009: Veit Renn - Producing for Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, developing artists, and the evolving music industry

Veit Renn’s professional music career spans more than a few decades. Having worked with some of the most sought after mix and mastering engineers, producers, and artists in the industry, Renn’s technical know how and musical knowledge span much farther than most.
Mr. Renn and I have an amazing conversation about a multitude of music industry topics. We talk about why boy groups do better than girl groups. We discuss the a few of the vocal production techniques he used in Backstreet Boys’ “I’ll Never Break Your Heart.” Renn also points out a few of the facets within the music industry that have changed tremendously over the years. Did you know that trap has been on the rise over the last three years? We also go on discussing the quality of various audio files, such as WAV and MP3s. The music production mastermind has been through and witnessed it all, and he’s here to provide you with all of the insight.
Links mentioned:
Bob Katz
$200 Beats headphones actually cost just $18 to make
Sennheiser’s $55,000 Headphones Sound Like Heaven On Earth
Hootsuite
Buffer
Shawn Mendes signs with Interscope Records
NSYNC
Backstreet Boys
Quick links:
1:45: About Veit Renn
5:26: Going from Boston to Orlando to work with the Backstreet Boys
7:03: Working on your craft continuously to get better
8:43: Unique vocal production techniques with the Backstreet Boys on “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”
11:21: Songs that Veit worked on
12:13: Did you develop the artists you worked with or did you strictly produce for them?
16:43: Becoming overwhelmed with the songwriting and production process and making a list of words to help you write songs
20:15: Is there a formula for writing a hit track?
21:00: Genre trends within the current music industry
22:15: Why are guy groups more dominant or successful than girl groups?
25:20: How has music changed over the years?
30:10: Is music oversaturated because music is too easily made these days?
31:20: The disturbing audio degradation that is an MP3 file
34:20: Veit’s least favorite and favorite studio headphones
39:00: Has the value of artists gone down because of the ease of access to music production tools?
40:23: Marketing an artist, the pitfalls, and some workarounds
43:23: Social media management tools
46:28: It’s not free to make an Ariana Grande; payola; and radio executives
48:33: Getting placed in Spotify playlists
54:20: Landing a blog placement isn’t the gateway into international stardom, and Shawn Mendes
57:40: The biggest difference between inexpensive and expensive marketing
1:00:40: Attention spans for today’s consumers are extremely short
1:02:25: The Chainsmokers’ music all sounds the same - and why it does sound the same
1:05:15: Why are there so many songwriters credited on a single, EP, or album?
1:09:17: Veit’s parting words and shoutouts as to where you can follow him and his music
1:12:50: Where to follow me and the podcast
Stay connected with me:
Website: www.lennoncihak.com
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Guest Request: https://goo.gl/forms/8zs61IYiIXMLjFpX2
Stay connected with Veit Renn:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFTs-qshkpOzuxAuk9iqVrA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialjustimagin3/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JI3OFFICIAL