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I’m blogging from my iPhone, so this is going to be brief, but I just had to post that Totally Rad Actions is running a giveaway you don’t want to miss!

http://www.gettotallyrad.com/blog/photography-vendors/metta-audio-for-photographers.html

There’s still time, so be sure to leave them a comment for a chance to win!

BTW, if you aren’t the lucky winner, they have a coupon for 15% off there too. So everyone’s a winner!

Much Metta,

John

Proud Papa

I know this is a little shameless self promotion, but I just have to blog about a couple photographers who are using some of my music!

First, Robin Cornett has posted a blog featuring her slideshows, so her clients can get excited about seeing their shoot set in motion. I have to say, there’s definitely a thrill seeing something I’ve written paired up with someone else images. (She’s using The Artsy Girl With An Edge, in case you wondered.) Of course, it helps that her photography is beautiful and she did a wonderful job capturing this sweet, happy family!

I feel kind of honored and even a little proud when I watch one of these shows. I recognize that the music a photographer uses becomes a part of their brand, so I’m genuinely honored when someone puts that kind of trust in something I’ve created. Thanks, Robin, both for the blog love and for letting me be a part of your photography business. Oh, and if you’re in the Fort Myers, FL and need a photographer, I definitely have one I would recommend…

The second photographer I wanted to share is Cassie. She’s a relatively new photographer in Ontario who has chosen to use The Girl Next Door and The Popular Girl as background music for her entire website! I actually have to thank Cassie for her patients. When she placed her order, I had a problem with my shopping cart and she didn’t get her music. However, it took me a week to realize it! So, a big thank you to Cassie for her patients and for helping my troubleshoot my shopping cart. (Which is fixed, by the way!) I also wanted to blog about Cassie because even though I offer my music for slideshows, she is using it to set the tone for her entire site!

Thanks for letting me share some of my little successes. I’ve been trying desperately to write another show for high school marching bands, so it’s been a tough week. Revisiting these sites has been just the pick-me-up I needed.

Happy Halloween!

John

Metta, Baby

Another week, another senior! I know I said a short film was next, but the post has been hijacked. I love having Betsy’s regular demands keep me at the piano keyboard, and this week is no exception. She needed music for her latest gorgeous senior, and I was just the guy for the job. Here’s the slideshow for The Metta One:

So, why The Metta One? Well, let me start by saying I have an INCREDIBLY hard time naming my pieces. It’s almost as if all my creative energy goes into the actual notes, so when it comes time to name it, I’m tapped out. All I can come up with are horribly cheesy names like “Rainbow Lashes” and “Summer Rain”. Not good. So, of course I elicit the help of my wonderful wife and together we are usually able to come up with something. This piece took the better part of 2 days. On our evening pug walk, Betsy suggested “The Zen One” amongst other ideas. I kept saying it, wondering if it worked, when she finally looked me with that “Duh!” look. “The Metta One” she said. Bingo. Now why didn’t I think of that?

Thanks for watching! If you have any questions about the music or the templates, be sure to check out the Music for Photographers section of my website. There’s even a new Help section with a quick ShowIt Web timing template tutorial. Say that 5 times fast.

Much Metta,

John

The Bubbly One

And then there were seven:

Announcing the 7th piece added to my catalog of Music for Photographers:

The Bubbly One

Each piece I write is like a little child to me. They have their own personality, their own strengths and weaknesses, and I get a little nervous every time I send one out into the world. But send them I must!

So, what do I say about this one? I think it’s different, but in a good way. I focused on the marimba and vibe to carry the tune. They’re a beautiful pair, with the woody warm sound of the marimba in contrast with the more bell like metallic ring of the vibe. My favorite part though is the way the harmony floats around. There’s something very… etherial yet satisfying about it.

More info, and to purchase The Bubbly One

More about Music for Photographers

This is actually a piece I had written for Betsy a few months ago, and I had completely forgotten about it. As I’m going through my archives and preparing music for photographer use, I re-discovered this one. I remember when I wrote it and played it for Betsy the first time, she looks at me and said flatly “That sounds like marching band.” I don’t think that was meant as a compliment… But in her defense, the marimba and vibe are common instruments in indoor percussion music, which I was working on at the time. However, after listening to it several times again today while I worked on the timing templates, I have to say it has become one of my favorites. And who knows, maybe I’ll turn it into a piece for marching band some day!

Thanks for tuning in!

Much Metta,

John

P.S. – Only one more week to take advantage of 20% off your entire purchase! Just enter MettaAudio as the coupon code when you’re getting ready to check out.

