Upstart Startups: Spins.FM Connects Radio to Social Media

September 6, 2011 by David Weiss
/* Filed under Music Biz */

EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN: Radio still rules. Sure, we all spend a lot of time with our heads in headphones connected to our streaming devices, but as Spins.FM understands, there’s plenty of action happening on the airwaves.

David Baker of Spins.FM heard radio calling out to social media.

Borne and bred in the East Village, Spins.FM launched its Social Radio Requests App this summer, a handy gadget that helps to bridge social media and radio stations via Facebook-driven song requests. Listeners use it free to ask for their favorite songs, while artists and radio stations purchase it to implement campaigns, measure results and interface with listeners.

Born in Hawaii and raised in Arizona before making New York City his base of operations, Spins.FM Founder/CEO David Baker is passionate about terrestrial radio’s place in connecting to the fan base – and he has numbers to support it. For example, check out this chart Paul Resnikoff created for Digital Music News: “The traditional radio audience still dwarfs the streaming audience,” Baker explains.

For a look inside a scalable startup on the rise, see what Baker has to say about hatching a communications hybrid like Spins.FM.

How did you first get interested in radio?
I’ve worked in Web development and music for the last twelve years – and in the past few years working with music labels I learned that, contrary to common opinion, traditional FM radio is still very, very important in terms of leveraging a fan base and helping music artists make money. I also learned that there was no tool that existed that enabled them to do that using social media yet, so I started Spins.FM.

After creating an initial prototype and testing with a few of my clients, we launched over a year ago and have had success with top artists like P Diddy, Chris Brown and Britney Spears, and labels like Jive, Interscope and Capitol Nashville.

Congrats on getting yourself out there! When you were setting up Spins.FM, what opportunity did you see to bridge social media and radio?
Unlike a lot of Internet and emerging radio platforms, the economics of traditional radio are well established: Artists know that they make money when their songs are played on the radio, and they know that it is the most proven way of getting booked for local shows across the country. And radio DJ’s really care about listener feedback. Before Spins.FM existed, it was very hard for fans to connect with radio stations the way artists wanted them to.

There are three products that we offer:
1.     For fans: Free Social Radio Request tool on Spins.FM homepage that allows any fan to request any song on any radio station,
2.     For artists: service for artists and managers to start their own Spins.FM campaign – promoting their single on a targeted list of cities and radio stations,
3.     For radio stations: a Facebook app that allows listeners to request songs on the station’s Facebook page, and for stations to engage with local listeners — and filter out the noise.

Our main competition right now is the listener request line since no one else has made an online request form that is easy to fill out. Mediabase, which is owned by Clear Channel, also has an online request form that makes you manually enter in info about you, which is not very fun and takes a long time to fill out. Even for the super uber fans who are willing to make a phone call — old school! — the system doesn’t work: It isn’t easy getting through to the radio station and discouraging.

Can you tell us about a specific project that Spins.FM has worked on lately? What were you able to accomplish?
Hot Chelle Rae started a Spins.FM campaign recently for their single “Tonight Tonight.” Before they started, they hadn’t had any radio play — the head of Jive was curious to see if Spins.FM could help with Hot Chelle Rae so they connected with us. A few months later, Hot Chelle Rae is platinum and “Tonight Tonight” hit number 7 on the Billboard charts.

Here’s how it worked: Hot Chelle Rae got the National Premium Request Campaign which includes a landing page on our homepage at spins.fm/hotchellerae and a Facebook app on their Facebook page. The feedback we got from Jive’s radio promotions team was that the radio stations actually like it when they hear directly from fans.

Another positive spin in NYC.

Shifting gears, launching a new initiative in this business takes some guts. What’s giving you the gumption to get Spins.FM going?
While the music industry is changing, music creation has never been easier which makes it an exciting time for musicians. I believe that music will thrive and grow – and that artists just need the tools to connect with their audiences.

We need to bring the DJ back. People like having their music curated by a human, but services like Pandora and Grooveshark — which are great in their own right — completely miss this part of what makes radio radio.

