Daniel LeBlanc is a writer/producer at Toronto sound house Goldfish Music

Daniel LeBlanc has performed with bands such as Honeymoon Suite and the Partland Brothers and has written with artists including Alanis Morrisette, Dean McTaggert and Saskia Garel. He opened Goldfish with partner Mark Hukezalie in June after they left Pirate Radio and Television. Goldfish is currently a company of seven people and has completed commercials for clients such as Wal-Mart (Publicis), Ford (Young & Rubicam), Kraft Dinner (J. Walter Thompson) and Shoppers Drug Mart (Cossette). Here, LeBlanc discusses top-of-mind issues concerning the commercial audio sector.

We all want to do great work, but there are various aspects of the production process that can make it a real challenge.

The wide variety of budgets out there right now means being able to provide top-notch service and creative on limited resources. For example, if you feel a music track would be better with live bass and drums but the budget won't allow, you should find a way to make it happen, rather than resorting to samples (computer drums and bass), because it makes everyone look and sound better. This is why controlling overhead becomes increasingly important because it provides the flexibility to give extra time and resources to clients.

A little something extra

Rapid technological advances in recording have made some things easier to do, but have also created higher expectations. Today it's important to give clients what they ask for creatively as well as something extra they wouldn't have thought of, something not typical. They've come to expect it.

Goldfish just successfully pitched for a job by submitting six ideas. Each of our writers wrote two tracks. They were all produced as if it was the final session and good enough to air. This has just become the norm for the industry.

Demos are also facing increased demands. I've heard people refer to them as "finals with problems," rather than "demos with potential." Demos need to be virtually finished productions, making final sessions almost redundant at times.

The curse of the temp track

This curse is also something that comes up regularly. Through the process of editing visuals, editors and creatives often use an existing piece of music to give the rough edits a more finished feel, and a rhythm. Sometimes it's a hit song, sometimes a piece of movie score.

It's not unusual for clients to live with these tracks for weeks. By the time we start to work on a commercial everyone is really attached to the temp music. It becomes important to emulate this temp music. The concern is writing a track that is not too close to the temp music, but creates the same sound and feel without liability. Music copyright is all about intent, not necessarily chord changes and key signatures.

Meanwhile, buying songs has become more prevalent lately. I think clients like the fact that they are instantly recognizable and help to brand their product - Chrysler/Anything You Want, You Got It.

There are a couple of ways this happens. First, by purchasing the sync rights, which include the songwriting rights and the performance rights, then having someone edit it to fit the commercial.

But sometimes it is too expensive to buy both, or the energy of the original isn't exactly right, then just the songwriting rights are purchased. This means that you can't produce something that sounds the same, but you can use the lyrics and melody to produce new versions of songs, which we love doing at Goldfish. We get to update them if they are old classics, or maybe record them in a whole other genre.

Given the challenges of today's marketplace, finding ways to adapt is essential. Having writers with very different focuses, who play many instruments, makes it easier to accommodate a wide range of requirements. It makes the music and production authentic.

Diversity essential

Having in-house studio facilities and sound design has become a must in the current market because it helps control costs as well as enabling audio services to react quickly to changes required by agency or client.

It also seems important to have diverse sources of work - agencies, some direct work, work from production houses, long format, and artist development. This helps in a couple of ways: one, by keeping up on the latest musical trends, and two, providing multiple revenue streams, which is always a good thing.

We think having a good time at sessions is equally important.

Servicing clients efficiently and to their schedule as well as having a smooth-running and efficient shop is a must, but it is equally important for it to be a great hangout and, of course, serve a good lunch.

Making music is supposed to be fun. Older models of marketing and finding work don't apply anymore. You have to be out there making music in the real world, finding new ideas and keeping the creative juices flowing. After all, if you're not doing it for real, how can you expect to be able to deliver it in an ad?

-www.goldfish-music.com