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Why This Music Industry Expert Predicts A New York Renaissance

This article is more than 5 years old.

Shervin Lainez

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From pop producers to indie rock bands, it seems like everyone in the music industry has been moving to L.A. or Nashville. In fact, it's been difficult to find anyone at all willing to defend staying in the Big Apple. Fortunately, I met Jenna Rubenstein who heads up Insieme Music Publishing, an arm of Glassnote Entertainment Group. She walked me through her New York background, and how she turns songwriter demos into Grammy-nominated radio hits. She talked quickly and with authority on all things music publishing, and I hung onto every word. Here's our chat:

Danny Ross: I know you were born and raised here in New York, but with the whole music industry out in L.A., is it futile for creators to stay here? 

Jenna Rubenstein: As a native New Yorker, I firmly believe that we will have a renaissance and that people will start migrating back. A lot of people I've spoken to feel exhausted by the L.A. session grind, and there's something to be said for staying here and being the go-to New York songwriter. And New York is a shorter trip for artists coming from London. Many UK people come here to write, and that's an interesting loophole that should be explored. Plus all the ad agencies, publishers, media, and culture are here. It's so inspiring! How could you not want to create here? 

Ross: And as a New York-based music publisher, what are you listening for in a song?

Rubenstein: I'm drawn to a beautifully structured song, including something out-of-the-box like starting with the hook.

Ross: That's an old Beatles trick (see: "Help!"). Don't bore us, get to the chorus.

Rubenstein: Exactly. Or "Shut Up And Dance." And many songs recently have been using unique lyrical concepts with unusual phrasing, metaphors and imagery — and that’s exciting to me. Some of my favorites lately are "Queendom" by AURORA, "Gold Angel" by Minke and "Collide" by GIVERS.

Ross: Are the trends changing right now in pop music?

Rubenstein: The big electronic drop is phasing out — and that’s good for music because there was such an influx of it. I react strongly when I hear fresh production, but production can also get stale quickly.

Ross: I heard a joke that there's a secret committee that decides pop production trends. But by the time the public hears it, it's already moved on — like Bruno Mars and '90s New Jack City with "Finesse"

Rubenstein: There may be that committee! That's the sauce of the good producers of our generation — they can take the trends and freshen it up. But you never really understand. Why did Justin Bieber and the producer Jack Ü connect in that way? I don't know.

Ross: And where's rock music in the midst of this?

Rubenstein: Rock music is transitioning to sound more pop — Imagine Dragons is a prime example of that. Bands are embracing pop structure and pop hooks and pop beats. Maroon 5 has been pop for a long time now. And yet, on stage, it still comes across as these cool guys with guitars which makes for an interesting hybrid. 

Ross: Insieme just received its first Grammy nomination with your songwriter Rory Andrew, who co-wrote and was featured on ODESZA's "Line Of Sight." How did that happen?

Rubenstein: The foundation of  "Line of Sight" was a pre-existing demo in our catalog. The first time I heard it from Rory, it haunted me. I always think about those tracks — it's the ultimate moment for a publisher to give life to a song that’s just sitting in your catalog. Ultimately, you have to trust that good songs find good homes. So we pitched it to ODESZA, the guys traded versions back and forth, and the next thing we knew it was the single, on the Billboard Alternative charts for over 20 weeks, and amassed 50 million streams.

Ross: So what's the benefit of being a small music company, as opposed to being one of the majors?

Rubenstein: It’s about the intimacy of truly understanding your catalog — that’s why smaller boutique publishers work. I get to know our writers and eat, sleep and breathe what they're producing. It's 24-hour service. There are publishing companies with millions of songs in their catalog, but if you told me today that you need a song with the color green in it at 32 seconds, I could find it because I know every single version of every song in our catalog. We want to be able to create revenue for each song, and the only way to do that is to know them all.  

Ross: Are you optimistic about songwriters making money in the streaming age?

Rubenstein: First and foremost, we need fair payment and transparency for songwriters — understanding where their music is being played at all times and having a real-time feed of revenue streams. We have the technology for it now. The Copyright Royalty Board increased the streaming rates for songwriters by 44% over the next 5 years, and the Music Modernization Act passed the House and is on its way through the Senate. Plus, I love the addition of songwriter credits to Spotify. There's tangible progress.

Ross: And what's the primary source of revenue for a company like Insieme?

Rubenstein: If you get a monster pop hit on terrestrial radio, that will make a lot of revenue. And in synch, the advertising and film companies write the biggest checks. So we’re proactive in thinking about what's on TV, and what the main brands are using. For example, "Line of Sight" was just used in an Apple ad. 

  

Ross: So walk me through the process how hits get made. Are pop songwriters writing together with artists, or with other songwriters?

Rubenstein: It’s always the first choice to be in the room with an artist because that will help your chances of the song getting recorded on their album. But also because the lyrics are coming from them organically, so the songs will be truly authentic. However, it's also possible to write a heart-wrenching beautiful song separately that will resonate with an artist, and later become their truth. Both scenarios can work. My objective is to create a strong, powerful and balanced collaboration in any given room so that a great song can result.

Ross: Then how do the songs make their way to you? 

Rubenstein: Actually, I get a lot of voice-notes from my songwriters recorded on their phone with a text saying, "I just hummed this in the shower. What do you think?" And as a publisher, I have to be able to suss out if it's interesting. However, it's easier to pitch a great song that's already produced to artists and record labels. That’s why we do multiple versions of songs — including a simple piano demo because I might want to pitch that to a DJ with their own vision. DJs are the most open to taking our demos and building a track around it.

Ross: So is it important to have a strong vocal performance on the demo?

Rubenstein: If songwriters have a killer voice, it's exciting for us. Because if we pitch a topline to a DJ, they can just use that vocal in the finished production. It's exciting to hear someone's voice on a demo be featured in a record that's living and breathing in the world. Then sometimes, songwriters can turn into full-fledged artists — whether its Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha, or Rory Andrew with his project WYNNE.

But on the flip side, it’s hard to see past a difficult vocal. Hot tip: if there's not a great vocal on the demo, ask your friend to pop in and cut the track. And same with live shows. If you have a great band with a mediocre vocal, it’s hard to see past it. I grew up singing myself at the Metropolitan Opera, so I respect great pitch, vocal texture and control. To me, that's so exciting.

Ross: Wait, you were singing at The Metropolitan Opera?

Rubenstein: When I was younger my mom discovered I could sing a little. So when I was 11, she had me audition for the Metropolitan Opera and I got in! We'd rehearse after school and then we'd go onstage to sing behind Pavoratti and Domingo. It helped me to get the music business bug, and steeped me early into vocal training and precision.

Ross: Well, that's incredible — we're really burying the lead. Any last piece of advice for up-and-coming songwriters?

Rubenstein: Speed-date to find that one person to help elevate your skill set. Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels are a great example, and it's also happening more in the band-world. Find your tribe of collaborators. 

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