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In this episode you’ll learn:
- What it takes to become a signed music artist
- How to become a great songwriter
- What a top music executive learned from working with Sheryl Crow
- Why there are great opportunities for songwriters and artists today
“That’s what music is here for…to move us…to stir our souls.” – Judy Stakee
Judy Stakee needs little introduction in the music industry. As the senior vice president of creative services at Warner Chappell music for twenty years, Judy is regarded as having some of the best ears in the music industry today.
Largely responsible for signing some of world’s most acclaimed artists including Sheryl Crow, Katy Perry, Julian Bunetta and David Choi, she has decades of experience having developed producers and multi-platinum songwriters that span the depth and breadth of the music industry.
Judy believes that your perspective is something to be celebrated. Today, she has founded her own company which aims to inspire artists to create their best work yet: assisting artists in communicating their best stories in the form of a song.
In this exclusive Inspirational Creatives interview, Judy reveals her best advice for any aspiring musician, artist or songwriter, looking to make a living or career in the music industry today.
Items mentioned in this episode (quick access):
Music, movies, musicals and childhood
[0:00:42] Rob introduces this episode and Judy Stakee.
[0:01:42] Judy describes what inspired her as a child. How music was an important part of her life.
[0:02:12] Memorising the Wizard of Oz movie album soundtrack. Movies. Musicals.
[0:03:01] Judy reflects on what it felt like to see A Chorus Line and other musicals. Music is to move us. The life lessons art teaches us.
[0:03:45] We all have the same experience, songs and lessons. Disney.
[0:04:10] How we teach our children. How we learn the alphabet. Messages in Disney songs.
[0:04:46] You can’t buy chewing gum at Disney.
“I graduated from college and I had no idea what I was going to do.” – Judy Stakee
Getting her first job in the music industry
[0:05:09] Judy talks about her first job in the music industry. Making music all her life. Playing piano. Voice scholarship at USC.
[0:05:41] Lost. Graduating from college and having no idea what to do. Following a woman into the music business.
[0:06:10] Getting a job in the music business. Broadway. No money. No car.
[0:06:26] Arista. Clive Davis. Small company. Learning what a publisher was. How to plug songs.
[0:07:00] Landing in the exact place she should have done. Helping writers and artists discover their own talent. Being a mother.
“My job is to help artists discover who they are…” – Judy Stakee
Helping artists discover who they are
[0:07:38] Mothering, inspiring, educating, raising and nurturing writers to who they wanted to become.
[0:08:09] Judy describes the moment she helps somebody and what that feels like.
“The moment when you help somebody…and they do something with it…you can see them going…oh now it makes sense! … I love that feeling.” – Judy Stakee
[0:09:18] Judy describes the reality of working in music publishing. Seven years at Arista, part of a tiny family. Fun.
[0:10:35] Offices in New York and Nashville. A larger company. Three years there. Signing a lot more writers. Having staff and being in the room with writers. Hearing their stories
“It was so amazing to be that young and to sit with my heroes…and to hear about writing and what their process was.” – Judy Stakee
[0:11:21] Having dinner with Carole King.
[0:11:45] Scott Cutler. Rick Nowels. Jennifer Kimble. Moving to Warner Chappell.
[0:12:11] Knowing about how the business worked. Having 24 writers. Finding what they needed to make them successful.
“When I got to Warner Chappell, I ran a department and it was like, O.K… Go!” – Judy Stakee
Each client needs something different
[0:13:00] Signing Julian Bunetta at eighteen years old. One Direction.
[0:13:36] Katy Perry being a natural writer. Needing Judy to bounce ideas off. Helping her develop business skills.
[0:14:22] Judy reveals why the music business got in so much trouble. The importance of business skills for artists. Hiring the right people.
[0:14:50] Finding the right attorney.
[0:15:00] The importance of understanding the business and the music industry.
[0:15:23] Preparing clients for meetings.
[0:15:49] You may only have one shot. You don’t get to practice. Managing a young artist who met with an executive on his own. Role playing to develop confidence.
“Every single one of my clients needed something different.” – Judy Stakee
Know what you want
[0:16:54] Decisions are much easier to make in your life when you know what you want. Having a plan.
[0:17:40] Judy describes how she approaches helping artists gain a better sense of themselves.
[0:18:02] Judy gains trust then challenges her clients and artists. Building a safe container in workshops. Being vulnerable. Staying in the same place. Seeing what others have to say.
