Making Music Fun: An Interview with Nick Morrison - Part 2 Audio Branding

“People don't forget that stuff. They remember people that blow their minds. They won't necessarily remember the music, people won't remember the thing that you did, but they'll remember the way that you made them feel, whether that's by your actions or by the actual emotion that you've imparted to them via your music, or your sound, or whatever it happens to be.” -- Nick Morrison
 
This episode's the second half of my interview with bestselling author, professional musician, teacher, session artist, and composer Nick Morrison, as we talk about the process of turning imagery and emotion into sound, the importance of networking and building relationships, and about the most valuable advice he has to offer about navigating a freelance career in the digital age.
As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.
 
Making it More Purple
As the second half begins, Nick and I talk about some of his memorable experiences with building an audio brand, including one particularly tricky suggestion. “His last note,” Nick recalls, “and this drove me crazy, was 'can you make it sound more purple?” He reveals the answer to that mysterious request and we discuss a study, linked below, that showed how it’s audio, not video, that plays the biggest role in making or breaking a viewer’s experience. “Once you get better,” he explains as we talk about advances in audio technology, “you can't go back with audio. There's something in the human ear that, if you hear poor quality audio, it immediately turns off your brain and you stop listening.”
 
Always Say Yes
We also look at the role networking and building a positive reputation in the industry can play, and how online resources such as Taxi.com can help. “Places like that can get you a lot further, faster,” he says, “than just trying to put your stuff on one of the numerous websites that are just a repository of the world's garbage. And that sounds harsh, but it's like a needle in a haystack.” He also tells us his approach to forging lasting relationships with clients who are just starting out. “If I have a job offer or an opportunity that comes up, as long as it doesn't hurt me financially or embarrass myself or my family in some way, shape, or form, I will say yes. Say yes to as much as you can.”
 
The World at Our Fingertips
Nick also offers advice on navigating the financial aspects of freelance audio based on his own experiences as a musician, and we talk about his bestselling, and unorthodox, instructional books on playing the guitar. “One of the biggest problems that I find,” he explains, “is that music is taught the same way as it was written down in the late 1700s.” Our interview concludes with Nick’s advice to anyone who’s looking to follow their dreams and make a living online. “We've got the internet and the world at our fingertips. There is no need to box yourself in and say ‘I am only this.’”
 
Episode Summary
The importance of sound in building a mood and creating a positive impressionMeeting the challenge of online networking and building client relationshipsFinancial tips about audio revenue and royalty incomeHow Nick’s working to bring music training into the 21st century
 
Connect with the...