Congrats to Jenee Fleenor Billboard Country #1 Hit, Jon Pardi “Head Over Boots”
Posted: November 27, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Jenee Fleenor fiddle at #1 Country Billboard hit party for Jon Pardi’s “Head Over Boots”
Jenee dreamed of hearing her fiddle on country radio since she was eleven years old. Scratch that off the bucket list, Jenee. Jon Pardi’s “Head Over Boots” hit Billboard #1 two weeks ago. Great player. Very humble. Congrats!
Nashville Trax producer, Bill Watson, recording Jenee Fleenor fiddle tracks yesterday on four songs for various clients:
Posing With The Usual Suspects
Posted: November 26, 2016 Filed under: Music Industry News, Nashville Session Musicians, Studio News | Tags: Bass Player, Blake Shelton's fiddle player Jenee Fleenor, Guitarist Nrent Mason, producer Bill Watson Leave a commentNashville Trax producer Bill Watson, apprehends two of our usual suspects: ten times Music Row guitarist of the year, Brent Mason, and fiddlist Jenee Fleenor (Blake Shelton, Terri Clark, Martina McBride, The Voice).
Both A-list players were fully armed at the time, Brent with a Les Paul featuring the ability to switch the humbucker pickups to split coil, Jenee with her trusty fiddle.
Unfortunately both slipped through his hands and are once again on the loose. If spotted please call local law enforcement.
How Much Money Did Jake Owen’s “What We Ain’t Got” Pay In Songwriter Royalties?
Posted: November 18, 2016 Filed under: Songwriting and Career Promotion, Songwriting Tips | Tags: hit country song royalties, Jake Owen What You Ain't Got Leave a comment. Hit country song royalties are paid by the performing rights organization (BMI, ASCAP or SESAC) chosen by the songwriter/music publisher and can be compiled from many possible sources. A top ten, especially a #1 country chart hit, would pay multiple times this.
Artist: Jake Owen
Song: What We Ain’t Got
Songwriters: Travis Meadows/Travis Goff
Released: August 11, 2014
369,000 copies sold through May 2015.
Highest Chart Position: Billboard Country Airplay Chart: #18
Billboard Hot 100 peaked at #89 mid February 2015
Past 12 Months Royalty Stream, June 2015 to June 2016
Distributed via BMI derived from:
AM/FM Radio Airplay, You Tube, Sirius XM, I Tunes, Rhapsody
AM/FM airplay: ($72,537) All other sources: ($9,374)
Total Royalties, one year period: $81,911
Best Quarter: $71,269 1st Quarter 2015
Royalties dropped to $1,544 for the fourth quarter of 2015.
Royalties posted here reflect only the songwriter share. The music publisher received identical amounts.
Music Promotion: Get Your Songs Heard!
Posted: November 17, 2016 Filed under: Songwriting and Career Promotion | Tags: music promotion, song plugging Leave a commentYour music is recorded and ready to market but you’re not sure how to best do that?
You know what to do but marketing your music is taking all your time?
Try Song Rocket!
Song Rocket is a small group of professionals who noticed the dichotomy between what should be happening for songwriters trying to promote their music, and the reality.
Song Rocket founding member Tim Spinks puts it this way,” From about the year 2,000 on, as the Internet and communication markets expanded, new Internet sites entered the song selling game, cable television expanded its offerings and more…in short the need for original song material increased exponentially, yet overwhelmed with decisions and choices, many songwriters were feeling frustration.
At the same time life became “busier”. People, including or perhaps especially those in the music business, became tethered to their cell phones and addicted to Facebook. They don’t have time to capitalize on the opportunities and weren’t even sure which were worth pursuing.
We launched Song Rocket to solve that problem.For a small monthly fee a songwriter can relax and rest assured their song copyrights are being exploited. And if they spring for Premium membership they’ll be exploited to the fullest.”
#1 Angel Eyes by Love and Theft still earning airplay royalties 5 years in! How Much?
Posted: November 17, 2016 Filed under: Music Industry News | Tags: Song royalties information Leave a commentAngel Eyes by Love and Theft
Co-writers: Eric Gunderson, Jeff Coplan and Eric Paslay
Released: November 14, 2011
Format: Digital download
Certified Platinum (over 1 million copies sold)
Chart Action:
August 25th, 2012 #1 Billboard Country
32 on the Billboard Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100 68
Released in 2011, and still earning performance royalties in 2017.
2016 performance royalties:
1st quarter $804.48
2nd quarter $849.20
3rd quarter $946.81
4th quarter $812.94
Sources of performance income:
1. Country radio
2. Satellite radio
3. Internet Audio and Music Videos
Nashville Trax Contemporary Christian Production of “Lighthouse” makes the Grammy Ballot!
Posted: November 16, 2016 Filed under: Client News Leave a commentSongs produced by Nashville Trax are listed in two categories on the 59th Annual Grammy ballot this year. This is not a formal “Grammy nomination,” it is the step prior, the ballot is the list from which a handful of nominations are selected in each category; however, it is an extremely notable accomplishment.
