Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adam Savage-Schiller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Adam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
Being misunderstood was my biggest insecurity growing up. That feeling you get when someone cuts you off before you can finish your sentence, not being able to get through to someone because of confirmation bias, having to walk on eggshells, etc. What I’ve had to teach myself is that it is not your responsibility to persuade anyone to like you. A lot of times we treat our personal relationships like we treat our business relationships – trying to sell yourself. However, with music it’s tricky. They say the best art comes from the purest and most authentic part of the individual. I’ve had dozens of artists contact me saying that they want to work with me and want a certain type of instrumental, but I always ask myself the same question, “If they want a (insert niche) type of instrumental, then why are you coming to me?” Younger me would’ve taken the money and given them a half-hearted product. The present me will not spread myself too thin and I now tend to stay in my own lane. I have jeopardized business relationships with a product that was not authentic to me, which sucks. On the latter half, the other day I sent a friend an instrumental I put my whole heart into and they’ve called me out by telling me, “This ain’t you.” There’s always a side of me that wants to fight to justify the quality of my product; but by doing that, I’m just feeding into that hard-fought battle of being misunderstood.
Adam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve been playing instruments my whole life, from composing original tracks on acoustic guitar and drums at the age of nine, playing cello in elementary school orchestra, to programming digital tracks on Ableton in the present. In high school I began selling instrumentals and branded myself as a music producer. For the past 6 years, I have been collaborating with musicians, vocalists, and producers across the globe creating music of all genres. In the process I co-founded the independent record label and media production company “Booked Until December Entertainment” with recording artist Saint frm LA, where we provide a platform for independent artists to create and publish their works.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is sharing the experience with others. There’s a lot you go through as an artist. The sleepless nights trying to get a song to sound the way you want it to, the trials and tribulations of trying to launch your own business, the years of persistence it takes to master your craft; it can be daunting going through it alone. But when you are surrounded by others who share common values and can match your work ethic it makes the experience much more fulfilling. I’ve been fortunate enough to have family and friends that I’ve shared this journey with, who push me to be my best self and won’t let me bend or fold.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I knew more about licensing when I was younger. I produced a lot of great tracks in which I did not own a single piece of the publishing, causing me to lose out on a lot of income. All artists are legally entitled to take ownership of their craft, and 16-year old me was not aware of that! I now encourage artists of all levels to register their music through organizations such as ASCAP or BMI because I don’t want them to miss out on getting credit like I have before.
Contact Info:
- Website: adcinco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.d.cinco/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClHgQJ7eA8TuGtee7mvye5w