5 Tips for Musicians from Clayton Studio

5 Tips for musicians from Clayton Studios

1. Work hard!  The music business is not just a stroll through the park. Be prepared to work hard to promote your music and don't expect to become a star overnight. It takes dedication to be successful with your music.

2. Know your limits. Don't be afraid to hire a professional.  If you are an excellent guitarist and singer, don't play the drums on your own tracks. Hire a professional! Use professional producers, engineers and mixers to help you achieve the best sound possible. Hire a manager to help with some of those duties that are distracting you from writing that big hit!

3. ALWAYS Copyright your music. If you do not register your music with the US Copyright office, than you have no legal way to prove that a piece of music is yours.  The poor man's copyright ( mailing yourself music) does not legally protect your music. Use the Electronic Copyright office online for the fastest and easiest processing. You can even upload digital files and save some cash at the post office.

4. Protect your hearing. Hearing loss is very common among musicians who work in loud environments regularly. Cheap ear plugs will help save your hearing, but if you want to spend 100$ you can get custom made ear filters that don't sound bad like regular ear plugs. Check with a local ear doctor to get custom made ear protection and save your hearing!

5. Have fun. Music really is about having a great time and bringing people from different races, classes and creeds together. Enjoy yourself and your fans will be more likely to enjoy your music. 

Hurry! Contest deadline is July 6th

Watch this video for a "Best Commercial Never Made" sample.

It's the Best Radio Commercial "NEVER" Made $500 Challenge.

Here are some of the comments we’ve heard from the St. Louis advertising and marketing community….

   "I'm busy laughing out loud at my latest script idea, will send it soon."

   "I never win anything."

   "Just waiting on client approval…Oh yeah I don’t need client approval."

    "Contest, what contest?"

    "I have a fabulous idea…If only I could talk my client into taking a risk."

Don't Delay!

Send in the radio commercial you've always wanted to produce.

We don't care how you send it.  It could be anything from a rough draft to a finished product.

Just send it to  clayton@claytonstudios.com or drop it by 1126 S. Big Bend

Anyone is eligible to submit.   Hurry! the entry deadline, July 6^th is fast approaching!

Get your idea to us and see if you win $500 in studio time!

The Best Radio Commercial "NEVER" Made $500 Challenge

Clayton Studios has worked with a lot of writers and producers over the past 34 years. And if there's one thing we've learned, it's that almost everyone has a commercial they've always wanted to produce, but for some reason or other, never have. Maybe you couldn't convince a client to try something new. Maybe you always wanted to produce a parody spot for a joke or get an idea out in the open but didn't have time or money. Now is your chance to get it out of your system, produce that radio commercial and win $500 in studio time.

Competition details....
*1) Submit your spot. In writing, a rough computer recording, even on cassette (whatever gets your idea across).
2) Our pre-selected judges (creative professionals) will select what they believe to be the best 3 commercial ideas. (entries will be based on creativity, execution of your idea and penmanship)
3)The 3 top entries will receive up to 2 hours to record their spot at Clayton Studios.
4)From those 3 entries, our judges will then select the overall winner, who will receive $500 in studio time at Clayton Studios.
5)Deadline is Tuesday July 6, 2010

*Ways to submit your spot:
Email: clayton@claytonstudios.com
Fax: (314)781-0524
Stop By Clayton Studios
1126 S. Big Bend
St. Louis, MO 63117

Let The Contest Begin!

On-Hold Advertising Can Make A Difference

After graduating from the University of Missouri in radio, TV and film I knew getting my first job was not going to be easy. I just needed to get my foot in the door somewhere. I started an internship at Contemporary Productions promoting rock concerts across the country, and eventually got hired full time. That job introduced me to Dick Ulett owner of Clayton Studios who was kind enough to hire me after Contemporary laid me off due to the slow holiday concert schedule. The year was 1983 and I have been here ever since.

When I started at the studio Dick had come up with the idea of on-hold marketing for phone systems and needed someone to sell the concept. I thought the idea was terrific. I spent some time learning the industry and found there was not a lot of competition around. R&R Phone Productions was born and through the years we have seen a lot of changes and a lot of competition in our industry. Currently the biggest change has been the drop in listeners of local radio stations. How effective is radio for people who listen to ipods and satellite radio? Where do local advertisers now go to get effective returns on advertising dollars? We have found the phone system to be a perfect advertising tool.

That's right, if you have a message you want to get to a local listener, the one way you can always reach them is when they call. If you place them on-hold, they won't be listening to ipods or satellite, they'll be listening to your message. With radio commercials you’re using the "shotgun" approach. You may reach thousands of listeners, but how many of them need or want your product?

R&R Phone Productions believes, if you use on-hold messaging, make every minute count. Don't waste time with stale meaningless messages, when you have the opportunity to give your customers a reason to select your company. Here are two important suggestions that can make a difference...

1) A personal endorsement of your company is the strongest form of advertising. Let us record your best customers and include them in your on-hold marketing. Let them tell your story, and why they think others should choose your company. There's believability that you can't get any other way.

2) Incorporating a company spokesperson/employee is another special consideration for your on-hold marketing. It's a real opportunity to talk directly to your customers. It helps build a level of trust that connects the customer with you and your company.

Is on-hold advertising working for your company? If so, share your story. If not, let us know…I am sure we can help your business. Want more information? Visit our website at www.randrphone,com. Or better yet, call us…R&R Phone Productions 314-781-8009.

