Cowboy Confessional

I hate A&R buyers, mainly because they are right.

Buyers shop for songs to sell recording artists. These folks are (typically) industry veterans with the psychological scars to prove it. They are intimate with a wide range of musical genre and can instantly connect a demo song to any number of artists who might record it. They are the necessary middlemen that keep songwriting hacks like me from tossing CDs over perimeter fences of recording star’s homes.

I recently pitched to Jason Brawner, an L.A. producer and someone too upbeat and pleasant for what can be a rotten industry filled with saber-toothed scammers. I tossed the latest revision of One Heartbreak into the boom box and he gave a listen while reading the lyric sheet.

Jason’s other uncharacteristic trait is that he had loads of helpful critique, the most painful of which that night was the tempo of my tune. Paraphrasing liberally, Jason said “I see where you are going. Old school, depression blues. Can’t sell it. Double the tempo, bring it up to blues/rock and …” In other words head back to the studio and do it all over again.

Sigh.

I won’t debate his wisdom. While the CD spun, I was having the same thought though I was not yet ready to admit it to myself. The tune as currently recorded has merit. Anyone with Muddy Waters or Uncle Tupelo in their collection will appreciate the foundation I created.

But Jason was right about it not being currently marketable. Anyone recording desperation blues is either writing his own stuff or lifting any of a million public domain ditties penned by original delta bluesmen. They don’t need to pay me for my song.

Time to warm-up the studio gear and find a faster drummer. I’ll start with the beat and build from there.

Sigh.

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This entry was posted by Guy Smith on Saturday, February 14th, 2009 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Songwriting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.