Just curious.

Anyone making some $$$ with their arranger other than(or in addition to)performing out in public?

Perhaps writing jingles? ads? recording? Doing something at home to make $$$ with your arranger?

Tx

Two years ago, I worked for several months with a friend of mine who had written 100+ songs as a young man in Italy ... He had written down the lyrics to most of them, but not the music notation ... We spent a great deal of time creating the written music through the use of Notation Composer software hooked up via midi to my technics kn6000 ...my friend would sing the song, I would pick out the melody on the KB and then play it through Notation Composer ...
The songs we completed were then copywritten through the Italian version of ASCAP, and since then some were made into you tube videos by my friend's son ...
The hope was that by submitting the songs to songwriter web sites, someone might want to publish or record one (or more) ... however to date, the only activity has been the playing of one of the songs by some Italian band in a concert in Italy ...
It was a labor of LOVE more than $$$ - but it was GREAT fun ...

Although it's far from a full-time thing, I'm using the Tyros4 in the studio (owned by a friend) and it's used to create demos for budding (and several seasoned) songwriters and their original material...we can do a nice backing track in about the same time it takes to play the song...generally, I either pick up the tune by ear, or the artist brings in a chord chart, and sometimes we even get a score sheet.

For nearly all the tunes I usually create a custom style or edit an existing one that is close to what will work. These demos are then sent by the artist to their respective promoters.

Also, we have done custom backing tracks (again, only needing the Tyros4) for singers who want to have a CD of themselves singing that they can share with friends and family...often it is retired performers who want to make some sort of keepsake or legacy of their former work...this is always a lot of fun, and very interesting, as the genres run the gamut from Celtic to Big Band although recently we've been doing a lot of Country tunes and older R&B songs.

We don't charge outrageous fees but try to be realistic considering the nature of our clientele.

As I always say, the Arranger Keyboard is the Swiss Army Knife of instruments...especially these later models with extensive style editing/choices and on-board midi and audio recorders, not to mention the luxury of HD storage.

Ian

I spend over 30 hours a week doing film scores. Lots of times, I'll do a rough on an arranger and send it to the client or film producer.

Sometimes, I'll take the arranger to the production company, and we'll work with the writer, editor, producer or a combination to come up with the rough.

Occasionally, on very low budget spots for non-profits, I'll actually use something from the arranger. This is not because there is anything wrong with what can be done on an arranger, but rather a preference to keep in the high budget, real player realm. Many times, I could make lots more dollars just using the arranger. That's not what I'm known for. My clients are 2 automobile manufacturers, a national pizza firm and another restaurant chain.

The arranger is responsible for a considerable portion of my music income.


Russ

My neighbors pay me to stop playing.

aaaaaaaah, Jerry I can't believe you. That has to be the best post I've read in a long time.

John C.

You made me laugh, thanks.

Hi quitpic1:

I use my arranger for songwriting and creating rough demos of the songs I create. I'd like to tell you this is a fantastic way to make money but it would be a bald-faced lie. The music biz today is so overcrowded there is little room for folks without great financial backing and tremendous talent.

The advent of the internet and illegal downloads turned the music industry into an armed camp and new, unknown, untrusted artists and songwriters are forced to "run the gauntlet" time and time again until a track record is established.

On the other hand, jingles and soundclips might be an easier way to make some chump change via licensing through a music library... but the sea is fraught with rocks and shoals and there are sharks swimming in these waters as well.

If licensing interests you, there are a ton of Music Libraries to explore and possibly work with. Do yourself a favor and read up on the "rules of combat" and tricks of the trade. At one time, I subscribed to the "Music Library Report" and it is an excellent source but alas, no longer provided for free. They have the goods on just about anybody and everybody in the Music Library Business... and there are new ones appearing every day.

Best of luck,

Dave Rice

www.ShowCaseYourMusic.com/DaveRice/

Thanks all. Mostly, I'm curious but always looking for a way to make a little $$$.

Dave,

Just out of curiosity. What is your work flow for creating your demo's. Do you use your recording capabilities of your keyboard? Another recording/mixing device?

Tx

Hi again:

My process includes a Yamaha PSR-S910 connected to a Boss BR-864 Digital Recorder. I set up each song by adjusting the style, changing or modifying volume of each "voice/instrument" and then recording to only one track. The vocal is taken directly into the 864 and the volume adjustments on each "instrument" used on the 910 are automatically overlayed onto the same track. I have sixteen track capability but prefer the one track method which is, essentially, a "live" recording. From the 864, I send the WAV file to my PC and edit the final song for minor volume changes, etc. Then I make a duplicate MP3 file and distribute copies to my other computers.

If I don't care for the first "take"... I simply record the whole thing again until I am reasonably satisfied. With an ancient voice like mine, my objective is primarily to get the gist of the song across with the idea that a real talent might want to do a cover, thus plugging me into the money stream.

I copyright and register each song via my publisher and ASCAP.

I hope this helps. There are better ways but I'm fairly prolific and can't afford professional demos.

Feel free to ask if I have not provided you with the answers you seek.

All the best,

Dave