First and foremost, the company’s message always comes first. It is the most important aspect of your jingle. Be sure that you and your client have a very clear communication and understanding of what exactly that message is, because if you give them a finished jingle that communicates the wrong message, they will certainly never hire you again.

Once that message is clear, you are ready to start writing. Write from the most important content to the least important. We already know that the message is the most important thing in the song, and what do we use to portray the message? Lyrics. These are of utter importance in jingle writing because they are the only things that truly communicate a message. To start your lyric writing, come up with a slogan. A slogan is a short, catchy phrase that you think best represents your client’s message in as few words as possible. Sometimes your client will give you a slogan, but if that is not the case you will have to come up with something you think your client will like. The more times you mention the name of the company the better because that’s what you want the consumer to hear.

Once you have your slogan, sing it. Don’t be afraid and don’t think about it. If you’re not a singer just sing it with whatever voice you have, or just hear the slogan as a random melody in your head. The first melody on which you sing the slogan should in most cases be the one you use for you jingle. This melody will most likely be the most simple and natural and that’s generally what appeals to the most people. If it doesn’t work out for you this way first try, repeat the process until your melody meets these criteria. Once you have your melodic slogan, it will function as a backbone throughout the rest of the writing process.

The next step is a little more complicated. You must be capable of playing chords on an instrument and be somewhat musically inclined. Develop a harmonic chord progression for your melody. Every melody has an implied chord progression that, if played beneath it, can make the melody sound really good. Pick up your instrument, and start playing chords under the melody that are in its same key. Eventually you will come up with something that fits your melody. It is usually helpful if the chord you are playing at a given time contains the note from the melody in it. This will guarantee that the chord your playing goes with your melody. Be experimental with the rhythms and articulations with which you play the chords because these will give spice to your chord progression. Once you finish this process, and you think you’ve developed something that sounds good, this will be the main section, or “chorus” of your jingle. There are usually a few other sections that jingles have, including a beginning and an ending, that make them complete.

You now have the majority of the work done, and the rest is just touching up to make it complete. There are a number of ways to open up your jingle that can be effective. You should make the decision of how to do this based upon the time constraints given to you by your client. Obviously, if your jingle has to be short you may want it to contain the chorus and nothing more. But if you have time to fill, you should be sure to include an introductory section and an ending section. The introduction should be short, sweet, and lead you into your chorus. A common technique is introducing the song with an instrumental version of the chorus with no lyrics. This prepares the listener for the chorus without actually giving them the lyrical part. That way when they hear the actual chorus they will be familiar with its sound, making your chorus more effective. The key point here is to make sure you introduce the song with something relevant. The same goes for the ending. But be sure to taper off the energy level to make it clear that the jingle is coming to a close. Often times it is best to simply end the jingle with the slogan, sometimes repeated, because this is what you want the listener to remember. Remember, the more frequently you say the name of the company, the better.

Now you are finished with your jingle. If you have followed these instructions thoroughly, your jingle should impress your client. But don’t stop there, keep writing jingles and building your skill set. The more jingles you’ve written the better each one will be. This is a skill that most people don’t have and that is why you are being hired, and it is also part of what makes jingle writing special. Good luck!

Quinn Carson

Quinn@audimated.com

Many artists fail to practice their most important instrument; their voice. No matter your age or skill level, building your voice through voice rehearsals can always add some value to your next musical project. Did you know that your Larynx (what allows you to sing), contains five major muscles and two of them specifically create the quality of your voice, such as pitch and tone.  They are called the Arytenoid muscle group and the Crico-Thyroid muscle group, and they control two different registers.  The lower register, known as the chest voice, is the action of the Arytenoid group. The upper register (Falsetto voice), on the other hand, is handled by the Crico-Thyroid.

There are a few more differences between the upper and lower registers.  The lower register tends to produce a heavier sound, while the upper register produces a higher tone commonly associated with females.   There is also a big break (or “crack”) between the two registers between the notes E and F and above middle C.  The action of these muscle groups is what causes this break to occur, and training to avoid this break is what great singers do to maintain a quality vocal tone and range.

