Tweet This:

Follow Along:

• Marcio Novelli is an independent singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, podcast host, and indie film director who puts music and songwriting as his #1 (aside from his lovely wife, of course).
• After growing up thinking he could never be a “solo artist,” hearing bands like Dashboard Confessional convinced him he could do it all himself. Now, he has released his first full-length album, It’s Not An Excuse, It’s A Reason, playing every instrument and recording all of the vocals.
• Marcio is not a believer of writing consistently to keep up the craft. Because he’s been writing for a while, Marcio’s ideas for songs take over like a burning fire and usually manifest on guitar and with a vocal melody. Immediately, he records a rough demo at home – keeping it bare bones to capture its essence – and trusts the writing of the song. Later, he knows that the spontaneity in the studio will bring it to life as it exists in his head.
• If your song is “there” with just one instrument track and the vocals, it’s a good song. If you can strip everything else away and have it stand with just acoustic and vocals, the foundation is good.
• At the end of the day, your music is released under your name and if you let someone sway you, it could crash you. Very few people hear Marcio’s rough demos, and he’ll use those few times to consider adjustments, but mostly he’s looking for his wife (who arguable knows him better than he knows himself) to validate what he already knows about the song.
• Marcio says sometimes you know what your bare bones songs will be in their final versions but you can’t force others to hear that. So trust your ear, trust your gut, and flesh it out fully. Then you’re almost guaranteed to get an “Oh, I see where you were going with this…”
• Marcio is offering his songs for free on his website through Soundcloud. You can listen but not download. He says that if you don’t offer for free, people will find it or free or not listen to your music. First and foremost, he wants people to listen to his music.
• People don’t really buy CD’s anymore but they’re still a worthwhile product to sell. It creates something tangible and something they can revisit in 5 years. Marcio says to “be creative and be smart.” Example: Marcio recorded 12 songs in the studio. On his digital album, he released 10 of those songs. The physical version of the album is the only way to hear all 12 tracks. Give people a reason to buy from you.
• Put together a website that represents the artist. Work with someone who can help whoever is visiting your page feel like they are getting to know you personally and lay it out in such a way that people can navigate quickly if needed. Marcio works with Ross Barber at Electric Kiwi to design and update his site to reflect everything going on in Marcio’s life.

Quotes:

First and foremost, I want people to listen to my music. Click To Tweet

Strip your song down to just acoustic and vocals. If it works, the foundation is good. Click To Tweet

If you don't offer your music for free, people will find it or free or not listen to your music. Click To Tweet

Links:

Thanks for Listening!

Thank you so much for tuning in to my conversation with Marcio!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for SOSstudio Session on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates, or visit our podcast download page! It’s free!

Thanks again for joining! Until next time!