Scott Michael Smith

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:NEXT With Scott Michael Smith: The Innovative Producer/Mixer On Taking Risks, Steve Reich & More

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The L.A.-based producer/mixer talks about his journey from runner at the Village Studios to working on major albums, shows and films on :NEXT, the Recording Academy's new digital series on the future of the music industry
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Nov 4, 2019 - 11:57 am

You might not know his name, but he's behind some of your favorite records, TV shows and movies. Los Angeles-based producer/mixer Scott Michael Smith has turned his passion and talent for music into a booming studio career—but he hasn't done it alone. As part of GRAMMYNext, Smith's circle is full of both support and inspiration from the industry around him.

Producer/Mixer Scott Michael Smith Is :NEXT

Music grabbed Smith early in life. His parents raised him on a healthy dose of Beach Boys and the Beatles. Smith's career ascent began at the world-famous Village Studios in Los Angeles, where he started as a runner and worked his way through the ranks to become a staff engineer. 

Today, Smith's work can be heard all over. He is currently wrapping up work on Season 3 of "The Handmaid's Tale" and IT Chapter Two. His past credits include films such as The Revenant, Transformers: Age Of Extinction and music by John Mayer, Nelly, Carole King and many more. His versatility across medium and genre speaks to his appetite for innovation in the studio, an approach that has made him fearless and allowed him to turn mistakes into knowledge.

"I really like working with people that take risks and try to do something that's going to last, and something original," Smith said. "It's cliché, but this idea that you learn from your mistakes is absolutely true, especially in an industry as hard as ours. If you learn from it, you can bounce back from it, so I'm thankful for each [mistake] I've made."

Inspiration comes to Smith from so many sources, especially when bouncing from project to project, but he names Steve Reich's 1978 minimalist masterpiece Reich: Music For 18 Musicians, which won for Best Small Ensemble Performance (With or Without Conductor) at the 41st GRAMMY Awards, as a latest favorite over the past couple years.

"It's just kind of blowing my mind a little bit and shown me how you can make an album with super-high production value, but just do it with orchestral musicians, no tricks, nothing, just the way it's written and arranged," Smith said of the album. 

At this exciting time in his career, Smith credits the Recording Academy for building up his network and Village CEO Jeff Greenberg from initially recommending GRAMMY :NEXT to him.

"The best part about being a GRAMMYNexter has been the camaraderie and meeting the other people in the program," Smith said. "We all do different things. We're all in the same industry, but we come at it from different angles and that melting pot is really a nice thing to be a part of."

Smith's mentor is Mike Todd, AVP of Film/TV Music, who he credits with encouraging him to be social and build connections. "Mike's been amazing as far as giving me a perspective on our industry from a different angle, from a more writing-oriented side, from a business side, whereas, for me, I'd just be stuck in a studio," he said. "So he's been really great and introduced me to a lot of people, and we're still very close friends."

For more GRAMMY :NEXT, check out the premier episode with Alex Ritchie and stay tuned for more right here on GRAMMY.com. 

:NEXT With Alex Ritchie: The Musical Triple Threat On Her New EP, Drawing Inspiration From Imagine Dragons & More

Sierra Lever

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:NEXT With Sierra Lever: The Rising Music Marketer Talks Artist Storytelling, Kendrick Lamar & More

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The future industry leader and Associate Marketing Director at Columbia Records opens up about how 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D City' inspired her to champion artists' stories and pursue a career in music
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Nov 11, 2019 - 1:31 pm

Meet Sierra Lever, a young music professional primed to make waves in the industry. As Associate Marketing Director at Columbia Records, she already has worked on such major releases as Tyga, Polo G, Chloe X Halle, Chase B, and previously at Motown Records on Migos, Stefflon Don, Zaytoven, and more. She's also featured in the latest episode of :NEXT, the Recording Academy’s new digital short-run series featuring the future of the music industry.

Music Marketer Sierra Lever Is :NEXT

Her journey began back home in Portland, where she put on parties to showcase local talent. She began booking more artists, big artists, such as Too $hort and Big Krit on her college campus. Her DIY spirit and interest in the behind-the-scenes workings of the music business led to her joining GRAMMY U and eventually taking an internship in the Recording Academy, where she worked in the Awards department and the Executive Office.

