The Dan Workman Studio Log

Tell Congress to Pass the Comprehensive Music Modernization Act

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Mon, 21 May 2018 14:38:00 +0000

Tell Congress to Pass the Comprehensive Music Modernization Act: On April 25, the House of Representatives voted 415-0 to pass the Music Modernization Act (H.R. 5447) and fix outdated music laws so that all music creators are paid fairly! Now the Senate must follow suit. Tell your Senators that you support music modernization.

Clay Melton debuts on Billboard Heatseeker Chart at #12

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 18:00:00 +0000

Clay Melton's 'Burn the Ships' debuts on Billboard Heatseekers Chart at #12

I loved producing this album and I'm so happy for Clay that it is getting the attention it deserves!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 13:47:00 +0000

Lovely article about me in today's Houston Press

Thank you David Garrick for all of your interest and support over the years. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Clay Melton's 'Burn the Ships'

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 15:14:00 +0000

Album Cover by Grammy-winning designer Dick Reeves.

World Famous SugarHill Studios and Dan Workman To ProduceNew Album

Burn the Ships - the first full-length album by Clay Melton Band will be released this June, produced by Dan Workman of SugarHill Studios, the legendary and oldest continuous operating studio in the U.S. SugarHill has hosted the likes of ZZ Top, Beyonce, and many other Grammy winning artists. Dan, owner of SugarHill, has worked on several Grammy-winning records, and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Texas chapter of The Recording Academy (the Grammy's). Clay recently expressed his excitement, "We couldn't be more excited to bring these songs to life working with Dan and SugarHill. Dan is first-class, and working in Studio A where legends have performed is truly an honor."

Front to Back: Clay Melton (lead vocals & lead guitar), Zach Grindle (drums), Raymon Minton (bass guitar), Dan Workman (lead producer & owner SugarHill), Steve Christensen (lead engineer), Josh Applebee (drum tech), Zach Kornhauser (intern).

Dan recently commented on this new project - “Clay Melton Band is an outstanding performance vehicle for front man Clay Melton. The band members , Zach Grindle (drums) and Raymon Minton (bass) are Clay’s equals, which is high praise indeed. The organization is a machine of the best kind: it’s business is as tight as their arrangements, which is both rare and refreshing.”

This team got together a few months ago to record the first single. Afterwards, Dan posted this to his blog:

"Yesterday, I finished mixing a single, Timing's Everything, by Clay Melton Band. The recording--done in SugarHill's Studio A - was engineered by Steve Christensen (worked with Miranda Lambert) and assisted on drum sounds by Josh Applebee. But the main story is the band.

We recorded in a rather old-school fashion: all of the band in one room, including the amps and drums! NOT the way to make a contemporary record at all, unless the band can really play well together (which these guys did--they brought it). Much like our Live From SugarHill recordings, this was one of the rarest studio moments.... a band killing it, playing all together in the same room.

It felt like an early Hendrix session -- minimal isolation in the room, and the blend of sounds, and the substantial microphone bleed, all adding to the massive sound of the recording.

Everyone brought their A game to this party and the song sounds like it.

While we were doing final tweaks on the mix yesterday, Clay had a vision for the sound that went one step further.... we decided to make the song even more mono in the presentation, further emphasizing the old school roots of the track. Another bold step in the right direction!

We are going to record a full length LP in February, 2017. While I'm not sure that we'll use the same 'all at the same time' technique on all of the new songs, it is really cool to know that we can if we want to. I'm really lucky to be working on this project!"

El Deluxe - Analog Heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 12:46:00 +0000

Yesterday I got to do something that is becoming exceedingly rare -- an analog tape tracking session, this time with the rock band El Deluxe (Jeff Balke, bass Frank Bullington, drums and Lani Ordone, guitar and lead vocals). Producer/engineer Cody Franz was at the helm, and jack of all trades, Josh Applebee came in for a critical assist on tuning the drums.

The day was long, but it was not for lack of talent in the room. We just needed to do what was necessary to make the song sound fantastic...and I think we made it. The most fun for me was tracking the vocals. After Lani laid down lead vocal tracks, Frank and Jeff cut backing vocals in classic Lennon/McCartney style: facing each other singing into a single microphone. A bold move in today's recording world.

