Song evaluation and consulting by top A & R exec

Hi Kitchen Fam,

I was looking for an A & R directory to shop one of my songs around, and found
on through www.songwritersuniverse.com

But the reason I'm posting is that I found out the CEO, Dale Kawashima, also
offers one-on-one consulting for song evaluation, how to shop them to A & R
execs, business, legal, and more. The cost is $50 for 30 minutes or $100 for an hour,
which I think is very cheap, compared to who he is and his experience.

http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/individualconsultations.htm

The song consulting/evaluation caught my attention, because if you look at Dale's
bio, he has a ton of experience in the music business as an A & R exec, music
publisher, and has had a very successful career and runs three lucrative companies.

http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/bio.htm

I don't know him, I have not used his service  yet, but I will likely in the near future
and will report back if it's a worthwhile experience. I don't make a dime and am not
affiliated with him or his business.

It just sounded like a great, inexpensive sounding board and advice on how to shape
our songs better, from a guy with a ton of real industry experience.

I did purchase the directory of 1,800 A & R contacts at record companies. If some of
you want to use it, we can share the cost which was $74.00.

hi @reidmoto

i am a pretty old guy, and i am sceptical about these things, and i really wonder

if you reversely google claims...if that makes sense

you may learn more about how real the claims are..i think, all the websites seems to come from one angle

Hi @Dutchbeat ,

I did do some research on him, and if you mean using search terms like:
"Dale Kawashima songwriting scam," I almost always do, and didn't find
anything negative on him.

For $50 I'm not risking much to give him a try, and realy would like to
get some expert advice from a music industry veteran with his experience.

If he is faking it or lying to me, and just pretending to have all the knowledge
and experience he claims to have, believe me, I will know it, and it's a big
part of what I do for a living.

We are experienced songwriters, and if he starts talking out of the side of his
neck with some silly advice, I'll know right away.

BTW, I too am skeptical of services in the songwriting game, but I have
found some great mentors by giving the ones that seem legit a shot. 

Reidmoto

Hi @reidmoto

i know, you will know, but my point would be

if you google the claims, and he makes very big claims, about labels, and the artists, like michael jackom and lionel ritchie

i did not find his name, i mean if you google all the claims but don't use his name
you may find no websites or confirmation

just saying this because i am sceptical about these things

i mean everything and everyone michael jackson would have worked with, or would be photograhed with...

would be somewhere documented by someone, some fan...? on the internet?
i am probably wrong
 
i know, but i couldn't find the claims that substantiated the claims when i didn't use his name in the google search

i am probably wrong though, but....with my age, i just want to warn for potential bad things
 
 

I see what you’re saying @Dutchbeat , and I didn’t go that far in terms of research.  In retrospect, I probably should have waited till after I had a session wth him. So feel free to remove this thread, though I don’t think it’s  a big deal, because most members don’t pay much attention to this type of info.

Similar to me posting the link to the ASCAP free access to the session videos, which were phenomenal, and I paid $400 to attend.

I’m a big believer in investing in coaches, mentors, events that will help me become a better songwriter.

Even one thing I learn can have a big impact on my songs.

Meghan Trainor talked about how J Kash taught her how’ a prechorus can really do wonders for a song, and I’m trying to use them when it fits. It’s all in that video.

The popular topics here are production techniques, judging by the views.

hi @reidmoto
topics vary in interest out here all the time
i think
but, these two pictures could perhaps be fake?, of him with Michael Jackson and of him with Smokey Robinson
i don't know, but

if so, i would like to delete the thread

if not, and i am very wrong, that does happen 
and i apologise

but i do see orange warning lights and i don't like to give a podium to people who make them look very connected and experienced
while they are not

i have seen that happen before
and as madministrator of the site  ....i just try to watch those things

 

Go ahead and delete it @Dutchbeat

Anyone with basic Photoshop skills can do that lol

interesting thread - so I'd say it's a keeper @Dutchbeat @reidmoto  - and checking out top A&R people is worth our while, once in a while I guess. A friend of mine consulted a few of these people n Stockholm last year. No money paid upfront, but the investment was in the journey to Stockholm and meeting folks face 2 face.

Dale Kawashima was in a lawsuit against Prince - is what Lexis Nexis tells me was in the news October 28, 1997, Tuesday - City News Service, Los Angeles.
Lexis-Nexis says nothing about Dale and Michael Jackson though.