This wide range of experience helped illuminate Sierra's path into marketing, where she could learn how to tell artists' stories in a way that helps spread the word about their music. And while going to a Spice Girls concert as a little girl that lit the initial spark of Sierra's interest in music, it was a seminal hip-hop album that showed her the way to a career in the industry.

"Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was the album that really inspired me to enter into the music industry," she said. "[It] really tells his story. And it connected to me, and it connected to so many, It really represented the pressures of our environment that we live in… the minute I listened to it, it was on repeat. There's really no skips for this album. It's very thematic. It has all these different themes from the Bible to street violence to love and lust, all those different elements."

Sierra felt she was part of something when she listened to that album. Not content to be just a fan, she wanted to share that sense of belonging. She drew inspiration from the artists she loved and channeled those storytelling concepts into her own career on the business side of music.

"You have to be a student of the game," she said. "That is what really shows. You see these artists and you see how them studying the game really translates to their evolution over time, and I feel like that's the same for me working as a professional in music, [finding my] individuality [and] really taking risks."

Sierra first heard about :NEXT as an intern at the Academy. As her eligibility for GRAMMY U was coming to a close, Lever thought it'd be the perfect segue into a professional career. She was right.

"The best part about being a 'Nexter' is really being able to connect with your peers and see your peers evolve. That is a big thing for me, to be able to support each other, to know that you do have a support system," she said, adding, "We have panels, we have these industry vets that we get to have that face time with and connection with."

Sierra also talks fondly of her mentor, Recording Academy Washington D.C. Chapter Executive Director Jeriel Johnson. "He is someone who is really connected in the urban [music] space, someone who is a leader within it. I identified with him in the sense of, this is where I want to go and where I want to grow," she said.

"The most valuable lesson I learned from him is to always try," Sierra said. "Always go with your foot forward in the sense of, 'I'm learning and I'm going to be successful.'"

Now, Lever is striving to pursue her dreams in the music industry, and being a part of :NEXT has helped her stay on course. She compares the support she's received—and given to her fellow young music professionals—to that of a family.

"I will say this: The GRAMMYs, they are a family to me. There are so many people who have seen me evolve over time," Sierra says.

Her long-term vision is to continue to tell artists' stories, and she's off to a great start. She puts it best when asked what else she's learned from Johnson,  her :NEXT mentor, about being successful in music:

"When you strive for success, you never fail, you just learn."

:NEXT With Scott Michael Smith: The Innovative Producer/Mixer On Taking Risks, Steve Reich & More

Alex Ritchie

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:NEXT With Alex Ritchie: The Musical Triple Threat On Her New EP, Drawing Inspiration From Imagine Dragons & More

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The emerging artist, songwriter and producer opens up about her path to success, the release of '404' and more in the premiere episode of :NEXT, the Recording Academy's new digital series on the future of the music industry
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 28, 2019 - 1:14 pm

Every success story starts somewhere. Los Angeles' Alex Ritchie counts her breakout moment as being asked to perform at a women's rock night at Hollywood's famous Whisky a Go Go after the booking agent heard something special in her rough, homemade recordings on her MySpace page. Over a decade later, Ritchie has worked in a variety of music industry roles with several creative heavyweights, has released her debut EP, 404, and is now the subject of the premier episode of :NEXT, the Recording Academy's new short-run digital series featuring the future of the music industry.

Artist/Songwriter/Producer Alex Ritchie Is :NEXT

The triple-threat artist, songwriter and producer has cultivated her passion for music from joining GRAMMY U, the Recording Academy's music industry college student resource network, to the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter's GRAMMYNext program for future music industry leaders, to her return her artist beginnings with the release of her brand new EP earlier this year. But her musical dreams didn't always seem so within reach.

“I’m the only musician in my family, and I came from a family of humble means; so even though I had conviction in what I wanted from a young age, it wasn’t “realistic,” Ritchie said. "I’d seen my parents suffer from the economy crash in 2008 and, realistically speaking, pursuing something like entertainment was so risky. I couldn’t afford to fail. We couldn’t afford to dream like that. BUT I had unrealistic dreams anyway, and after my first gig at the Whisky I knew that was it.”

