smart album-making: tactics to make & complete the music you're the proudest of

TA C T I C S T O M A K E A N D C O M P L E T E T H E M U S I C Y O U ’ R E T H E P R O U D E S T O F

S M A RT A L B U M - M A K I N G

W H O I S T H I S F O R

• This is for anyone who wants to make a recorded album of music.

• Artists, Bands, Musicians, Songwriters

• If you’re serious about making great music, this is for you.

I N T H E N E X T 6 0 M I N U T E S …

• How to make world-class sounding music with some of the best musicians and engineers in the world, even if that idea sounds ridiculous right now.

• I’m going to show you how to work with these amazing people without being overcharged, laughed away, or just ignored.

I N T H E N E X T 6 0 M I N U T E S …

• I’m going to show you why the DIY movement has its limits and how opting to work with a producer who project-manages your process yields exponentially better results than doing everything yourself.

• I’m going to show you how when you have access to the top talent network you can betray geographic borders to bring your music to life by the most talented people around, getting their contributions done immediately, and done for FAR less money than if you cold called them.

• I’m going to show you how to do all of this without being some industry insider, having a record deal, or even being a full-time musician yourself.

A S T E P - B Y- S T E P P R O C E S S T O M A K E T H E B E S T M U S I C Y O U ’ V E E V E R M A D E

M Y P R O M I S E T O Y O U …

D O E S T H I S S O U N D L I K E Y O U ?

• Have you been playing, singing, or writing music but you haven’t been able to represent or express yourself with a professional recording?

• Are you a solo music-maker but have no network of great players or engineers?

• Have you been “working on a new album” at home but WAY too much time has gone by?

D O E S T H I S S O U N D L I K E Y O U ?

• Are you finding that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to really get your music sounding amazing?

• Do you feel like you’ve been getting overcharged by local “professionals” (who aren’t actually that good) in your music scene?

• Do you see other people creating finished albums that sound the way you wish yours did and just have no idea how they did it?

D O Y O U F E E L L I K E Y O U ’ R E N O T L I V I N G U P T O Y O U R P O T E N T I A L A S A N A R T I S T A N D T H AT

Y O U K N O W Y O U ’ L L R E G R E T I T L AT E R I F Y O U D O N ’ T M A K E T H E M U S I C Y O U ’ V E A LW AY S

D R E A M E D O F, S TA R T I N G N O W ?

Y O U H AV E N ’ T M A D E “ T H E S H I F T S ”

THE REAL PROBLEM?

O N C E Y O U M A K E “ T H E S H I F T S ” …

• You’re going to learn how to create something that you don’t make excuses for but you tell people to turn the volume up on!

• You’re going to know how to get some of the most talented musicians and engineers in the world to work with you, AND book them for a fraction of the price they charge everyone else.

O N C E Y O U M A K E “ T H E S H I F T S ” …

• You’ll realize that in the amount of time you’ve been spending on that project you started at home and have been doing in secret, you could create multiple projects that are FINISHED and already being enjoyed by the world.

• AND you’re going to remove yourself from that category of people who always regret not really creating some amazing music while they still can!

T H E O N E T H I N G Y O U N E E D T O

K N O W…

• There are five simple shifts you need to make to make the music you’ve always wanted to make, on the timetable you want, and with the best people in the business.

• I'm going to walk you through EXACTLY how to make those shifts today.

W H O I A M• I’m known as the entrepreneur-musician

and producer who applies the growth-hacking concepts of the startup world to making amazing albums.

• I’ve been Grammy short-listed, I’ve worked on more than 50 recorded releases, founded two music education tech companies that service hundreds of thousands of students annually, was listed in Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs List, and most importantly, I’m a musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and an artist just like so many of you.

• My specialty is working with artists, bands, songwriters, anyone who wants to make amazing music and stepping in to eliminate whatever barriers are in their way and empowering them with my network and process that I’ve used to make great albums over and over again.

D I S C O V E R I N G T H E F I V E S H I F T S …

T H E F I V E S H I F T S

• There are five key shifts that you have to make to start making amazing albums that stand out from everyone else and reflect the best of you.

• I’m going to walk you through all five of them in this session.

