 |
John Braheny
ABOUT JOHN
CRITIQUES AND CONSULTING SERVICES
CLASSES AND SEMINARS
ABOUT JO ANN BRAHENY
PHILOSOPHIES
INTERVIEW WITH JOHN
OPINIONS AND RANTS
CURRENT NEWS AND ISSUES
BRAHENY SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS |
|
|
YOU OWE YOURSELF SOME EXPERT ADVICE.
YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!
- My Philosophy
- Services I Provide
- What I Don't Do
- Fee
- How It's Done And How To Pay
- In-Person Consultation
- Phone Consultation
- 'Snail-Mail' Consultation/Critiques
- Online Consultation
- Quotes From Satisfied Clients
MY PHILOSOPHY
I enjoy meeting with songwriters, writer/performers and lyricists and
using my knowledge and experience to help guide you through problems
with your craft, creative process or business. I can help you
strategize important career moves based on an assessment of your
current level of development, your goals and the realities of the
current marketplace. Though I have some clients who come to see me
periodically throughout their careers, I don't believe in creating
long-term interdependencies with clients. I figure you pay me for being
honest with you (though I am gentle and constructive about it) and
having no other agenda than that. I won't tell you you're great just to
make you feel good and I won't tell you you're terrible but that if you
pay for a series of classes I'll make you great. I don't need the money
that bad.
I'm just as happy if I see you once and can give you exactly what you
need. Some writers do bring me a new batch of songs periodically for
critiques or bring me sketchy ideas to help sort out the keepers or
which ones will work best commercially.
Though most of my clients are writers, I have also consulted for
businesses like TAXI who want the perspective of someone who has
organizational experience in working with and marketing services to
songwriters. This has included contests; new music publishers and
businesses with songwriter oriented products or services.
SERVICES I PROVIDE
- Critique songs with a focus on their commercial viability.
Includes assessment of melody, lyric, structure, dynamics, style and
anything else I'm asked to focus on specifically. I'll critique any
style of music.
- Screen a group of un-demo'd songs (rough guitar/vocal,
keyboard/vocal or a cappella) to choose the best ones to demo. Or
further down the line, to choose the best recorded songs to go on the
CD.
- Explain how to set up your own publishing company.
- Evaluate song contracts. I'm not an attorney but I've
explained contracts hundreds of times and taught it as part of a music
publishing course I taught at Grove School of Music and Musicians
Institute in Los Angeles.
- Mediate disputes between collaborators. Short of mediation,
I will advise a party to the conflict about his/her rights and aspects
of copyright law that apply to the situation.
- Refer you to a competent entertainment attorney, demo producer or other consultants with specific areas of expertise.
- Brainstorm a marketing strategy for you or your songs based
on your music style and what would work for you in your specific
situation.
- Answer any music industry question you may have. If I don't have the answer, I know who does.
What I Don't Do:
Shop artists or songs to record companies, publishers, producers or artists.
Fee: $125 per hour or a maximum of five songs critiqued
OR $25 per song.
HOW IT'S DONE AND HOW TO PAY:
IN-PERSON CONSULTATION
Telephone (661) 424-1525 - (Los Angeles) 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Weekdays) or e-mail John@JohnBraheny.com
to set up your appointment. In the subject line, write "consult." Fees
may be paid in-person at the time of the consultation in cash, by check
or credit card. You may record any of our conversations.
PHONE CONSULTATION
Telephone (661) 424-1525 - (Los Angeles) (9 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Weekdays) or e-mail John@JohnBraheny.com to set up your appointment. In the subject line, write "consult." Fees may be paid in advance by credit card via PayPal (U.S.$) or mail a check or money order. Call or e-mail us for address.
Phone consultations work best for industry/career related questions.
They also can be used for follow-up questions regarding song critiques
that already have been completed. Feel free to record our phone
consultation.
'SNAIL-MAIL' CONSULTATION/CRITIQUES
Telephone or e-mail for our street address. Mail your CD or cassette of your songs
with a typed (or neatly printed) copy of the lyric on a full sheet of paper
(not a copy of the lyric from your CD insert). Enclose self-addressed stamped
envelope (SASE) if you wish your materials returned along with $25 per song.
Fee may be paid by credit card via PayPal
(U.S.$) or mail a check or money order. Critiques can be faxed to you (with
comments made on your lyric sheets) and/or they will be returned with your
package.
ONLINE CONSULTATION
E-mail your lyric sheet(s), questions, and links to audio-file(s) of your song(s). Pay (U.S.$) via credit card with PayPal.
What works: audio-files in MP3, RealAudio, QuickTime, Windows Media
Audio, or AIFF formats. My system is Mac-based and I use Microsoft Word
for word processing. To be on the safe side you can send lyrics in Rich
Text format. IF YOU'RE E-MAILING AUDIO FILES, send lyrics and audio files to me at songconsult@gmail.com.
