Music Collaborating Tips
On Collaborating...
I've made mistakes and I've flaked out on some collaborations, bitten off more than I could chew, allowed other musicians to bulldoze me into releasing something that I was not happy with, rushed vocals etc. I've also had some really wonderful collaborations that went nearly perfectly. Given how much I've grown from these collaborations, the good and the bad ones, if you are new to collaborating or you are unsatisfied with your collaborations, the following tips may help you:
1. If you are initiating the project, ask yourself what you're wanting out of the collaboration. Are you looking to grow in general or need direction? Are you looking for short term help? Do you need writing help? Do you just need a guitar player? Do you need a producer? Do you need help mixing? There's a difference between a full blown musical collaboration and having someone simply take your direction. There's a gray area between using someone as a mentor or a coach and writing music together.
So, let's assume you want an actual collaboration and not just a YesMan or someone to do just what you ask them to. (If you want the latter, hire a studio musician or make it very clear in your working relationship that you just want a musician, singer, etc.) Let's also assume that this is more of an equal partnership that you need and not so much of lessons or a mentorship. That doesn't mean you can't learn from your collaborators though.
2. Talk business first! This goes for answering the call to collaborate or initiating a collaboration. Lay the groundwork for your working relationship: Are you looking to write a song together or to fully produce a radio-quality work? Are you in it for a full album or one song? Before you start trading work and files or ideas back and forth, define the parameters of the use of that material. Have the discussion now: "I really don't want this posted under Creative Commons." "This is my vocal and my voice and I want final say on the mix as well as the right to distribute the song for free." "This is my guitar melody and these are your lyrics. We'll write this together. Well both be listed as a writer and we'll register appropriately through ASCAP."
If you wish to legally protect your work or there is money involved, consider a contract and how to register the work. This may seem tedious for a brief collaboration, but consider at least the minimum you need to do to protect your work or to keep someone from taking advantage of you. (Again, if you are not wanting the creative input from the other person, this is not really a collaboration, but you do need to consider their rights all the same as a performer.)
3. How will you work together? Do you live near enough to record in a studio together? Do you need to work remotely (long distance collaboration)? If you need to work remotely, carefully read the terms of any sites you are considering that allow you to trade your tracks back and forth. I often use a third party website to privately share the track as downloadable, especially if we're going to post on the same site later. There are some sites designed specifically for collaborations, but be wary and read all the legalities. Some sites claim the sole right and use of your piece if you utilize their services. Unless you are looking for a large, shared experience with a lot of people and ownership of the song would become very tricky, I do not suggest any site that limits your rights of performance or distribution of your own work.
4. Is everyone happy? After being disappointed in a couple of collaborations, one of my hard-and-fast rules is that all people in the collaboration must be satisfied with the final work. Mainly... Communicate and don't settle! If you aren't happy with the vocal, ask for a redo or for several takes to choose from. If there is a phrase in the lyrics that you think could be better worded, make the suggestion. If you think the mix is muddy, speak up!
By the same token, you need to listen to the other people in the collaboration. For example, if you wrote chords and want them on guitar, it is wise to listen to the guitar player if he suggests to change a chord or two to be more playable. Closing your mind to suggestions is a quick way to doom a collaboration and limit the success of a song, but that doesn't mean every suggestion is the right one.
If you cannot come to a reasonable agreement and be happy with and proud of the project, then perhaps you should reconsider working together. To that point, if you are not happy with the quality of work, it is your prerogative to cancel the project (but do it politely and professionally). To me, it is better to end a collaboration on friendly terms than to put out a piece that you are disappointed in. It is also okay to turn down further collaboration if you found working together difficult.
5. Time management! Are you working on your own EP as well as working full time and doing gigs? Maybe this isn't the time to commit to a project or perhaps you should commit with the understanding of your own limitations. On the other side of it, be patient with your collaborators: respect everyone's schedules and busy lives. Don't ask for lyrics in an hour or a perfect vocal on the first take if the melody hasn't been established. If you are on a tight schedule to deliver, make it clear. But also, don't expect a quality work to magically happen. It's possible that sometimes a collab goes off without a hitch in one or two evenings of work, but if you're writing together and really working together, it may take more time. This is especially true for people that have not worked together before. This leads us to...
