Smith Music taking you inside the studio and backstage

Jan. 15, 2019

story and video by Stephen Dafoe

Smith Music in Morinville recently launched a new series of videos on the Smith Music website and on Youtube that gives you an inside look at the life of a professional musician and a behind-the-scenes look at the music industry.

The free videos cover everything from reviews of gear to a backstage look at some industry pros about to go onstage.

“We get to bring people inside the studio and see sessions in big detail,” Smith said. “Everything from how our computer is set up to how to mic guitars and backstage where we show how we work with artists, what we do when we go onstage … as well as cool interviews with people that are in the music business, the challenges they face, and what advice they have.”

Smith said one of the motivating factors behind the video series was the many things that he wished he had known when he was first building a career in music.

“I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way, and by working with people,” Smith said. “I wanted to create a system where I can deliver this [information] to people that really need to know. If you are getting started and you are in your mid-teens or early twenties … you can learn some of the practical things and get it out of the way.”

Topics including how to treat customers, studio etiquette, the importance of taxes and bookwork are mixed in with the more exciting aspects of a career in music.

“I want this information to be available to everyone at every level,” he said. “We announced last year that we were putting together a mentorship program where we’re going to have some artists of note to be able to work with some artists that are up and coming.”

The current run of free videos is phase one of the mentor program; free content musicians can use to better themselves to build their music career to be able to work with the mentors Smith is lining up.

Other more specific content that goes further in depth will be packaged into an online course Smith will market and sell called Building Your Music Career 101.