music for sale...

Oh, you've probably heard my stuff...

2010-04-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

IF you like HGTV or History Channel. Otherwise, watch out....I'll be on your network soon :)

Youtube site to see my most recent work.

2010-03-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

Interested in seeing my work?

Go here: www.youtube.com/freneticsound

Music Dealers: Shaun White Testimonial

2010-01-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Check out my Shaun White Wii testimonial for Music Dealers below:

New track placement on A&E's Jackson Dynasty

2009-12-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

Go to 8:38 to hear one of my tracks being used for the new Jackson Dynasty show on A&E.

Hear my new track "distort me" being used on a Wii commercial

2009-11-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

You can catch this spot on MTV, FUSE, ESPN, Disney, Cartoon Network and other stations...

Department of Health and Human Services

2009-03-07T17:32:00.000-08:00

The first song was composed by me. yay! Go Dept. of HHS!

Let's Go Bowling!

2008-04-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

If you happen to be in around Austin, Texas, you should check out Mel's Lonestar Lanes...

Here is their new jingle.

The singer is killer!

www.theadvertisingfoundry.com/mel.mp3

Awesome Audition.

2008-04-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

Miley Cyrus/ Hannah Montana rumors...

2008-04-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

Is it bad that I really enjoy the new Miley Cyrus single, See You Again...

No.

Here's why...

It has a catchy verse and chorus. I want to hear both parts of the song equally. The melody is fairly simple, so even non-singers such as myself can take comfort that we won't embarrass ourselves in front of our loved ones...much.

Does anyone know who wrote and produced that specific song?

Shameless self-promotion...

2008-03-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

My band...

Withing days of receiving our shipment of cd's, XM Radio picked us as their band of the week on Channel 43 (XMU)...

www.xmuradarreport.com

www.myspace.com/weareberliners

I'll let everyone know how we plan to roll out our marketing plan for this disc in the next few weeks...

Getting more out of your myspace page...

2008-01-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

Myspace pages can be great tools for marketing. But they can also feel unnecessarily restrictive when it comes to page layout.

I suggest you hijack the top of your webpage and leave a nice-sized note. Look above for an example of this. Check out the site... www.myspace.com/schoolofrockatlantaga

All major bands do this... www.myspace.com/falloutboy

Here is website to grab the code... http://www.freecodesource.com/index.php?page=myspacegenerators/image-above-page

Paste it in your "ABOUT ME" or "BIO" section.

Nice work, your site looks great.

Rock for the Children.

2007-11-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

In new developments, I've been tapped to assist in the opening the Paul Green School of Rock Atlanta. One of more than 30 SOR schools in the US, the Atlanta SOR will focus on helping kids from 7-18 learn how to play like the great rock artists of the past 40 years.

With a mixture of private instruction and group rehearsal, this year long school features quarterly concerts at local rock venues.

I feel like my childhood was robbed of this opportunity.

http://www.schoolofrock.com/

Do you have the Java Jitters?

2007-10-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

My wife listens to NPR's marketplace (good for her). I spend most of my time listening to FM POP Gold. Yeah, I know.

Well, she just sent me a link from a recent marketplace podcast that discusses one musical artist's struggle to get his "Java Jitters" single onto Starbuck's shelves.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/30/java_jitter

The dude's name is DaVido. He's actually pretty good, and his schtick is funny.

After you listen to the podcast (go to the last 3-4 minutes of the broadcast), check out the video he put together to get Starbuck's attention.

It's important to mention that this guy is an indie artist. However, everything he has done looks super professional, so it's pretty easy to take him seriously. Can you imagine how much free press he has gotten out of this?

www.javajitter.com

And of course...he's offering this on iTunes.

It's time to watch "THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND"

2007-10-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.rickey.org/?p=6014 (don't try to click this picture)

My good friend, Craig Ferguson (pictured second from right) is currently being featured with Cliff Wagner and the Old #7 on Fox's new show The Next Great American Band.

He and I have discussed how this national coverage will effect his ability to get better studio work and sweeter gigs.

Will he be able to score better money?

How long can you milk a sweet a opportunity like this?

Make sure that you watch the show this Friday at 8pm. They've already made the top 12.

Chromeo, oh Chromeo...

2007-10-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

So, I was trying to come up with some, "make money using techniques in this video" post, but I know I'm completely transparent.

This song is just so awesome, I needed someone else to hear it.

Oh....

Wait....

I got it! See how they ripped off the ideas that the Dire Straits used in the music video for the debut of Mtv Europe? You don't have to re-invent the wheel. People love nostalgia!

REHASH!!!

Your band posters aren't very good.

2007-10-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about all the horrendous local band posters that I've seen (many) and how important visuals are music.

Check out the poster above. Big Stereo is a great music blog site that follows indie, club, and other types of music.

