Industry insiders to share their insights at West L.A. Music’s Annual Recording Expo
Courtesy of ALISON FRIED
UCLA alumnus Don Griffin, the founder and owner of West L.A. Music, right, poses with Steven Tyler, lead singer of the band Aerosmith.
By Rebecca Chen
Nov. 9, 2011 11:50 p.m.
Some believe that the music industry is one of the most difficult businesses to succeed in, with artists having to do everything from writing lyrics and finding melodies to spreading the word about their music.
According to record producer Michael Lloyd, one of the speakers at West L.A. Music’s recording expo this weekend, aspiring musicians can increase their chances of success by meeting more people and gaining more experience, knowledge and opportunity. The annual event includes exhibitions by top recording equipment manufacturers, as well as workshops and seminars by Grammy-, Emmy- and Oscar- winning songwriters, producers and engineers.
According to Don Griffin, the owner of West L.A. Music and a UCLA alumnus, a lot of students at UCLA are playing music or are interested in music as a hobby, and the expo is a chance for them to come see what their capabilities are and what they can actually do with the technology that exists today.
West L.A. Music has been in operation since 1967 and has a client list including Disney, Sony, Technicolor and DreamWorks. Manufacturers such as Yamaha, Korg and Casio will present the latest recording hardware and software at the expo.
Additionally, there will be an Apple classroom with 30 computers set up for an hour-long experience in learning to use the Logic, Pro Tools and GarageBand applications.
Griffin said that both amateurs and professionals could benefit from the expo.
“It’s a perfect place for them to come and get a quick overview of how that would work. For somebody who’s pretty advanced, they can take their knowledge to the next level,” Griffin said.
Lloyd, who is a friend of Griffin, has accumulated more than 100 gold and platinum records and has spoken at the West L.A. Music expo before. According to Lloyd, he will give a general overview on how to make it in the music industry and will also answer questions on what the audience is particularly interested in.
Other speakers include DJ Quick, who will be leading a seminar called “Production Secrets,” as well as Francis Buckley leading “Recording and Engineering Grammy-winning Hits” and Kashif leading “Everything You’d Better Know About the Recording Industry.”
Lauren Vally, a fourth-year theater student, said she would attend the recording expo.
“I mess around on GarageBand on my computer all the time, but it’s still something that I’m figuring out,” Vally said. “I’m starting to realize … I’ve written a ton of songs that I’ve forgotten, and I wouldn’t have forgotten them if I had known how to record earlier.”
Though Lloyd’s seminar is titled “So You Want to be a Rock n’ Roll Star,” he said that the music business is similar to other businesses.
“You always are looking for opportunities to get noticed, to make connections, … to apply what you’ve learned so you have a chance to move ahead,” Lloyd said. “All of those phrases sound tremendously cliche, but the reality is that it’s true. And if you go and you meet somebody and you schmooze a little bit ““ hey, this might be the person you write 10 hit songs with.”
