Interview with Mark Wilson, CEO of Marc Duece Productions

 Mark "Duece" Wilson

What is the name of your business?

 Marc Deuce productions

Can you give me a brief detail on what your business does?

We are a production and recording studio that specializes in everything from music production to mixing and engineering.

What are your prices for studio time?

$20/hr for recording and mixing. We are currently running a special for $50/4 hrs and $100/8 hrs. We are a fairly new company, so we are running this special as an attempt to bring in more clients.

How often have you had to separate yourself from the problem during negotiations?

Very often. Often times friend want to record for free or for a discounted rate. Though it is hard at times, I must separate my relationships/friendships from the problem in order to run my business effectively.

How do you feel that would help reach a common ground between both parties?

I inform my clients that in order to keep my business running and record their music, they must be willing to pay for my services or else I will have to get another job, which will eliminate any available time for recording in the studio. So far all of the clients understand and we have been able to maintain a comfortable working relationship. They would rather pay me the small rate than not have their music recorded at all. The nearest studio, which is 45 minutes away, charges $45/hr.

Is there an artist you want to work with that you have not yet had the opportunity to work with?

There are many artists out there that I would love the opportunity to work with either as an engineer or a producer. Some of those artists include Fabolous, Lil Wayne, Juelz Santana, and Usher to name a few.

Do you have advice for young people who want to become music producers or Engineers in the future?

Do lots of research and always practice new methods and techniques. What works for one producer or engineer may not work for another. Many different things come into to play with engineering. Recordings from different studios will not have the same sound and thus must be mixed differently. Practice and invest in yourself.

What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music?

When I’m not working on music I like to relax and hang out with family. Often times if I find myself overwhelmed from work I will take some time to just relax and maybe watch a movie. It helps to clear my mind. Music is an art form, which means it requires a lot of creativity. If you find yourself unable to be creative or in a slump it is always important to take some time and clear your mind. You never want to finish a project if you’re not able to express your ideas creatively.

How would an artist get in contact with you regarding studio time or purchasing a track?

At the moment the best way to contact me would be through Twitter @marc_deuce

Pro Tools 9..... I'm loving it!

Pro tools 9 recently was released and I feel in love with it. My first experience with Avid's Pro Tools was with PT(pro tools) 8. I first thought it was the next best thing to sliced bread; however, when PT 9 was released all of that changed.. I was mostly impressed that Avid decided to eliminate the interface. I also like that PT 9 provides advanced Beat Detective that were previously only available with Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE with Music Produc- tion Toolkit 2, or Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit. There are so many new upgrades and advances to the new program that it makes the hair on my arms stand up.

If you haven’t check out the program, I DEFINITELY suggest that you do. PT9 is one of the best industry ready, user friendly programs out on the market. I salute the AVID team, they have made some great improvements to the Pro Tools program.

Check out Sam Inglis’s review on Pro Tools 9 HERE

Also check out some of these sites and references!

http://emusician.com/daw/avid_pro_tools9_review/

http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=285388

http://community.avid.com/blogs/buzz/archive/2010/11/11/sound-on-sound-pro-tools-hd-io-shootout-and-the-winner-is.aspx

STOP Online Piracy!!!!!

Over the past decade, the music industry has been drastically affected by online piracy. Online Piracy" is the illegal sale and / or distribution of copyrighted music via digital download or online sales of copyrighted disks, tapes or other media. Recent online piracy has sky rocketed because people have become "hip" to  trading music over peer-to-peer networks such as Napster and LimeWire. These sites have been the despise of major record labels because it has caused a steep decline in their profit from record sales. Major labels and companies started to experiment with licensing their records to new and specific online services. Industry consultants and researchers say that online music sites that were used legally did not solve the problem for major labels. When you think about it, most users go to the Internet to listen to an artists music but how many actually purchase albums off the internet… Not many if you ask me… Consumers are using these sites as a substitute for buying music.

Overall music sales have continued their years-long slide. Total industry sales were about $10 billion last year, down from $14 billion in 2000, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Revenues from digital download services like Apple iTunes (AAPL) and Amazon MP3 (AMZN) are still growing strong, but they're not generating enough revenue to make up for the sharp decline in CD sales. Overall spending on music is forecast to shrink 4% through 2013, according to a recent report by Forrester Research (FORR).

Via:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2009/tc2009035_000194.htm

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade organization that supports and promotes the creative and financial vitality of the major music companies. The RIAA members include the music labels that make up the music industry as we see it today. Recently with the help of the RIAA , major record labels and LimeWire have reached an out-of-court settlement for $105 million with the peer-to-peer service and its CEO Mark Gorton.

Mark Gorton and his service were found liable by federal district court Judge Kimba Woods last year. Besides the decline in record sales, LimeWire and other sites like it have caused thousands of lost jobs and fewer opportunities to aspiring artists to successfully break into the entertainment industry.

As an aspiring music producer, this subject hits home.... Online piracy has put a dent in everybody in the music industry's pockets! Im glad that this particular situation has been handled and i have faith that the RIAA will continue to do its job!

For more information on the RIAA, click HERE