Recent Austin News

From MusicWorld, posted 1.26.23. When I critique songs at my workshops, I always begin by asking the writers to share their intention for their song. For example, a song might be intended solely for self-expression or catharsis. Another song might be written by a performing songwriter to include on their own recording project, while another… Read more...

From News, posted 11.30.22. In this issue: Jason Blume Shares How to Stretch Yourself Melodically Dave Simons Explains the Benefits of Using a Condenser Mic BMI Honors Toby Keith at the 2022 BMI Country Awards BMI Presents “El Camp: Los Compositoras Edition” with Amazon and Erika Vidrio… Read more...

From MusicWorld, posted 11.30.22. Like most of my engineering peers, early on I endeavored to fill my home studio with as many different types of microphones as my budget would allow, from lovely old Sennheisers to the more workmanlike family of Shure dynamics. Eventually my insatiable appetite for guitars meant selling off many of these… Read more...

From MusicWorld, posted 11.30.22. When I critique songs in my BMI Songwriting Workshops, I often hear melodies with a range (the interval between its lowest and the highest notes) limited to one octave or less. When I ask the writers to share their intentions for these songs, they sometimes respond, “My goal is to have… Read more...

From MusicWorld, posted 10.27.22. If you’re looking to take a break from the studio routine, you might consider bringing your songs and recording equipment to a suitable music venue in order to capture the spontaneous energy of a live gig. Naturally, there are all kinds of challenges when attempting to cut band tracks in real… Read more...

From News, posted 10.12.22. Today, BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill announced exciting and transformational news about the future of the company. Below is a note that was sent to BMI affiliates describing the company’s decision to change its business model from operating on a not-for-profit making basis to for-profit, and the benefits to our… Read more...

From MusicWorld, posted 9.22.22. When trying to compose a new song and nothing is happening right away, occasionally I find it helpful to conjure a particular artist, genre or era, and use that as the basis for crafting something original. For instance, I might think of a riff that hints at early-‘80s techno pop, and,… Read more...

From News, posted 9.09.22. BMI is thrilled to be back at Zilker Park for the 2022 Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 7-9 & 14-16, 2022. For the 19th year, BMI brings its curated, musically diverse lineup to ACL for two consecutive weekends of exciting music discovery. The festival kicks off on Friday, October… Read more...

From MusicWorld, posted 8.19.22. Having run a professional recording studio as an engineer and producer for close to thirty years, the process of taking a songwriter’s rough recording to a finished master is second nature to me. However, I’m well aware that for songwriters getting ready to demo one of their songs for the first… Read more...

From MusicWorld, posted 7.22.22. It takes a certain kind of personality to excel at tricky recording maneuvers while simultaneously working with an equally tricky recording artist. Perhaps it’s for that reason alone that I admittedly never sought full-time studio operator status, choosing instead to track guests on a case-by-case basis. But even in a limited… Read more...