Make an Album With Mike

It seemed like such a great idea...

A simple backing track, a simpler lyric, and I HAD A SUREFIRE HIT!

Fame beckoned...
I could smell fortune in the air...
I couldn't contain myself!

I roped one of my best friends, Larry, in to ask one of his buddies, Julian, for a free recording session in his studio on the River Thames.

The session went great! Or so I thought...

Because a couple of weeks later, I woke up.

To my horror, I realised:

THE SONG SUCKED.
And I don't mean just a little sucky.
It sucked HARD!

I was so ASHAMED.

Even though this happened 22 years ago - just thinking about recording that awful vocal in the booth makes my skin crawl.

(At the time, I wondered why they laughed so much in the session!)

After this, I gave up on my dreams of being a singer/songwriter and focused on making instrumental music alone.

I did well over my 17-year career as an instrumental musician.

As a DJ, I travelled the world, releasing well over 300 tracks and remixes.

But the song (called "Disco Diva" - yes, it was THAT bad) became a running joke for Larry and a terrifying skeleton in my closet for me.

As a joke - Larry kept threatening to release it whenever I got too big for my boots:

Fast forward to today

On 28th November 2023, I breathlessly hit "publish" on my latest album. A collection of new songs with me singing. I was soooo excited to share my songs with the world

I even shared it personally with Larry in the CERTAIN knowledge he'd be impressed.

While the songs aren't perfect, there's a bunch I want to improve, and I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be...

I HAVE NO FEAR

I'm NO LONGER hiding from who or what I've always wanted to be...

I am a singer/songwriter.

I'm still not a good one, but that embarrassment that held me back for years is a distant memory. The shame is gone.

Replaced by unbridled excitement. Because...

I can get as good as I want to get.
I know how to do it.
And I know that I WILL do it.

And because I'm FINALLY taking myself and my music seriously and doing what I've always secretly wanted to do?

My nearest and dearest are taking me seriously, too.

"Are you serious? Is this REALLY you?" ← my wife Sally
"You've improved at least 100% this year, Daddy!" ← my eldest son.
"It's such a difference! You've really moved up! It's so inspiring to me." ← a friend.
"I'm totally your target audience for this style of music...I cried." ← another friend.

I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be, of course, but the reason I'm proud of the music I'm making is this:

I'm no longer making music that I think others want...

I'm making the music I KNOW I need.

How I Finally Made The Music I Can Be Proud Of

To be honest, I discovered the solution accidentally.

In November 2022, I decided to make an album because when I looked at my music career so far, I'd always made much faster progress through making albums.

Early in that process, I decided to see if I could overcome my singing/songwriting block.

Then, because I was sharing my progress on a podcast, I noticed quite a few others decided to make albums in 2023.

So I decided to help them while making my own album...and the Make an Album With Mike program was born!

I didn't know that I'd accidentally put together all the pieces you need to make the kind of music you CAN'T WAIT to share with everyone...

Miracle Milestones

Finishing a clearly defined project on a specific date chunked into achievable milestones means you stay focused on your music - even amid a crazy busy life.

Solo Collaboration

I don't know about you, but I've consistently failed to meet my internal personal deadlines.

But this is no problem when making music with others on the same schedule.

As tribal animals our brains are wired to work TOGETHER.

Suppose you're a solo artist and struggle to stay on track. Working on your music with others working on theirs (Solo Collaboration) is the key to unlock maximum productivity in any situation.

The Music Machine System

The system I’ve developed through a 29 year career making music and 11 years of coaching was always a game-changer.

It simplifies the creative process into clear stages anyone can follow. It works no matter what genre you make or the gear you use.

But when finishing albums (which can be an overwhelming task) the Music Machine comes into its own.

It transforms the album creation process from an impossible mountain to climb to a fun and fascinating journey of discovery.

But instead of telling you how it works...why don't I show you in:

I'm working closely with a small group of musicians and producers to complete our albums by September 18, 2024

Through finishing 7 albums and helping a bunch of artists finish theirs, here's what I've found:

Milestones are crucial.
Deadlines are essential.
A group makes hitting both possible!

So I'm working closely with a small group of musicians and producers to complete our albums over the next 3 months.

Whether you're making a release-ready album or a collection of 10-12 individual songs/tracks...

This "Make an Album With Mike" (MAWM) group is your chance to get my help and support to complete a load high-quality music.

Here are the 4 phases of making an album:

May 31 - Jun 27:Preparation

On May 31 (Jun 1 for Aus/NZ) we will meet for a "Unique Style Preparation".

In this 2-hour session, I'll show you how to set up so you can run 100s of experiments to find the ingredients which will make up your unique style.

Plus, I'll show you how to organise and arrange your life outside the studio.

This will set you up so that even with work, family, friends and life - you can laser-focus on making the best possible unique album.

Then, before the main program starts (four weeks after this session), you'll run these experiments for yourself using the specific unique style strategies I've given you.

Jun 28 - Jul 25: Idea Generation

One of the fatal mistakes when trying to make unique music is believing you can THINK your way into it.

You can't.

What you think you want to make is simply a starting point.

Extreme quantity is the best method for making the best music AND developing your unique style.

Trust me, I've been obsessed with my unique style for decades, and there's no other way to do it.

So, we'll turbocharge your idea generation to discover what your style and album could become.

Jul 26 - Aug 22: Execution

First, you'll say "no" to most of the ideas you've made and most of the experiments you've run.

