Cheri Magill Question & Answer

Email interview conducted by Kent Olmstead from questions provided by ldsmusicians.com members (October 2004):

It's always fun when Cherie Call drops in on us with some news or industry insight. Sam (Payne) so comfortably interacts among us, it's easy to forget how many leagues professionally he is down the road (just pull out "Railroad Blessing" if you need a reminder). A few years back, when Julie De Azevedo or Julia Davis Allen were posting on a semi-regular basis, it always brought an extra edge to the discussion. So often we're guessing about things that others actually know, or are at least making guesses about from a somewhat more informed perspective. I, for one, love to hear about that perspective--especially as it relates to pursuing this musical adventure as members of the church, whether our music is targeted directly to church members or not. I am one who believes that the efforts of so many at ldsmusicians.com have, do, and will exert an influence on the development of the LDS music scene--but also that there is so much we have to learn.

So, in that spirit, I'd like to introduce Cheri Magill, who's participation with us will hopefully be the first in a series of "Guest" professionals--artists, producers, engineers, and industry figures who can share their experiences from just a little farther down the path.

Regarding this guest visit, I think even before I received my copy of Cheri's new album "Ready" in the mail, I emailed her from her website and told her a little about ldsmusicians.com and that we'd appreciate her possible participation in a Q&A session via email.

She enthusiastically agreed to help us out however she could, and mentioned that she thought she'd maybe even been a member for a short time before leaving on her mission.

I searched back through the archives to try and confirm this and found this funny post:

From: "cheri " <cheri@w...>
Date: Mon Apr 15, 2002 10:15 am
Subject: unsubscribe

Can someone please remove my name from the list? I've attempted to do so without success. I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow and I don't want my mailbox overflowing while I'm gone. Thanks.  Cheri Magill

Can you imagine eighteen months worth of ldsmusicians.com email in your inbox?! (Great reason to check "no email" on the Message Delivery section of your membership!)

Well, knowing she had actually been a part of our group for a short time, and with Cheri's willingness to answer some questions, and then hearing her absolutely incredible album, I was psyched to follow through with this interview.

The format for this "visit" (and hopefully future guest visits) is as follows:

About three weeks ago I requested questions from this group for Cheri, to which I added some of my own, and then forwarded them to her via email. She took the time to answer those for us. While she may not be personally checking in at ldsmusicians.com while we're reading her interview, she is aware we may have some discussion and possibly some follow up questions. If she has time, she might also be checking in, so feel free to post your follow up questions. If she doesn't answer them directly, I'll make sure they're forwarded to her.

And please let me know how this format works for you as group members or how we might improve it. Live chat sessions, I can imagine, might be quite fun (I don't know cause I've never done it...), but they require everyone to be online at the same time. This format will hopefully allow for some group specific interaction, but enjoy the time flexibility of our current system and hopefully allow a wider range of participants.

And now for the questions!

Questions for Cheri from LDSMusicians.com:

1) Influences.
Who did you grow up listening to?
Who are your favorites in the mainstream?
Who are your favorites among LDS artists?

In high school I listened to a lot of Alanis Morrissette, the Beatles, oldies, musical soundtracks, some Pearl Jam. I've always listened to a wide variety of music. Right now I like Michelle Branch, John Mayer, East Mountain South, Ryan Adams, random CDs my friends loan me. I really like finding random, unknown artists and hearing new things.

2)
What process did you go through to get your CD done?
How did you choose the songs?
What influenced you in the arrangements?

I moved to Salt Lake in January and started working full time until I decided it was now or never. I quit my job to pursue music and record a new album. That meant I had to start living on my savings, which also put the pressure on (in a good way) to get things rolling. I started recording in April and we finished in June. I worked out distribution, booked shows, and came up with some marketing plans during the summer. The CD was then released at the end of September.

I used all songs that I wrote within that time and co-wrote three more with my producer (Steele Croswhite). I'm not the type of songwriter that has 500 songs and has to pick which ones she likes. I don't finish them if I don't like them, so it's not ever too hard to choose.

The arrangements were a matter of trusting my producer. We were really aiming for a mainstream sound. I didn't want to limit myself to a strictly LDS audience, since the music is secular.

3) What's your marketing plan? Do you have distribution?

Yes, I have distribution through Excel. That helps a lot and allows me to market in ways I couldn't otherwise market (i.e. advertisements in store catalogs). There's a lot to explain in regards to marketing......playing whenever I can, publicizing those gigs like crazy, getting press attention, booking TV appearances, finding good causes to be involved in, getting sponsors. I could go on for awhile, but basically, I try to think creatively about how I can get my music out there. I think about how I can peak someone's interest so I can get them to listen. This is always an ongoing process.

4) What's the process you go through when songwriting/arranging/recording your songs?