I'll mix next week and then we tweak. What an amazing day.

Clay Melton Band at SugarHill Studios: Timings Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 14:49:00 +0000

Clay, grinding it out live

Yesterday, I finished mixing a single, Timings Everything, by the Clay Melton Band. The recording--done in SugarHill's Studio A--was engineered by Steve Christensen and assisted on drum sounds by Josh Applebee. But the main story is the band.

We recorded in a rather old-school fashion: all of the band in one room, including the amps and drums! NOT the way to make a contemporary record at all, unless the band can really play well together (which these guys did--they brought it). Much like our Live From SugarHill recordings, and the ZenHill release, American Honey, by Roky Moon and Bolt, this was one of the rarest studio moments,.... a band killing it, playing all together in the same room.

It felt like an early Hendrix session -- minimal isolation in the room, and the blend of sounds, and the substantial microphone bleed, all adding to the massive sound of the recording.

Everyone brought their A game to this party and the song sounds like it.

Zach, drums, Clay, and Ramon, bass

Wheel Workers at Raven Tower, Friday, December 16th

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 13:24:00 +0000

Wheel Workers on A.V. Club

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 03:12:00 +0000

From the review (used without permission, but with very good intentions)

"The problem with too much political art is that it relies on you already agreeing with the statement it’s making in order for you to appreciate the art itself. Either overly bellicose or overly self-satisfied, it loses force through the expectation of preordained sympathy. By contrast, successful political art foregrounds the artistry while making a statement that isn’t just applicable for a limited time"

San Francisco Noise

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 12:16:00 +0000

Grinding Out Some Noise

Not many people know that I am a big fan of noise bands, and have done more than a few noise performances myself. I dip lightly into that pool (total immersion is a bit overwhelming), but I really resonate to this style of music--an affection that goes back to the 1980's with bands like Throbbing Gristle and Chrome.

While in San Francisco, I was able to record a great noise jam with Grux of Rubber O Cement, and Caroliner fame. It was fun to do, and super easy. Grux is a total pro, so it went quite well. The recording was done with the Voice Memo app built into the iPhone. It came out great! Noise in mono!

This thing makes a lot of noise, too--albeit at a very low frequency! The boat tour guide said there was enough steel in the bridge to circle the globe three times. That is a bold claim, but it is damn big.

Seth's Blog: Plenty of room on the island

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 13:11:00 +0000

Marek the Audio Alchemist at SugarHill Studio

Seth Godin (see link, below) suggests that competing products can best be sold together. Sort of like how Home Depot and Lowes tend to build right next to one another. Venues are the same,.... it's common to go into one area of town and find competing bars & concert venues close by to capitalize on cross-over foot traffic.

We are doing something similar at SugarHill Studios. We lease out spaces to 6 competing business (independent producers) right on the property!

Twice in the last week, we have hosted events--with the startup company Green Room, and GCPro--that brought other recording studio owners and recording professionals to our studio. We've always believed that 'critical mass' is more advantageous to building a long lasting business than to sit on 'SugarHill Island' and separate ourselves from the community.

Seth's Blog: Plenty of room on the island

Mark Flood

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 10:13:00 +0000

I wear a few different hats in my professional career. I write about my being president of SugarHill Studios, a record producer, composer, and band member here, but I rarely touch on my other professional identity: business manager for the visual artist Mark Flood.

There are a few of you in the back of the class raising your hand.....go ahead,.... that is correct: Mark was known by the name Perry Webb in the 80's and he and I played in the band Culturcide from '80 to 2000. Excellent. Go to the head of the class.

Mark's art career hit critical mass in 2012 and he asked for help with his business structure, and I've been there in varying capacities ever since.

Mark shows up on the internet in many ways. Almost all of which are intentionally obscure (as is our post-Culturcide band, Stabin Cabin). Because of this, most people that are casually asking about him/me/art/whatever, don't have a point of reference to start absorbing the complex story.