You've Got A Great Voice

Has anyone ever told you you've got a great voice? That's what happened to me in 1974 as I worked as a mechanic in a large automotive super center in the St. Louis area. Little did I know that in less than 10 years I would begin working as an audio engineer at Clayton Studios, “St. Louis’ Fastest Track Team”. I’m Keith Filges and since 1983 I have been working…no PLAYING with the buttons, knobs and my talented counterparts at Clayton Studios.
My story began in 1974 when none of the other guys wanted to do the in-store announcements over the company’s PA system…you know the ones that start with "Attention Shoppers." They were embarrassed of how they sounded. So I went into a little office, wrote out a little script; picked up the phone and with a bit of a shaky voice, let it rip. It wasn't a week later when a guy walked up to the service desk, made an appointment and as he left said 'Hey was that you on the PA system? You've got a great voice". A day later another guy said the same thing! I thought to myself... maybe I'm on to something.
It wasn't long before I got my first radio station job. Pulling an air-shift, reading the news, sports, obits, farm reports, and my favorite; voicing RADIO COMMERCIALS!!! I loved the commercial work because I knew I could always make them sound perfect with the magic of editing and re-doing the voice track. I soon found out I really did have an EAR for audio.
Looking back, I think my interest all started with watching the Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends cartoon show. Listening to the character voices. Listening to the great over-the-top announcer. Listening. Listening. Listening. If you're in the voiceover business that's what you have to do. LISTEN! Listen to direction. Listen to the way the writer interprets his copy. When you're at home, DON'T watch the commercials on TV... LISTEN to them.
It's also very important to learn how to parrot. Not sound like a parrot, but to echo another person’s words. The late John Smith, one of the best writers and producers I've ever met, was the inspiration of this method and was kind enough to share it with me, and others in the St. Louis advertising community.
You know this may be one of only a few professions where there is no right way or wrong way of doing things. I mean you could actually read a spot BACKWARDS! It certainly would draw a lot of attention, wouldn't it? Then you could TAG out the spot by saying something like.... "Life really CAN be confusing... why not let the ABC company smooth out the rough spots in your life." Like I said, there really is no right way or wrong way of doing things.
Hey, if someone has said to you "you've got a great voice", be proactive and do something about it. Start LISTENING! Or better yet, let people know you’ve got the voice that “sells”.
If you have done voiceover work and have other tips you would like to share let us know. If you are interested in finding out if you have a voice that “sells” we want to hear from you too. For more information on voiceover training or to listen to some of the talented voices in the area visit www.voiceoverstlouis.com.

History of Clayton Studios

I’m Dick Ulett. I’ve been working in the recording business in St. Louis since 1965. And, as you can imagine, I’ve seen more than my share of changes in this industry. We’ve gone from razor blades to computer editing, reel-to-reel to digital audio files.

I was in the radio business for the first part of my career and was lucky enough to work at the legendary KXOK, KSD, and K-SHE. But after a dozen years behind the mic, I felt it was time to be my own boss. In 1976 I started a studio in my house in University City. My first client was Imo’s pizza and it didn’t take long before I was working with local and national clients and producing quite a few radio and TV commercials. My clients liked that I had a radio background and knew the ins and outs of how commercials were supposed to sound.

As my clientele grew, so did my studio needs. Outgrowing the small one-room home studio, I moved to a commercial location in the heart of downtown Clayton. We doubled our space and renamed the studio, Clayton Studios. At the time, St. Louis was a center for large ad agencies like Gardner Advertising, D’arcy, Kenrick, and Kerlick/Switzer, our client list continued to grow…Budweiser, Six Flags, Ralston Purina, Boatmens Bank, Dads Root Beer… Those were good ol’ days when advertising budgets were huge and projects were many.

In 1979 the landlord increased our rent, and it was time for a location change. We said,” why not own our own building and lot”. So we bought our building at 1126 S. Big Bend. (It was another 10 years before we had our own lot) With business going well I thought it was time to hire another engineer, so Keith Filges was brought on board and that brought about the addition of Studio 2.

As our commercial and corporate business continued to grow, so did our music business. In the early 80's we added 2 more studios that included a much larger music studio. We’ve been lucky to have worked with some great talent that come from St. Louis and beyond…Nelly, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Brian Setzer, Lou Rawls, Jordin Sparks and others.

Today Clayton Studios has evolved into 5 studios, including a video suite, CD duplication, DVD replication, and a staff that I am proud to say has been with me almost from the beginning. I feel blessed that everyday I get to come to work and do what I love with people I can call my “family”.

But enough about me, we like to hear about you. If you have a good studio or advertising story we’d love to hear it. Or, if you had a great session at Clayton Studios, we’d love to hear about that, too. Share your stories or feel free to share ours.

Check us out!

Welcome to the Clayton Studios Blog. We hope you find it entertaining and informative. On our blog we’ll share articles about who we are, and what we do. As our industry continues to change and grow, Clayton Studios is leading the way with technological advances. Our aim is to help our clients communicate in a way that’s easy to understand information. And we do that with the end user in mind.

This Clayton Studios blog serves as a platform for us to share our knowledge about what’s happening in the production field, whether it’s music, spoken word, or video. Find something you like, pass it on. If you have any suggestions on future topics you would like us to explore, let us know. And if you have any comments on what we’ve posted, we want to hear.