Track Guys—Kos Weaver Says Time Is On Their Side

Kos Weaver

“Technology has allowed songwriters to turn the demo around faster and not get as bogged down in the recording process,” says BMG Chrysalis Nashville Exec. VP Kos Weaver, who has seen recording technology evolve substantially during his nearly 30-year career in music publishing.

Songwriters have long been interested in recording, he says, because it is another form of creative expression.

The downside is that recording a demo the traditional way—going in a studio, tracking, mixing, hiring musicians and vocalists—can be time consuming. “In the past if they had to redo the mix or something else, it put those writers behind because they were working on the demo, while other writers were writing more songs. And that would translate into more activity for a writer that stuck to writing songs.

“I had seen it be somewhat of a distraction for some writers. They would have some hits and then they’d build a studio. One writer told me that they didn’t think that was a particularly good idea because the studio guys were more worried about what the snare drum sounded like, while he kept showing up with a pencil behind his ear ready to write another song.”

Changes in technology have greatly altered the demo process, particularly during the last decade. Today’s track-guy writers have an advantage because they have the creativity, musical and computer skills to build the track, and simultaneously spend less time crafting the demo. Weaver says, “Now certain writers may start their co-write at 10:30, finish at 2:45, and have a demo ready by 5:10. Many of them are creating the track as they are writing, and they have a demo available for pitching immediately.”

Read more of MusicRow’s interview with Kos Weaver in the current Publisher Issue.