Here is an article that puts Mark and his art career in a digestible perspective (mixed metaphors are ok here). It is a review of his latest London show at Stuart Shave's Modern Art. A relatively short read--for an art world writer, at least. Enjoy and leave questions in the comments....

How Streaming Royalties are Determined

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 10:36:00 +0000

How Government Sets Taylor Swift’s Royalties

This is one of the best overviews of where we are, and how we got here, regarding royalties paid to artists, labels and rights holders for streaming music services. Reprinted from the WSJ article by Bartlett Cleland. (Hit link on the title above to go to the WSJ article directly)

You probably aren’t aware that a division of the Library of Congress will decide the future of American music. A three-judge panel known as the Copyright Royalty Board will soon announce how much digital-radio services must pay record labels for the right to broadcast their songs through 2020. The survival of music streaming services, the fastest-growing channel for content distribution, could depend on the outcome.

There is no question that artists and copyright owners deserve proper compensation for their work. But if royalty rates are too high, popular services like Pandora and iHeartRadio, which boast a combined listenership of more than 100 million people, could suffer.

The Copyright Royalty Board, with origins dating to 1909, has tried to set royalty rates at a level that is fair for musicians, radio services and listeners alike to ensure a vibrant music industry. But without a free market, it’s nearly impossible to strike the right balance. There are no efforts to remove the CRB, so the best that can be hoped for is that its judges will consider the marketplace.

Producers—record labels and artists—are represented by an organization called SoundExchange, which collects royalty payments from distributors. SoundExchange is legally obligated to license any song to distributors in exchange for royalty payments set by the board.

Music producers are prohibited from collectively negotiating royalty rates outside of the CRB process; such action would raise antitrust concerns. As a result, the CRB sets one rate—whether it’s for Taylor Swift’s latest megahit or for a song from a little-known artist—that holds across the industry. To determine this rate, the CRB is supposed to use a standard called “willing buyer, willing seller,” in which the board attempts to ascertain what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller.

But what is the true market rate? At the current CRB rate, $0.0025 each time one person listens to one song, no digital radio provider has earned a profit. This rate might seem a pittance, but it adds up. Pandora alone paid out $446 million in royalties last year.

To help providers struggling under the CRB rate, Congress passed legislation in 2008 and 2009 that temporarily enabled online radio stations to bypass SoundExchange and negotiate royalties directly with record labels.

As a result, labels signed dozens of direct deals with royalties far below the CRB rates. For instance, Pandora pays some labels $0.0014 a song listen. And those rates—along with the negotiated deals—will expire this year.

If the CRB maintains the present rate, streaming startups could go out of business. That would limit the market to only a few large companies—for instance, Apple—that can afford to use music as a loss leader, making zero or negative returns on individual song streams to drive sales of other products.

Investors in these digital radio companies have so far taken losses in the hopes that the outfits will eventually turn a profit. But if the CRB does not cut rates, investor patience will wear thin, and dozens of digital radio services could close.

It may be counterintuitive, but artists stand to benefit from lower rates. Billboard magazine writer Glenn Peoples has explained that keeping digital radio stations in business will result in a healthier market and more song plays, and thus more royalty payments for artists. As long as three judges are deciding what only a market could really decipher, the CRB must use all the evidence it has available to reflect true freely negotiated rates.

Mr. Cleland is the managing principal at Madery Bridge Associates, specializing in technology and innovation policy.

Shouting for Nuance?

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 06:31:00 +0000

I'm listening to a very popular indie rock album on Spotify at the moment, and I'm marveling at how good the songwriting is. And simultaneously marveling at the fact that the greater part of the world will never be aware of this song.

We are so inundated with entertainment and information,.... the Beatles of tomorrow are going to have to be really super-excellent to even get one half of the market attention of the original recipe.

Can any song capture the imagination and attention of the whole world at once?

We know that the pop stars can get hook lines in our collective heads fairly well, and to be fair, some of them actually stick around in the popular literature for a while. "Shake it like a polaroid picture", etc...