6. The right combination: I list this last because it won't always be obvious who your ideal creative partners might be until you've experienced a couple of collaborations or had the chance to work on a project or two with that right person. My best collaborations happen with people that know and respect my music but have different strengths and maybe a slightly different aesthetic. My favorite collaborations are with people that have strong opinions and are just as picky as I am. We agree on quality and know that what we are capable of together is more than what we can achieve on our own. We push each other, teach, listen, and learn. We recognize each other's talents versus our own and know how to divide the work. Sometimes we argue but we always resolve. I actually prefer a collaborator that I can interact with in person, but I've had successful collaborations over long distances. Most of all, the right collaboration involves respect. Do you respect my opinions and my abilities? Have your own abilities earned my respect? This question may seem snooty, but if you are not on a level playing field, someone will be unhappy and the collaboration will be lopsided.
It's okay to ask questions before collaborating in order to enter a project with confidence. This wraps you back around to the first couple of tips I posted. But it also involves asking what a person's musical strengths and weaknesses are and the division of work. Are you a lyricist? Are you looking for someone to write music and melody to go along with your lyrics? Then you probably don't want to team up with a producer whose strengths lie in using loops and mixing but not in writing. Did you ask what genre that songwriter is envisioning? (If not, you may find yourself taking on a project that you loathe or that you are incapable of doing a satisfactory job.)
If I could sum up collaborating: Be choosy! Be choosy about who you work with and how much you take on. Be choosy about the genre (but don't limit yourself) and the quality. Be choosy about what you release and what you are willing to compromise. You don't have to take on every collaboration. You don't have to accept shoddy work. You don't have to give up rights to your work. This all may sound as though I'm telling you to close yourself off creatively, but that's not it at all. The right collaborations will help you grow as a writer or a musician or a producer. They should challenge you without making you feel like you are compromising your own identity.
Just some tips from A Lyrical Physicist...
I've made mistakes and I've flaked out on some collaborations, bitten off more than I could chew, allowed other musicians to bulldoze me into releasing something that I was not happy with, rushed vocals etc. I've also had some really wonderful collaborations that went nearly perfectly. Given how much I've grown from these collaborations, the good and the bad ones, if you are new to collaborating or you are unsatisfied with your collaborations, the following tips may help you:
1. If you are initiating the project, ask yourself what you're wanting out of the collaboration. Are you looking to grow in general or need direction? Are you looking for short term help? Do you need writing help? Do you just need a guitar player? Do you need a producer? Do you need help mixing? There's a difference between a full blown musical collaboration and having someone simply take your direction. There's a gray area between using someone as a mentor or a coach and writing music together.
So, let's assume you want an actual collaboration and not just a YesMan or someone to do just what you ask them to. (If you want the latter, hire a studio musician or make it very clear in your working relationship that you just want a musician, singer, etc.) Let's also assume that this is more of an equal partnership that you need and not so much of lessons or a mentorship. That doesn't mean you can't learn from your collaborators though.
2. Talk business first! This goes for answering the call to collaborate or initiating a collaboration. Lay the groundwork for your working relationship: Are you looking to write a song together or to fully produce a radio-quality work? Are you in it for a full album or one song? Before you start trading work and files or ideas back and forth, define the parameters of the use of that material. Have the discussion now: "I really don't want this posted under Creative Commons." "This is my vocal and my voice and I want final say on the mix as well as the right to distribute the song for free." "This is my guitar melody and these are your lyrics. We'll write this together. Well both be listed as a writer and we'll register appropriately through ASCAP."
If you wish to legally protect your work or there is money involved, consider a contract and how to register the work. This may seem tedious for a brief collaboration, but consider at least the minimum you need to do to protect your work or to keep someone from taking advantage of you. (Again, if you are not wanting the creative input from the other person, this is not really a collaboration, but you do need to consider their rights all the same as a performer.)
