Greetings from Long Island. Once again, I am happy to be able to bring you inside the creative minds and processes of the best designers, photographers, illustrators and art directors in the “indie music world”. I think that it is particularly interesting to get their perspectives at this point in the music business, coming after a year in which album sales (according to IFPI and Nielsen/Soundscan reports) went down about 5% from the previous year world-wide, while overall music sales went up due to the continuing increases in digital music sales, with over 580 million digital tracks and 33 million digital albums sold in 2006.

With digital music sales now representing 10% of all music sold (over $2B), what does this mean for the folks that make their living creating the images that have traditionally been used to promote retail music products, since most of these digital albums are bought without the standard jewel case format packaging? Well, the good news is that many artists – both major label and indie – derive a large chunk of their incomes from the sale of related products and from touring, and so in both cases, promotional images and packaging are the bases of the success or failure of these important products.

This year’s illustrious panel touch on all facets of the business, so let’s meet them. With me, we have Diane Painter Velletri - Winner for Best Album Packaging for Dayna Kurtz’s album “Another Black Feather”,  Rachael Sage - Winner of the IMA Award for Best Band/Venue Poster for her own band’s promo for “The Blistering Sun”, and Peter Coffman – Winner of the IMA for Best Album Photography for Oliver Schroer’s album “Camino”.

Mike Goldstein, RockPoP Gallery (MG) - Greetings to you all, and thanks for talking with me today. Congratulations on winning the IMA Awards for your hard work! I want my readers to get a “look under the hood” of how you all went about creating your winning entries, so I’d like to first focus this interview on “the process”. First off, with having to coordinate all of the photographers, artists, writers, lithographers and licensing folks, how long did this project take, from concept to finished product?

Peter Coffman (PC) - The process was unusual in this case, because the concept of Camino was so unusual. Oliver Schroer and I and our spouses walked for two months along the fabled Camino Santiago, which is the medieval pilgrimage road that crosses France and Spain. Oliver carried his violin, and I carried my camera gear. He composed, played and recorded pieces, while I photographed the journey. It wasn't until after returning home and surveying the results that we even knew for sure that we had material for a CD and that the process of design, post-production, and manufacturing could begin. From the time we started walking to the release of the CD, it was a little under two years.

Diane Painter Velletri (DPV) – For our project, it was maybe one month from shooting the cover artwork and other found objects by the cover artist, along with some incidental objects from photographer.

Rachael Sage (RS) - Well, I didn't time myself, and I admittedly tend to pull all-nighters as a matter-of-course, but overall, from the time I met my friend Wiggly (the illustrator) to when I created the poster, it was probably six months...but once I'd already designed my album art, the poster took me a couple long nights of tweaking and asking everyone on my team if it was ok to complete – I’m always looking for feedback.

MG - Was your approach to this production influenced by anyone else's album cover or poster work? How were those works influential – that is, how did they show up in your final product?

DPV – I can’t recall any real influence by anything or anyone…

PC – I can’t say that there was any specific influence, too. The photography, like the music, was all very situation-specific - it is very firmly rooted in the unique places and circumstances I experienced on this journey.

RS - The artwork for this album was very much inspired by pop artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Andy Warhol. I knew that I wanted it to look like candy, in a way, and to be something that grabbed people in a campier, more uplifting way than some of my previous albums or posters. I wanted it to have humor, and to look kind of "superheroine-esque".   So it was generally influenced by pop art, along with Wiggly's passion for comic-book art!   In terms of the colors, I wanted them to look like Wonder Woman or Superman, but more loosely than literally. I just wanted it to make people smile and go "wow, that's a strong, energetic image!”   A lot of my prior images have projected a certain degree of vulnerability, but I was definitely over that, this time around (she laughs).

MG – Since these are collaborative efforts, can you please tell us how is it that you were first introduced to the artist who you worked with on this project?

PC - Oliver and I have been friends for over twenty years. He was a musician who dabbled in photography; I was a photographer who dabbled in music. There was a lot of common ground, and we've been friends ever since.

DPV - My husband and I discovered Dayna Kurtz back in 1993 in Nashville at thevBluebird Cafe. He eventually started working with her publishing and we all became friends as well as the two of us staying huge fans.

MG - Rachel, your story is a bit different, since YOU are both the musical artist and designer and worked with another artist on this project. 

