A Conversation with Music Producer Eric Copeland

From a recent interview with MACKIE, a Christian Entertainment News Magazine. 

MACKIE:  How Long have you been involved in the entertainment business?

EC:   Well, I used to go to dances my father played when I was a kid and watch his band. Also, I was in church choirs and marching bands that traveled extensively as a teen. But I have been doing gigs professionally (both live and studio) since I was 18. In my early 20s I lived in Chicago and worked in several bands and with vocalists, but it wasn’t until the early 1990s that I began to work seriously as a producer for artists. Since then it has been a steady build of our music production and artist development business now known as Creative Soul.

MACKIE:   When did you know that you wanted to be in this business and what was your motivation?

EC:   I was always creative, and just naturally made stuff, whether it was songs, stories, comics, drawings, or what have you. I don’t think I ever really knew what a “music producer” was until the 90s though when I met another producer who worked in the Christian music business, and I began to see that someone could do this for a living. Since I started seriously writing songs at 13, my goal was to become a working songwriter. I now realize that dream, inside of my production business for clients.

MACKIE:   Who has helped you along the way and inspired you the most?

EC:   The aforementioned producer helped and mentored me very much. I've had many great mentors here in Nashville too. I truly believe in the mentor/apprentice mode and mentor several young producers now myself. My parents were both musicians, and completely understood my passions and goals, so they were a great help. My wife of 23 years though has probably been my most faithful supporter though, as well as challenging me to keep things real and pay attention to my home life and family, and not just “the music business”.

MACKIE:   What are some of the highlights of your career so far?

EC:   Highlights continue daily. Since I work with independent artists, every project and ministry we assist is a highlight. We've seen countless lives touched and saved from the work we do for artists. To be honest, the ability to be here in this point in my life, making a good living in this work after 20 years while others are trying to find work is probably the greatest blessing. I also have been blessed to pursue personal projects recently that have done quite well.

MACKIE:   Have you received any special awards or achievements?

EC:   We have received a few awards here and there, including a national Telly, and many of our artists have received awards from various contests. But our greatest achievements are what we create every day. We consider each album that we finish, each ministry we help establish, and each creative artist we help grow our finest achievements.

MACKIE:   Do you have any special events, shows/gigs coming up?

EC:   We are working on a very special project called “We Are Creative Soul” that features 15 of our artists and is a celebration of what we do here in Nashville. We are co-producing it  with legendary producer Phil Naish (Steve Curtis Chapman, Point of Grace), and it is a very big project with a bunch of new music. It will be a audio, video, and graphic project and should be completed in the next few months. We’re really looking forward to it.

MACKIE:   Where do you see yourself in the next 5 or 10 years?

EC:   I would imagine I will be close to where I am now, still serving artists and growing ministries. However, I also know that moving into higher realms of creating is my personal goal. New personal projects, books, and developing ideas has always been my passion. Creative Soul is running more smoothly, and I could see one day handing the reins to someone to continue this work and putting my entire focus on new creative projects. But I love teaching, coaching, and leading, so that will likely be part of the next life also.

MACKIE:   What would you like your legacy to be?

EC:   I think we have already been instrumental in leading the new industry of independent Christian artists, helping establish a new music business order. No longer is the only way to be a working, worldwide ministry  to get “signed” to a label deal. Artists can follow God’s lead and get started, and make a very high end project and promote it to the world, and that is what we help people do.

MACKIE:   Do you have other interests?

EC:   I also write fiction, and am an avid sports fan, especially basketball. I play, watch, write about, think about and crave basketball. Love the NBA, but get it honestly since I was born and raised in the hotbed of college basketball, Lexington, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Wildcats. I also love to read, play PS3, and watch entirely too much TV.

MACKIE:   Any special words of encouragement or advice for our readers?

EC:   No matter what your dream is, no matter what the longings of your creative soul, work tirelessly to achieve them. Spend time working on your creative talents, no matter what anyone says or does to discourage you. God gave us these gifts to use for His glory, and we have a responsibility to use them in that way.

If you can’t do it yourself, find someone to mentor you, to talk to, and to guide you. Talk with your pastor, your creative friends, or come talk to us. But go after it. You probably already feel the Holy Spirit telling you, leading you, and prodding you to do this. It’s not about fame or fortune, but doing God’s work through the talents He has given you.

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For more on Eric Copeland, see his personal website at EricCopelandMusic.com or his Christian music production and artist development site CreativeSoulOnline.com

MACKIE, Christian Entertainment News Magazine is a division of Taylor Bear Productions, a DOLERN Media company.

Good News, Bad News, Interesting News

I was surprised to learn a recent music brand of mine had apparently made more money than I spent on it.

So, that's the good news. Yay...

The bad news is that it took a year and a half to get to this point. The return was through product sales, downloads, royalties, and live appearances and sales.

The interesting news is that in research from CDBaby (which also collects all monies from iTunes, Amazon, etc), digital sales (meaning downloads) made up almost 60% of the sales. Meaning for the first time, I made more selling downloads online than I did selling CDs.

Now, I do not count this as the death knell of CD sales (see this blog...), but it does show that download sales are not a little thing we do along with our physical product sales anymore. (Although adding in live CD sales at shows, CDs still win out as the main money maker. Live is still where CDs are king).

So, if you are wondering how specifically I accomplished making back the money I spent, the first answer is: I didn't spend alot. I was lucky to trade out most of the costs of making these products. I did spring for one moderately successful radio promotion, but after judging the first return from royalties, that will not come close to paying for itself. The single made the top 30 of Billboard, and got decent spins, but not hit status (top 10).

While I haven't done an enormous amount of marketing, I did pay for a Facebook Ad that grew the Facebook page into the thousands (over 5.000 now). I'm not exactly how many of those people bought the CD, or even follow the page.