@Dutchbeat  and @oorlab, how about if we keep the thread open just for curiosity's sake,
until I have my first 30 minute consult with him, which I just paid $50 for, and Ic'll report
back.here.

The call should happen this week I would think.

This chat we've been having has got my curiosity peaked, and if he's a fraud, I'd rather
know sooner, rather than later.

Reidmoto

Just spent a few minutes searching regarding Michael Jackson and Dale Kawasima and found
 a couple references in a Michael Jackson book, and by Forbes:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2015/10/27/for-michael-jackson-and-sonyatv-a-billion-dollar-thriller-looms/#6cf8bbbe22b4

https://books.google.com/books?id=BQ3HAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT116&lpg=PT116&dq=dale+kawashima+president+of+michael+jackson+ATV+company&source=bl&ots=E_dtM70C0O&sig=kecOhq6TvzcvMr17i-ztEObJtHk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmkfGfoqPcAhUPB3wKHUcHByUQ6AEIZDAO#v=onepage&q=dale%20kawashima%20president%20of%20michael%20jackson%20ATV%20company&f=false

indeed @reidmoto, that looks good, let us know what kind of tips you get from him
and....(sorry for my paranoia), but beware that the person you pay for his services is really him.

i am saying this because several years ago, there was a guy who PM-ed a few fellow songwriters and also me, claiming to be someone high up in the music industry / music publishing bussiness, and his alleged name could be found on the web in connection to several artists. He approached several songwriters saying: the demo of your track you just put on Soundcloud / the kitchen really sounds interesting...i would like to play it to my co-workers x and y (more name dropping...) at the Z company (dropping a name of an existing music publishing company) but the demo needs to be mastered properly first....i can have Z do that for only 300 pounds....i am really excited about the track, but i can not play the track in it's current form....i did not respond because the track i made was not really something to be excited about

about a year later i recieved an e-mail from him again, well from that same e-mail address, but now it was some vague story of him being in Turkey and he had lost his wallet and passport and he needed some money to get out of there (and he would repay twice or three times the amount)  .

but in your case you contacted him, so a scenario like that is impossible....

Just wondering: What are you going to ask him? Is he going to listen to some music of you and give specific tips and feedback on that?

I know you're only trying to protect the Kitchen Fam @Dutchbeat

I just scheduled the call with him for Wed. 3:00 p.m. PST, and will
report back.

What I'm going to ask him is:

1. Critique on "Our World's Not the Same" with the intent of seeing if he knows
what he's talking about regarding songwriting, and of course to gain insights if he does.

2. Get his advice on how to best shop my best songs since there is such a big universe
of labels and publishers to reach out to. 1,800 in his A & R directory alone.

3. Try to get a feel for if his experience is real or BS, and I'm studying everything I can
find on him on the net, and see if his story aligns

Reidmoto

I just got off my call with Dale Kawashima, and I think he's the real deal.

He asked me a lot of questions about my musical background, what instruments I play,
what I'm trying to accomplish with my music, and then we listened to 3 of my songs.

We started with "The World's Not the Same," which he liked best,
and gave me very specific advice on the other two songs.

More importantly, he set me on the right path as far as what I can do as far as getting my songs
out there, since I have no desire to be an artist.

Bottom line, is my songs do not fit in any of the main categories like country and pop, to be
commercially viable and worth shopping, unless I want to shop them for film or TV. But he said
you only get paid $500 or so, and no royalties. So I said I'll pass on that, it's not worth my time.

So he said my plan of continuing to get my best songs produced by pros, and putting them out
on a CD, or my SoundCloud page, and other sites, is the best way to get them out there, and
I totally understood what he was saying and agree.

I am not in songwriting for the money, I just want to do work I'm proud of and have people hear
them.

He did say he's going to enter "The World's Not the Same" in his monthly songwriting contest,
because he knows it would be a top 5 contender, based on the 80 to 100 submissions he gets
each month. There is no additional cost to me for him entering it.

All in all, I'd definitely say it was worth the $50 for the 30 minute consult.

Reidmoto

Interesting thread mate. I'm really wary of these kind of things and would never go in for it but i'm pleased to read that you got what you wanted from it and it turned out ok for you.

Thought I would give this thread a bump and ask @reidmoto how things are progressing.

Wishing you all the best