RS - In 2005 I performed at the Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA. While I was there, I met a strange and wacky fellow named Wiggly (yes, his real name), who apparently enjoyed my music a great deal, and once I got back to NYC he persistently kept inviting me to perform in his town. Soon after, my agent booked a co-bill with him at The Roxy in PA, which cemented our friendship;   I immediately recognized Wiggly to be a kindred art-pop fan and irrepressible spirit overall. He designed a poster for that show, with a cartoon image of my face as part of the design which I kind of flipped out over, because it reminded me of Lichtenstein without dots.   He played it down, like "oh it was no big deal, I whipped it together...I wish I could've spent more time on it" etc. but clearly he had a lot of talent, and I felt like I'd truly discovered someone who needed a lot more self-confidence, and maybe a little exposure, too!

A few months later, after I finished my album "The Blistering Sun", I began drawing my own artwork as I tend to do. I also did a photo shoot around that time, which just didn't yield what I needed for a cover. Suddenly, looking at a postcard from The Roxy show, I realized that if I adapted the drawing Wiggly had done months before, made the shape around my eye look more like a circle (it was shaped very differently originally), and adjusted the colors...it could be the perfect image for my album cover.   I was nervous about it though, because I was so certain it was the only image I wanted now, and frankly I didn't know if he'd even give me permission to use his drawing, let alone alter it in any way. So on my Birthday (for good luck!), I invited him to my NY office (he schlepped in on the bus), sat him down on our red-lips couch, and enthusiastically asked him if he'd be open to letting me use his original drawing for part of my CD art. Thankfully he was amenable, granted me my birthday wish, and by the end of that week I'd laid out my whole design in Quark, integrated new photos, selected all the fonts and adjusted his original image with virtually free reign; he basically just let me "do my thing", totally trusted me, and I was very grateful because I'm a bit of a control freak!

MG - While I understand that these were recordings featuring many songs, I'm curious if there was there a particular track on the album or another song from the musical artist that served as the inspiration of the package or poster art and design?

RS - I can't answer this for Wiggly, but only for me as the graphic designer. When I finished the song "Alright, OK" on the record, I had an image of a video with kids from the 50's, like a sock-hop, doing a dance called the "Alright, OK" almost like the twist. In my head I saw "thinking bubbles" coming out of their heads, kind of my version of the "A-HA" "Take On Me" video from the '80's. So, that was my first impression in terms of maybe considering comic-book art or illustration as the theme. In addition, I wrote a song for my sister's wedding called "Surprise" which is on the album and contains the lyric "in the middle of the blistering sun / there's a bliss will hypnotize", and that's where I got the title from. So it kind of came from a couple angles, and then once I had the title the whole album seemed to be telling me to emphasize the element of risk-taking, of shedding fear, and harnessing strength you can decide you will have, basically, to the point where that will become who you really are. Damn it, I wanted an upbeat cover!  And thank you so much, Wiggly, for finally making me the two-dimensional woman I've always longed to be!

DPV - I do not remember one particular song, but since I listen to the music the whole time I am working on the project, they all come out in the art. The title was undecided
until I presented it as the front and back cover type. I thought “Another Black Feather”
was more mysterious and poetic.

PC - The music and photography were being created at the same time, so there wasn't really a chance for one to influence the other. I was, however, deeply infatuated with the title track from Oliver's previous album, A Million Stars, and I would often ask him to play it when we stopped to record in churches along the way. He gradually re-invented it until it became Field of Stars, the first track on the CD. For me, that tune embodies something really key about the pilgrimage - it is so beautiful and full of energy, and has such a wonderful sense of aspiration.

MG – Well, that’s a great lead-in to my next question to you all. Do you consider your efforts to be works of self-expression, or do you take your leads from your client or the artist?

DPV - Oh, I think that Dayna chose me because we worked together on her last package and we have similar tastes – we like soulful, rich images with a story. I was traveling at the time I was working on the inside of the package and I would shoot images to use in the collages I created for each page. Dayna definitely helped in a few instances by giving me some background on the songs. Some page photos were supplied by the cover artist and I then tweaked them, as well as the others that the photographer shot later. I tweaked the color and texture of all the elements so that they related to each other.

PC - This was definitely self-expression. I was using the camera to respond to the extraordinary physical and psychological landscapes we were crossing, just as Oliver was doing with the violin. It's a rare luxury to be able to work that way, but if you're lucky, then maybe the whole will become more than the sum of its parts.

