Advertisement

Songwriters Ali Tamposi and Tamar Kaprelian Launch ‘Song Start,’ Education Series With Phoebe Bridgers, John Legend, More

Grammy-nominated songwriter Ali Tamposi and artist-music industry vet Tamar Kaprelian have launched a new digital education video and podcast series “Song Start,” which is available on Spotify for Artists’ recently launched Noteable platform today — check it out here.

The series debuts with ten video episodes with artists including John Legend, Camila Cabello, Charli XCX, and Phoebe Bridgers (pictured above), and ten corresponding podcast episodes explore and explain into the topics of Songwriting, Production, Business, Music & Mindset, featuring singers Sam Smith and Hayley Williams and producer-songwriter Take a Day Trip.

More from Variety

Tamposi says, “It excites us to be able to draw back the curtain and give aspiring musicians globally access to the tricks and tools that industry professionals use on a daily basis. Looking at the world today, it is more important than ever for all people to have access to creative outlets.”

Kaprelian adds, “While we are more connected than ever and people’s access to technology grows exponentially, the barriers to entry still remain high! Quality music education isn’t easily available globally. It’s not aggregated in one place; the information is fragmented. Not to mention, musicians and industry professionals sometimes go into debt when they go to music school. Our goal is to create a place to learn.”

Directed by documentary filmmaker Poppy de Villeneuve, the video episodes include detailed tutorials on how to build a demo (Tokimonsta), artistry and persona (Hayley Kiyoko and Ingrid Andress), DIY recording set-ups (Kito), collaboration (Charli XCX and Tove Lo), writing hooks (Tamposi and Andrew Watt), the music industry at large (Kaprelian), and more.

The podcast episodes dive even deeper into topics like song structures (Victoria Monét), avoiding burnout (Hayley Williams), the ins-and-outs of PROs, collecting societies and publishing (BMI and Warner Chappell executives), music theory (Top40 Theory), and identity & authenticity (Abir and Fauozia), among others. Accompanying the visual and audio content is a wide swath of articles on Noteable, with written materials, glossaries, and more, to further unveil the enigmas of the industry to up-and-comers, and to provide inspiration.

According to the announcement, Tamposi and Kaprelian (pictured above, right and left, respectively) joined forces in an effort to “demystify the craft of songwriting, music production, and music business for new writers and artists. Drawing on dynamic experience working with some of the biggest superstars in the world, they will provide invaluable insight into this often complicated industry as part of this freely and globally accessible program.”

Song Start – Episode List

Video:

  • Ep 1: Nija Charles – Song Structure

  • Ep 2: Kito – Setup for a Demo

  • Ep 3: Camila Cabello – Creative Productivity & Avoiding Burnout

  • Ep 4: Charli XCX & Tove Lo – Inspiration & Collaboration

  • Ep 5: Ali Tamposi & Andrew Watt – Songwriting & Hooks

  • Ep 6: Phoebe Bridgers & Marshall Vore – Recording an Acoustic Demo

  • Ep 7: Tamar Kaprelian – Who’s Who in the Music Industry?

  • Ep 8: TOKiMONSTA – Building a Demo

  • Ep 9: Ingrid Andress & Hayley Kiyoko – Artistry and Stage Persona

  • Ep 10: John Legend – Final Episode – At the Summit

Podcast:

  • Ep 1: Victoria Monét – Song Structure

  • Ep 2: ULTRAGABE – Getting Started with Production Gear

  • Ep 3: Hayley Williams – Avoiding Burnout

  • Ep 4: Chaz Cardigan – Inspiration & Collaboration

  • Ep 5: Asaf Peres/Top40 Theory – The Music Theory Toolbox

  • Ep 6: Take a Daytrip – The Production Process

  • Ep 7: Alex Salibian (Nvak Collective) & Justice Badain (LVRN) – The New Industry

  • Ep 8: Samantha Cox (BMI) & Sam Sklar (Warner Chappell) – PROs & Publishers

  • Ep 9: Faouzia & Abir – Artists on Identity

  • Ep 10: Sam Smith – At the Summit

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.