Maurice Champion - Urban Network (Los Angels) - Music Business - Give Me 10mins

I have to apologize, but when you're having family issues going on at home the last thing on your mind is a blog. Not desrespect is intended to anyone but when you're across many rivers and states and your family needs you to be there its SICKEN. No matter the amount of sucess nothing compares to your family. The reason I'm writing this blog is because of my family. Pursuing a career that I loved doing that would generate great revenue is what led me to McNally Smith which later led me to LA (you get my drift). Give me 10mins!!!

Last week I attended a Def Jam/Skating Party with performance by sixteen (16) year old R&B artist Karina Pasian. Being at the skating rink allowed me to make a right on memory lane and take that all the way up to those salad days. I was so moved leaving the skating rink after seeing so much youth, it restored and polish those adolence feelings. It just felt good being in that environment. Everything is going just fine at the Urban Network, I can not complain. I was just announced team leader for a upcoming project so that's very cool and rewarding. The ball is finally moving and all I have to do is keep it moving!


THOGUHT TO REMEMBER

At the end of the day never lose focus on your mission even if its to take care of your family. Make sure you do everything to the fullest and enjoy the simply things in life.

A Day At Alan Ett

Hey,

Since starting with Alan Ett, there has not been a day where I don't learn something new.

For example, today I sat in with one of their sound editors as he worked on a segment for Disney and then a television show for the History Channel. The people their really know what they are doing. It is impressive to see how fast they work. One of the things I noticed was "quick keys". Using mostly keystrokes and less mouse really speeds up what they are doing.

Yesterday I had a great opportunity. I was allowed to pick out music for a commercial that will be airing in Canada. I was told what they company was looking for and given a library to check out. After I had several cues picked out, I met with the music supervisor and we went through my list. He showed me some he picked out and there was one we both picked and really agreed upon. So that one and some other cues were sent to the company in Canada. I'm not sure which one the company will go with, but it was great to be involved in that way.

Until next time,

Nick

P.S. That picture is Joel and I at the Bob Dylan exhibit from the other weekend.

Working on a song at esession

Its been a great experience working with brad and his team as a music programmer at esessions.my main task is to finsh two songs which promote brand recognition.am almost done with one of them. i work along with another guitarist by name peter black.who comes up with riffs coz the songs i do has to be close to hannah montana(which are totally riff based)
.i should be done with the song pretty soon and am hoping brad like's it... Brad called me the other day and said if i would be interested to work on a song for a band called groovy girls.. so am kind of excited about it aswell...its been a good learning curve for me in listening to diffrent artists and musicians which i have never been introduced to before...
Vasanth David

Land of the Cold Air- Universal Internship

Well I didn’t travel too far but I've been having a lot of fun interning at universal in Minnesota. I had my first full week and I'm already really comfortable with everyone there. I’ve been working with the analysis team charting record sales. I’ve been helping build a data base that allows people to forecast upcoming record sales. It’s really cool that I get to actually contribute and I’m not just running errands.

I work on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday I did a lot of work in excel working on spread sheets putting in data about record sales. Fridays are the best days. Friday is the weekly record meeting where everyone in the office gets food and has a meeting to talk about upcoming artists. We got chipotle and watched the new weezer video so there were definitely no complaints.

After the meeting I got to help design a flyer for a N.E.R.D signing at a local shop. We made 500 copies printed them and cut them up. They said they are going to be having me do a lot of little project like that and try to keep it really interesting. They are going a great job so far and I’m pretty excited to see what I get to do on Tuesday. Until next week have a good one and ill be sure to keep updating. Talk to you soon.

-Evan Gundlach

'Bring me all the finest meats and cheeses in the land'

Christina here,

This week has been exciting in the world of Soup Bowl Records. Though I was stuck with the wonderful job of looking up existing businesses to see if the address we had was the right one. That job took a while, only because I about 4 excel documents to go through. I'm not complaining it did take up most of my time that day. I also got to send out tons of blog emails like I did last week. It was the same message, and to the same people but just different days.

I have to send out blog emails for Dingus(www.myspace.com/dinguspunk) and The Z-MO Trio(www.myspace.com/thezmotrio) a three piece band created by our own students. The emails usually just tell about their upcoming tour dates and where they are playing at. It also tells the reader about their new singles and how they can check them out.