Naturally, I try to respond to clients as soon as possible. If you are
not satisfied with the QUALITY of the critiques and/or consultations, I
provide you with a FULL REFUND.
John and JoAnn Braheny
Phone (661) 424-1525 in Los Angeles
E-mail - John@JohnBraheny.com
QUOTES FROM SATISFIED CLIENTS
I find that after speaking to you, I always have a much clearer
understanding and appreciation of my songs and the craft of songwriting
in general. Furthermore, your critiques of my vocalizing give me
insight into the weakness of my vocal style, something I'm very
grateful for. You are one of the few people who truly know how to give
"constructive" criticism.
Tena Moyer, Los Angeles
Your critique of our music was very helpful and we have
already started on the rewrites. I appreciated your unique workshop and
particularly enjoyed the inner critic, agreements/deals, and the
industries perspective on receiving songs.
Debra Gamble, Houston TX
I now feel like I have some focus and direction for the coming
weeks and months...your feedback was the boost I needed to keep heading
in a positive musical direction. Your words continue to mean a great
deal to me.
Rob Seals, songwriter/recording artist, Alexandria, VA
John Braheny gives re-write tips that really make songs that
are struggling to come together do so; you implement the changes he
suggests and breathe a sigh of understanding and relief. And he
instinctively understands how to talk to a songwriter with perfect
tact, so that all of us who are, as songwriters, in a rather delicate
condition, can take his advice happily and
productively.
Jessica Harper, Los Angeles
Let it suffice to say that TAXI would not be the success it is
today if not for John Braheny. Before TAXI's doors opened, somebody
told me that couldn't start such a company without first speaking with
John. They could not have been more right.
All those little details that need to be addressed, all the questions
that needed to be answered...John Braheny was always there with the
right answer. Why? Because he is the aggregate soul of all songwriters.
He hears the same muse, is a master of the craft, and never loses sight
of the business aspects of songwriting.
John has been TAXI's longest standing set of "ears," and has given
thousands upon thousands of our members the benefit of his wisdom. And
while doling out that wisdom to the songwriters, he was quietly
teaching me how to better meet their needs.
I've been in the music industry for over 25 years, and I've never met
anyone who has had such a positive and far-reaching impact on
songwriters during that time. If I was marooned on a desert island, and
only allowed to have one person from the music business join me, it
would be John Braheny.
Michael Laskow, CEO, TAXI, Independent A&R
(818) 888-2111 -taxiboss@aol.com
To all my comrades in song:
I am writing to tell you what a great experience it has been to have
John Braheny as a mentor. I first met him when he was teaching a
songwriting class at Musician's Institute. I was amazed at his ability
to dissect a song effortlessly. In fact, he reminded me of those
ancient Chinese doctors who can tell a person's condition just by
checking their pulse. John was like this with songs. Pretty much upon
the first listen, he could assess a song's strength and weakness both
structurally and lyrically; and he did it with such graciousness that
you hardly noticed that you had had a song adjustment. Believe me, I've
sat through my share of songwriting classes where it was hard to find
the pearl of wisdom behind the teacher's mountain of ego. John isn't
like this at all.
Here's how I started working with John. I'd bring him a handful of song
concepts that I was working on. If I had a guitar part or a rhythm
track, I'd bring that or if I just had a melody, I'd bring that. John
seemed capable of working with just about anything I brought him.
Then we would sit down. I'd hand him my lyric sheet and play him what I
had. I'd usually bring a handful of concepts - they come pretty quickly
to me - and knowing which ones to work on is a big part of the game for
me. John would help me separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak,
and then we would start gearing down on the 'keepers.' John would guide
me to the gist of each concept helping me discard everything that did
not drive the song forward.
He showed me how to craft a strong chorus and a strong bridge. He also
showed me how to obtain a harmonious balance between concrete and
abstract imagery. He gave me so many tools and such great insight into
how they work. After our sessions, I'd go home and craft the concepts
further until finally, finally a song would emerge. I cannot tell you
what a great feeling this was.
I've been going through this process with John for a few years now and
I've come away with a batch of great songs and the tools that will help
me craft my next batch. In fact, I'm coming out with my first CD very
soon, and when the CD is done, I'll be calling on John to guide me
through the other side of songwriting - the business. I'm counting on
him to make this side palatable and if anyone can do it, John can. He
is a great guy to have in your corner in this wonderfully crazy craft
and business. What can I say other than it's been a tremendous
experience working with John and I plan to keep on working with him for
a long time to come.
Yours truly,
Michael Triandafils, Florida
|
|
