Before I get to the topic of today's post, I want to congratulate our two Grammy winners (the awards were announced last night) eighth blackbird (Best Chamber Music Performance for their strange imaginary animals album) and Judith Sherman (Producer of the Year, Classical for albums including strange imaginary animals and violinist Rachel Barton Pine's American Virtuosa: Tribute to Maud Powell).

I was recently asked to give a symposium for the benefit of a young chamber ensemble on what they need to know about recording.

I thought I would use this opportunity to ask ChicagoClassicalMusic.org readers what YOU think musicians need to know. If you are a musician with questions about the recording process (or things you wish you had known earlier), please let me know what they are. Even if you are not, if you have ideas on what information would be helpful to an artist or group embarking on recording, please share those ideas.

Some of the topics that have been suggested for this symposium are:

--Working with a producer (or what to expect from a recording producer)

--Defining your sound

--Coming up with program concepts (that are marketable and artistically convincing)

--Marketing yourself to a record label and/or marketing your recordings directly to the public 

--Choosing a record label / working with a record label -- developing a good partnership

--The download and streaming market

If you can suggest additional topics or ways to refine or expand on the above topics I would be most grateful.

Looking forward to reading your ideas,

Jim