I don't mind really sending out the emails or looking up addresses, it keeps me busy and I'm just experiencing the other side of a record label instead of booking shows, routing tours, or making posters(which I would love to do once again and probably will sometime soon). Ryan is just showing Langen(roommate and fellow intern) the whole record label life. It's great, I love it and who knows what I'll be doing next week.

I could be sending out more emails or making labels or maybe I'll get to look up more addresses to make sure they are still in business. I will only figure out that answer to that question when I head in to the week. Till next week you'll have to be on your toes to find out what I did during this upcoming week.

-Christina

Contracts Create Headaches

Hey! 

Langen reporting from Soup Bowl records. This week has been crazy for me. 

I'm still working on booking some dates for the bands Dingus, Now Now Every Children and A Night In The Box. Also I have been working on finding some local bands to play various shows that the label is putting on. I have filled up a few dates with locals but there are always more that need to be done.

Ryan, my boss has been teaching Christina (my roommate and fellow intern) and I how to register a company with the state because she and I run our own company called Distractions (www.myspace.com/distractionsinc). We hope to have it all done by next week.

Ryan has also been helping a lot with an outside project. Distractions recently got an offer to book the band The Wedding on a pre existing show. Personally, I love The Wedding so I didn't want to pass this up. It's also through a huge management firm called APA. At first I didn't think it would be that complicated but then we got deep in contracts and guarantees and demands from the band. Ryan has been helping me negotiate the contract and what not and I'm pretty sure the show is going to happen which is exciting!

This week will probably be full of booking and looking for locals again. Hopefully I will get some more shows booked and almost all of them full. I have decided that California is the hardest place to book right now. 

That's it from me this week.

Peace

~Langen

The Recording Academy (GRAMMY) Atlanta Chapter: Producers and Engineers Wing

Ok, A couple of weeks ago, Kim Smith (one of my bosses) asked me if I'd like to attend a Grammy meeting that was being held by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.  Of course I said yeah, so I've been waiting to go to this event for the last 2 weeks...............

Soooooooooo, today I did not go into the studio because I was attending this event.  It was only from 7pm to 10pm which was good because it was a pretty brief event.  Six o clock came around and I was heading out the door until my mom stopped me and told me that I should dress up.  DRESS UP?  I looked at her like she was crazy.  I told her that these were producers and engineers..... not doctors and lawyers.  She doesn't understand that these folks wear Budweiser shirts EV-ER-Y-DAY!!!

I drove there, fending off Atlanta traffic, and pulled in at 6:30; which allowed me to have an option of where I'd like to park.  I went in and sat in the lobby until seven o clock.  At seven, I went to the front door, they checked my name off ( as if I were VIP) and I walked right in.  I went straight for the food and "beverages".  After stuffing myself silly with quesadillas and coke, enough people had come in for me to do a little networking.  While making my rounds, I continued to see this woman who looked so familiar to me, however, I just could not put my finger on where I might have known her from.  But nonetheless, I met so many people it was ridiculous.  So many people invited me out to come check out there studios and/or to collaborate on some projects.  And these are guys with huge studios that anybody's whose anybody records at.  I was so overjoyed by the end of the night that I........ I don't even know!!!!   So, anyway, I was leaving out the door, I saw that lady again that looked SOO familiar to me.  It had been bothering me all night so I went up to her and told her that she looked so familiar.  She told me that I also looked VERY familiar.  To make a long story short.  She is the freaking PRESIDENT of The National Recording Academy: Atlanta Chapter and I knew her because her daughter and my little sister go to the same acting school.  This was just unbelievable.  We chit chatted for about fifteen minutes and she gave me her card and made me promise that I'd send her my information (since I didn't have any business cards----- I'm going to get some TOMORROW), and also made me promise that my mom would bring my sister over her house to hang out with her daughter.  

It just feels like I'm walking on the exact path that has been paved out for me.  It's just crazy to me because everybody says that things never happen that easily.  So when it does just fall into place like that, you begin to second guess yourself because you are like no, no, no, wait a minute.  This can not be right!  But what if it is???!!!??!!