Dan Leigh: News

I have really been quite the reclusive musician lately, haven't I? I don't know if it's some kind of general dissatisfaction with the internet or just a lack of spare time, but I haven't updated my website with any news for a while. The less I post, the more music I am usually doing. I am doing a lot of work for several music licensing companies. They are basically my "record labels" for licensing, promoting my music for TV and film. My music is continually used on national television shows.

I saw that someone found my website by searching "WHAT HAPPENED TO DAN LEIGH?" That was hilarious.

I might post a few journal entries at some point, but for now I just wanted to let people know I'm still hard at work making music and that I didn't turn into a giraffe.

I saw an interview with Noel Gallagher(former Oasis songwriter) where he told a story about his brother Liam. Liam had written a song called "Born On A Different Cloud" which he was extremely proud of, and was boasting about. So Noel turned the tables on him and said "Okay then, Born On a Different Cloud, first single." All of sudden Liam stopped boasting about his song. He knew that if it was the first single it would be subject to incredible scrutiny., people picking it apart. Noel knew that too, which is why he brought it up. Releasing an album is difficult, releasing a single is really difficult. I don't ever expect people to like my songs as much as I do, they are written exactly according to my tastes in music. Nobody has the exact same taste as I do. But it's really difficult to take something you have worked for months(sometimes years) on and subject it to other peoples' magnifying glasses and scrutiny. The one cool thing is that an artist really only needs to make fans out of a very small percentage of the population. If 1% of Americans bought my record, I would sell over a million copies. But the scrutiny is tough to deal with.

You can now stream my new EP, in full, in the "Music" section.

I spent the morning at Muir Woods, which is full of massive redwoods. I felt like a tiny ant. That place is like something out of a Disney movie. Babbling brooks and all. It is really cold and dark, those trees don't allow much sun through their branches. I bet those massive trees used to bully all of the smaller trees back in high school. I have visited some amazing places during my journey. Went to Sausilito. For those of you who don't know, that is a small tourist-ey town about 5 miles from San Fran. Great panoramic views down by the marina.
I wrapped up the sessions yesterday. Still too early to tell whether or not the songs will be as good as I want them to be. They are very promising though. I guess if I ever meet my own expectations I will know it is time to retire. It's kind of cool, because I was walking behind the hotel today and I caught a glimpse of a pink building on the other side of the bay. No, I said, it couldn't be. It was. It was the studio. It was strange to see it by accident like that. Cool moment. I was thinking about the fact that that pink building in the distance gave me a career. Or, should I say, the people who record there did. Scott and Tom, you are the best. And so ends my trip; soon these songs will be released to the world. I hope you all like them. They have been the most difficult, complex songs I have ever written. We'll see how the world takes them...

We are about done tracking now. I am feeling pretty confident at this point. Yesterday was spent playing a lot of keyboards. Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, even a 70k dollar Steinway grand. Scott is feeling better, so he was even able to play a guitar part he came up with. Fantastic, by the way. I has been nice to be able to play his vintage guitars. So far, I have played a 66 Epiphone Casino, a 64 Gibson acoustic and my favorite Gretsch Super Axe. We spent a lot of time today on a song called "In Our Heads" which at this point appears to be the lead track. It is the most "immediate" track. It has a very britpop sound, but with a twist. It really has a magical, effortless melody. I am feeling some of the pressure wear off. I feel like I have done my stuff correctly. Now it's up to world to decide whether or not they agree.

My 3rd day in the studio starts in a few hours. Progress has been good, I have finished all of my vocals. We are in the process of comping the vocals, which means choosing the best takes and pieces of takes. I really believe in these songs, but I'm not sure if people will get them. My producer Scott has been pretty incapacitated due to his recent back surgery. I have felt kind of guilty, because I know he would be able to rest a little more if it weren't for my sessions. Although, knowing him he probably would be working anyway. He is one of the hardest-working people there is. Tom, the engineer, has been incredible at taking up the slack. I have had to take up some slack too, playing pretty much everything. Nobody ever said making records was easy, did they? If they did then they have either never made one, or are an idiot. Or both.