P.P.S. Yes, Betsy is one of my toughest customers. And for the record, she loves this piece now too. I don’t know what made the difference. Maybe it’s the strings…

The Sentimental One

As promised, new music is on its way! I just finished a show for Betsy’s latest family shoot and have made a slideshow and posted the files for other photographers already. The new piece is called The Sentimental One.

I have a tendency to write busy music with a lot of different layers and colors. For this photo shoot, less seemed to be more. I really wanted the viewer to be able to focus on the joy, the connections, and the smiles in each photo. I settled on just a piano and solo violin to carry the day, and I think it works beautifully. The music stays out of the way and yet somehow reminds us to enjoy what we have and what we are right now.

More information and to purchase The Sentimental One

More About Music for Photographers

Thanks for tuning in. I’ve got a bajillion things I want to blog about so be sure to check back. Here’s a sneak peak of what’s to come:

• Several (yes several) new pieces for Photographers
• Indoor Percussion recordings for MSC
• Banker Sketch
• VW spot
• Mad Ants

Much Metta,

John

P.S. – If you don’t know about my Music for Photographers, be sure to read the next post!

Presenting…

After what feels like months and months of work, I’m finally ready to unveil my latest project. A little drumroll, please?

It is my pleasure to introduce: Music for Photographers!

http://mettaaudio.com/music_photo.htm

First order of business, I can’t have a blog post without music. It just isn’t right. For your listening pleasure, I offer, The Dude Shoot:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Ok, if you’re a photographer, or if you’ve ever Googled “Royalty Free Music” you know there are a ton of sources for music. It’s like trying to sell ice cubes to Eskimos. Why on earth would I try to compete with the likes of Triple Scoop Music and istockphoto and even White House Custom Color? Why am I selling my music?

Honestly, because I was a photographer back when it was BetsyandJohn.net. I know what it takes to make great pictures and I know how hard photographers work. But I’m also a musician, and I would watch Betsy take our photos and create beautiful slideshows, but using music pulled from iTunes, and I just didn’t feel right about it. As photographers, we had several discussions about how to prevent people from stealing and printing photos from the blog. Some kind of image protection is built into just about every online proofing site out there, and yet we’re doing the same to musicians.

After a lot of discussion, I think I’ve finally convinced Betsy that using unlicensed music is just not the right thing to do. (Even today we’ve been debating it, because she wants to post a personal slide show to copyrighted music.) As a composer, I decided that I could either sit and complain about it, or try to provide an alternative for her, which is why you’ve seen my music now on several of her slideshows. I’m proud of her for being willing to let go of the licensed music and give mine a try. (I think it has helped that once she’s selected the photos for her slideshow, I take over and do all the syncing and timing for her.) Either way, I sleep just a little better at night knowing we’re doing the right thing.

Writing music for Betsy has been kind of a game changer for me too. I was in a bit of a musical dead end. I had started a million pieces, and finished none. My computer was a sea of open ended work, without a deadline or a goal in sight. Having Betsy come to me week in and week out demanding music was as therapeutic as it was motivating. I’ve only posted 5 of the pieces that I’ve written, but there are several more in the wings (awaiting some polish), and every week she’s off on another shoot. I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me!

But I still haven’t answered the original question: Why am I selling music? Honestly, because I want to encourage all photographers to use licensed music, mine or someone else’s. By providing music and timing templates (so all you have to do is add your photos and stir), I hope that decision is just a little easier to make. Besides, there’s a lot of great music out there and a lot of passionate musicians. If you don’t find something here that moves you, I’m sure you can at many of the other royalty free music outlets. (But I’m not going to help you with their timing templates!)

Finally ready to listen to some music?

http://mettaaudio.com/music_photo.htm#listen

This is the best place to browse all the pieces at once. Be sure to check out the slide shows to see how the music and images fit. When you’ve picked the ones you want, just click on the “more info and purchasing” button, and it will take you to the shopping cart. Every piece includes a CD quality .wav file, a high quality mp3 file, and at least 2 timing templates, and all the rights you need for your business for only $60.00 per piece.

I’m really passionate about encouraging photographers to use licensed music, but like buying prints, I also understand that it can be expensive to get what you want. To help, I’m putting together two things. First is a bundle of all 5 pieces and their 10 timing templates for only $120. I know Betsy would never settle for having the same music over and over for each slide show, so I thought it was the right thing to do. Secondly, from now through the end of the month, I’m offering 20% off by using the coupon code “MettaAudio” when you check out. That 20% even applies to the bundle, you can use it as many times as you like and can pass it on.

By the way, if you’re not a photographer or don’t use ShowItWeb, every download includes a CD quality .wav file and a high quality mp3. You can use the music for your website, a podcast, your on-hold music. You can even just load it into iTunes and listen to it for fun, if you want to.

Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed. Any new slideshows I create will get posted here too!

Much metta,

John