To make the ballot the song must pass a screening process performed by hand selected Academy members. To be selected as one of the handful of official Grammy nominees, the songs on this ballot will be voted on by all Academy members.
“Lighthouse,” Contemporary Christian Music category for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
And the album “Lighthouse is on”Fishers of Men” is on the ballot for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.
Artist: The Greatest Gift, all vocals
Album Musicians:
Guitars: Tom Wild
Bass guitar: Bill Watson
Drums: Jim Riley, David Northrup, William Ellis
Keyboards: Steve King, Bill Watson
Violins: Jenee Fleenor
Horns: John Heinrick
Steel Guitar: Mike Douchette “Surrender”
Produced and arranged by Bill Watson
Mixed by Bob Catalano
The Greatest Gift spent much of 2015 in a year-long grueling NACMAI sponsored competition, winning local, state, and regional contests; all this while honoring numerous booked live shows and recording three album’s worth of material with Nashville Trax producer Bill Watson of Nashville Trax.
In early 2016 The Greatest Gift headed to Tennessee for the nationals, taking the #1 spots in several categories. Those wins and the Fishers of Men CD helped them sign a deal with Big Noise, culminating in The Greatest Gift making the 2016 Grammy ballot. God is good!
The Grammy awards show will be February 12th, 2017. The Nashville Trax team wishes this fine vocal group the very best of luck!
How To Get My Songs To Christian Artists
Posted: November 15, 2016 Filed under: Songwriting and Career Promotion | Tags: how to get songs to Christian artists Leave a commentAt some point in their music marketing journey, most songwriters who write for the Christian market ask the question posed in the title.
How do you get your songs to Christian artists?
The Christian market is huge, almost as big as pop, yet it seems the doors are less open for new Christian artists than in any other genre.
The top two reasons for that are:
- Most Christian artists aren’t launched from a songwriting-oriented community the way, say, a country music artist is launched in Nashville where songwriting is ubiquitous and outside songs are generally the “hits” on an album. Christian artists are often launched from a church (Hillsong, Bethel, etc.) or signed as a band and tend to write their own songs more than in other genres.
- Ironically, even though Christians are not supposed to sue each other in court, as the apostle Paul makes very clear in 1st Corinthians, verse 6, the fear of a lawsuit is certainly a big factor in what seems to be a closed door policy at many Christian labels. Lyrics tend to focus around often used Christian phrases, sometimes straight from the Bible. Many record companies and artists fear that if your lyric you submit is similar to one an artist wrote about that same time, or even years later, it could spark a lawsuit.
In spite of those points, make no mistake, Christian artists and record labels do want hit songs, they just rarely will accept song submissions directly from songwriters. They generally turn to the catalogs of Christian music publishers, but even they tend to be somewhat restrictive toward unpublished songwriters, they use staff writers or turn to pre-screened songs from songpluggers.
That makes finding a path to get your potential hit songs to a specific Christian artist, or any Christian artist time consuming and difficult.
If you are feeling frustrated by trying to market your Christian songs it may be time to try a professional song plugging service. For a monthly fee ranging from about $60 per month up to about $500 per month, a plugger will market your work to their contacts.
It may make sense to pay a small fee that buys you a fresher and broader contact list as well as the credibility of professional representation. while removing the frustration and burden of attempting to market your own songs.
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ADVERTISEMENT:
Have you tried Song Rocket? Song Rocket is a song plugging service that can get your songs to Christian artists, Christian labels, Christian music publishers and other Christian song markets at a reasonable month;y cost! They also offer a far more comprehensive marketing program that will attempt to place your songs in song libraries, on radio, independent films and more. Give Song Rocket a look today!
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Christian Song Before/After Production
Posted: November 14, 2016 Filed under: Samples of Our Work | Tags: Christian, Contemporary, demo, Song 2 CommentsLooking to have a Christian song produced? Give a listen to this client a capella “before” version of this song (titled “Paradise”) then our version.
Client “Before” version:
Nashville Trax “after” version:
Paradise is © Jon Smith, posted by permission. If you’re interested in recording this song; using it in a commercial application such as in a movie or on a website; or singing it in a performing situation please let us know and we’ll forward your request to the songwriter and song publisher.
How about that saxophone player? If you need fantastic sax on your tune, we’ll get him. He’s THE MAN!
Pro recordings make everyone- friends, family, artists, record company A & R and music publishers- take notice. Have 3 or 4 pro demos or masters to peddle and they’ll brand you as a pro-level songwriter every time you pitch them.
We would be thrilled to do that for you!
As one of the staff who worked on this track said while listening to the final mixdown, “There are a lot of people in Nashville who wish their album tracks sounded this good!”