But with today's music production techniques, most songs 'shout' at us. Specifically, the song production process has the dynamics so ironed out of the song, that despite the fact that there are quiet parts in the song and arrangement, the transients have been raised so that song simply 'whisper-shouts' the low parts just as much as the loud parts shout.

The topic of over limiting and compressing modern mixes has been done to death in both the technical literature of the audio engineering field and is even somewhat known in popular culture.

I started to wonder what it would be like to have the lyrics of all songs 'yelled' at us instead of using the entire nuance of available to the human voice. The results would be tiring at best, and forgettable at worst. We would quickly tire of being yelled at! In the world of pop messaging, this works for short periods of time. Sort of like cheer leading. We enjoy the yelling for short, sharp messaging. But for a whole day, it's tiring. Or at least it is to me.

In mastering my LP, 'OTTO' for my band, Phytosophie and the Invisible Man I tried to keep the 'yelling' at a minimum. Gary Numan's last album, 'Splinter' does a great job of keeping the yelling down. As a matter of fact, I actually have to hit the volume knob a bit in the car in order to hear the low volume parts!!! I know that I am extremely attracted to the Numan record. I hope the measured tones of my record helps it wind it's way into the heads and hearts of listeners as well.

Another Good National Review of 'Citizens'

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 23:13:00 +0000

Thank you Slug Magazine for reviewing The Wheel Workers' 'Citizens'

A short and sweet, but spot on review by NICK KUZMACK.

Another Great Review of 'Citizens'!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Thu, 28 May 2015 20:25:00 +0000

This time from The Bearded Gentleman. Great name for the blog, and a super great review.

The Wheel Workers at Fitzgerald. Record release show for 'Citizens'

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Mon, 25 May 2015 22:23:00 +0000

Wheel Workers review in Houston Press. I was there. I was an exceptional show!

Free Press Houston Reviews 'Citizens' by The Wheel Workers

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Fri, 15 May 2015 17:51:00 +0000

I've had the pleasure of co-producing the last two albums by Houston's The Wheel Workers. Our latest effort, 'Citizens', is dropping next week with a release show at Fitz on May 22nd, and is getting great reviews. The most recent review by David Garrick for Free Press Houston is exceptionally detailed (and flattering). My collaboration with Steven Higginbotham and the band, has become one of my very favorite projects. (I secretly think that I'm a member of the band.... don't tell anyone. :) Check out the review!
Photo by Patrick Bertolino

The Wheel Workers - CITIZENS ALBUM PREVIEW (short version)

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Fri, 08 May 2015 17:51:00 +0000

Lefsetz on the Importance of Music in American Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 11:46:00 +0000

Social media has leached away my desire to connect with complete paragraphs, and replaced it with a hashtag and a comment. So be it.

Right now, I seem to be peeking as a writer, bandmate and composer. As a mixer producer, I'm finishing Wheel Workers' LP #2. As a band-mate, I'm working with Steve Silverstein, (about time!), and I'm currently obsessed with my parisian poet/singer/performance artist, Phyto Sophie. But more on that later. Or just check my instagram or facebook page.

As for today, I just read Bob Lefsetz' blog on the need for American music education. Hell, education in general! But I'll let Bob tell it. It's worth the read, and I totally believe it! Copied and pasted here boldly without permission.

Screw the "Voice," when are we gonna have an American music school?

I'm sick and tired of reading about Max Martin and Adele, products of their countries' respective music academies, and being subjected to the dash for cash lowest common denominator American dreck made by people who can neither sing nor play, never mind having nothing to say.

Now I'm not talking about music BUSINESS school. Ain't that America. Where we focus on the money as opposed to the art. Rather, I'm referencing something closer to "Fame." You remember "Fame," right? The movie about the New York City arts school featuring a soundtrack by Lesley Gore's brother that evidenced more honesty and pathos than anything emanating from a TV singing show ever. I'll give Kelly Clarkson some credit, Carrie Underwood too, but the truth is although they have the pipes, they're the beneficiaries of the best songwriting in the world, oftentimes done by Swedes.

Yes, they focus on the song in Nashville. Which is why that scene is burgeoning. But if we want to reclaim America's place atop the musical pyramid we have to focus on education.

You think I'm kidding.