PC - Well, when you're crossing the Pyrenees at dawn, there aren't a lot of people to consult for advice. I couldn't even ask my walking companions for critiques, since none of the film was processed until we finished. So, I was pretty much on my own in that sense. That said, sharing the pilgrimage experience with loved ones - and with a few new friends made along the way - definitely informed the way I saw and the way I shot.

RS - As far as the actual poster, it's basically adapted from the cover of my album, but I felt it needed a stronger, more active font for the poster-dimensions, so I went with "Action" instead of "Comic Sans". It then just took a little time playing with the additional text I wanted on the poster and making sure there was just enough room on the bottom to fill in all our gig info on tour. It definitely took me a little while to figure our how to include the website info without just adding too much text/clutter, so I was happy when I resolved that by having it follow a curve within the drawing.

Generally, my biggest challenges when I design my posters are first to highlight the current album artwork while still taking advantage of the poster-dimensions and to include the info at the top that my retail distributor always suggests I include, such practical info such as like who the distributor is and maybe a quote or two, and then to leave the right amount of room at the bottom. It was fun working with an illustration this time instead of a photo, because I really loved how colorful this image was, and how well it lent itself to being on a big glossy piece of paper!

MG – I must always include a question for the tech-heads in the audience, so if you would, please let us know what sort of equipment was used to create the final product - camera, materials, PC, software, etc. - and  how you think that the use of these items  effect the finished product.

RS - I work in Photoshop to prepare images. I did a lot of tweaking to the colors, and cleaned up some of the edges/curves of the illustration, but I mainly worked in Quark to lay out the design. I believe Wiggly's process involves sketching in pencil, outlining in black ink, and then scanning the drawings into Photoshop, which was great, because he was able to deliver his images to me that way, in Photoshop layers that I could adjust pretty easily. We both work on Macs. I love the idea that part of the design started with just him sketching on some white paper - it makes it feel more organic to me, and I like to think there was more energy as a result, than if it had been done entirely digitally.

PC - I shot with an aged but battle-tested Nikon, mostly on B&W film. The processed film was scanned, and the electronic equivalent of darkroom manipulation (contrast, burning & dodging, etc.) was done in Photoshop. The scans were then delivered to Michael Wrycraft, who used his usual wonderful sensitivity and creativity to create a really memorable package.

DPV - The cover artist - Karen Portaleo - used a variety of materials to create that sculpture and included a collection of feathers and bones. The photographer then shot these items, along with some of her own, using a hi-resolution digital camera. This made it much easier to work with, since we were not using images larger than 5" for the CD package. She also created much larger images of Dayna for the poster and ads and website.

MG – well, we’re entering the home stretch, and so now it’s time for me to ask you to answer some general music industry-related questions. Let’s begin with some introspection… In your opinion, what makes you - as both a music fan and the one who creates the packaging or promotional imagery for music - different from other artists in your "category" or of this moment in time in the music business?

DPV - That is a difficult question. I do not know the other designers or know what their processes are, or how much influence the artist or the label had – I know that I am very lucky to work with Dayna because I feel her trust and can go forth freely and really dive into the music and let it happen naturally. I happen to have a lot of experience in this field – I think that that is shrinking rapidly - but that does not necessarily mean that I am better in any way. These days I do not approach labels - I only work for people that approach me. There is just too much competition for fewer jobs and I think that, as digital graphics become more “any-user friendly”, there are more opinions from all fronts that just makes the project more difficult to complete and retain the initial energy.

PC - The main difference is probably that I stopped doing photography professionally over ten years ago. I now only pick up the camera when I feel I have something I want to say with it. As a result, my relationship with my medium is better that ever, and I think my results are too. It wouldn't be the right way for everybody, but it is for me.

RS - This is a tough question, but generally, the feedback that I get is that I am more colorful, artsy and I suppose, "intense" with my musical and visual style than others in the broader “singer-songwriter” genre.   I have a theater and dance background and I'm a classically trained actress, so I constantly feel this pull between classical, more timeless art and modern technology, because I want to remain relevant and contemporary. Maybe what makes me different is that I feel like I never really "fit in" in any category! I was an electronic music geek as well as a ballerina, so I guess the thing that might make me different from others is my passion and reverence for the past - in music, art, history, and even my Jewish faith - and my determination to continue some kind of legacy for artists which will inspire future artists.   I'm never exactly sure how to do that, but it's definitely not about one hit song, or one album, or even ten. I'd love to ultimately be able to say I was part of creating a "scene", that there was a whole bunch of great art, music and compelling ideas that sprang from a particular creative community centering around transformation and self-expression, as much as "blind-ambition". What can I say, I'm a bit of an urban-hippie and definitely very idealistic!   