After her Sunset Strip debut, Ritchie got to work, honing her self-taught skills in the studio, joining GRAMMY U while in New York and, after moving back to L.A., working her way into collaborations with the likes of Harvey Mason Jr., Gizzle, Snipe Young, Keith Hetrick, Steve “Steve B” Baughman, David Kim, and Lee Major, to name a few. Ritchie also became the youngest sitting member on two Recording Academy L.A. Chapter committees, earned a full scholarship from Westlake Studios & Electronic Music Magazine to attend Westlake’s new Crē•8 Music Academy for music production, and built relationshisp and become recognized by mega-brands such as Delta and Fender. 

Working all over the page to develop her blossoming career, Ritchie names her musical influences as, well, everything, noting a specific interest in new music. But one influence that sticks out is GRAMMY-winning pop/rock band Imagine Dragons.

"Imagine Dragons has consistently put forth music that pushed boundaries. They're produced by Alex Da Kid, who's my idol producer," she said. "I really always wanted to marinade my roots from singer/songwriter and '90s rock music to what's going on currently, and I thought they did that perfectly with Evolve. It just made me want to step up my game and  really push boundaries and be super free and creative with any of the music I'm working on."

Ritchie poured this freedom and creativity into her new EP, 404, which dropped in May of 2019 and featured collaborations with up-and-coming talents, including The Wildcardz, Snipe Young, and Australia's Nick De La Hoyde. With a strong foundation from her time in GRAMMY U and a supportive network through GRAMMYNext already in place, Ritchie is ready to share her unique personal background and musical talents with a wider audience. She credits her hard work with the Recording Academy's developmental programs helped her find her voice as an artist, hope as a young person in the music industry and the confidence to step out from behind-the-scenes in pursuit of her artistic dreams.

"To be honest, I really milked the opportunities given through GRAMMY U. It opened so many doors to create relationships with a lot of the right people, and also gave me a chance to meet many heroes and listen to their stories about coming up in music. It was a program that gave me hope, especially when it felt the odds were stacked against me. I’m a mixed-race, predominantly Asian-looking LGBTQ+ artist," she said. "When I started music, that combination wasn’t considered ‘commercial;’ in fact, it was more of a hindrance than a help.  I’ve definitely always been the underdog in the race, and was often advised to stay behind the scenes as a songwriter/producer.  Hearing a lot of those comments from industry people really got to me, so the GRAMMY U sessions really made me feel like it was all still possible.”

With her debut EP out now, Ritchie is currently focused on pitching new music for film and media projects, a world she's already gained valuable experience in by working under music supervisor and mentor Tracy McKnight as an assistant music consultant on projects including Disney’s Wrinkle In Time and Hulu’s Obey Giant. As she continues to amass a diverse mix of experience in the music industry, Ritchie is primed to carry the torch for her generation of future music industry leaders, leading a pack of her peers from GRAMMY U to GRAMMY Award hopefuls. 

"The best part about being a 'Nexter' was that I got a whole new family, and It's given me a network of peers that I trust and constantly seek counsil from and work with on the daily," said Ritchie. "They're all killing it right now in their own respective positions. So It gave me that awesome network outside of the family I already had at the Recording Academy. I'm super thankful to know all of them."

Check out Alex's episode of :NEXT above and stay tuned for new editions of the three-part, short-run digital series rolling out each Monday.

:NEXT To Feature The Future Of The Music Industry

:NEXT

(L-R) Scott Michael Smith, Alex Ritchie and Sierra Lever

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:NEXT To Feature The Future Of The Music Industry

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The new digital short-run video series from the Recording Academy highlighting talented members of the next generation of music creators and executives premieres Oct. 28
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 24, 2019 - 4:01 pm

Get ready for what's next in the music industry. On Monday, Oct. 28, the Recording Academy will launch its new series, :NEXT, spotlighting talented up-and-coming music professionals from across the industry.

:NEXT Features The Future Of The Music Industry

From songwriters and artists, to producers and engineers, to music business professionals, the new digital short-run video series will look at a wide array of the future power players in music.

The series premiere will take a closer look at emerging artist, songwriter and producer Alex Ritchie and explore her path to releasing her debut EP, 404. Already in her career, she has worked with industry heavyweights such has Harvey Mason Jr., Gizzle, Snipe Young and Keith Hetrick. Look for Alex's episode right here on GRAMMY.com on Oct. 28.