Sitting here at about 6am. Feels like 8 to me. Nervous as hell about heading into the studio 4 hours from now. This is such a beautiful place, I almost feel like I haven't focused enough yet on what I came here to do. Music. then again, there is a point with songwriting where you have to stop analyzing and just record the damn thing. You can waste more time on tiny details, but I have about come to the conclusion that most great musical things are done through inspiration. Not perspiration. The song has to be structured, but I don't think spending 10 hours trying to write the perfect bridge is the thing to do. At least not for me anyway. I can't help but think about how many musicians would kill to be in my shoes right now. When I first came here to record, it was pretty much just because of talent. I had barely even started at that point. Since then, I have put in MASSIVE amounts of hours honing my abilities. I guess feel like I deserve it more now. I have paid my dues.

The new EP will contain 4 songs, instead of 3. I'll be recording it Nov. 10-13th in Mill Valley, CA with Scott Mathews and Tom Luekens. Keep an eye on this page for updates. The track titles will be:
1. In Our Heads
2. Falling To Pieces
3. Song To Save The World
4. Stuck In A Cave

I guess Oasis isn't "officially" over because Liam might continue using the name, but as far as anyone is concerned the band is through. Noel wrote pretty much every good song they ever released, and he wrote every great song they ever released. I hadn't realized until Noel left the group that I probably would have never released a record if it weren't for Oasis. Noel was basically my songwriting teacher, I learned a lot of what I know about chord structures from analyzing his music. A lot of Noel's best songs are either un-released or are B-sides. The dude is a genius. I also learned from them that self-belief is essential. The trick is keeping it from turning into arrogance, something Liam has never quite pulled off. Noel has always seemed to have a lot of self-belief, but not necessarily arrogance. Just the kind of self-belief that made him, a poor kid from working-class Manchester, decide to become a serious songwriter. You have to believe in yourself from the start as a songwriter, even when you haven't done anything yet worth believing in. He indirectly taught me that. Songwriting is that hardest thing I have ever done, and without those early Oasis records I don't know if I would have known where to start. I hope people always keep room in their record collections for Oasis's early records, despite the turmoil and mediocre music that has mired their career ever since...

I will be back in the studio with my producer Scott Mathews in November. I will be recording a 3-song EP. I haven't decided which songs I will be be recording, but I will say that you can expect something very interesting.

Found out from my BMI statement that one of my songs was used on Access Hollywood multiple times in 4th quarter 2008. Also had a few songs used on the "Planet Green" cable network but it doesn't pay as well. Access Hollywood pays a lot. All of this thanks to Nick Karvon from Fourte Music.

It's kind of weird, but I think the biggest obstacle for independent musicians is ourselves. There are too many of us. There are things like indie record companies, music magazines, etc. that act as filters and thus filter out a lot of bad music. That is a good thing, but a lot of good musicians don't get the chance to be filtered out. Would you ever consider blindly listening to random bands on myspace, trying to find good music? Probably not. You would be much more likely to read Paste Magazine or Pitchfork to find bands to listen to because the bad music is filtered out(mostly.) That is the reason you can't just ask a major label A&R rep to listen to your music. They want filters. I guess what I'm saying is that I wish bands would filter themselves a little more. Don't put crappy recordings full of hiss on myspace. Wait until you get a few well-recorded songs. Then maybe industry people will take "indie musicians" more seriously, filtered or not.

I think a lot of musicians' careers kind of resemble that motorist who takes a wrong turn and winds up driving 500 miles in the wrong direction before realizing it. I'm not saying I haven't been guilty of it at times myself, but I think I've made a lot more headway since I started evaluating whether or not what I'm doing is having any benefit. I guess my advice would be to step back and look at the things you are doing musically and promotion-wise and figure out which ones aren't working before you drive your career 500 miles in the wrong direction and everyone else has left you in the dust.

Dan

I have realized recently that I'm not so much making music to make money. I'm making money in order to make music. I signed with a company that wants me to record production cues because they have a contract with the show "Access Hollywood." I have been recording these cues mainly because I want to fund more of my artist albums. I guess I have had the realization that a lot of musicians have, which is that I can't record only the music I want to record. Every musician has to pay their dues somehow. There are worse things to be doing than recording production cues. I have tried to make them artistically valid, although there are fairly strict parameters and not nearly as much creative freedom as I am used to. I have learned a lot in the process, since I am having to play and record every instrument myself. There are advantages to being forced to learn new things and having strict guidelines. If every artist simply does what they want at all times, they will not learn much because they will stick to what they already know. Recording electronic music is very different for me, but it has forced me to expand my musical vocabulary. So there are advantages to having to deal with the issue of making money and funding records. Although a lot of times I would rather just record whatever I want and stick to what I know...

I have been incredibly busy with several different things. I signed on as a writer with a company called Fourte Music which provides music for several major networks and the show "Access Hollywood." I have been creating some custom music for them. I'm hoping it will make me some money, and allow me to have more funds to make the music I really want to make.

Also, 2 of my songs were used in an indie film that was just released. It's called "Pack A Lunch!" and will probably be shown at Sundance and Tribeca. Directed by Vince Foster.
That's the update for now...

I am of the opinion that there is one particular thing that is a huge problem, in general, for music. The problem is that, as far as I can tell, at least 70-80% of the promotion available is used to promote less than 1% of all artists. The major labels control the radio airwaves almost completely. They have massive budgets for other means of promotion such as print ads, street teams, etc. I would guess that less than 1% of all artists are signed to major labels. The rest are unsigned or signed to indie labels. Indie labels have good intentions, but usually little or no money. Most indie artists have little or no promotion available to them. When I say "indie artists," I mean 99% of all artists. I think it will only get worse, due to the fact that the market for CD's is dwindling. Major labels are making less money, so they are signing fewer and fewer artists. The indie music world needs to figure out how to gain a bigger market share. If they don't, 99% of all artists will continue to be shut out...

Dan

I am concerned about the rampant music piracy that is happening. I'm not concerned about the fact that is cutting down on the profits of big record labels. That is actually a fantastic thing. I don't, however, think anyone should illegally download indie music. Ever. I don't blame the average fan for not understanding the complex economics that indie artists deal with. I wouldn't understand them if I didn't deal with them myself. Records cost a lot of money to make. Or, at least, to make them right. There are some indie artists that make their records "on the cheap" or self-produce them. Those records generally sound terrible, and you probably wouldn't want to buy any of those anyway. There are a lot of indie artists, like me, who make their records in a proper studio with producers and engineers who have worked on major-label records. Those records generally sound great, but the producers and engineers must be paid. Thus, indie artists must sell plenty of their music just to break even.

To sum up:
If you hear music by an indie artist that sounds great, buy their album. Or, go to iTunes and buy the best songs. That artist obviously put some money into their record. Shouldn't you put a little money into that artist's pocket to make sure they can make another?

Dan

I have been doing some thinking about how different my music might sound if I weren't planning on selling it. In other words, any time I am writing or recording a song I think about how it will be received. How many people will buy it, and what they will think of it.

I believe it makes me more disciplined as a writer, because I know how short peoples' attention spans are. I have to get to something good at the beginning of a song. That limits what I can do creatively somewhat, but I can't say it might not benefit the music. I don't know. The fact that I can't do an album that is 10 hrs. long is probably to the benefit of listeners everywhere.

Another thing I have to think about is the fact that I have to finish songs. I don't know if I would ever finish a song if it weren't for the fact that unfinished songs don't sell very well. You will never see a band release an album of unfinished demos. Although I have heard albums where I wished the band had never finished the songs.

To sum up, we as musicians are somewhat limited by the fact that we have to sell music. We are, however, more practical musicians. Our music is more refined than it would be otherwise.

Although I still won't rule out recording a 10 hr. long album.

Dan

This is another post from my Myspace blog.