Did you go after venture capital/seed funding to get Spins.FM started, or did you bootstrap it?
We bootstrapped it from the start and have focused on growing revenues and growing a real business. We are in the process of raising additional capital for the next phase of the company, more on that to come!

In your experience what are some of the financial considerations that a startup needs to take into account to launch? And tell us you learned about making a strong business plan during this process?
Things take longer than you expect them to. Early stage companies should be aggressive with their timelines but also realistic with budgeting. The easiest way to fail is to run out of money. Sweat equity can only get you so far. It’s still crucial to keep in mind that it’s still a business and it takes money to move things forward. Each quarter, we plan knowing that things are going to change in another three or four months. We try to “get real”, to quote Jason Fried, as soon as possible — which means get feedback from our customers as soon as possible instead of forecasting and forecasting.

Are there other music business innovators you can point to that are pushing the envelope right now, especially in the online space?
Extension.FM, run by Dan Kantor and Charles Smith, is an incredible company. Their Google Chrome extension is hands-down the best music discovery service.

And we always want to know: Why make NYC your base of operations – why is this the right place to get Spins.FM spinning?
New York is the best place for us to be located because we are a 15-minute subway ride from any record label, radio station or media company we could want to talk to.

Not to mention it’s the music capital of the world: The startup scene here is very inspiring and provides a great environment and support system for entrepreneurs. Institutions like General Assembly and New York Tech Meetup are critical for keeping it all going strong.

– David Weiss

Tags: advice for startups, app, Billboard, Britney Spears, business advice for startups, Capitol Records, Charles Smith, Chris Brown, Clear Channel, Dan Kantor, David Baker, Digital Music News, DJ, Extension.FM, General Assembly, Google Chrome, Grooveshark, Hot Chelle Rae, Interscope, Jive Records, Mediabase, New York Tech Meetup, P. Diddy, Pandora, Paul Resnikoff, radio, radio and social media, radio DJ, radio DJs, radio requests, social media, social media and radio, Social Radio Requests App, Spins.FM, startup, startups, terrestrial radio

Gig Alert: Neal Medlyn’s “Brave New Girl” Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Epic – Now Through Saturday Only

September 30, 2010 by David Weiss
/* Filed under News */

Recording Sweet Spot: KMA Music

July 25, 2010 by David Weiss
/* Filed under NYC Spotlight */

Steven Beer: This Entertainment Lawyer Sees Music Moving Forward

April 21, 2010 by David Weiss
/* Filed under Music Biz */

7 Comments

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN: Given Steven Beer’s outstanding track record, you’d expect this top entertainment attorney to be a lot less approachable. The fact is, being extra-open to new people – and new ideas – is the secret to his success.

Want hits? Beer, a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig since 2003 signed, developed and co-managed Britney Spears with his previous firm, Rudolph & Beer. He was lawyer/manager for the multiplatinum artist Aaron Carter at the height of his career, and executive produced the first Disneymania compilation. Next up, he introduced Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga) to the music industry and worked with her in the early days of her career.

Steven Beer

Today, the budding crop of artists under his guidance include a list of successful and up-and-coming names. His roster includes the likes of Emii, Kaci Battaglia, Sariah, Chevonne, Jackson Harris, and Natalie Gelman.

While Beer appreciates the satisfaction of a mega-hit, nothing pleases him more now than to see the opportunities for emerging artists within the music industry today. According to Beer, there has never been a better time for aspiring artists. If you are determined to bring your unique sounds to the people, well, the artist empowerment manager will see you now.

Q: Steven, what do you think artists today need to understand most about how an entertainment lawyer/manager works? When should they strive to work with representation, and when should they strive to remain independent?

A: I serve primarily as an entertainment lawyer. Given my past management experience, however, I often function as a management consultant to artists and record labels.

Every music professional has their own approach to working with artists. In a changing marketplace the lawyer needs to do more than just review and negotiate agreements. Like every team member, the lawyer should do whatever is possible to create opportunities that support the goals of the artist.

