Graffiti 6: new single
Tommy D, producer for Kylie, Kanye, Jay Z and er, Right Said Fred, is buzzing because Fearne Cotton has just given a big Radio 1 shout-out to Annie You Save Me, his new single as half of psychedelic soul-pop group Graffiti 6.
But the London-born DJ/musician has the long-term future for artists on his mind and a serious beef with the likes of Apple.
“Who played bass on track 5 of the Beyoncé album, who arranged the strings, what studio was it recorded at, which artist did the album sleeve work?,” he asks at his north London studio.
D and the Music Producers Guild believe that the lack of information accompanying a typical music download, a symptom of the death of the sleevenote, is depriving musicians and arrangers of deserved credit – and because collection societies won’t know who played on a track in the digital age, much-needed royalties.
It’s also depriving young musicians of the information they need to study how great songs were built.
Tommy D
Tommy D said: “Credits are important so that future generations can see how a song was put together. It’s important from an educational point of view to be able to go through the multi-tracks and demos to find the original spark of ideas that produced the product we love.
“It’s easy to do with a Thriller because there are 100 million physical copies in existence but there is now way to archive music properly if all we have are digital files, where the metadata about producers, session musicians and so on, is lost.
“It should be possible to search iTunes and find every track that Clyde Stubblefield played drums on. It will help young kids go on the same musical journey that we all went on.”
D, who has co-written and produced singles for Corinne Bailey Rae, KT Tunstall and is partly responsible for The Freds’ I’m Too Sexy, is campaigning with top producers including Paul Epworth (Florence, Plan B) to get Apple’s iTunes, Spotify and other download sites to improve their digital metadata.
“It should be possible when you’re listening to that Crystal Castles CD to read a scrolling dialogue with authenticated information on the producers, session musician, where and when it was recorded.”
“Apple and the labels are scared of publishing incorrect data which they might be liable for. We need a way to ensure the information is correct and we are engaging in a dialogue with Apple and other online retailers.”
Some artists, who need a little secret help in the studio, might not be too keen though. “It used to be common practice when a band wasn’t quite up to for session guys to fill in the drum or guitar parts while the band members were in the pub. How would that be credited?”
Graffiti 6, formed by D with singer Jamie Scott, received approving nods for their single, Stare Into The Sun.
The producer worries that kids won’t have the same enthusiasm and respect for music that drove him into the business.
He said: “This industry was built upon sheet music where you could read the lyrics and see how the music was put together. Then from vinyl to CD you could see the credits, the backroom people involved and the artwork combined to create a product people felt a unique relationship with.
“They should have created a digital model where the information scrolls on an MP3 player when you listen to it, so you know who is playing that guitar solo as you are hearing it. Things are moving so quickly digitally that we are forgetting to document a lot of what we do.”
“It used to be common practice to make extensive notes of what the musicians did alongside recordings up to the 50s. How are people supposed to respect musical works if they aren’t able to credit, for example, the person who did the string arrangement on a particular Etta James track? You’re not giving people a product of worth.”
At a time when the industry is campaigning to convince the downloading generation that music has real value, Tommy D’s pleas to enhance the listening experience and give credit where it’s due should get a sympathetic hearing.
Graffiti 6 play Golddust, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London on June 16