MG - With the electronic delivery of music products growing at a fast pace,  are you noticing any more/less enthusiasm on the record label's behalf to invest time and money into packaging, marketing materials, promo videos and other thing that help your CDs to stand out? Rachel, in your case - do you think that the packaging influences whether someone buys your record or not?

RS - Well, I run a record label so we face this issue constantly. It does break my heart a little that many younger fans solely purchase music digitally now, so they never get the full package, which for me is like a little book I'm creating, a companion to the music. Certainly I think your packaging has to be "punchier", and often that can mean less-subtle, just more grabbing in a split-second kind of way. But then again, there's some pretty amazing artwork coming out on smaller labels, and more college-rock type bands, where it's all about being artsy and minimalist, and fans seem to appreciate that if it rings true to the music.   As far as whether or not packaging influences music, I would say “absolutely”!   Granted, I'm also a visual artist, but as a musician I would even go so far as to say I've bought a quarter of my current CD collection based on loving the artwork. Sometimes I hated the music, true, but in a sea of CD bins and with so many choices, something has to make you "decide". For me, that's often been some sense of wanting to know more about the music, based on the cover art.

DPV - Lucky for me, in this case Kismet Records decided to do some color ads and a nice big poster and postcards, so I had a big time with those!! As far as most of the label's budgets getting smaller, or even eliminated, for packaging and marketing I think it's a tragedy. Maybe it's old fashioned to like to have something in my hand but as long as people have eyes and hearts, they will appreciate the visual arts and desire to be moved or
intrigued by a graphic image. I and many people that I know will buy something they have never heard of just because they find the packaging interesting. I still have not
downloaded a song, but I got a Nano for my birthday. I just copy my CDs to my iTunes and load up my iPod that way.

PC - I really don't know what position record companies take on this. Personally, I am still much more attracted to CDs in which the visuals are beautifully resolved, and reflect or amplify or add texture to the sensibility of the music. I also feel that beautifully conceived and executed packaging is a gesture of respect to both the music and the audience. I guess those who share those views would much rather buy the Camino CD than download it on iTunes. 

MG – So, what has winning the IMA award for your work done for your career? Are you more famous now than before?

PC - You've never asked me for an interview before, so I guess I must be!

DPV - I am not famous. It's nice to have the recognition. I usually do not enter any contests but this one had reasonable entry fees and I love everything indie!

RS - Am I more "famous"? Hmm. I don't think so (laughs). But that's ok!   If I were, everyone might want to rip off my painted jeans and cover their keyboards with blue glitter just like me...and then I'd feel so ordinary, wouldn't I? It certainly felt like a validation, in a way, of my general belief that you must live your life passionately, and committed to your own ideals, even at the risk of losing other people's approval.

But seriously, it has been extremely helpful, purely in terms of a starting place to introduce your work to new listeners, media folks, and even overseas distributors who may not totally know what the IMA's are all about, but once you explain, they are definitely more willing to take a listen and it gives you an "in" where there otherwise might be none. Plus, now I know Martin (Folkman) from the IMA's, and he is so friendly, every time I see him at a conference, he gives me a big, incredible hug and I feel all verklempt (editor’s note - aka “farklempt” – Yiddish for “too emotional to talk, or ready to cry)!

MG – OK, last question - How many samples of the winning record did you send to friends and family?

DPV - I had already distributed a few to friends and family, but that's a great idea. I'll get right on it!

PC - Just a handful. I mostly made them buy it!..

RS - I think probably between 50-100 most. I kidnap a couple boxes from the label stash every few months, so I'm always "ready" for more personal types of music-sharing. Almost all of my friends are peer musicians or other folks who work in music, so as far as family, it usually boils down to a few copies for my mom, dad and sister, a bunch to all my cousins (who I usually see on the holidays and give them to them then), and various copies I give to musicians who've played on the record, plus occasional folks I might meet at a party when I just "happen to have" a CD in my purse, etc.   I always try to have one in my bag when I board a plane, too. You never know who might be sitting next to you - or whether they might want to come out to your next show with a bunch of friends!

MG – I want to thank you all for your time today – best of luck to you all in your ongoing efforts, and I hope to be able to interview each of you again – perhaps after you win again next year!