My priorities focus on establishing a business structure that affords maximum creative and business involvement for our artist clients. We applaud artists who set specific goals and are willing to take a no-nonsense business approach to their careers.

As far as legal representation, it is never too early to retain counsel. The relationships you form early in your career can later become sticky and problematic. A lawyer will help organize these relationships so that they do not become obstacles to the artist’s success down the road.

Q: How does an artist get on your roster? What’s the right way for them to get your attention – and what’s the wrong way?

A: I mostly rely on quality referrals for new artists. Outside of a referral, I respond to professional emails from artists who have established concrete creative and business priorities. It’s always a plus when the artist comes with a fan base and awareness for how the business operates.

The wrong way is to send me a disc or MP3 and ask me to shop them to labels on a percentage basis. That is a difficult business model in today’s marketplace.

That said, you never know when or how you will meet a special artist — over the years I encountered talent in many different ways. For example, I met Natalie Gelman on a subway platform where she was performing. I met Lady Gaga when she was 16 through an established vocal coach. Although that was an unusual and very special case, it reminds me to always keep an open mind.

Q: It seems like we we’re just in a nonstop parade of must-attend music conferences. SXSW happened last month, and a lot of industry pros had to jump on a plane to head straight to Winter Music Conference in Miami. When is it worth it for an artist to spend on attending, and when should they just stay home in NYC, or whatever their hometown is?

A: It depends on the type of artist, their resources, and the stage of their career. Artists learn a lot and meet people when they attend conferences. That said, music conferences can be expensive so an artist should be disciplined about how to spend their time and money.

Q: Speaking of developing, the “lack of artist development” is the big complaint artist and industry pros alike have about the current landscape. How do you approach that personally in your own practice? Are you filling in for what the labels used to do?

A: With respect to artist development, we all have to pick up where the major labels left off. It is not realistic for artists to depend on record labels for artist development anymore. Successful artists take responsibility for their careers.

Artist development requires hard work and patience — to help develop our artists, we introduce them to some of the best producers, co-writers, and musicians in the business. This accelerates their growth and contributes to a high yield of successful tracks.

We emphasize an organic approach to artist development: The goal is to develop a musical and visual identity that is unique to their personality and vision rather than something that’s generic and already on the radio. We always strive to innovate and bring something new to the table, not play it safe.

Q: What’s a specific artist project you worked on lately that demonstrates the challenges and rewards of your artist empowerment model right now?

A: I am really excited about Emii’s success. Emii and Adrian Gurvitz co-wrote “Magic”, which was just released by In Grooves Universal and Slippery Eel Records. Emii’s video was seen by more than one million viewers on YouTube in the first week of the single’s release. The song received more radio play than any other debut artist. Emii performed at Sundance, SXSW and at a holiday benefit I hosted in December, and she made a great impression every time she performed.

With all that exposure and buzz, Emii is developing a dedicated fan base and industry recognition. Sariah is another new artist who is turning heads and getting a lot of radio spins with her “Deep N Luv” single that she wrote and produced with Mass Ave. Before the year is out, I am confident that we will hear a lot more from Kaci Battaglia, Chevonne, Jackson Harris, Michaela, Natalie Gelman, Dalal and Kelli T.

Q: I was at that holiday benefit! Emii DID rock. Who’s an artist that you find inspiring right now, in the way they’re building their career?
A: I’m inspired by artists who are talented, ambitious and willing to be the captains of their own ship. Lady Gaga is a great example of this, and I am proud of what she has accomplished.

Artists have to believe in themselves, be confident in their talent, and willing to chart a focused business path to achieve their goals. I’m excited about the music business today — a reshuffled deck creates new opportunities for artists. That’s mostly due to the reduced number of obstacles separating artists from recording, producing and marketing their music to a loyal fan base.