L E V E R A G E T H E C A L E N D A R T O G E T T H E B E S T

P E O P L E F O R L E S S

L E V E R A G E T H E C A L E N D A R T O G E T T H E B E S T P E O P L E F O R L E S S

• I’ve booked big-name sidemen, I’m talking the guys and girls that have been on records with some of the most successful acts of all time and world-class studios in most major cities for less than half of their advertised price because I make it my business to know about the latest schedules and obligations of the top guys to best help my clients around the world.

T H E M I R R O R

• It doesn’t matter how well you plan to market your music, if you didn’t create an amazing release with amazing people, there’s really no escaping that.

• If you want people to get an impact from your music that shows that you respected your art enough to work with the best people, and create it in a timely fashion and make something awesome then you have to show up and deliver that, not just hope people take away something from it that’s different than it actually is.

R E C O G N I Z E W H AT Y O U ' R E N O T

A M A Z I N G AT, A N D F I N D

S O M E O N E T O F I L L T H AT H O L E .

R E C O G N I Z E W H AT Y O U ' R E N O T A M A Z I N G

AT, A N D F I N D S O M E O N E T O F I L L T H AT H O L E .

• Maybe you’re a hobbyist-musician, singer, or songwriter and focus mostly on your day job and family. That’s great but if you’ve always dreamt of making your own album you’re going to need to work with an expert who knows how to guide you, get the project done on time, within budget, and with amazing professionals.

• Instead, open yourself up to accepting what is and isn't your specialty and find someone to fill those holes.

T H E P R O O F I S I N T H E P U D D I N G

• Cody is a vocalist who on his first album, initially did what most of us try to do, which is to attempt to do everything ourselves.

• I delegated all the tasks that weren’t singing to the top people I knew and only let Cody focus on singing.

U S E T H E S E C R E T W E A P O N


•It’s hot to be a “Jack of All Trades”.

• It’s also a lie when you’re trying to make one great thing.

T H E S M A R T W AY

• “Instead of trying to be a booking agent, publicist, label, and manager, I put my initial energy into finding and impressing the best agent, publicist, label, and manager. And I just kept making lots of the best music I could.” - Moby

• Stay focused on what you do best.

T H E S M A R T W AY

Artist Focuses on Songs & Performing

Producer

Studios

Side-Musicians

Recording Engineer

Mix Engineer

Mastering Engineer

Finished Product

W O R K I N G W I T H A P R O D U C E R

• Lets you focus on why you’re doing this without getting yourself distracted by the process, the people, and the stuff.

• Someone on your side who understands both sides (musical & technical).

T H E P R O O F I S I N T H E P U D D I N G

•Doing everything herself and working with amateurs kept her from releasing ANYTHING.

•Switching her focus to playing/writing ONLY yielded amazing results.


•Ignore those that try to do everything themselves.

•Work with a connected Producer to make the project you’ve dreamed of.

Q U I C K R E C A P

• We talked about how when you have a network of the industry’s best talent, you can negotiate rates and schedules that work for you.

• We talked about staying focused on what you’re AMAZING at and not getting pulled in a million directions with gear, tools, scheduling, and networking.

H AV I N G S O M E O N E ( W H O I S N ' T ’ Y O U ) I N V E S T E D I N T H E P R O J E C T ’ S S U C C E S S T O K E E P T H I N G S M O V I N G A N D F I N I S H FA S T.

THE NEXT BIG SHIFT…

H AV I N G S O M E O N E ( W H O I S N ' T ’ Y O U ) I N V E S T E D I N T H E

P R O J E C T ’ S S U C C E S S T O K E E P T H I N G S M O V I N G

A N D F I N I S H FA S T.

•When we’ve gotten used to doing everything ourselves and we’ve seen some modest success from this method we think that we’re forever destined to take care of everything ourselves and we’re the best at every step of our process.

•The most prolific artists that I know pass their work on to another person to continue the process when they finish their main contribution.

“ I N D I E B A N D ” B E F O R E : D O I N G I T A L L T H E M S E LV E S

• Trying to make a record totally in-house, recording in their apartment. “Kind of” knew how to record…

• Were setting themselves up to fail at meeting that deadline.