I couldn't be more honest. Someone has to turn the tide of America, run by corporations that everyone is enthralled by. Read the papers and weep. That's right, there's no skiing in California because of global warming, the Alps are falling apart, but we can't have legislation against the polluters, those raising temps, because then the corporations will be crippled and we won't have any jobs, because everybody knows corporations create jobs.

No, corporations create profits for their shareholders. These faceless behemoths that last forever don't care about you and me, they've got no soul, and that's what the best music evidences, soul.

And you don't have soul if you're twelve. Stop e-mailing me the ridiculous productions of your pre-teen sons and daughters. So they can sing and play, those are just building blocks, they've got nothing to SAY!

You learn how to have something to say by living, by reading, by studying. We need experienced people dropping their musical wares upon us. Not people beholden to the company. That's right, if the guys, and they are mostly guys, at the label could play, if they could be the stars, they would. Instead, they're businessmen focused on the bottom line, and the truth is most of the money is going to Europeans, where all the art is generated. Lucian Grainge is English. So are Rob Stringer and Steve Barnett. They at least know a good song, where all Americans are off chasing tech, believing dollars are everything.

But back to this education thing. We have to invest in our future. We need a place where people can learn how to create, can hone their chops.

Berklee's not doing a bad job of it, but by time you've graduated from high school it's too late, you are who you are. And it's great that there are jazzers and orchestra students in the music programs of universities, but they're working within precepts, they're playing by rote, they think they're testing boundaries but usually they're operating in an hermetically sealed, self-congratulatory environment that the rest of us cannot relate to.

To get into the music school you've got to have talent. Unlike so many plying the boards today. You've got to be able to sing or play or write or all three. We're gonna weed out the auto-tuners. Does Adele need auto-tune? And if you can play, it makes it much easier to write. I mean the basics, the building blocks, are everything. It's about having the muscle, the reflexes, to put down what it's in your head.

Who's gonna rescue America?

Certainly not Mark Zuckerberg. Definitely not Tim Cook.

I'll give Jeff Bezos credit for resurrecting the "Washington Post," but by time he's done we'll all be working for minimum wage in the warehouse, listening to the sound of industrial machinery, not music.

The bar is too low. We laud people who can neither sing nor play. The Top Ten is dominated by me-too music. And the truth is we all know it but we cannot challenge it because we're just listeners, inadequate players.

This is not complicated.

It starts with music in the schools. The public schools. We've eviscerated art from the curriculum as we starve the beast and focus on the test, as if everyday life were about tests. Come on, do you need a test to have sex?

But the Republicans have defined the debate, the government is profligate, it wastes money, better to keep it in the hands of the corporate titans, who earned it and create the jobs, as stated above?

HUH?

Private enterprise cannot solve all problems.

It's the government's duty to educate the populace. And if you think you can do this via home-schooling, you think art is created in a vacuum, that you can do it all by yourself, and you most certainly cannot.

How about the major labels coughing up some dough?

How about the artists of today investing in tomorrow?

How about a campaign to establish a high school in L.A. Just for the arts. Where everybody making coin on television drops in to tell young charges how to do it.

How about refocusing our bankrupt culture away from money and more on soul-fulfilling enterprises. The old adage is true, money won't keep you warm at night. But a record will truly save your life.

I don't want to focus on social media. The young know how to connect so well. We're not talking about marketing, we're talking about skills.

But in America only the rich have skills. Only the rich can afford music lessons. But after they take them they jump ship to banking and tech, to the corporation, because they don't want to struggle and be poor.

Once upon a time the middle class generated musical artists, with middle class values, i.e. questioning authority. But the middle class evaporated with classic rock. And if you think screaming into a mic with a bad voice behind speed metal is classic rock, you'd better pick up a dictionary.

We can wait for it to work it out by itself, via the private sector, but just like manufacturing, just like so many other jobs, the creative industries will be outsourced. Ever notice all the deejays are European? And Max Martin has more hits than any American?

It's the culture, stupid.

So let's end the bogus competitions with their lame drama. The Beatles may have broken on television, but music never lived there.