I keep a songwriter's journal to jot down lyric ideas. Then when I want to work on a song, I have a start and I try to figure out the structure the song will have and fill in the rest. I often times write the music last. I like to leave arranging to a producer. I think songwriters are usually too close to their own songs to arrange and produce them the best way possible. It’s great to find someone who can be impartial and do what's best for the song. You can still have a say, of course, but I would rather do what I do best, surrender my ego, and let someone who knows what they're doing help me. I wish I would have known that when I recorded for the first time a few years ago.

5) Will you listen to pop demo's for upcoming album work?

I prefer to write my own music or occasionally co-write. Using someone else's songs probably wouldn't happen for me unless I was hired on as a studio singer to sing someone's song for a specific project.

6) Do you have a producer backing and pushing you, or are you still doing mostly your own producing?

Steele Croswhite is my producer. (as mentioned above).

7) How did you finance your CD?

The first time I used all my savings, which worked out fine. I made it all back and then some. This time I didn't have the kind of money I needed, since the project was much more high-scale. I have investors who believe in me enough to loan my the money. Showing them that I was successful the first time also helped them have confidence in this project.

8) What did it cost to produce your CD?

I plead the fifth...

(And after a little more prodding from Kent...)

I spent all of my savings (around $6000.00 altogether) to do my first album, but knew I wanted this one to sound even better, knew I'd need a producer, more recording time, etc. so budgeted about twice as much. I knew I couldn't afford that, but was able to get help and support from several sources. There are also more than just recording costs. There's pressing and replication, running ads, publicity, paying band members, etc.

(I really want to thank Cheri for sharing this, numbers aren't everything, but it really helps to know what it takes to make an album that sounds like what she's put together here. I'm hoping to follow this up in a few weeks with a visit from Jonathon Shults of Annex Recording, who can give us some more insight into the technical engineering and production aspects of the album--Stephanie Smith's new album is being recording at Annex as well--I know we're all looking forward to that one!)

9) How did your mission influence/effect your musical journey?

I always thought that if I served a mission, I would only want to write church music when I can home. Wrong. Serving a mission helped me grow in ways I had never thought possible. It changed me which naturally changed my music, too. It made me and my music more confident, assertive, and honest. None of the songs are about any specific person or place from the mission, but as I said, it made a strong impression on the inside for me.

10) When/where did you serve your mission?

I got to serve in Portugal (Lisbon). I served April 2002-October 2003. It was awesome.

11) How often does your band rehearse?

We usually have 2 practices before a big gig. They are all studio musicians, so that helps a ton. I'm very lucky.

12) Are your band members all full-time musicians?

Yes. They rock.

13) Do you have plans for a tour?

I haven't thought tons about touring yet. Not that I wouldn't want to, but I don't think I can pull it off yet with the full band.

14) Are you looking for a major label deal?

I haven't pursued that yet. That's a complicated question. It would be great to have someone with that kind of power back me up, but it's also a life-altering decision. I'm not worried about that yet. I think it's important to build a strong following and learn how to do all the detail work yourself first.

15) Will you be producing a music video?

No plans for one yet. We'll see.

16) Do you view the LDS music market as a key part of your marketing effort, or just a starting point to branch out from?

Mostly a staring point. I want LDS people to know about my music because I feel there's such a need for wholesome music that's hip and mainstream. However, I don't want to limit my music to the LDS audience. I want to share it with everyone I can.

17) What's your view of the LDS music market today? What's right/wrong/etc.? Where do you see it going in the next few years?

I think there's a need for variety. So much of what I hear sounds the same. I feel it hasn't progressed a lot in the last ten years, but there's always hope. I went to school with a lot of incredible LDS songwriters at BYU and I know there is a lot of potential for progress.

18) Regarding CD sales:
How is it going so far?
What are the best outlets?
Do you sell more at concerts, via your website, through Deseret Book,
or other outlets?
What percentage of your CD sales are to church members?
How many initial CDs did you have pressed? What influenced that
decision?

So far so good. It's great to have the album in stores, but that doesn't mean they sell themselves. In store concerts can help get things rolling in the stores.  Selling at concerts is quite effective, but I don't have concerts everyday. The stores are probably the best, though the internet offers accessibility to people everywhere and that helps, too. Right now probably only half of my sales are to church members.

I pressed 3,000 for the first order. That decision was based on how many I knew distribution would order and how much the price dropped with a bigger order.

19) Any other advice for an LDS artist considering producing a CD for an LDS audience?

Become good friends with someone who's already been down that road and get lots of advice. There's so much I wish I would have known a few years ago. I love sharing what I know with people so they can benefit from my mistakes and/or successes.

20) How do you think a group like LDSMusicians.com can best help/support developing artists?

I think the sharing of information can be the best support for developing artists. Knowledge is the key.

(End of Question and Answer)

I really want to thank Cheri for taking the time to answer these questions.   You can also send a thankyou to Cheri via her website contact link.

Be sure to check out her music at http://www.cherimagill.com

It will really put a smile on your face.

-Kent
http://www.ldsstyles.com
http://www.fastsundae.com