During singing rehearsal, most programs that offer voice lessons train people to change these involuntary muscle actions in order to eliminate this break.  The goal is to have the upper and lower registers come together to from one big vocal range.  Voice lessons are always helpful, even if you already know how to sing. There is always room for improvement, and practicing, especially with a teacher, will only allow you to enhance your singing abilities, which will ultimately make your music sound better overall. Even the industry’s top signers maintain vocal coaches and practice consistently. Think of your voice like a well tuned athlete. If they don’t practice, exercise and use their bodies every day they will slowly deteriorate. The same applies to your voice. Use it or lose it.

Voice lessons allow you to form new vocal responses, break bad vocal habits, increase your resonance and develop smoother transitions between notes.  By training your muscles to work in a different and effective way to improve your singing, you will be able to build endurance and learn to sing without these breaks.  Voice rehearsals are importance because since they help the artist’s singing ability and if your lead singer sounds great; your band will sound great. By scheduling regular voice rehearsals or voice lessons, you will notice an improvement in your tone, flexibility to sing at various pitches, better accuracy, balance, and an increase in the range of melodies your are able to sing.

Greg Gerla
greg@audimated.com
audimated.com

Producing hip-hop and rap instrumentals can be a long and difficult process when you are just getting started.  Thankfully, the newest available software created by rap artists and producers, artists can produce quality beats at smaller costs and in less time.  These softwares are easy to use and offer various types of performance options that can often be very expensive.  A few of the industry leaders in this category are Propellerhead’s Reason software and Fruity Loops. Another dominant software platform in this space is DigiDesign’s Protools which is much more adapt at recording vocals than Reason or Fruity Loops wich focuses on producing instrumentals. Most hip hop producers have a combination of these software platforms to achieve their sound.

These new and improved instrumental softwares offer a just about every instrument you can imagine drums to guitars to unique instruments from all around the world. These “sound banks” can also be expanded upon with the downloads of new sounds or patches for the software created by its users. In this way, producers can theoretically never run out of new sounds to use on their next project.

Keep in mind that you get what you pay for when selecting your software. The most famous and successful hip-hop artists today only use the top of the line equipment and software. When just starting out you may not need such an extensive list of sounds and equipment, but it is important to have the tools required to make the music you are interested in.  Most of these programs can give you close to the same high quality music that you get from recording in studio while being easy to use and affordable.

This software isn’t limited to only hip-hop and rap beats, you can create a variety of music like reggae, rock, pop and much more. If you do decide to purchase this type of software, you will still need to learn some basics about the equipment that will assist you in perfecting your music.  There are many sites online that can provide you with guidelines and helpful tips so you can be on your way to becoming a star. We recommend browsing the forum pages from the manufactures websites (propellerhead, fruity loops and digidesign) to discuss with other users what has helped them. Youtube.com is also a great source for visual tutorials on how to get started. Once you make that next great instrumental, don’t forget to add it to your Audimated account because the next great lyricist might be looking for instrumentals just like yours.

Greg Gerla
greg@audimated.com
audimated.com

Taking this into consideration, your band should try their best to start off the biography strong and appealing to readers so that they do not overlook you band biography and maybe even your band entirely!  In addition, mention all the band members, as well as explaining your music and sound early in the biography.

Once you have gotten your readers attention, you then want to make them remember your band.  Mention a unique or entertaining story that is relevant, as well as using descriptive words that can allow your reader to further visualize and identify your music and band members.  Although your band’s biography should be descriptive, keep it brief and limit it to one page, anymore and your readers will most likely not turn the page to read more.

Inclusively, if your band has won any awards or been given significant recognition, such as a mention on a well-known music website, make sure to add this in your bio.  Album releases and noteworthy performances are also important to include as this will strengthen your biography, almost like a resume.

Once you are completed your band biography and are happy with the content, make sure to proofread for any spelling and grammatical errors before having it available to venues, bookers, etc.  Lastly, as your band continues to perform and gain more experience, make sure to update your band bio regularly.  Removing irrelevant information and adding new awards or recognition will make you a top contender in a competitive industry.

This article was written by Nicolette for audimated.com, if you have any further information or recommendations for future articles, please contact Nicolette@audimated.com.

Many websites – including social networks and blogs – allow you to place a tagline in your profile.  You can use this to your advantage to create a clever, distinctive catch phrase that your fans can use to further distinguish your band.  It helps provide a way for fans to identify you and your music by creating further consistency and instant associations.  In addition to this, these free service providers supply you with a space to add a description to your profile.  Your band should consider adding a short, yet informative biography to captivate listeners and help define your band members.