In this new musical renaissance, artists today can define their own version of success. Most of the artists I know are focused in creating, marketing, and performing their music. Artists today can forge a customized, scalable approach to their business. That’s an empowerment model that I champion, because it keeps the artist in control of their career.

Now, artists can create and execute a business plan that empowers their unique vision. They create because they have to — it’s part of their DNA. Now they can actually sustain a lifestyle while doing it. They don’t have to worry about industry gatekeepers or record labels telling them what they can or cannot do.

Q: That’s good, but it also seems to mean that today’s artists have a LOT to keep track of. What do you think their priorities should be as they juggle all of these balls?

A: Successful artists need to roll up their sleeves and manage their own business affairs. With empowerment comes responsibility. If you’re an artist, your greatest priority should be creating and performing your music, and developing a fan base. To achieve their goals, however, artists must retain capable business professionals that share the artist’s vision of success. The resources are out there – individuals who formerly worked at record labels are available to render essential marketing and promotional services on a consulting basis.

Q: SonicScoop always asks: What makes NYC the place to be?

A: I love living and working in NYC, but a motivated artist can live almost any place. We have an office in L.A., so I travel to the coast on a regular basis. New York is loaded with talented and ambitious people. The motivation level here drives people to work hard at all hours of the day.

Q: You’ve said a lot of inspirational things here. To play Devil’s Advocate, are there any hidden dangers to this artist-empowering environment that we’re in now?

A: I don’t see a downside. In addition to the artist, the consumer also wins because they have more options to discover new artists. Music fans do not need gatekeepers to tell them what to listen to or what concerts to see. I like the fact that music fans can discover, support, and forge a relationship with their favorite artists. Consumers today are guiding the process and deciding what artists deserve to be rewarded.

A world with too much music? Is that possible? Music is my architecture, and I could live in a million rooms a day.

– David Weiss

Tags: Aaron Carter, Britney Spears, Chevonne, Disneymania, Emii, Greenberg Traurig, Jackson Harris, Kaci Battaglia, Lady Gaga, Natalie Gelman, Rudolph & Beer, Sariah, Steven Beer

Studio Beast in the Hot Seat: Claude Kelly On How To Write Hit Songs

February 10, 2010 by Janice Brown
/* Filed under Music Biz */

6 Comments

“There’s nothing new that can be said in pop songwriting,” says Claude “Studio Beast” Kelly, in a recent phone interview from Los Angeles. “So, it’s not about writing some groundbreaking love song, it’s about writing a love song the way Miley Cyrus or Kelly Clarkson would write it. It’s the same song from a different point of view, you just have to find that unique perspective. It’s all about perspective.”

Claude Kelly with Lil Jon

Listen up, all you aspiring pop songwriters — Kelly was ranked #14 in Billboard’s Hot 100 Songwriters of 2009, right behind Beyonce. The NYC native and Berklee grad penned hit after hit last year, including #1 songs for both Clarkson (“My Life Would Suck Without You”) and Cyrus (“Party in the U.S.A.), as well as Britney Spears’ “Circus,” Whitney Houston’s “Like I Never Left,” Adam Lambert’s “For Your Entertainment,” R. Kelly’s “Like I Do.”

Coming off such a huge year, Kelly is in high demand, studio-hopping on both coasts to work with producers like Akon, Dr. Luke, Tricky Stewart and Stargate and artists like Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Ke$ha, Simple Plan and Saving Able.

Kelly’s versatility and intuition in the studio enables him to embody the artists he works with, tap into their styles and sensibilities and write songs from the heart, from party-girl pop-rock and dance-floor anthems to rock and R&B power-ballads. He seems to transcend style and gender, writing melodies and lyrics that resonate powerfully with the biggest names in music and with the masses.

Here, we ask Kelly about the road to the top, his approach in the studio and how he keeps the inspiration flowing.

