You're in the right place to discover or revisit the songs of Scott Richard Cooley, American Songwriter.
News Flash!: Scott's highly-anticipated fourth major album of original material has been officially released, so the party can begin. 2008's Drive Time Companion is now avialable. For more information, see the Records page.
Get your high-quality song without the usual hassles
Scott is a traditional, non-performing, semi-pro songwriter from a non-traditional place (Michigan). Scott qualifies as "semi-pro" in that he is a part-time songwriter who averages writing one song per week, has self-released four record albums, and has earned publishing-related royalties.
Despite a lack of proximity to a major U.S. music hub, Scott is able to provide an outstanding level of service by taking full advantage of the power of the internet, e-mail and digital music technology. The songs are fast & mid tempo rock and pop, some country/Americana, and of course some great ballads.
A high-quality craftsman who prides himself on learning about the business slowly, Scott has made sure he had a
whole lot of material before attempting any pitching. He’s got a totally self-contained, small & ultra-efficient
operation set up where he does just about all aspects of writing, recording, and publishing himself with very low overhead
- the modern way to run a professional songwriting production operation. For all intents and purposes, Scott is
a one-man show, and a true DIY-guy. The days of pounding the pavement, pressing the flesh, working the phones and
receptionists with snail mail packages are over. Scott values building trust by word of mouth, one success at a time.
He’s been writing for decades and stockpiling all these really good songs, basically sitting on a giant catalog
of originals that hardly anyone has ever heard. Get yours today.
Take your pick from a deep well of well-crafted songs; bypass the old school Nashville network entirely; deal with one writer, one company, one contact person; just tell Scott what you're after, get your password, put on your headphones, and shop the online catalog 'till you find the right song for you; avoid complicated negotiations, eliminate confusing co-writer contracts, skip a ton of those “red-tape” in-between steps to getting the song you want, and save a ton of time and money along the way. This could be the future of the songwriting profession in tough economic times: lean, easy to deal with, reasonable terms; anything that can be handled electronically between computers is handled that way, making the process lightning-quick. From the catchy hooks in the choruses and melodies, the passionate, intelligent lyrics,
the subject matter you can relate to, the songs on a Scott Cooley promotional CD reveal a classic, timeless quality to Scott's songs that makes them
appeal to a wide audience.
The pages on scottcooley.com provide honest, straightforward information about the songs of Scott Cooley, written by Scott Cooley himself but made to sound like someone else wrote it about him. This site began as a way for Scott to experiment with web site development in order to gain knowledge and skills that would benefit him in his evolving day job and career, but it has also provided a way for Scott to make the results of his songwriting hobby accessible to the world. Coming to you from the secret man cave under the stairs in the basement of Scott’s humble home; and powered, hosted & served for your enjoyment almost daily from the decade-old, giant tower-style Gateway essential desktop computer that he long ago moved into to share with, and eventually took over completely from, his lovely wife Lenore, this is Scott’s first and ongoing foray into the world of DIY Web stuff, for the dual purpose of learning a little about webmastering and e-commerce. Most agree one needs a reason to have a Web site, so for lack of a better one, this is designed for taking his songwriting/recording hobby to the next level by self-marketing online digital download sales of original songs, as encouraged by the crazy voices in his head he considers friends. To read what someone other than Scott thinks about his music, as well as some humorous hype, fluff, and complete B.S., check out the Reviews page for your entertainment. Otherwise, be certain that Scott is the Real Deal, and has attempted to represent himself in the most favorable light for your benefit. For someone who admits to not taking this too seriously, he also will readily admit it is a true passion, and that he has been ecstatic about the slowly-growing online community of downloaders, appreciators and networkers who's download purchases have allowed this site to stay afloat and Scott's dream to stay alive.
Scott’s songs have a certain je-ne-sais-quoi feel to them:
Scott’s take on common themes of love and nature convey his artsy, poetic side while his rebellious perspective on them shines through to give the listener involuntary urges to move and sing along. Once you’ve enjoyed some Scott Cooley music, you’re left craving more.
An Intro To Songwriter Demo Music Appreciation
This site is the primary vehicle for those interested in licensing and purchasing the songs of Scott Cooley. To decide whether you are someone who might appreciate Scott's master recordings of his original songs in their original state before being recorded by other artists, read on....
If you’ve ever sat in a living room with an acoustic guitar and strummed a few chords someone taught you and then made up some words to go with the chords and wrote them down on paper, then later recorded your second take to a cassette, rewound it, listened to your creation, and thought the whole process was fun, then you might like Scott’s music.
Scott takes this approach to songwriting a little bit further by recording his third takes into a microphone that is connected to a computer. He then records first (and sometimes second) takes of acoustic bass, drums, lead guitar, harmonica, marimba, percussion, and background vocal tracks individually while listening to the others in headphones. He then uses software to mix them together, put them on compact discs, and make them available for sale.
By today’s standards, this low-tech way of creating music streamlines the song building process from idea, to audio production, on through to the printed CD package, all without any support from the professional recording and music industries.
Sound Quality vs. Song Quality
Promotional compilation albums of Scott’s demonstration recordings have a sound quality that is surprisingly good, and while not exactly what you would find on an album released by popular artists and professional vocalists on major label albums you purchased in huge corporate retail stores (recorded with the best session musicians and equipment money can buy), you might even appreciate the sound even more, because although it’s raw and unpolished, you can’t help hearing the high quality of the songs themselves shining through with a fresh, organic spirit as the driving force behind it all.
Getting past the immediate impression that it is “not what you’re used to,” or that what you’re hearing is “different than what you expected” is easier than you might think. At first, you might feel taken aback, caught off guard, thinking to yourself “whoa, I’m not sure about this,” or you might have a tendency to be disappointed, and you might even feel cheated or let down, but then you realize this “acquired taste” is really an example of hearing a true professional songwriter’s versions of great songs in their infancy – never intended to be a polished, finished product.
After that immediate reaction begins to wear off a little, you might continue to listen with more of an open mind. You may be tempted at first to write it off, and not even acknowledge that less than perfect is acceptable, let alone intriguing. You might think to yourself, “although it is different than what I expected, I’m going to give it a chance.” Then you might start to think, “this is different, but that’s okay because this is honest and real.”
Listening to Scott’s CDs gives you an appreciation for the creative process and for recording artists in general, as opposed to strictly having a consumer's perspective. With limitations to skills, abilities, knowledge, and talent, not to mention access to resources and free time, you begin to understand how hard work at a creative craft can make up for a lot of natural aptitude. A minimalist sound is often more pleasing, once you've learned to appreciate it. If you can relate to this little intro, you are likely someone who would enjoy listening to Scott Cooley's songs, particularly in their original demo format as recorded by their writer.
A logical next step for understanding the Scott Cooley sound would be the About Scott or the Gear pages.
Use the links throughout for a clear path to where you want to be next. Surf on and enjoy the journey through scottcooley.com.
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