3. How will you work together? Do you live near enough to record in a studio together? Do you need to work remotely (long distance collaboration)? If you need to work remotely, carefully read the terms of any sites you are considering that allow you to trade your tracks back and forth. I often use a third party website to privately share the track as downloadable, especially if we're going to post on the same site later. There are some sites designed specifically for collaborations, but be wary and read all the legalities. Some sites claim the sole right and use of your piece if you utilize their services. Unless you are looking for a large, shared experience with a lot of people and ownership of the song would become very tricky, I do not suggest any site that limits your rights of performance or distribution of your own work.
4. Is everyone happy? After being disappointed in a couple of collaborations, one of my hard-and-fast rules is that all people in the collaboration must be satisfied with the final work. Mainly... Communicate and don't settle! If you aren't happy with the vocal, ask for a redo or for several takes to choose from. If there is a phrase in the lyrics that you think could be better worded, make the suggestion. If you think the mix is muddy, speak up!
By the same token, you need to listen to the other people in the collaboration. For example, if you wrote chords and want them on guitar, it is wise to listen to the guitar player if he suggests to change a chord or two to be more playable. Closing your mind to suggestions is a quick way to doom a collaboration and limit the success of a song, but that doesn't mean every suggestion is the right one.
If you cannot come to a reasonable agreement and be happy with and proud of the project, then perhaps you should reconsider working together. To that point, if you are not happy with the quality of work, it is your prerogative to cancel the project (but do it politely and professionally). To me, it is better to end a collaboration on friendly terms than to put out a piece that you are disappointed in. It is also okay to turn down further collaboration if you found working together difficult.
5. Time management! Are you working on your own EP as well as working full time and doing gigs? Maybe this isn't the time to commit to a project or perhaps you should commit with the understanding of your own limitations. On the other side of it, be patient with your collaborators: respect everyone's schedules and busy lives. Don't ask for lyrics in an hour or a perfect vocal on the first take if the melody hasn't been established. If you are on a tight schedule to deliver, make it clear. But also, don't expect a quality work to magically happen. It's possible that sometimes a collab goes off without a hitch in one or two evenings of work, but if you're writing together and really working together, it may take more time. This is especially true for people that have not worked together before. This leads us to...
6. The right combination: I list this last because it won't always be obvious who your ideal creative partners might be until you've experienced a couple of collaborations or had the chance to work on a project or two with that right person. My best collaborations happen with people that know and respect my music but have different strengths and maybe a slightly different aesthetic. My favorite collaborations are with people that have strong opinions and are just as picky as I am. We agree on quality and know that what we are capable of together is more than what we can achieve on our own. We push each other, teach, listen, and learn. We recognize each other's talents versus our own and know how to divide the work. Sometimes we argue but we always resolve. I actually prefer a collaborator that I can interact with in person, but I've had successful collaborations over long distances. Most of all, the right collaboration involves respect. Do you respect my opinions and my abilities? Have your own abilities earned my respect? This question may seem snooty, but if you are not on a level playing field, someone will be unhappy and the collaboration will be lopsided.
It's okay to ask questions before collaborating in order to enter a project with confidence. This wraps you back around to the first couple of tips I posted. But it also involves asking what a person's musical strengths and weaknesses are and the division of work. Are you a lyricist? Are you looking for someone to write music and melody to go along with your lyrics? Then you probably don't want to team up with a producer whose strengths lie in using loops and mixing but not in writing. Did you ask what genre that songwriter is envisioning? (If not, you may find yourself taking on a project that you loathe or that you are incapable of doing a satisfactory job.)
If I could sum up collaborating: Be choosy! Be choosy about who you work with and how much you take on. Be choosy about the genre (but don't limit yourself) and the quality. Be choosy about what you release and what you are willing to compromise. You don't have to take on every collaboration. You don't have to accept shoddy work. You don't have to give up rights to your work. This all may sound as though I'm telling you to close yourself off creatively, but that's not it at all. The right collaborations will help you grow as a writer or a musician or a producer. They should challenge you without making you feel like you are compromising your own identity.
Just some tips from A Lyrical Physicist...
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