If your band has several websites, you can link your followers to these sites by adding links to your pages.  There are two things that your band should make sure of:  1) check that these links do not contain any spelling errors so that your listeners won’t be directed to a different or non-existent website; and 2) make sure these links will be easy to locate on your profiles.

Additionally, when your band comments or posts an entry on a profile or blog, you can end with a signature or your logo.  This is a way in which you can further brand your business as well as promote your band, profiles, and your music.

Lastly, your band should decide on one contact person and/or email address so that you can make this critical information available on all of your profiles.  This information, along with your logo and tagline, should be kept consistent for professional and successful communication among the public.

This article was written by Nicolette for Audimated.com.  If you have any further information or recommendations for a future article, please contact Nicolette@audimated.com.

Beginning the newsletter with an interesting headline or teaser is the best way to draw in your followers to read your content.  Keeping the letter short is also important to keep your readers coming back for more.  Therefore, it is important to inform the public of the “who, what when, where, why and how” in the first paragraph.

If you have mentioned any upcoming shows or events, don’t leave your fans in the dark.  Lead them to sites that will allow them to purchase tickets, download songs, etc.  Moreover, another way to further grab and keep your followers’ attention is to make the newsletter visually appealing by adding color to text and pictures, for instance.  Another addition that can be made is to link your band’s websites to these pictures so fans can further explore what your group has to offer.

In addition, information that should be included at the end of each newsletter includes links to subscribe and unsubscribe, basic contact information and any copyright information.  As with any other document, make sure to double check the newsletter for any spelling or grammatical errors, as well as adding a subject line before sending out the letter to your followers.

Finally, limit the number of letters your send out to your fans.  The purpose of these newsletters is to inform the public of any new or special announcements so bombarding them with emails is unnecessary as well as annoying.  Sending one or two letters a month is sufficient and provides you with an effective way of communicating with your fan base.

This article was written by Nicolette for Audimated.com.  If you have any further information or recommendations for future articles, please contact Nicolette@audimated.com.

Kevin English interacts with musicians everyday who aspire to live the rich and famous type of lifestyles.  Every now and then he is able to speak with top of the line artists who have shared their experiences and reflect upon their journey to stardom.

Kevin had attended a panel called “Idol Views from Two Music Nation Leaders: USA and Sweden” at CMJ 2009 where finalists talked about their journey to fame.  Surprisingly, the audience barely outnumbered the panelists.  However, English describes the event to be a good experience.

Among the panelists were Season II winner, Kimberly Locke; Season III finalist, Diana DeGarmo; and Swedish version Idol, Daniel Lindstrom.  Fred Bronson, the administrator and American writer, talked to these three panelists about the ups and downs throughout their music careers.

The panelists described “American Idol” to be an “eye opener.”  The entertainment industry is not solely about music; everyone is in it for the money. “American Idol” is a business, and Locke described it as a boot camp where contestants learn how to interview, perform a snippet of what they can do, and learn how to deal with fans – because once” American Idol” is over, they are on their own.

The three panelists described their lives after “American Idol”.  DeGarmo signed with RCA and released her hit,“Blue Sky”.  Although it was a good album, she claimed that it just was not right.  RCA tried pairing her up with other artists such as Avril Lavigne; however, she was not interested.  She wanted to sing country music.

Lindstrom’s album went gold, yet he said he had lost control and was not enjoying his career anymore.  He stopped working with Sony/BMG and released his third album soon after.  His gigs started picking up, and he began having fun again.

Locke had a different experience after the show.  She had the Right of Refusal; after the show had ended she had to wait ninety days to hear from Sony/BMG before she could sign with another company.  She got turned down and ended up working with Curb Records.  Although she does not regret her decision, she said that her album was not like she hoped it would be.  She remained indifferent.  Now she is having trouble finding out who her fans are.  Her fan base has strayed far from her time on the show, and the cost to revive the relationships with her “American Idol” fans would be costly.

Even though these young stars had reached different points of success, their lives had changed by the start of the following season.  As an independent artist, it is up to you to create your favorite type of music and set your goals toward success. Your future is in your hands.

Greg Gerla
greg@audimated.com
www.audimated.com