They know how to knock around a poster for a gig. The music could completely suck, but at least the pretty colors got people to the club.

Not making money, but saving it...

2007-10-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

How To Make Your Own Scratchpad - video powered by Metacafe

My brother has talked to me about getting into DJ'ing.

I think that's pretty cool.

But, he's tight on cash...what's a boy to do?

I'm looking for my old optical mouse right now.

Sell your guitar...

2007-09-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

loops.

I was contracted out about a year ago to put together an indie rock guitar loop package for www.bandmateloops.com.

Every time someone buys this indie rock guitar package, I pick up a percentage of each sale. It essentially works out to be a royalty program.

http://www.bandmateloops.com/product.php?id=328&cat=53

You can download free samples from this package right now! Wowsers!

The Jason Camiolo Interview

2007-09-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

Jason Camiolo is a really cool guy that you need to know about. A talented musician and a new father, he's very busy [but nice enough to slog through an interview :) ]. He's drummed for Platinum-selling rock band Fuzzbubble, written music for national commercial spots, and composed scores for multiple History Channel specials.

So...Maybe you should read this interview.

Justin: How did you get into music?

Jason: Ha. Well. The short version of it is a guy wanting to be in a band and play drums. I’m the 3rd generation drummer in my family. My father played and my grandfather also played. I pursued a career as a drummer in a band. I got as far as signing with Bad Boy and Arista records when I was 25 and I was in the only rock group (Fuzzbubble) that Puff Daddy ever signed. I moved from New York to LA to get a record deal, like the classic tale. As funny as it is, I ended up signing with a new York-based label.

Justin: Long trip back home, huh?

Jason: How’s that for a Murphy’s Law tale? So we signed a record deal and ended up living in LA, and going back forth doing gigs in New York. I recorded an album with Mike Clink, who is the producer of all the Guns n’ Roses stuff, which was a phenomenal experience. The record was mixed by Jack Joseph Puig. We were big fans of his Jellyfish work, which mirrored the Beach Boys, Queen, and the Beatles. From the non-scoring point of view, that’s where my head’s at. I’m a big pop geek…Cheap Trick, Badfinger, Beatles, and Brian Wilson-esque pop. This is my alter-ego. I envisioned I would be playing drums for forever.

Justin: Did you have any educational background in music?

My focus as a kid was on the drums. In the 4th grade, I was in school band, learning rudiments…stick control, syncopation, technique books and practicing on a drum pad. In high school, I’d play in the pit band, concert band, jazz lab, and even choir for a while. If there was any opportunity for the school orchestra, I took it. I also studied privately as well. At this point, my head was in Drumming.

Justin: Is your previous work with Fuzzbubble connected in any way with your current work with Audio Engine and your history channel gigs?

Jason: Ha. They are completely separate! The ironic thing is, the Fuzzbubble thing turns out to be a really classic, VH1 behind the music, tumultuous story between a band and a label and it’s manager. What ends up happening is that we only really get to release one single. This single is supposed to setup the band. Puffy gets this idea to release one single that will launch Fuzzbubble, and then follow it up with a record. The album that we place this single on is the soundtrack for Godzilla. The soundtrack goes double platinum, and I start to think, on yeah, soundtracks…movie scores! That’s the only way [Fuzzbubble and Scoring] really tie in.

Justin: During the time that Fuzzbubble was signed and active, were you also tinkering around and doing any scoring using programs like Digital Performer?

Jason: I was really broke at this time, so I wasn’t really messing around with stuff because I didn’t have anything. Before we got signed, I was working at places like West LA music and always learning stuff and going to seminars and being taught things about scoring. I’m kind of a gear geek, too. I was born in 1971 and in 1977 Star Wars comes out. I’m 6, 8, and 10 when each of the movies are released. My love for sci-fi and having John Williams' music embedded in me definitely affected me. Also, being influenced by the music of the Beatles and Brian Wilson, who are taking orchestral approaches to some of their music. My head wasn’t necessarily tuned into the scoring at this point, but I was always thinking, “Boy, wouldn’t it be cool if there were a French horn on this part and some lush strings to make this a real Beatle-esque sound”.

Justin: It seems that more guys like you are comfortable throwing on different hats (rock, orchestral, hip-hop).

Jason: I think it’s more acceptable to jump around now. I remember being younger and thinking it would be great to [write] like Bernard Herman. People like Danny Elfman and the [current music scene] are opening up the scoring of movies. Half of all movie soundtracks now are not orchestral. You can listen to the soundtrack to Crash, which is all ethereal, and it works. It doesn’t have to be Howard Shore. There are several [car-oriented] movies that use Lincoln Park-type music, which is very high action. Thomas Newman, who did the theme to 6 feet under, has an eclectic sound, which is [informed] by all the different pop and orchestral influences.

Justin: What was your first scoring gig, post-Fuzzbubble?

