Music Worth Recording

There are a lot of talented musicians nowadays trying to make a living with music, and there are also a lot of recording engineers and producers trying to get the music “out there.” Even as the larger music industry struggles to adapt to a changing musical landscape, the independent music scene is exploding.  Even so, much of the music being put out there is mediocre at best, and won’t sell many records no matter how good the production value is.  If you are a musician, a producer or even a sound engineer, how do you identify music worth recording? 

While finding and recording quality music is not an exact science (despite what industry moguls might want you to think), here are some basic elements to look for when identifying recordable music (or artists who are ready to record):

GOOD SONGWRITING

In my own experience covering the local music scene in my area, the most common downfall I notice is poor songwriting.  While poor production value can hurt a song’s chances, the best recording won’t make a badly-written song any better. Producers should look for songs with a “hook”—something in the song that keeps people humming it when the song stops playing.  A strong melodic line is a must. The song should also have a good blend of familiarity and innovation—different enough to generate interest without being so “out there” that listeners get lost. If getting radio airplay is the goal, the song shouldn’t be more than three and a half minutes long.

MEMORABILITY

Music worth recording is music that is memorable.  That memorable factor can be the hook of the song, as mentioned above, or a creative musical arrangement, or an identifiable guitar riff, or the artist’s voice. The artist doesn’t have to be the best musician in the world; she just has to have a quality in her music that an audience will remember. No one thinks of Bob Dylan as a great singer, but his voice is unmistakable (as is his songwriting—see the previous point).

MUSICIANSHIP

Simply put, the artists and musicians need to be able to play the music well. Not only does this improve the quality of the record, but it wastes both time and money for an artist or band to come into a studio unrehearsed.  Skill level is relative, unless you’re hiring studio musicians.  Good music has a good blend of technical excellence and passionate performance.  Demand both of the musicians you are considering recording or producing.

When identifying music worth recording, these three elements are listed in order of priority, songwriting being the most important. Musical mistakes sometimes get a pass if the song is catchy or the artist is memorable, but a badly-written song can’t really be glossed over. An artist with a memorable voice is remembered as annoying if he’s singing the wrong songs, while a good song will often cover a multitude of other musical sins.