And, when done right, music is much better than television, far superior to movies.

But it needs people to make it. Who've been trained to the point where they can let their creativity fly.

Are you with me?

"The Sound Of Sweden - Who rules the pop charts? Swedes.": http://nyr.kr/1y4QhsL

"According to a 2004 study, 30 per cent of Swedish children attended publicly funded music programmes - and it was one of these that nurtured Martin’s talent": http://bit.ly/1hL8dPt

BRIT School: http://bit.ly/15jHYzJ

"As Snow Fades, California Ski Resorts Are Left High and Very Dry": http://nyti.ms/11RyJW9

"Are the Alps Crumbling?": http://mjm.ag/1vjbvTP

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Chiming in with a rant!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Sun, 20 Apr 2014 21:00:00 +0000

So it looks like I'll be on a panel about metadata at this year's Potluck Con. Metadata is really about being able to prove ownership, receive credit for one's digital work, and get paid in an accurate and timely fashion for use of your digital content. Here's my somewhat unfocused screed on the subject:

"Secure monetary transactions are just as important as secure transmission of all digital intellectual property. The general public is just now becoming aware of how personal data is being used to generate income–the same situation that digital rights holders found themselves in over a decade ago. Internet users will eventually demand the right to share in any use of their personal information—not just granting permission, but asking to share in the resulting revenue. All efforts to create an internet infrastructure that excludes a mechanism for transparent and accountable digital commerce is ultimately unsustainable."

Bam

Repost of Bob Lefsetz' latest: 'Soundscan is Killing Our Industry'

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 23:21:00 +0000

Bob. Love him or hate him, he always makes good points and has a laser focus on the heart of matters music business. I really like his blog today. Be sure and subscribe at his wordpress page. And please read this. I could not agree more with every point he makes. It's no longer about sales of CD's, vinyl or downloads. Or radio airplay. The new world is streaming, internet radio and satellite radio. Read on:

"Every week the antiquated record industry trumpets its sales figures and the even more ancient media industry repeats them. And to say they're unimpressive is to say you took the family goat to prom.

Let's look at Imagine Dragons.

They're a top ten act selling 25,000 records a week.

25k a week? That's positively anemic in a country of 300 million. That's like asking us to be impressed that you made $2.50 at the lemonade stand. In a county where movies debut in the double digit millions every week, it appears the music industry is a joke.

But it's not.

Oh, you can point to the 1.25 million records Imagine Dragons has sold in nearly a year, but how impressive is that? When there used to be a diamond award given for ten million sales on a regular basis at the tail end of the last century...

Have people just given up listening to music?

NO! It's just that the industry keeps pointing people to lame metrics.

On Spotify, the supposedly rip-off system with no traction, Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" has been spun 122,988,750 times. Put that number in the paper, it'll wow people! It's almost unfathomable, it's got too many commas for most people to be able to interpret. And the band has another track at over 50 million and two in the 30 million play range.

These numbers are SPECTACULAR!

This is not your daddy's record business. Only it is. Everyone's pointing to the wrong number and the acts are complicit.

The press has declared Kanye West's new album a stiff, but on Spotify the tracks have 2.5 to 5 million plays. Now compared to "Blurred Lines," with 64 million, that's not much, but it certainly indicates traction. As for the other song of the summer? The radio edit of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" has got 74,122,609 spins and the album version has got another 26,335,533.

It's not whether someone buys it, but whether they play it. While "Billboard" keeps reformulating its chart, factoring in social media and a bunch of other crap, why not look to streaming services, which truly indicate popularity?

Same deal with YouTube, where "Radioactive" has 65 million plays. And that's impressive, but people conflate those numbers with television, with the MTV of yore, and they just don't register that much anymore, especially with a new viral video on a regular basis, which may have nothing to do with music.

And you don't see Calvin Harris's name on a regular basis in mainstream media, but he's got numerous tracks with double digit million spins on Spotify. "I Need Your Love" has got 56,435,679, "Sweet Nothing" has got 73,831,099. Maybe some insiders are gloating over his income, wherein he was rated as the number one earning deejay in "Forbes," but to think that's gotten mainstream penetration is to believe "Forbes"'s site has got the same following as TMZ. Then again, it was linkbait, they just did that report to garner virality.