Jason: I did a commercial for the University of Massachusetts, which was through Audio Engine. At this point, I had a small house in New York on Long Island with an attached garage that I gutted and turned into a studio. I was doing my own stuff and also recording little singer-songwriter demos for folks. I would help them embellish their songs with other ideas. This was a good thing because it got clients in front of my face. I also did a children’s album with a school teacher who was a piano player. It was great, because she would come in the studio and record vocals and piano and then would let me finish it up with drums and guitars and other arrangements. But really, the first scoring gig was the UMASS commercial.

Justin: Can you talk a little about Audio Engine?

Jason: AE, prior to me, was an audio company staffed completely with mixers who handled some sound design for television commercials.

Justin: How did you find out about AE?

Jason: Heh… Ironically, I had a cousin [Bob Giammarco] who was also playing music as a bass player. Later on, he became a very successful mixer, and is now part-owner of Audio Engine.

Justin: Well, when all else fails, kick it with nepotism!

Jason: It’s tough though, because I swear he’s harder on me. I came to him after deciding I couldn’t handle the label issues anymore. I told him I would love to mix audio and do what he’s doing, and maybe also record some music for the spots, when needed. So, I started working with them by relaying work from my home studio via ftp and I did a couple more spots during this time. A couple of months go by, and my cousin offers me a job at a new AE office opening in Phoenix. He said that they would teach me how to be a mixer while I was down there. I decided I was up for a change, so my wife and I accepted the offer. Since I’ve been here, which has been about 3 years; I haven’t had time to learn how to be a post-audio mixer. The music side of AE just took off. I also continue to maintain some clients from New York.

Justin: You’ve done several scoring gigs for History Channel shows. Was this arranged through AE or did you freelance?

Jason: There is a director named Geoffrey Madeja. He brought a project to AE that was a History Channel special. It was completely done. They had come to AE to get the sound mixed. I’m thinking how cool this is to get a History Channel gig at AE, so I’m wondering how much music is in one of these things. I watch out for the director to pop in one day and mention to him that if he ever needs some music, to let me know. He later came back to get his director reel mixed and I offered to score his reel. I did the music for the reel and he liked it enough to come back to me with The Templar Code, which is the first History Channel special I did. It was crazy for me because I had never done anything like this before, and it was a two-hour show. That’s about 45-50 minutes of music.

Justin: That’s a substantial amount of music…

Jason: So, be careful what you wish for. It was great, though. It was shot really well, and was fun to score. It’s got all these great shots of castles, fire, and knights, which is right up my alley. He then came back to me with 4 additional projects: The Ten Commandments, The Real Sorcerer’s Stone, Indian Wars, and Banned from the Bible II. It’s much easier to score to these shows when you enjoy the imagery.

Justin: With that amount of music, did you check out certain composers as reference points, or did you just go with what you already knew?

Jason: It was scary. I was afraid to come up with that much music. The important thing was that history channel really likes their openings and outros to be a certain way.

Justin: Stingers!

Jason: Those are the only things that were really focused on. Also, I would watch the show 2 or 3 times with the voice-over to get an idea of what type of music cue would be placed. When experts pop up on screen, they want the music out of the way.

Justin: Do you like the shorter (:30) or longer (30:00) scoring gigs?

Jason: I have done some shorter stuff for companies like US Airways, AOL, but I just think that the long form picture has a concept that I can really conger up imagery for. It’s not that you can’t do that with a commercial, but I prefer long form, which opens up the opportunity to bring back a theme several times. With a show like The Real Sorcerer’s Stone, I was immediately thinking about Danny Elfman-type celeste ideas that I could carry throughout the show.

Justin: What’s next?

Jason: The Arizona Office of Tourism came to me this year with a cool project. They asked me to put together a 6-minute suite that exemplifies life in Arizona. They also wanted to dispel any [stereotypes] people have about that state and remind people that Phoenix, Arizona is the 5th largest City in the US and that there is a lot going on. So, I put the suite together, and they liked it, but then they asked me to cast different musicians from across the state to guest on it. So it became this large task to find musicians and get them involved. I booked three days at a tracking studio to handle all the live cues. Then, the Tourism office asked to make a documentary of the whole process of composing and recording this suite. You can expect to see and hear portions of this piece in a lot of really cool places in the next year. The documentary will end up being about 30 minutes.

Justin: Crazy music stories?

Jason: After the Godzilla soundtrack took off, I had the chance to play with Jimmy Page and Slash on “All About the Benjamin’s” at NetAid.

Justin: Sweet.

Check Jason out @ www.jasoncamiolo.com.

Keep this on the DL...

2007-09-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a current project I'm working through...I haven't received final approval yet, but we should be close to finished.

Singer Clint Morrison did a knock-out job on the melodies, and good friend Craig Ferguson killed the pedal steel track.