Readers, for a bit more about our subjects, please read the bios that follow and visit their websites. 

Diane Painter Velletri - Winner for Best Album Packaging for Dayna Kurtz’s album “Another Black Feather”.

Diane says that she’s “a very lucky girl”. Landing a gig right out of school to art direct an insurance association’s monthly magazine, she took this experience (and her first husband, a musician) and moved to LA in 1987, landing a job at Warner Bros. Records in Burbank. Her hubby’s career brought them to Nashville, where she continued to do design for the labels there. Later, Phil Walden and Capricorn Records beckoned, where she worked on projects for 311, Cake, Syd Straw and others.

When Phil decided to take Capricorn back down to Georgia, Diane and her second husband - a music publisher & artist from New York – moved instead to New York, where he worked for Bug Music. The move back was at the same time that there was a big merge/purge of many labels and Diane saw her music friends looking for new jobs. At that point, she decided to go back to school and finish her BFA degree (so she could teach someday) and worked part time/freelanced for a variety of music and non-music businesses (Broadway, The League of American Theatres and Producers, the Seaport Music Festival for the South Street Seaport and Dima Productions, ads for Sony Norte in Los Angeles and various theatre and other arts organizations or individuals.

Her latest new business is a bilingual design studio in the West Village called Design Diseño New York, which develops music packaging, advertising and promotional materials for English and Spanish-speaking audiences.

Diane Painter Velletri – www.dianepainter.com; http://daynakurtz.com/

Rachael Sage - Winner of the IMA Award for Best Band/Venue Poster for her own band’s promo for “The Blistering Sun”.

A soulful vocalist and innovative keyboardist, art-pop siren Rachael Sage has become one of the busiest touring artists in independent music, performing 200+ dates a year and sharing stages with Melissa Etheridge, Judy Collins, Ani DiFranco and Sheryl Crow along the way.  A self-taught pianist since the age of three, Sage has won numerous songwriting awards including The John Lennon Songwriting Contest (Grand Priz, Rock), The Great American Songwriting Contest (First Prize, Folk), The Billboard Songwriting Contest (R&B) and The Unison International Songwriting Contest.  As an artist/producer, Sage has released seven albums on her own label, MPress Records, and has also recently launched an indie compilation series called "New Arrivals", with all proceeds from Volume Two benefiting World Hunger Year.

In 2005, Sage received the Outmusic Award (Outstanding Songwriter) for her album "Ballads & Burlesque", as well as the 2005 Independent Music Award for her song "Sacrifice".  Her new self-produced album "The Blistering Sun" is mixed by Grammy ® winner Kevin Killen (Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, Tori Amos), and features 15 tracks of what Paste Magazine calls "wildly expressive, moody, edgy folk."  Rachael is currently on tour, performing material from her latest CD as well as newer songs which will comprise her eighth album, tentatively titled "Chandelier".

Rachael Sage - www.rachaelsage.com; www.myspace.com/rachaelsage; www.mpressrecords.com

Peter Coffman – Winner of the IMA for Best Album Photography for Oliver Schroer’s album “Camino”.

Peter Coffman graduated from Ryerson University’s Department of Film and Photography (Toronto) in 1988. He also holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto, an M.A. from York University, and a Ph.D. from Queen’s University. He is an architectural historian and Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Peter has had solo exhibitions at several venues in Canada and the United States, and has also participated in several group exhibitions in Kingston and Toronto. His photography has appeared in publications ranging from Queen’s Quarterly to The Globe and Mail, and his work is in private collections in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

For a look at some of the photography from Camino or more information about the project, please see http://studio22.ca/gallery/camino/posters/index.htmland http://www.oliverschroer.com/camino.htm

This interview was done in early February, 2007 by Mike Goldstein, owner, RockPoP Gallery, Huntington, NY. Mike wants to thank all of the participants for their help and cooperation in this project, and he wants to extend special “thank yous” to both Martin Folkman of Musician’s Atlas (www.musiciansatlas.com) and Paula Witt of Shore Fire Media (www.shorefire.com), without whom this interview would not have been completed. Having been an avid reader of Music Resource Group’s “Musician’s Atlas” and having seen the substantial support thrown behind MRG’s development of these awards (now in their 7^th year), I feel that the winners of the IMA Awards serve us well as the best representatives of that facet of the music business.

http://www.rockpopgallery.com/