RSR059 – Mike Radovsky – Music Composition, Licensing, & Drums

RSR059 – Mike Radovsky – Music Composition, Licensing, & Drums

My guest today is Mike Radovsky a drummer, producer, and composer for music licensing in film and tv. Mike has played with many great artists including: Phil Madeira, Michelle Wagner, and Tanya Tucker.

Mike has been creating cool library music ranging in style from surf rock to heavy guitar blues and has lots to teach us about the world of music licensing. His credits include placements in music libraries like Sonoton APM, Groove Addicts, Smartsound, and Peer Publishing.

He has written music for major car commercials like Ford, Jeep, and Lexus, and has had many placements on ABC/ CBS/ FOX/ HBO and SHOWTIME. Mike has even created music placed in one of the best shows ever made for tv “Breaking Bad.”

Cool stuff we talked about:

[07:40] We talked about the changes in advertising and how that has affected music licensing.

[13:19] Here we dig into the value of partnerships, and how to know a good one from a bad one.

[15:15] Lij describes what a PRO does (performing rights organization).

[17:25] How to choose a PRO: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC

[20:09] How song licensing income gets divided

[40:41] Mike shares some tips for getting great drum sounds in the recording studio.

[48:28] Mike talks about using effects on drums.

[55:46] Drumming technique breakdown – Dave Grohl, Tommy Lee, John Bonham, & Jeff Porcaro.

[63:18] The Jam Session!

Here is a shot of Mikes awesome Gretsch kit with the cymbals up high in the air. We talked about getting separation between the drum shells and the cymbals this way:

This is some of Mike’s compositional work on Soundcloud:

And here is some of his playing on records:

Magneto is the plugin that Mike referenced on the podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcZbzfEj6ZM

Mike’s band Bedlam ~ Magic Carpet Ride (Reservoir Dogs Soundtrack 1991)

Much thanks to Sean De Leon & Mitchell Murray for editing assistance!