NOTE: This was all tracked privately and sent through the "internets"....

www.theadvertisingfoundry.com/Chauvin.mp3

If you cannot afford a drummer, one will be appointed to you...

2007-09-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Can you tell the difference between drums loops and live drums? I can't.

I mean, sure, if I was really listening, I might notice that a fill was duplicated flawlessly twice during a song. Otherwise, I give it the wife/girlfriend test. If your wife/girlfried can't tell which is which, you're good to go.

When it comes to commercial work, drum loops can be a Godsend. A great drummer with good time, nice ideas, and creative fills who works for $29.99 indefinitely? Sign me up...

so I'm plugging for a company I don't even work for....

http://www.betamonkeymusic.com/

These guys offer excellent drum loop/sample libraries for apple, rex, acid etc...

How do you "fight" your "sound"?

2007-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Boom! I like me some "quotes"!

Let's talk about your "sound" ( I swear I won't use them any..."more").

When I sat down with Sound Designer Brian Preston a few months back, he talked about finding different ways to expand the sound of your final music productions. Go back and listen to your recordings from the past 6 months. Do you notice anything? If you always record in the same studio, with the same gear, and the same instruments, all your music starts to sound...the same.

Now don't get all defensive, I'm not saying it's a problem...it's just something to be aware of.

Brian came up with a solution to this issue...

1) Find a musical partner. Someone that you can bounce ideas and arrangements off of. Heck, have them bounce your mix on their gear! Your running ProTools, they're running Logic, so the bouncing process, compressors, and reverbs all sound different.

Here are a few idea's from me own head...

1) Change keys! You know what's fun? Listening to an inexperienced singer-songwriter's album. All their tracks are in C or G. The whole album sounds like oneeeeeeeee longggggggggg songgggggggg.

2) Try different instruments. Have you tried using a glockenspiel lately? Consider it.

3)Listen to music you don't like. I have not always had an appreciation for country. However, if you can listen to country for more than 5 minutes, you might notice how sweet the pedal steel sounds behind a singer. And "shazaam", listen to that telecaster, that's not how I would have mic'd it... now I've got a new perspective for my own output.

4) Try producing tracks based on major label recordings. At Berklee, we called it "sound-a-likes". Doing this will help you gain additional perspective on achieving different sounds.

Watch out for my upcoming interview with JASON CAMIOLO!!!

Finding singers and voice-overs for commercial music

2007-09-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

If you produce jingles, music beds, on-hold, or song demos, you probably keep on the lookout for great voice talent.

Welp...Lookout!

www.voice123.com
www.voices.com

and of course...

www.craigslist.org

I don't think you'll believe the amount of talent that you have at your fingertips with these three sites.

I am a huge fan of voice123.com. They allow you to access their complete database of VO, or put a project out for the whole site to bid on. Each VO has their own personal webpage, and for faster browsing, voice123 has included flash-enabled voice demos.

Johnny doesn't have the right sound.
Ed doesn't either.
Wait...
Ricky is just what I'm looking for.

Save yourself the hassle of finding a local talent that you would need to bring in the studio. All voices.com and voice123.com members have their own studios.

Making your music into a ringtone...

2007-09-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Life Hacker writer Gina Trapani has saved me from having to be creative, hard-working, and good-looking by knocking out a really cool subject: ringtones!!! Yay!!!

http://lifehacker.com/software/ringtones/geek-to-live--make-a-ringtone-from-any-mp3-212232.php

Essentially, you'll need to pick up a free copy of Audacity and a quick plug-in to make your mp3's into ringtones. Then you're off to the races...

Ringtones are a great add-on to sell when fans want to buy your music. Everyone sells mp3's of their music now, and it's getting to the point that people also expect their favorite bands to offer their latest hit as a ringtone.

I spent $2.99 a few months ago to get Mims "This is why I'm Hot" ringtone.

Don't judge me.

Swizzle sticks batman, who's gonna handle the website music???

2007-09-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

I live in Midtown Atlanta, which is going through a bit of a building boom. Specifically, this boom is CONDO-based. To sell these condos, developers are setting up websites. Unlike most commercial websites, where music is non-existent, condo websites work very hard to quickly identify a specific "mood". Along with bedazzling (I had a girl as a best friend when I was young) images, music helps them do this.

This manufactured mood helps potential homebuyers decide whether a particular condo development is in line with their own tastes.

You have an opportunity to guide a $250,000.00 transaction with a minute of music.

That's freakin' awesome.

So... Head out to your nearest downtown area and look for new building projects. Pick up your local Business Chronicle and follow a little real estate. Get online and check out new projects via forum.skyscraperpage.com. These guys are freaks for new development and can help you get information for specific projects.

When you find new project contact info, call or email these developers and ask to provide music for their upcoming websites.

The money can be decent for :60 of music.