Blog – Pearl Snap Studios

01Jan

1 Jan 2020

Songwriting Contests

Do you think your song has winning potential? Here are a few of the top contests with big prizes and exposure opportunities for songwriters. We ranked them by prize value: International Songwriting Competition Prizes: Over $150,000 in cash and prizes. See prize list. Deadline: TBD – typically in November The USA Songwriting Competition Prizes: Over $100,000 in [...]

06Nov

6 Nov 2019

Podcast: An interview with Marty Stuart

Blog

He’s a five time Grammy award winner and a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Beyond his artist career, he’s the songwriter behind many of your favorite recording artists, like Johnny Cash, George Strait, Patty Loveless, and more. Listen as Marty shares about the album that cost him a record deal, and what motivates him […]

17Sep

17 Sep 2019

Podcast: An interview with Kendell Marvel (Chris Stapleton, Jake Owen, George Strait)

Blog

George Strait, Jake Owen, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Brothers Osbourne, Hank Williams Jr, and Chris Stapleton; These are just a few of the country artists that have recorded the songs that Kendell has written. Kendell started out playing cover songs in a small town bar, and eventually moved to Nashville pursue his love of country music. Hear […]

28Aug

Can a demo be used commercially (as a master)?

Blog

To fully unpack this answer, let’s talk about what a “demo” and a “master” is, and what they each can be used for. What is a Demo? A “demo” is a recording that demonstrates your song idea. It is not the final version of the song that a record label could release. Back in the […]

07Aug

7 Aug 2019

Podcast: An interview with Shane McAnally

Blog

Texas native, Shane McAnally, grew up in a family that loved George Strait, Alabama, and Conway Twitty. At 15 years old, he landed in Branson, performing in a band that briefly included LeAnn Rimes (before she was famous). That was then. Now Shane is a 3-time Grammy award winner that has penned songs for country music […]

06Aug

What is the difference between dry stems and wet stems?

Blog

Stems are the individual pieces that make up the recording. For example, if your demo recording contains 4 instruments or sounds (like a vocal, guitar, drums, and bass), a producer can isolate each individual sound from the recording in order to produce 4 individual files. Now, stems can be created in two different styles: dry or […]

17May

From Demo to Dive Bar

Blog

You probably heard this tune before it was cut. Nestled in our country demo page as a sample of our production work is a song called Dive Bar Saints, featuring the smooth-as-honey voice of Brandon Chase. It’s a stripped down demo that leaves room for the lyrics to shine like a “beacon of hope” in a traditionally […]

16Apr

16 Apr 2019

An Interview with William “Mickey” Stevenson

Blog

Our friends Paul and Scott over at Songcraft sat down with Mickey Stevenson, the songwriter known for building the Motown sound and launching Marvin Gaye’s career. While young Marvin was determined on pursuing a career in Jazz music, Marvin was able to persuade the stubborn artist to record vocals on Gospel and R&B demos so Marvin could hear his […]

12Apr

12 Apr 2019

An Interview with Vince Gill

Blog

Happy Birthday, Vince! We’re proud to partner with our friends at Songcraft to bring you this conversation with Vince Gill, the legendary performer and songwriter who needs no introduction. Vince shares about how his record label originally didn’t want to cut any of his demos, and how he wasn’t initially interested in recording the song that he is now […]

24Mar

24 Mar 2019

Parking at the World’s Largest Songwriter Festival

Blog

Tin Pan South is AWESOME. Every time we go, we’re inspired by the legendary writers and the stories behind their songs. The parking situation is, however… not so inspirational. The locals blame it on Nashville’s growth, since 100 people a day moved here last year (according to The Tennessean). With all the extra people, plus the world’s largest songwriter […]