[0:18:50] Depending upon other people to get a different perspective.
Challenge yourself
[0:19:15] Judy describes her teaching during her eight week workshops. Different ways of challenging yourself and developing your creative process. Martha Stewart and baking is no different from a songwriter.
[0:20:05] Bring a yoga teacher into her workshops to instill confidence.
[0:20:20] Using voice tutors. Many artists do not have voice lessons. Inspirational movies. Homework. Co-writes. Therapy sessions.
“It’s amazing how many artists don’t take voice lessons…” – Judy Stakee
[0:21:33] Local finale performances. Seeing growth with artists after eight weeks. The process of having to really present yourself. Surprise. Not making it.
[0:22:26] Thirty years of experience. A transformative experience. Writers forming a bond. Christmas parties. Community.
[0:23:10] Learning the same language. Having the same training, exercises and homework. A shared integrity and belief system. Being O.K. with criticism.
From good to great: re-writing, relationships and trust
[0:24:00] Judy describes the biggest difference between a good songwriter and a great songwriter.
[0:24:25] The Joan Osborne song One of Us.
[0:24:45] Knowing a good song. The desire to keep going. Not everything is going to be amazing. Roasting chickens. Same process. Being a performer and songwriter.
[0:25:23] Calling pals for song critiques. The desire to make your material the best it can be.
[0:25:50] The power of re-writing and co-writing. Relationships. Trust. Making cakes.
[0:26:28] What you’ve written will always be there. Using imagination and being willing to experiment. See if it works.
“With hard work and determination you can have a great career” – Judy Stakee
How to get signed
[0:27:05] Rob asks Judy what the qualities are for when she decides to sign an artist.
[0:27:50] Hard work and determination can give you a great career. Attitude. Development.
[0:28:20] The type of artist Judy signs.
First meeting Sheryl Crow
“How do we make Sheryl Crow the next big star?” – Judy Stakee
[0:28:37] Judy describes the first time she met Sheryl Crow. Producer Robert Kraft.
[0:29:00] Bonding with Sheryl. Michael Jackson’s BAD tour.
[0:29:40] Critiquing Sheryl’s early material. Helping her get ready for her own act. Working a year straight. Sheryl lived with Judy. Constant ideas. Finding ways to help her stand out.
[0:30:35] Judy describes Sheryl Crow’s uniqueness. Funny. Smart. Engaging. Inquisitive. A great conversalist. Judy liked her as a person.
[0:31:38] Judy reveals what she learned from her companionship with Sheryl.
We all need somebody…
“Go find somebody to mentor you to help you achieve what you want to achieve” – Judy Stakee
[0:32:35] Rob asks Judy what advice she would give to a younger self.
[0:33:13] Finding mentors. Getting what you want in life. Could have had a career as an artist.
[0:33:35] Becoming a good photographer for clients.
[0:34:00] Nobody taught Judy a better way of doing what she did.
[0:34:25] Everybody needs a mentor. Getting stuck. Not knowing what to do.
Opportunities in the music industry
“Nobody needs permission…you can have your own career” – Judy Stakee
[0:34:50] Judy describes what she believes are the greatest opportunities in the music industry today.
[0:35:25] Judy’s mother could write a song for Gray’s Anatomy. Making your own career and community.
[0:35:50] Signing David Choi. Meeting him at an ASCAP event. Having a very successful career. Over 1 million YouTube views and subscribers.
[0:36:50] The curse of the music industry today.
[0:37:34] How A&R used to work. Marketing plans and stories. Having to do this now before getting signed. People still get signed to record companies. Less developmental work at record companies.
Stories: how people will remember you
“Your story is what you see…your perspective…” – Judy Stakee
[0:38:27] Developing your own story. Judy shares her advice about knowing one’s own story. The way you present yourself and the way you tell your own story.
[0:40:00] Knowing who you are and knowing what someone needs to know. Everything that we say, read and write is a story. Writing stories on taxes. Movies. The Bible. Somebody’s recollection of what happened. Perspective.
[0:41:10] Love is a subject. Love stinks is a subject.
[0:41:26] Judy describes what has recently inspired her since taking an artist on a road-trip.
[0:42:32] Well-being.
[0:42:47] How to contact Judy. Song critiques. Instructional video blogs. Workshops. Door-to-door series.
Links and Resources:
Artists mentioned in this episode:
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