beats from Heart . .................................30 Joe Cocker: Soul Master .........................................31 PubRub.................................................33 Songs Sustain . ............................................33 Long Time . ............................................34 Death Cab for Cutie: Indie Band Speeds to New Destinations . ............34 Refining the Straight Job . .................................35 Independence Days . ........................................36 Seattle Sonics . ............................................36 Sara Bareilles: Between the Lines . ..............................38 My Fair Lady . ............................................38 Big Choices and Little Voice ...................................39 The Soul of the Song ........................................39 Sonic Sense . ............................................40 Essential Trust ............................................40 Karmina: The Kiss of Persistence . ..............................41 Teen Dreams . ............................................41 School of Thought . ........................................42 Contents vii Live Time . .............................................43 Beholding the Beauty . ..................................43