Part two of the inagural three-part series, due out the following Mon., Nov. 3, will feature innovative producer/mixer Scott Michael Smith, who's recent credits include "The Handmaid's Tale," IT Chapter Two and Tranformers: Age of Extinction. Part three will be centered around Associate Marketing Director at Columbia Records Sierra Lever, who has has worked on major releases such as Tyga, Polo G, Chloe X Hallie, Chase B, and previously at Motown Records on Migos, Stefflon Don, Zaytoven and more.

Catch the first episode of :NEXT on Monday, Oct. 28 right here on GRAMMY.com and stay tuned for more from the future of the music industry.

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Report: Music & Culture Infrastructure Can Create Better "Future Cities"

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How sound planning for a creative future in our urban areas makes all the difference for artists and musicians
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 23, 2019 - 2:27 pm

The future, as they say, is now. And for music makers around the world, building a future for themselves often starts at home, in their local creative community and in the city where they live. While technology has expanded communication and made the world smaller, cities continue to grow, making planning for the future a critical cultural mission of the present.

To that end, a new report by global organization Sound Diplomacy titled "This Must Be The Place" examines, "The role of music and cultural infrastructure in creating better future cities for all of us." The 37-page deep dive into community planning and development highlights the importance of creative culture in what it calls "Future Cities."

"The government defines ‘Future Cities’ as 'a term used to imagine what cities themselves will be like," the report states, "how they will operate, what systems will orchestrate them and how they will relate to their stakeholders (citizens, governments, businesses, investors, and others),'"

According to the report, only three global cities or states currently have cultural infrastructure plans: London, Amsterdam and New South Wales. This fact may be surprising considering how city planning and sustainability have become part of the discussion on development of urban areas, where the UN estimates 68 percent of people will live by 2050.

"Our future places must look at music and culture ecologically. Much like the way a building is an ecosystem, so is a community of creators, makers, consumers and disseminators," the report says. "The manner in which we understand how to maintain a building is not translated to protecting, preserving and promoting music and culture in communities."

The comparison and interaction between the intangibility of culture and the presence of physical space is an ongoing theme throughout the report. For instance, one section of the report outlines how buildings can and should be designed to fit the cultural needs of the neighborhoods they populate, as too often, use of a commercial space is considered during the leasing process, not the construction process, leading to costly renovations.

"All future cities are creative cities. All future cities are music cities."

On the residential side, as cities grow denser, the need increases for thoughtful acoustic design and sufficient sound isolation. Future cities can and should be places where people congregate

"If we don’t design and build our future cities to facilitate and welcome music and experience, we lose what makes them worth living in."

For musicians and artists of all mediums, the answer to making—and keeping—their cities worth living in boils down to considering their needs, impact and value more carefully and sooner in the planning process.

"The report argues that property is no longer an asset business, but one built on facilitating platforms for congregation, community and cohesion," it says. "By using music and culture at the beginning of the development process and incorporating it across the value chain from bid to design, meanwhile to construction, activation to commercialisation, this thinking and practice will result in better places."

The report offers examples of how planners and leaders are handling this from around the world. For instance, the Mayor Of London Night Czar, who helps ensure safety and nighttime infrastructure for venues toward the Mayor's Vision for London as a 24-hour city. Stateside, Pittsburgh, Penn., also has a Night Mayor in place to support and inform the growth of its creative class.

Diversity, inclusion, health and well-being also factor into the reports comprehensive look at how music and culture are every bit as important as conventional business, ergonomic and environmental considerations in Future Cites. Using the Queensland Chamber of Arts and Culture as a reference, it declared, "A Chamber of Culture is as important as a Chamber of Commerce."

In the end, the report serves as a beacon of light for governments, organizations, businesses and individuals involved in planning and developing future cities. Its core principals lay out guideposts for building friendly places to music and culture and are backed with case studies and recommendations. But perhaps the key to this progress is in changing how we approach the use of space itself, as the answer to supporting music may be found in how we look at the spaces we inhabit.

"To develop better cities, towns and places, we must alter the way we think about development, and place music and culture alongside design, viability, construction and customer experience," it says. "Buildings must be treated as platforms, not assets. We must explore mixed‑use within mixed‑use, so a floor of a building, or a lesser‑value ground floor unit can have multiple solutions for multiple communities."

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