Sound-alikes are pieces of music that are meant to sound similar to more popular artists. The song should convey to the listener a similar feeling and tone while still being original. Music supervisors very often are limited to small budgets and cannot work in sync licenses for the real artist's recording and song. Because of this, it is more realistic to utilize a sound-alike recording in the same vein. As a songwriter wanting to write sound-alikes, you want to take influence from the referenced artist without infringing on their copyright. First set your composition at a similar tempo. This ensures the overall attitude will remain. A few beats per minute difference would be fitting. It is recommended to change the key signature. Note the original's chord progression and arrangement. Ensure that you write a different progression whilst retaining the feel. Another key aspect is instrumentation. You'll want to use instruments that are included on the referenced record, aiming for tone and arrangement in their style. Lyrically, aim for words that relate the overall concept yet are unique enough to be considered a great song unto itself. If your vocal style is not similar enough to the artist's you will want to hire with a professional singer who can convincingly perform the referenced style of music. This factor is extremely important to convincing the listener. Once you have recorded all of your tracks, the production also should be modeled after the recording artist. Read interviews covering the artist's production process in detail. The music producer usually talks about what gear was used and how they approached processing certain instruments. If you have a decent home studio, you may be able to complete the recording at home. However, sometimes employing a mix engineer to fine tune the record will make your song to stand out. No matter where you decide to mix the production it is wise to have the production mastered by a dedicated mastering engineer. Send both the referenced song and your composition so the engineer can sculpt something very similar in comparison. Now that you have perfected your soundalike writing process, your compositions can begin to be signed to music libraries. If the music is good enough and fit the right cue, the recording can be a nice source of money via sync licensing and back-end public performance royalties. Scott Horton of Short Ton Productions is the definition of the modern songwriter, music producer, and mix engineer. Collaborating with artists the world over his music can be heard on records and in television and movies. check out Scott's musical works at www.shorttonproductions.com
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