3 Ways to Differentiate Yourself: Artist Identity, Vision, and Intention | Music Business

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In this interview, Berklee Online course author and renowned music producer Stephen Webber breaks down his definition of a musical artist’s identity, vision, and intention, which he calls your “I.V.I.” Your identity is who you are, where you came from, and your point of view. Some young artists start by identifying themselves in relation to a famous artist that they are influenced by. As a starting point, Webber advises: think of an artist who influenced you, and think of an artist you have something in common with, and those artists should be as far apart from each other as stylistically possible. Then think about what Webber calls your “unique differentiator.” This is some aspect of yourself that separates you from others, that makes you stand out. Capturing the emotional intention in your music will bring it to life. The difference between intention and vision, according to Webber, is that the vision is what art you plan on creating, while the intention is the execution of bringing your vision to life. As examples of artists who have tied the “I.V.I.” together especially well, Webber points to examples like Lady Gaga, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan.

About Stephen Webber:
Stephen Webber is an Emmy-winning composer and professor of Music Production and Engineering at Berklee College of Music. In three decades as a record producer, engineer, session player, music director, recording artist, DJ, and studio designer, Stephen has recorded with Ivan Neville, Meshell Ndegeocello, the Manhattan Guitar Duo, and the Turtle Island String Quartet, and performed with Bela Fleck, Mark O'Conner, Grandmixer DXT, and Emmylou Harris. A writer for Electronic Musician, Remix, and Mix Magazine, Stephen is also the author of Turntable Technique: The Art of the DJ, the first book to teach the turntable as a musical instrument. Stephen performs and presents clinics and master classes throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia, and has been profiled on the Today Show, CNN, and NPR's All Things Considered, and in the New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine. He is also the executive director of BerkleeNYC, a recording studio refurbishment project in New York City.

About Berklee Online:
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Stephen Webber | Music Production | Music Promotion | Music Business | Berklee | Berklee Online | Berklee College of Music