Because you'll have made so much by this point, you'll be shocked to see an authentic style emerging—a style that excites you. This excitement and momentum will mean you can't help getting these ideas into an arrangement.

You'll still work on more than ends up on the final album, so you won't have to force ANYTHING.

By focusing on the best ideas, building draft arrangements in your unique style is a breeze.

Aug 23 - Sep 19: Presentation

By now, you'll have a clear style you're working towards and a clear idea of the shape of your album.

Some songs will be "possibles".

These will be either great OR in your unique style.

But some will be "musts".

The musts will be in your unique style AND great.

Starting with the "musts", we'll go deep into solving their problems.

Together, we'll iron out the issues between you and that unique style album you can be proud of!

Our final deadline is September 18.

Cynthia Lou

"Make Music Your Life does not disappoint! Keeps me in my highest creative vibe and flow, that magical place where the best ideas come from, while grounding me in the practical, detailed, daily activity that moves me to releasing music."

How we can help you

Geoff Howse

"I can wholeheartedly say that it has been the best thing that has ever happened to my music making. Like many people, I struggle to finish tracks and noodle around with the same few tracks for years. Since starting the MAWM course 3 months ago, I finished 16 tracks (with loads more in the pipeline), the quality of my tracks has gone up massively and I developed a unique style to my music. I signed straight back up for MAWM again and I recommend any aspiring music maker to do the same."

How we can help you

Fernando Hernadez

“I have been working with Mike and his team for some years now and can honestly say that he is alway's striving to improve his programs. Bravo, have learned so much but more than that I have discovered and grown as a person while having more fun than ever making music!”

How we can help you

Here's the Make An Album With Mike sessions:

1. M.A.W.M. Team Coaching

Every Thursday (Friday if you're Aus/NZ), we will meet for 2 hours. We'll alternate between:

a. Thoughtnado Sessions (bi-weekly from Jun 27)

So few artists think through what they're making and why. They just go into the studio, throwing random stuff at the wall. The artists who make much better, unique music.

Take a step back and consider what you're going to throw at the wall. You'll save hours of frustration and get a much better result.

And these "Thoughtnado" sessions are where you'll do this.

They are my thinking tools designed to deliver deep insight into your music.

I've designed these new tools to identify and enhance the unique ingredients that will work together to make your album stand out from the crowd.

b. Studio Hours (bi-weekly from Jul 4)

I will help you solve your inevitable problems in making your album.

Bring music for feedback.

Or a problem you're stuck on.

Together we'll find a breakthrough.

NOTE: to keep it simple, ALL SESSIONS start at the same time - 3pm EST (New York)

PLUS: All sessions are recorded. So if you can't make it, you won't miss a thing.

2. Weekly Make Music With Mike Sessions

In these sessions, you'll make your music with others making theirs.

You'll do this live on Zoom or join the recorded replays.

This is "Solo Collaboration" - a weekly lightning bolt of motivation and clarity. 2.5 hours of focused music-making feels like 2.5 minutes!

I'll give you step-by-step music games to unlock your unique style. I design them bespoke for the group's needs/wants at every phase.

These sessions start at 3pm on Jun 30, then weekly until Sep 15.

(NOTE: All sessions are recorded if this doesn't work with your schedule. So you can do them when you want.)

Plus, as a bonus:

After the MAWM program finishes on September 18, you'll get lifetime access to the live weekly Make Music With Mike session to continue making music!

3. M.A.W.M. Team Community

You'll also join a private MAWM-only area of the Make Music Your Life Tribe.

Between sessions, you can ask questions, support others, and share your progress with your community and coaches.

‍Reason #2: When you focus all your time on the result (finishing music), you put the result before the process.

Making music is a SKILL.

The more you practice, the better you get at making music.

We know that intuitively.

But if you spend MOST of your time in the studio, struggling to finish ideas, spending all of your time polishing, editing and tweaking...

Guess what you get good at?

Polishing, editing and tweaking!

First and foremost, great music comes from great musical ideas.

By putting the PROCESS first (practising your ability to make great musical ideas), you'll get the RESULTS (finishing more quality music).

You can't do that if you spend all your time trying to "finish" every idea you've latched onto.

‍Reason #3: The REAL reason you can't finish music.

98% of musicians I've coached don't make nearly as much music as they could or the quality they could.

Here's why:

They're trying to finish tracks that aren't worthy of finishing!

If you spend hours, days, weeks or months on ONE particular idea, you get emotionally invested in it - no matter how good or bad it is!

This creates the perfect conditions where it's almost impossible to finish anything.

Not only is the musical idea not strong enough... but because you're so attached to it (and you don't want to ruin/lose it)... what the piece of music "already is" has been "set" in your mind.

You can't finish it because you're too attached to what it ALREADY IS.

And because you can't finish it, you can't finish anything else either. In the worst cases, you don't even start anything else!

The Idea Explosion Challenge allows you to BREAK this cycle.

You'll create an abundance of ideas to choose from. You don't get overly attached to any track.

And because you know you can always create MORE, ever-better ideas, you're less worried about "ruining" any of them.

Taking this carefree approach, you can choose the best ideas to take forward... and you'll finish much better music in a lot less time.

Click the arrow or swipe right to view more

BONUS 1: "Sweet Release!" Live Session

MAWM is focused on making the album, so you'll have it done by September 18.

But in this final session on Sep 18, after celebrating our success, we'll focus on releasing and promoting your album to maximise exposure.