I read that you graduated Berklee in three years, and it seems like you’ve been moving really fast ever since. What would you say were the most formative experiences you had either in school or early in your career that really helped to launch you?
Well, first of all, at Berklee, I surrounded myself with amazing musicians that were better than me! This encouraged me to broaden my horizons to different styles of music that I may not have listened to had I not been there. That was really key for me, even more so than what I took out of the classroom. Being around amazing musicians always makes you better.
I saw how much I improved while at Berklee and I promised myself that when I got out, I would always surround myself with singers and producers and writers that were better than me so that I would continue to grow.
I try to keep myself humble everywhere I go because it puts me in the position to learn and make myself better and that’s going to help me afterwards. There’s no ego for me so when I went into the studio with Akon for the first time, I knew I’d learn from him. Same with Dr. Luke and all the other producers I’ve worked with since then.

So, who did you work with in those first few years after Berklee in the NYC scene?
I’d known a lot of musicians and singers, so when I came back to NYC, I would sit in on friends’ sessions with other young, up-and-coming producers who weren’t established yet either. And we grew together. I learned from them, they learned from me and we all honed our skills together.
But it wasn’t until I did a song for Frankie J, “Daddy’s Little Girl,” through my connection to DJ Clue, that I started working with some bigger names.

Did you see a snowball effect once you had a big song, then other bigger names came calling?
Definitely there’s a snowball effect where people hear the song and call you for more work, but it definitely didn’t happen over night. Maybe one A&R hears the song and tries you on another project, but it was definitely a process of several years of networking. I think what really set it off was the work I did with Akon [in ‘07]. That really sped up the pace of my workload.

And how did you hook up with Akon?
Actually, it was by accident. I was working with RedOne, who’s a huge name right now but who was trying to break his name in the industry then. We were writing songs together for Kat DeLuna and Menudo, and I went with him to LA to do songs for a new artist that Akon was going to be working with.
Akon overheard me singing in the hallway and working on stuff and said “hey man, you’re good,’ and invited me to come into his studio to listen to what he was working on. And it was a session with Mary J. Blige. I’ve never been shy, so I gave my two cents and he liked my attitude and my vibe, so he gave me some his tracks to write to.
Right away, back in NYC, I wrote to all four of those tracks, and they all got placed — two on Whitney Houston’s record, I Look To You, one for Leona Lewis [“Forgive Me”], and one for a duet with Akon and Michael Jackson [“Hold My Hand”].

Wow, so in that case, what did Akon actually give you to work with? And then what was your writing process like?
I’m pretty flexible, I can really write in a variety of ways. But in that case, he basically had some beats he’d created himself. He wanted me to write melody and lyrics on top of that. I took a CD of those beats home to NYC and demoed them the best way I saw fit. I’m a singer first, so I sing everything, both male and female records. I also write songs on piano and from scratch on guitar.

Do you help define the overall creative direction as well? Like, in addition to writing melody and lyrics?
Yeah, I think songwriters on a whole play a bigger part in the creation of the record than they probably get credit for. There are times when, for example when I wrote “Circus” with Dr. Luke, where it was a track and there was no concept and no idea of what the song was going to be about. I knew I was intending to write for Britney so I created the whole concept for the record and we built it from that.
There are other times when the label has a completely fleshed out idea of what they want and they just need you to bring it home. Case-by-case, it’s always different.

What are the most important instruments you use for songwriting? Do you ever build tracks inside Logic or another software platform with virtual instruments?
I have great engineers I work with and I use both Logic and Pro Tools. I use Pro Tools a little bit more because it’s more common in American studios. But a lot of the producers I work with from overseas, like RedOne and Stargate and a few others, love Logic and it works just as well.
I’ll typically play live piano into a track. My main instruments are piano and voice. And, for example, Dr. Luke plays live guitars on everything because he’s a great guitar player. So, there’s definitely a mix of live instrumentation and MIDI.

Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson and Claude Kelly

Do you feel like there’s any sort of trend, where people are looking for more live instrumentation nowadays?
I think what’s beautiful about right now is that there doesn’t seem to be any one trend — everybody is doing what they feel, which is awesome because it creates diversity. There are songs that are winning right now that are all live instruments and then some that are heavily computer-based. And a lot of them are mixed.
A lot of the songs I’ve had success with — like Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You,” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” and Britney Spears’ “Circus” — are really a mixture of both. People want that computerized sound but they also want the warmth of live instrumentation. So we’ll use live guitars and live drums.
Then, in my work with Chrisette Michele, it’s a lot of live instrumentation, which caters to her audience as a soul/R&B artist. They want to feel the live music. There definitely seems to be space for everything though, there’s a lot of variety right now.

And which producers are you working with regularly?
I’m really open to work with anybody. But, I work a lot with Dr. Luke, Akon, Tricky, Danja, Stargate, Brian Howes — those are the main guys who’ve been involved with the songs I’ve had success with.

So let’s pick one of those guys – Akon, let’s say – what do you think makes your collaboration work so well?
With him, and everybody, we really have respect for each other. I don’t write anything down when I’m in the studio. I usually write my songs right behind the mic, which is why Pro Tools comes in so handy. I go behind the mic and listen to the music or whatever we have and I write the melody and lyric from there.
So, what Akon allows me to do, which is kind of incredible, is he respects that I’m a good songwriter and allows me the space to flesh my idea out. We keep open minds — if he has suggestions, I’ll try them, and then he’ll ask for my opinion on what he’s doing. At the end of the day, our job is amazingly fun, but there has to be that level of respect where we’re both bringing something to the table.

Do you ever work directly with the artist? Is that common?
All the time, yes. I get the best records when I’m able to be in the room with the artist and find out what they’re going through. “Circus” was written beforehand, but I had met with Britney and had gotten an idea where she was at in her life and what she would want to say. I co-wrote the records with Chrisette Michel. I also collaborated in the studio on the Ke$ha records, R. Kelly and even with Kelly Clarkson, we went back and forth on lyrics to perfect “My Life Would Suck Without You.”
And a couple upcoming songs with Jason Derulo and Lil Jon — those were all done together in the studio together. It’s much better when the artist and I can feed off of each other’s energy.

When you really connect, do you feel like you have a sense of when a song will be a hit?
Never! I’m the biggest critic of my work, and it would be too arrogant for me to anticipate that. But often times, songs that you never expect to be big, become huge. I’m fortunate that I’ve had a few songs that have become really big on the right artists at the right time.

When you look back on some of those hits, do you see anything common in them, where you see why they resonated with the public at that time?
What I hear in all my songs is the element of storytelling. It’s never a song about nothing. Because of the way the world is, nowadays, people want to know who this artist is, they want to learn something about the artist as a person. Give them a story that reflects that person’s personality so they feel they’re buying into a great experience but also buying into the artist.
With the records that have done really well — “Party in the USA,” “Circus” and “My Life Would Suck Without You,” they’re all telling a story and they’re all fun songs. But you feel like you know a little bit more about that person by listening to it. You feel like you can relate — Oh, so that’s how Miley feels, or that’s Kelly’s perspective — but it’s also fun as you’re listening.

Claude Kelly with Fantasia

Is there any one artist, or someone you’ve worked with recently, where you feel you really connected and worked exceptionally well together?
There’s a bunch. But most recently, the one who’s gotten me super excited is Christina Aguilera, who I’ve spent many days with in the studio working on songs for her new album, as well as songs for her movie. She’s totally inspiring because she eats, sleeps and breathes her artistry. She’s visual like I am, she’s a perfectionist and wants the best possible product.
We have a similar work ethic and we clicked right away. And because of that, we created some of the work I’m most proud of because it really is a labor of love and creative, different stuff.
I’m excited for people to hear what we did together. I have three songs on her new album that’s coming out, called Bionic, and three songs in Burlesque, a movie she’s filming right now with Cher that’s coming out towards the end of the year.
Also, I’ve worked really well with Fantasia. I have a soft spot for really amazing voices and she’s one of those talents. So, I sat with her and picked her brain and saw where she was at in her life and what she wanted to talk about and I wrote a few songs that I feel really express her point of view that I also think people will really love.

