One of the single most important elements in a great-sounding, professional recording is the performance of the session musicians. There is a reason that the job of the session musician exists.

I’m going to begin this article by quoting from one of my earlier articles: Your career as a recording artist hinges on many things from the songs you choose to the musicianship on your records. But the single most important thing for your artist identity is your voice. Your ultimate goal as a vocalist is [...]

BMI presents: Cliff Goldmacher’s Demo Production for Songwriters This 2 1/2 hour discussion will cover: Demo production and pre-production Streamlining the demo process Keeping budgets in check Preparing of and pitching of finished demos Cliff Goldmacher has recorded and produced over forty album projects and worked with artists from Emmylou Harris to Chris Barron of [...]

Working as a producer for the last ten years, I’ve recorded with all kinds of artists from “fresh off the boat” newbies to artists whose experience in the world of music doubles or even triples my own. In every case, my role as a producer stays essentially the same.

Contributed by recording and songwriting expert Cliff Goldmacher. As a result of recording and producing literally hundreds of demos, I’ve learned that it is always better to “Prepare and Prevent” than to “Repair and Repent.” Here are a few steps you can take to help make your demo recording experience more successful. Song Preparation It [...]

(Contributed by BMI Member Cliff Goldmacher) As a recently transplanted songwriter from Nashville to New York City, I’ve been given the chance to observe, up close, the approaches to songwriting and the songwriting communities in both cities. Also, I feel I should mention that the following observations are really more my impressions than hard facts. [...]