Show date: May. 12, 2024
Frank Horvat is an award-winning and critically acclaimed composer and pianist. He maintains an active schedule of recording projects and performances of his own compositions. His portfolio of works consists of chamber, pop/rock, electronic, musical theatre, film, and large ensemble pieces. His music has been premiered on four continents and featured on TV networks like the CBC, HBO & Bravo and a variety of radio stations internationally.
Since 2007, Frank has released over 19 albums and been featured on many more, showcasing his versatility across labels such as ATMA Classique, Azul Music, Leaf Music, and Centrediscs.
In 2021, Frank Horvat delivered a powerful testament with the album “Music for Self-Isolation”, hailed as one of CBC Classical’s top five classical albums of the year and Ludwig van Toronto’s ‘Year In Review: Classical Gems’. He joined us that year on Song Talk Radio – be sure to check out that episode.
For this show, Frank and his wife/manager Lisa Horvat talked about the how-tos of music distribution.
We talked about:
- Previous appearances by Frank on Song Talk Radio: The TV Theme Draft Show Extravaganza and Songs for Self-Isolation with Frank Horvat
- Halloween Special – Song Talk Radio
- The importance of mastering your music for release
- Popular distribution companies such as CD Baby, Distrokid, TuneCore, Routenote, AWAL
- Some distributers also offer additional services like mastering and promotion
- Digital distribution vs. shopping your songs to a label
- Differences in the ways music was made and distributed a generation ago
- Be sure you understand the agreement you’re getting into and how it aligns with your artist presence and business model (e.g. subscription, pay-per-release, free)
- If you want your lyrics attached to your release, upload them to LyricFind or Musixmatch
- Get your Metadata (performers, songwriters, places recorded, genre, etc) sorted out and get it right when you upload
- Be sure to get your free UPC and ISRC codes
- Be sure to also register your recordings – see our episode with Allister Bradley on this
- Export an instrumental mix of your song (without the vocals) if you’re considering pitching it for TV or film
- Considerations if you’re releasing a cover song
Show date: May. 07, 2024
Born and raised in Toronto, Victoria Staff was always an “anxious child”. The string that connected much of her young life was using music to communicate with family, friends, teachers, and even therapists. Over time, this coping mechanism developed into a passion for music that would lead to her career as an indie-pop artist. Staff continues to use the written word to communicate with her audience the complex themes of love, loss, and her struggle with mental health. Her debut project “Records & Honesty” was released in 2023, under the guidance of Canadian music producer Dan Hosh. The heavy undertones of her music are offset by her comedic personality on stage, on social media, and amongst her peers. Her new song From My Side of the Table tells the story of watching your relationship fall apart at the seams. Produced by Johnathan Karkar, this song is the next step in Staff’s career as a storyteller.
Victoria shared the process behind her song My Side of the Table. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Being Human Now – Music | Spark with Nora Young | Live Radio | CBC Listen
- How some songs fall out of you quickly and some take a labour of love over months or years
- Capturing your raw emotions into a song when you first experience it, before the fires dies out
- Having a trusted, patient person to vet your songs and give feedback
- If you write you title last, finding one that encapsulates the song best
- Bringing songs that are not super personal to a collaboration
Show date: Apr. 30, 2024
16-year-old budding pop sensation Sydney is ready to introduce herself to the world with electric feel-good anthem “Picture Perfect.” Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, the artist is known for a unique sound that adeptly blends the soaring synths of Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers with Korean pop music, bridging the sonic gap between Taylor Swift and MAMAMOO.
Sydney talked about her song Picture Perfect. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
Show date: Apr. 22, 2024
Michael Bones is a classically trained violinist, composer, performer and songwriter who experiments with looping and pedal effects to create a full band experience as a solo artist.
Micheal has released 3 EPs, BONES 2020, BLACKJACK 2021, and MAN IN THE MOON 2022-2023, which are available on all streaming platforms. He’s also released several recordings in collaboration with other artists such as Hip-hop/rapper Broman Fexxa, Open wide by Mr Apomah/ Kevin Apomh, Drago Kazooic & Mississauga Invasion – No Love in Mississauga and HELLO MADNESS!
Michael talked about the process behind his song Coffee. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
Show date: Apr. 19, 2024
Maddy Little is a Canadian Indie Artist, based out of Toronto, Canada. Maddy has spent her formative years immersed in indie-folk band We Wander.
Maddy has been deeply influenced in her songwriting by artists like City and Colour, Dizzy, Phoebe Bridgers, who have inspired her to turn to storytelling through music. Currently working on her first EP as a solo artist, Maddy’s second single “Attention” explores her vulnerability and emotion as a songwriter.
Maddy shared the process behind her song Attention. Download the lyrics to follow along.
We talked about:
- Having no intro to your song and why you might want to do that
- Writing a melody that doesn’t quite line up with your lyrics, and leaves space in the song
- Starting a song with an idea and focus on a keyword
- Writing deeply personal lyrics that still can relate to others
- Sticking to your gut feelings when editing your song
- How different songwriters love writing choruses, verses, or bridges best
- 7 ways to bring variety to your collection of songs – Song Talk Radio
- Trusting the judgement of your production team
![[logo] Song Talk Radio](https://i0.wp.com/songtalk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/song-talk-logo-v22.png?fit=800%2C158&ssl=1){kind=logo}