If you would like a quote on making a professional version of your song simply drop an e-mail with your rough mp3 or mp4 attached to: nashtrax@bellsouth.net with the details of what you want. We’ll likely bat a couple e-mails back and forth before we determine an exact price. It can be completed over the Internet or you can be present for the entire process.
Write in another style? There are more samples of work to your right in Categories > Samples of Our Work.
Female Singers for Hire @ Nashville Trax
Posted: November 12, 2016 Filed under: Studio Services, Tracks Online Leave a commentFemale singers for hire can be found at Nashville Trax Vocals Online!
The singer IS the song! We have some of the very best available who not only will deliver your song authentically but also charge reasonable rates you can afford. Click here for samples, photos and rates.
How Do I Get My Songs Published?
Posted: November 11, 2016 Filed under: Songwriting and Career Promotion | Tags: Get Songs Published Leave a commentThe questions, “How Do I Get My Songs Published?” and “How Can I Get My Songs Heard?” are echoed sooner or later by nearly every songwriter serious about marketing their work.
The short answer? Song Rocket
As opportunities exponentially increase for song placement each year, ironically it’s getting more difficult to get the decision makers listen to new music.
At one time the major label record companies, television networks and movie companies were the only games in town. Now there are numerous venues: cable TV shows, song libraries, Pandora, You Tube and many other places in need of music.
But that splintering of the music money pie leaves the various users of music with less money and less incentive to listen to new music from unpublished and unsigned songwriters.
The larger question: in this age of specialization why would a songwriter spend time marketing their work? Use that time to write songs and leave song plugging and marketing to the professionals.
Take a look at Song Rocket. If you clicked on this article odds are very good it’s exactly what you need.
A Rockin’ Country Demo
Posted: November 10, 2016 Filed under: Samples of Our Work | Tags: country, demo, new country, rock, Song Leave a commentIf you like older style country we can do that all day long; fiddle, pedal steel out front in the mix, we love it!
But much of what makes radio these days incorporates more of a rock vibe. If there’s fiddle and steel they’ll have to fight for a spot in the mix, distorted guitars and cannon-like drums rule.
Here’s a demo produced by Play It Again Demos by producer, Bill Watson, titled “Renegade” that features those types of sounds.
Renegade is © 2013, 2016 Dan Mathews, used by permission of the songwriter. If you’re interested in recording this song please let us know and we’ll forward your request to the songwriter and music publisher.
Do you need a quality singer like this to make your song sound professional?
An arrangement that make your tune something special, not just regurgitate the rough version? That blues-scale riffs in the intro, halfway through the chorus and on through? The producer, Bill Watson, wrote them in during pre-production.
And how about these musicians? Wouldn’t it be thrilling to hear these guys doing your song? And so worth the money?
Pro demos make everyone– friends, family, artists, record company A & R and music publishers- take notice and will brand you as a pro-level songwriter every time you play them.
We would be as happy to do that for you! Just shoot us an e-mail at nashtrax@bellsouth.net with your rough mp3 version attached and request a quote today!
There are more samples of work to your right in Categories > Samples of Our Work.
New Vocal and EQ PlugIns. WOW, will YOU sound great!
Posted: November 10, 2016 Filed under: Pro Tools Software, Studio Equipment | Tags: Aphex Aural Exciter, Lexicon Reverb, The Fly III, Waves HEQ Hybrid Equalizer Leave a commentLet’s start with this piece of amazement, the Waves HEQ Hybrid Equalizer:
This is the $300 TDM version, and worth every cent.
Basically it will analyze the frequency response of a track and give the engineer a visual as he EQ’s it in real time. The yellow line is pre-EQ, the blue is post. The advantage over a regular analog or digital EQ? Instead of relying on your ears, you can see what is going on, see what needs to be cut or boosted, make the tweak, then get additional visual verification that you’ve achieved your goal.
Either that or it calculates how to get that insect DNA out of your body before you turn into The Fly III.
But I think it’s an EQ.
And here’s another piece of total greatness:
I must admit this isn’t my first Aphex relationship. (That sounds just plain weird doesn’t it?) We had the original Aphex Aural Exciter, the analog physical version, in our rack nine years ago. I loved that little guy but when we went to Pro Tools HD and started mixing in the box, the Aphex was no longer able to be utilized, so we sold it.
But appropriately, on Halloween Eve it’s back from the dead in software form, ready to add sparkle to any track it’s needed on. It may say “Vintage Aural Exciter” but at first listen there was no question it’s an emulation of the Aphex.
I don’t care who you are you have to love an aural exciter on drum overheads. But it will work on many track types anytime a mix is too bottom end heavy. Apply it judiciously and it balances out the lows with quality high end.
And here is our new Lexicon Reverb, part of a $600 bundle that includes everything from concert halls to tiny rooms:
Click here to see the rest of this post about our new Lexicon Reverb. Also learn more about our Tube Saturation Software for vocals and how it might help make your vocal track sound sensational!