But that's all about manipulation. Right now, these Spotify numbers are real. And important. And as soon as we stop vilifying these streaming services and start trumpeting their metrics, the sooner the rest of the world will take music seriously, the sooner artists will realize that there's a ton of money in music and it's worth it to take the risk as opposed to play the game because you can go straight to your audience and people are hungry for something new and different.

P.S. Don't denigrate Spotify, sign up! Get everybody you know to sign up! Then these numbers keep going up, up, up! And more money rains down on those who make the music, and isn't that your main complaint, that you just can't make enough cash? This is your salvation!

P.P.S. Yes, these are global play counts on Spotify, but it is a global business and the more we tear down the artificial national barriers and embrace the true reality of music dissemination, the better it will be for everybody, especially the artists.

P.P.P.S. "Radioactive" had 1,127,465 plays in the U.S. last week. You can see how many weekly U.S. plays a track had on Spotify here: http://charts.spotify.com/embed/charts/most_streamed/us/latest

P.P.P.P.S. You can add a Spotify Top Tracks widget to your site here: http://charts.spotify.com

P.P.P.P.P.S. Right now Spotify is the leader, only one service will win, whether it be Spotify, Deezer or MOG/Daisy/Beats. Everyone will gravitate to one, to share. The same way BlackBerry can't exist in a world of Android and iPhone, which are battling it out for supremacy themselves. You see you want to be where your friends are, BBM kept people on BlackBerry, iMessage is helping keep people on the iPhone and you build the platform and keep improving it, you grow or you die, that's Amazon's mantra, that's what's hobbled Apple's stock, that's what hurts musical acts. You think by repeating the formula you're sustaining, but the truth is you're dying.http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/"

the wheel workers: review of Past to Present

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 14:26:00 +0000

Awesome review of a great rock band.

Legendary Producer, Phil Ramone passes away

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 04:47:00 +0000

Just a few hours ago, I was leaving the studio after a particularly sweet production session. When I hit the car, I turned on NPR and I heard the news that legendary producer Phil Ramone had passed. While I had the honor of meeting him a couple of times, we weren't close colleagues, however, when listening to the news, I felt a much larger sense of loss than I would have suspected.

Phil created the role of the modern producer. Check out his wikipedia article. This is the man that recorded and produced legendary tracks in every genre you can image. From Marylyn Monroe singing 'Happy Birthday' to President Kennedy, to Sinatra, to Madonna, to Elton John and Pavarotti. Phil's most notable trait was his humbleness when asked about his achievements. He always gave credit to the artists and the songs.

The business of recording and selling music has changed so much and so fast, that the passing of one of the greatest in the business leaves me in a bit more lonely and uncertain place. Phil had been very involved in our work at The Recording Academy's Producer and Engineer's Wing, helping to determine just what the future of our art looks like. I know that he would be disappointed to miss the excitement and challenges of the new world of making records. Right now, more than ever, every one of us in the business needs to remember Phil's positive vibe and passion for the task. My hope is that all of us at SugarHill will aspire to match Phil Ramone's high standards in the records that we make--your records--in the years to come.

Grammy P and E Wing Texas: Retreat at the Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:57:00 +0000

Producers and Engineer's Event at Blue Rock Studios in the Hill Country. Come visit with Rupert Neve, hear Andrew Scheps talk about the need for quality in audio recording, meet Eric Boulanger-Mastered for iTunes guru and mastering polymath, and Tim Palmer our other British ex-pat rockstar producer/engineer while hanging with Texas' finest at one of the coolest studios on the planet. Space is very limited, so RSVP early at the link to ensure a seat!

http://www.grammy365.com/events/wimberley-pe-wing-texas-retreat-rock

Digital Trends: Why it’s still hard to discover new music online (and how we can fix it)

noreply@blogger.com (Dan Workman) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:24:00 +0000

I just read a really cool article about digital trends in discovering new music on the Digital Trends site, written by Louie Herr. Check it out here (it's not a long read).