Dave Mallen is a producer and owner of Innovation Station Music in Arlington, VA. He was one of the first people in the DC music scene to help me out when I first arrived in the city. He provided me with invaluable advice and insight into the local music scene, and as a result has become a trusted industry colleague and friend. Together we organize a monthly music industry networking event in DC called the Metro Music Source. Dave kindly answered some quick fire questions for me:

1. What are your observations of changes in the recording industry over the past 5/10 years?

Well, first let me make a distinction between the music business and the recording industry. In terms of the overall music business, people are seeking out and enjoying more music than ever before – going to live shows, streaming content over the internet, discovering new artists via their favorite TV shows or video games, and – for better or worse – sharing files illegally.  The problem is that these same music lovers are not buying CDs.  Sales of recorded music are down overall from 5 years ago, and the rise in digital downloads from sites like iTunes and Rhapsody has not been enough to counter the decline in physical CD sales.  So while there is growing demand for music, the recording industry is in fact not doing so well.

I’ve also observed a ripple effect, where the larger record labels, who built their business models largely on revenues from recorded music sales are not as likely today to take risks on new, untested artists. Many labels that used to fund recording at pro studios are looking for artists and bands that have already made a professional record on their own dime.  And these same labels have also scaled back on artist development.  This has created a vacuum in the recording industry, where it has fallen on producers/production companies, managers, as well as smaller indie labels to discover and develop artists and their music in order to ultimately help them get their recordings made and heard by the masses.

Fortunately for artists, the cost of recording technology has decreased to the point where artists can afford to make high fidelity recordings in home or professional project studios.  Of course, there is no substitute for know-how, and even the best gear won’t help you unless you have some training in the recording arts.  With Innovation Station Music, I wanted to create an “incubator” for local talent that filled these gaps in the industry, offering not only high-end recording, but also true production expertise and strategic guidance on how to keep in step with the ever-changing music business.

2. You offer a music business consulting service in addition to recording and producing. What advice do you tend to give artists just starting out?

I love working with emerging artists, because they’re generally open to all kinds of new ideas. You have to be willing to think of yourself as a business and structure your time so that you identify and capitalize on opportunities as they arise.  And when there aren’t any opportunities, you have to create some for yourself.

Start off by studying and honing your craft to become excellent at what you do.  Set goals for yourself or your band, and keep track of progress against those goals.  If you’re a songwriter, dedicate some time each day toward writing new material.  When you’re ready, record a 3-4 song demo CD as part of a professional press kit.  Use that to get gigs, network, give out at music conferences, etc.  Then, once you’ve made enough money to do it right, record an EP (5-8 songs).  Full-length albums are not as relevant as they used to be, with more and more folks buying individual digital tracks online.  The pace of life is not slowing down, and people’s attention spans seem to be shrinking, so you have to keep things fresh and deliver products that can be consumed in smaller bites.

Don’t put up filters or walls to yourself or your music.  Get out there and meet people! Play open mics to test out new material and get more experience playing in front of an audience.  Network with other similar artists/bands and offer to open for them.  Don’t let a gig go by without you capturing the names, email addresses, and geographic locations of as many in the audience as possible.  Stay in communication with your friends and fans via your website, newsletters, and social networking sites.

Initially, give away your music for free so that it can spread virally, but when the time is right, don’t be afraid to assign a value to your art and start charging for it.  In order to be a professional working musician today, you’ll need multiple income streams.  Consider licensing your songs to TV, Film, videogames, etc.  Contact internet radio stations and convince the program directors to play your tracks (the legit ones pay royalties!).  Think about merchandising – T-shirts bundled with CDs can often make you more of a profit than if they were sold separately!  Observe what others like you are doing and see if it’s working.  And of course, read as much as you can about trends in the music business.

3. The DC music scene is very vibrant. Have you seen it change a lot since you’ve lived here?

DC has a very democratic and welcoming approach to the arts, and a really supportive music community.  There are some great local organizations for songwriters and musicians, and a lot of very motivated people who seem to always be helping each other out.  You don’t find that just anywhere.  But it’s not known as a music town, and people don’t typically move here to launch a music career.  It’s also very transient – that goes for the musicians and the fans – and I’ve seen artists who haven’t even maxed out their potential here leave for places like Austin, Nashville, NYC, or Los Angeles.  I think, in part, this is because there isn’t enough demand for, and too few venues catering to, local original music.

There really is no one DC music “scene”.  Most folks I’ve talked to agree that DC has a lot of talent, but the music community is somewhat fragmented.  You can see fantastic players and singers at the Jazz clubs around U St., indie rockers at newer venues like DC9 and the Red and the Black, as well as acoustic singer-songwriters at places like Iota and Jammin Java.  I think the folk-acoustic tradition here in DC is very strong, and styles of music that focus on political and social issues will always be in vogue here.  There’s room for everyone here in DC, and it’s not at all competitive – that’s one of the things I like most about it.

I’ve invested a lot of time trying to grow and “defragment” the music scene – to bring musicians together in a way that fosters collaboration.  Only by linking the disparate elements of the DC music community – and this includes MD and VA – will synergies be created and a true “scene” emerge.  There are already exciting examples of collaborations across genres that have borne fruit and even won local artists some Grammy awards this year.  There’s a lot of great energy building right now – I think if DC musicians had more knowledge about how the music business works as well as more of a local infrastructure to support their careers, there’s no question that DC would become more recognized as a “music town”!

4. Any up and coming DC talent you would like to spotlight?

I’ve worked with so many talented artists over the past few years, I’d hate to exclude anybody!  But since I can’t list 100+ names, I’ll mention a few current or soon to be released projects:

Nila Kay and I are working on a few songs that will be released shortly and shopped for TV/Film placements – she’ll also be performing at Strathmore on May 26.  She’s got a sweet, soulful voice, and the simple innocence of her lyrics speaks to pretty much everyone.  Our first completed song, “Frozen Grapes”, can be found on my website.

Donnie Logan, originally from the DC area and now residing in Los Angeles, is another fantastic singer/songwriter to watch out for.  Think Coldplay meets Damien Rice.  I’m producing an EP for him between here and LA, and he just got a song placed in a Disney film.  I’ll be finishing up the mixes this week so that we can pitch other songs to Disney very soon.  Check out his song, “Hey Sunshine”, also on my website.

Once Okay Twice is an indie rock band with an 80’s retro sound.  They were one of On Tap magazine’s “Bands to Watch” in 2008, and have developed a unique sound and a dedicated following here in the DC area.  We’re in the early stages of recording the EP right now, but stay tuned!

Brian Franke is a singer-songwriter who I’ve been producing and recording for a few years now.  He’s won awards for his songs through the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, played dozens of gigs in the area, and is soon to release his first record of hard rockin’ songs with a sensitive folk core.

Ryan Fontanilla, a genius guitar virtuoso, is about to release copies of our 12-song New Age collaboration, Black Spring, which features Ryan on acoustic guitar and me providing accompaniment on a variety of organic and electronic instruments.  All tracks from the record can be streamed from the TV/Film Music page on my website.

About Innovation Station Music:

Innovation Station Music is a one-stop shop music production company focused on artist and song development, producing the highest quality music possible, and providing innovative strategies to help you meet your musical goals and navigate the ever-changing music industry.