I also have been doing Jango.com and marketing to those listeners every month. I can add those folks to my email list if they give me their email address. Jango is very cool! Plus it's just nice to know people are listening and liking.

I have also been very careful to put up a free download at Reverbnation each month and grow my email list that way.

Now, I will also say with no modesty or braggadocio that the music brand is very good, and very well done on all fronts. It sounds amazing, was mixed by a Grammy-winning engineer, played by the top session players in Nashville, and the photos and design are top notch. So quality-wise, like I preach alot, it stands up to the competition of the industry.

Frankly, I think all brand campaigns are a hazy mystery to why some things sell, and why others don't. All I know is I followed this strategy: Make a great product, make sure as many people knew about it and how to buy it, and keep working it.

I could work it more and have more success, but the first goal is to make back what you spent on it, and we are there.

Thought you might like to see the results and how it happened.

EC
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Eric Copeland is a music producer, and sometimes, yes Virginia, a music artist in his own right. His contemporary jazz music brand Player A released an EP "On the Side", and a full national CD called "Our Own Devices" in 2011 to rave reviews and apparently some success. Find out more at http://www.PlayerAJazz.com or http://www.EricCopelandMusic.com

The Ones God Brings Me

Often times my wife inspires great blog ideas. She doesn't do it on purpose, and generally would prefer not to be the named culprit of any epiphany I have. But it happens...

And it happened today.

We watched a recent movie with Steve Martin and Jack Black where they were bird watching (sorry, "birding"). And today while we were out in the front yard, we heard a bird call and were watching it. I remarked how I could see the fun in trying to go to certain places to see birds like in the movie. 

She just shook her head and said, "Nah, I'm happy just to see the ones God brings me."

That made me think of how God brings artists and songwriters to me. As you may or may not know, besides these blogs (macro and micro), I don't do alot of "reaching out" to folks for business. I have always just put my site up, made sure people can find it, and then just waited to see who God would bring for me to work with.

It's much more fun than trying to snare artists into recording by some contest or approaching them in some way about working together. Most all my contacts come from people who found us online (search engine, social, or blogs), or were referred to us, or heard what we had done for others.

I think this is a much more honest way to work with people, especially in the kind of work we are doing. It's important that what we do is God-aligned, and spirit led. This means that I won't be right for every artist, and vice-versa. That makes growing the business hard, and I often wonder why I can't work for everyone. 

But God has the master plan, and has told me to quit trying to "fix" it and just go with HIS flow. That's a tough one to obey, because we often feel we have these talents and abilities He gave us and we could do so much...but He sometimes has to gently hold us back and remind us that His time is perfect.

My way of obeying that is to put the word out there for folks to find, and see if it feels right to them. If they feel that Creative Soul is right for them and their ministries, then we can start down roads together.

So that's why I don't go "birding" for artists, and never will. I prefer to stay right here in my own yard, and wait to see the ones God brings me.

Hope you have a great week!

EC

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Eric Copeland is not an avid birdwatcher, and does not support the Bird Watchers of America Guild or any such group. He does play Angry Birds however, gets birdies often in Tiger Woods golf, and likes "Fly Like an Eagle" by Steve Miller Band. 

To find out more about Eric Copeland and his company Creative Soul, please go to http://www.CreativeSoulOnline.com

What If There's Another Way?

And I'm not saying there is...but what if there was a different way to do this art/music/creative thing wedo.

Not a contest. Not a lottery. Not a showcase. Nothing you win by luck, skill, or chance.

But a new way, that's really the old way.

What if you were offered a chance to build your music life the way you want it, with a company you trust, a quality product that is incredible, and a promotional plan that is feasible and actually workable.

If you had that, and had to pay for it to get it, would you take it? If you owned everything afterward?

We're entering a new phase in the music world. Pretty soon, someone is going to figure this out and the music "industry" will change from only the 'special, lucky few' artists, to the every artist. Because there is an audience for every artist.

There's too much out there for there to be a new Rolling Stones. So everyone will have to be small and niche. The labels are going to get smart eventually like they did with online. They WILL come around.

When they see this other way, this way of working with everyone, there will be room for plenty at the table, and not just the winners.

We'll all win.

Have no idea what I'm talking about. Leave a comment and let's discuss.

EC
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Eric Copeland is a forward thinker and yeah, maybe wishful dreamer. But he's been working steadily for 12 years with artists and songwriters outside the crumbling walls...For more info about Eric check out http://www.EricCopelandMusic.com

Writing What You HAVE to Write

Sometimes there is no reason behind a song you write.

I don't mean there's nothing behind the lyrics or the inspiration for the song, I just mean it may never be a song that is meant for any kind of recognition, fame, or even sharing.

That may sound strange, but sometimes I think we all put too much expectations on the songs we write, paintings we paint, blogs we blog, or anything we create. We do it and wonder, "I can't wait to see what THIS does!"

Left to My Own Devices

This is the first private blog in a while, although I guess all my blogs are my personal thoughts (much to many of your chagrins!).

After a crazy busy first quarter, with more artists and projects signing on every day, I decided to take my lovely wife and head south for a week of relaxation, songwriting, and general staring into the ocean abyss mindlessly.

There is nothing like the endless crashing of the waves, as you can see here from our patio, to clean out your ears from months of continuous music tracking, editing, and mixing.

The "J" Word

click & hear The Jazz in Me

You know, people just get plain scared of the "J" word.

They see it and automatically form an opinion. It's usually either "I Love it!", or "I don't really like that!"

Yes, the term "Jazz" can scare the beans out of people.

If they hear a song that is described as jazz, they instantly react, mostly saying "this isn't the kind of thing I'm used to", or hear the word jazz and say "oh, I don't like that".

But I see Jazz as less of a music "style" and more of a description of my creative self.