Here are 3 things to jumpstart your music-making!

1 - The Threat to New Music with David Rowell

David Rowell is a veteran music journalist who has worked as an editor and writer at the Washington Post for over 20 years. Stewart Copeland of the Police said "David Rowell is the kind of critic that scares us musicians. He really gets it, maybe even more than we do."

David is here to talk about his new book The Endless Refrain: Memory, Nostalgia, and the Threat to New Music. In it he expores the popularity of legacy acts and tribute acts and the challenges it creates for new musicians trying to get their music heard. David raises the question "do we even want new music?" We discuss his take on the trajectory of the music industry and what it means for artists like many of us, who create original music, and our culture in general.

David Rowell on the Music Production Podcast

2 - Ableton Headquarters Retreat Recap

Our friend, Dan Giffin, who runs the Ableton Music Producers Podcast, recently held a workshop at Ableton's Pasadena headquarters. In this episode, he and Alberto Chapa of Ableton discuss the highlights of the event. It was really fun to hear them discuss the community and comradery that was built over the weekend.

I'm really looking forward to the Workshop Retreat I'll be hosting at Ableton's headquarters this February, and I think this episode captures some of the excitement I'm sure we will share in February!

Listen to Dan and Alberto on the Ableton Music Producers Podcast

Also, check out the workshop videos on Dan's YouTube.

3 - Creativity Killer

John Cleese's new book on creativity is excellent. It's funny, filled with powerful insights, and straight to the point. Here's a quick clip of an interview where he discusses the greatest killer of creativity.

The Greatest Killer of Creativity

And some miscellaneous things:

Need help finishing tracks?! Let's do it together, in-person!
Come to the #Finish-February Workshop at Ableton's Pasadena Headquarters!
February 21st-23rd 2025!
My new song "Tell Me the Answer" is out everywhere with a detailed breakdown. The track was written for the October Monthly Music Mission with the Music Production Club and is a tribute to my dog Vera.
If you make any music with any of my sounds, I'd love to hear it and add it to the SoundCloud playlist for that pack! Send your music my way! Check out the music made with my Everyday Sounds Pack, which you can get for free here!

Thanks for reading!

Best,

Brian Funk

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