Awesome, seems like you’re moving so quickly, project to project! Are you just writing constantly?
YES, I’m writing every day. Even when I’m not in the studio, I’m writing in my head or notes in my Blackberry about cool ideas, cool things to write about. I definitely live this 24/7, not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing (laughs), but I’m 100 percent absorbed in this. I always tell people, you have to really have a love affair with this to do it. It’s not about big, fast money, for me, it’s a love affair. I’m lost, I’m pretty much sprung right now, I can’t get out. (laughs)

And, how are you continually inspired by music? Do you listen to everything that’s coming out?
I’m constantly listening to music. When I say music is my life, it’s a combination of me writing ideas and me listening to ideas — studying old music, new music.
The misconception is that writing a hit song is about setting a new trend — there’s no such thing as a new trend; everything is borrowed and recycled. It’s about doing your homework so you have a huge library to dig from. I’m always looking for new songs, songs I’ve never heard. You might get a title or a cool melody from a jazz record, or from some underground electronic stuff you never knew was out there. I’m constantly scouring the web — You Tube as well as iTunes.

Some people who work on music have a hard time listening to new music when they leave the studio, but then feel out of the loop or uninspired. What do you do to prevent that?
At first, you’re so immersed in your own work, it seems all you want to do is listen to your own songs. But you have to stop yourself. You’ve already written that song. It’s like staring in a mirror all day, instead of going outside and getting influences from the outside world.
I draw influences from all kinds of creative things — film scores and movie soundtracks, and TV shows and nature programs will spur creativity in me. You have to look around and find all the ways to keep your creativity flowing.

Claude Kelly with production duo The Runners: Andrew "Dru Brett" Harr and Jermaine "Mayne Zayne" Jackson

Sounds like you work extremely hard and immerse yourself in music and creativity as much as possible but what would you say is your biggest asset as a songwriter?
Singing is definitely a plus. I’m very fortunate that I’m a good singer. I was a singer before I was a songwriter. But my biggest asset is probably my versatility and as other people have observed, my ability to get along with almost everybody and almost become that person in the studio. My nickname “Studio Beast” comes from that. Like a chameleon, I can almost imitate or perform as any artist or any style.
That’s because I do my homework and I listen to a lot of different styles of music; I can go behind the mic and write a Whitney Houston song and sing it in a way that it sounds like it’s perfect for her and then turn around and do a song that’s perfect for Fall Out Boy. My strength is my versatility, and the fact that the music is always coming from my heart, right out from behind the mic, instead of off of a piece of paper.

Anything else we can look out for from you, in the next few months?
Well, Ke$ha just came out and I have a song “Take It Off” on that record, produced by Dr. Luke. I have a song on Jason DeRoulo’s album coming out in March, and I also have a song on Toni Braxton’s next album, which I believe comes out this Spring. And I’m currently in the studio working with Simple Plan, Saving Abel and Jennifer Hudson. I’m all over the place!

Wow, yeah, and with Simple Plan – is that a different job completely? Working with a rock band?
Not really, it all starts with a good song. So we work together, come up with a great song and the production around it is what really makes it a Simple Plan record.

So much of your work seems to be happening on the West Coast — we hope to see you doing even more work in NYC soon!
Yes! So few of the artists I’m working with are based in NYC, but I’m really a New Yorker at heart. I wrote my Whitney Houston records and many other songs at Chung King. When I’m in NYC, I usually work at KMA, Germano Studios, CyberSound and several producers’ studios. I’m really at home in NYC and whenever I can, I bring artists there to record — like Fantasia and David Cook. I’m trying to bring some of this work back to NYC!

Claude Kelly is signed to Warner/Chappell Publishing. Follow him on Twitter for a regular stream of 140-character tips and inspiring bits @claudekelly.

Tags: Akon, Britney Spears, Claude "Studio Beast" Kelly, Dr. Luke, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus