Recently, I came across an article that has absolutely blown my mind. It is a classic example of how the Music Industry is being transformed by the change in technology. Which creates an abundance of opportunities for the DIY musicians and Independent Artists.
The article is from Wired, titled: The Hot New Hip-Hop Producer Who Does Everything On His iPhone.
Yeah, That's right. His cell phone. What's your excuse?
The article and video introduces a young new producer called Steve Lacy, an 18 year-old musician who produces music for J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. All on his iPhone 6. Using Garage Band.
Yeah, That's right. Garage Band.
For years, that has been a software application that many, (myself included) use to look down on and classify as inferior to other DAW's because of its simplicity. But I'm man enough to say. I was wrong. And Steve Lacy is living proof.
The fact of the matter is, we now have a more powerful tool in our pockets with our smartphones than The Beatles had in the entire Abbey Road Recording Studio in the 60's.
Honestly, stop for a second and read the above paragraph again to let it sink in (I'll wait).
And the next time you feel limited by your gear, read that paragraph again.
There are four things this article highlighted for me that I wanted to share and hope you would benefit from:
1. Making music should be fun.
Often in the business-end of trying to create the perfect HIT song and getting your music to make money, we forget why we started making music in the first place. To share a message, for the love of music, to express an emotion and just to have fun.
2. You shouldn't get bogged down in the complication of making music
The fancy expensive DAW's with all those shinny buttons can often be a huge distraction to the creative process. Sometimes, too many options is worse than no options.
3. It makes sense - Keep it simple
Being able to make music on the same device that a majority of your customers are probably going to be listening to it on just makes sense. It's just smart business. Whether young master Lacy realizes it or not. He has just given himself a serious advantage over the competition. Not to mention the mobility and easy access to a recording studio, which he literally carries in his pocket.
4. A good craftsman doesn't blame his tools
There is really no point or excuse anymore for not being able to create your music your way. From free software to relatively inexpensive gear to get you started. The only person standing in your way of creating is yourself. Get the skills you need and start creating as fast and as often as you can. That's the only way you'll get better at it.
Side note:
To get the skills I highly recommend signing up for something like The Recording Revolution.com. Graham has a wealth of knowledge that he graciously shares to get artists started and moving in the right direction.
Checkout the article from Wired. Let me know your thoughts.
Question:
What do you think of Garage Band as recording tool?