I suppose I am kind of conflicted about mp3s. If someone buys an mp3 of one of my songs, I make a nice profit. There is no physical CD being sold, which means that whatever I make from the sale is straight profit. It's fantastic that people can now buy only the tracks that they like also, instead of having to buy an entire CD. That freedom of choice is essential. One downside, however, is that the "album" as an art form is really being cast aside. I don't know if I ever want to do another full album. I prefer to release my music in EP form. Why? Because very few people listen to full albums anymore. They listen to mp3 playlists! Why would I want to make a cohesive album that is best heard in its entirety? I'm more interested in making each of my individual songs as strong as possible. I want my songs to be the strongest ones in your playlists...

Dan

This is a blog entry from my Myspace page at

http://www.myspace.com/danleigh
I decided to post it here also:

"I wanted to turn your attention to what it means to buy music from a major label artist, and what it means to buy music from an artist on an independent label(or not on a label.)

1. If you buy a major label artist's music, the vast majority of your money winds up in the label's pocket. Major label artist's royalties are a very small percentage of each record's selling price(sometimes as little as 10%.) Artists are still making millions if they are selling millions, but if they're only selling a few hundred thousand they're not making much. That's because the label "recoups" the money they spent promoting the album, making videos, etc. In other words, they take back the money they spent on promotion. And they take it straight out of the artist's tiny percentage. So what does the record label do with the massive percentage of the royalties it takes? It uses it to fund records that don't sell. They often spend hundreds of thousands on records that make little or no money. So, the artists that sell well get tiny percentages because of the fact that the labels are bad at business.

2. If you buy a record from an indie label artist, the artist is usually getting a better percentage(although it varies.) If the artist isn't on a label, the artist is obviously getting 100%. So, you know your money isn't going into the pocket of some record executive's designer pants. You also know that your money isn't going to some giant corporation or media group. The majors are owned by massive companies like BMG and, while these companies have some redeeming qualities, wouldn't you rather your money go mostly to the artist? The one whose music is so good it made you want to spend your money in the first place?

I'm not saying you should boycott all major labels and their music. That would be ridiculous. I am saying that you should feel really good about buying indie music. And if you have a choice between two equal artists, buy indie..."

Dan

We all know the music industry is in a confused state at this point. CD sales are down, and that has traditionally been the main way labels(and artists) have made money. That being said, I think a lot of metaphorical walls are being broken down in favor of independent artists. The domination of major labels is shrinking, simply because there are so many more ways for music fans to find independent music and buy it. 95% of those ways involve the internet. MySpace, internet radio, blogs, iTunes, etc. I think a lot of the domination by major labels has been as a result of them controlling the airwaves, and thus controlling what we hear. Many of the world’s best musicians and bands are signed to major labels, but I still don’t think these labels are very good at determining what musicians the public should hear. For every fantastic band they sign, they sign 10 terrible ones. As a result, there have always been a lot of fantastic bands who don’t get signed. And don’t get heard. The internet is finally enabling music fans to find the music made by these musicians.

Music Fans 1, Major Labels 0...

Dan

You can now purchase my "Meaningful Nonsense EP" in mp3 form directly from CD Baby. Same price as iTunes. This is important to mention for 2 reasons:
1. The mp3's are even better quality than iTunes, encoded at even higher bitrate settings.
2. I get 91% of every album purchased. If you buy any mp3 albums from CD Baby, mine or anyone else's, you are really helping to support independent music. ITunes, Rhapsody, etc. keep a large chunk, so musicians usually only get 60-65%.

You also get the artwork with the album download. The only difference is that the CD can't be purchased track-by-track at CD Baby. But, the EP is only $4.95. And I'm willing to guarantee you'll find it worth every penny.
Here's the direct link:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/danleigh2

I read that it helps improve search engine rankings to include the names of popular bands/musicians in these postings. That is so shameless. I would never include the names of popular bands such as Snow Patrol, Paramore, or Travis in my postings. So that means I also would never include the names of bands such as Doves, Radiohead or Silverchair in any of my postings either.

Really.



Dan

Dan''s song "Please and Thank You" is going to be featured in the March/April issue of Farmhouse Magazine. Farmhouse is an online magazine that features works of music, fiction, etc. The issue will be out on March 1. Just go to http://www.farmhousemagazine.com to see/hear it.

I just wanted to let everyone know that the streaming audio section of this website now has full-length songs instead of clips. Several tracks have been added to it as well.