Rob Cavallo
Senior VP of A&R/Staff Producer,
Reprise Records
Interviewed by Bud Scoppa
Rob Cavallo, the son of veteran manager Bob Cavallo (the Lovin’ Spoonful, Prince, Paula Abdul, Alanis Morissette), had labored in virtual obscurity in the A&R department of Warner Bros./Reprise Records until he signed Green Day and produced the multiplatinum Dookie. With that breakthrough success came a promotion and myriad new responsibilities.
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Most of Rawk & Rowl’s readers are looking for solid information on how to survive as an artist at some level of the music industry. Perhaps you should check out Google Books. Google Books has had a site at http://books.google.com for some time, which sometimes features full scans of books. A search for ‘music industry’ reveals that Google Books is a ready resource for those concerned with navigating the music industry. Or try searches on guitar amplifiers or even just punk and you’ll see why Google Books could be very, very useful. Look for “Limited Preview” for books with some pages scanned or “Full View” for books that are there in their entirety.
If you have a Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, and more, and you are tired of logging in to each one separately to post, Ping.fm might be for you.
Not only an entertaining, insightful read but also packing some serious science.
http://www.endino.com/archive/tuningnightmares.html
You may or may not know but this blog is directed at beginner to intermediate musicians and bands that are just starting out. If you are in that situation, one term that you should be aware of is “pay to play.” Pay to play is a phrase that describes any scenario where your band gets booked for a gig but has to pay for having the gig. Sometimes you may be in a pay to play situation and not know it.
For instance, a common pay to play scenario is you get booked for a gig where the venue or promoter requires you to sell a certain number of pre-sale tickets. The booker hands you, say, 30 tickets, and says, “Just sell these and we’re good. We’ll settle up the day of the show.” Sweet! Your band has a gig! Wait just a second, though. This is pay to play. Sure you didn’t have to pay anything to get the gig OR the pre-sale tickets, but what will happen is captured in that phrase, “We’ll settle up the day of the show.” When you get there on the day of the show, the booker says, “OK and from you I need the money for 30 tickets.” You pay him and play. That is pay to play. You, the band, paid the booker before the show.
Only you can decide if a pay to play scenario is right for your band, but, in general, this is a detrimental practice for bands. The venue or promoter is placing the cost risk for the show on the band. Struggling young bands already have enough on their plates without this risk being added.
Here is a short and sweet article from eHow offering some great advice for those preparing to enter the studio.
Of course you know you need a sweet outfit and your instrument, but what else might help in a pinch? Here are a list of things I have needed in the past that you might not think of the first time you make your list.
- Flashlight
- Tools like pliers, screwdrivers, and so forth.
- Extra strings
- Fuses for any tube amps.
- Tubes for any tube amps.
- Drum tuning key
- Batteries for pedals and guitars
- Extra cables
- Duct tape
- Electrical tape
- Power strip
- Sharpie
- Picks
- Extra drum sticks
Of course there are more items that could help but they are mostly optional. These are the things you need!
Enjoy Magazine has posted an attempt to scientifically determine the fidelity of CD and vinyl and settle the long-running debate of which one is better. We were intrigued by the results.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Magazine/manufacture/0909/
Sony is offering a free copy of Acid Music Studio 7 for purchasers of the Sony MDR-7506 headphones. You must purchase your pair of 7506’s by December 31, 2009 to qualify. You must also fill out a rebate form and send it in to receive your copy of the software.
The MDR-7506 headphones have a street price around $100 and offer several excellent features such as great frequency response and the ability to be folded up for portability.
More information is available at www.sony.com/mdr7506-acid.
As always we encourage you to shop zZounds for their low prices, free shipping, and no sales tax!