• Had to “Shelve” the record when they got distracted.

“ I N D I E B A N D ” A F T E R : W O R K I N G W I T H A

P R O D U C E R A N D H I S T E A M

• When I handled the logistics of recording them they could totally move on from there.

• We finished their second album in just three weeks while their first took over a year and a half. And they were way happier with the final product.

• Money is a renewable resource, while your time is not.



• So now that band, and lots of artists that have been through that same transition, instead focus on writing great songs, making creative arrangements, and lastly bring on a producer to understand the vision and choose the right talented experts within the producer’s network and get the project done.

• And this means these guys can output SO much more than they ever have or their peers do.



• They’re already writing songs for the next record because they had the time to just get back to what they love, which is writing and performing, instead of babysitting the record though all the iterations of editing, mixing, mastering, and the endless tweaking through all of that.

H AV I N G S O M E O N E ( W H O I S N ' T ’ Y O U ) I N V E S T E D I N T H E

P R O J E C T ’ S S U C C E S S T O K E E P T H I N G S M O V I N G

A N D F I N I S H FA S T.

•It was that idea of letting go of the idea of trying to do everything, and allowing others to help them that changed everything.

•They’re not spending all their time tweaking audio clips on their computer, they’re playing their instruments, writing new songs, and playing shows.

I N V E S T I N M E N T O R I N G


• EVERYONE should have a mentor.

• Mentoring brings two things: NEW IDEAS and ACCOUNTABILITY


• A good mentor will give you great ideas AND make sure you act on them.

• A GREAT mentor will also put together a powerful group of people all working toward similar goals...this multiplies everyone's effectiveness exponentially.

• In my All-Access plan, we have artists with record deals working alongside artists that are successful independent acts, right alongside people who are attorneys by day! Everyone wins.

T O D AY I P R O M I S E D …

• How you can book the best musicians, studios, and engineers in the world to work on your stuff for way less money than they charge everyone else. Even if that seemed like a ridiculous concept.

• How to adapt your work habits to recognize what you’re not AMAZING at and instead find the best people to fill those holes.

T O D AY I P R O M I S E D …

• Having someone (who isn't you) invested in the project’s success to keep things moving and finish fast.

• By limiting yourself to the one thing you’re AMAZING at you can be better than you ever thought you could be.

• All of this is possible even if you’re not famous, well-known or even consider yourself a complete new-comer.

W H AT Y O U N E E D T O W I N …

• 1. You need to bring on a producing partner who can create the space for you to focus on what you’re great at.

• 2. You need to be honest about whether or not the DIY methodology is working for you and more likely than not, switch to adopting a team mentality to get your best work done before it’s too late

• 3. You need to partner with someone who can connect you with the most talented musicians, engineers, and studios for a price point that works for you

• 4. Just like a fast-growing startup, you need to adopt a project-management mentality to get your work out into the world.

• 5. Invest in mentoring.

N O W Y O U H AV E A C H O I C E …

H O W I C A N H E L P…

• My team and I have set aside some time in the next week to speak to you personally about how you can apply these ideas to your music starting TODAY.

• The cost: Free.

W H O T H I S I S F O R …

• You must be absolutely committed to hitting your musical goals with the best possible people and resources that you can, to deliver the product of your life, with total authenticity.

• If you’re thinking of first buying an instrument and learning to play and making your first album, this is not for you.

W H Y W E ’ R E D O I N G T H I S …

• On the call we’ll help you get total clarity about what you want to make musically and the EXACT steps that you should take to achieve your goals.

• If you want us to help you going forward, and if you think it’s a good fit, and we think it’s a good fit, we may invite you to become one of the new clients that we take on this month.

I F W E W O R K T O G E T H E R …

• We'll put you through the SAME process we put our clients that have generated acclaimed, award-winning work, artists that are going full speed with their music, as well as hobbyists that love making amazing music on the side, we're going to put you through the same process we put all of them through.

• We’ll expect you to bring the dedication that’s needed to attract and work with the type of first-call people and studios in our network that will make the best sounding stuff you’ve ever made.

S PA C E S A R E V E R Y L I M I T E D - S I G N U P N O W !

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