Month: March 2022

Broadjam Artist: SAMSARA.
Song: NEVERMIND

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )

Pro General Comments: Hey guys -Another quality submission in "Nevermind". Personally, unless the song is a nod to Nirvana, I would probably differentiate the name to something a little more memorable like, "Nevermind (I Can't Let You Go)" or something similar. Because the actual word "nevermind" isn't in the song at all, it makes the title somewhat forgettable because there's nothing to connect that title/word to the actual hook of the song itself. Make sense? You want people to remember your songs and giving them a somewhat-forgettable title isn't the best way to do that. By adding a little more to it, that makes it more memorable, in my opinion.Again, excellent production value on this one too (the recording, mix, and master). At times, I would have liked a tiny bit more vocals in the mix, but that was probably intentional given this genre of music. I didn't mention in the review for "Awake", but meant to and it also applies to this song - I really love the guitar work overall and the way you've mixed them into the song. Great job and very creative. Excellent playing and cool guitar tones. The bass and drums are nice and tight on this one as well as the other tracks, which is exactly what you'd want with this style of music. Great playing, guys. It's really nice to hear young guys who are actually able to play their instruments and not relying on samples, loops, and other people's work to get their points across musically. Very refreshing - thanks. It gives me hope... we're constantly exposed to "artists" who can barely sing and play their instruments and are all marketing and packaging by the record label. For Samsara. though, that is not the case, I can tell you guys have put the work in to be a really great band.Your songs have good arrangements too and an interesting style. They don't quite follow the "hit song" format, but they don't need to. It's almost like you know the rules well enough to break them just enough to make it interesting, so kudos for that too. Good hook on this one. Very memorable. I like the slow-clap at the end too.This is another song where we could probably pitch it to Sports TV and/or an Action Sports Video Game developer, like we should also do for "Awake". Loads of energy and attitude that might just work for something like that. I could definitely hear this one in a skateboarding video game (which we've actually provided music for previously) - or something similar. Make sure you have your instrumental version of this song (and all others) mastered and ready to go too because you never know when you need them (or if an editor/producer/music supervisor asks for that).Not a lot of other pointers I can give you on this one. Keep up the great work and write songs together as a band as much as you can... and do stay in touch. I'll be interested to see where you guys go!Best of luck now and in the future!Sincerely,Doug D.doug@musicopps.com

Quote From Pro: "Nevermind" would be an excellent sync licensing placement choice for Sports TV or a high energy Video Game. The attitude and production are there, and the hook is very memorable. Samsara. is one of the best young bands out there. Give any of their songs a listen and you won't be disappointed.

Broadjam Artist: SAMSARA.
Song: NEVERMIND

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )

Pro General Comments: Hey guys -Another quality submission in "Nevermind". Personally, unless the song is a nod to Nirvana, I would probably differentiate the name to something a little more memorable like, "Nevermind (I Can't Let You Go)" or something similar. Because the actual word "nevermind" isn't in the song at all, it makes the title somewhat forgettable because there's nothing to connect that title/word to the actual hook of the song itself. Make sense? You want people to remember your songs and giving them a somewhat-forgettable title isn't the best way to do that. By adding a little more to it, that makes it more memorable, in my opinion.Again, excellent production value on this one too (the recording, mix, and master). At times, I would have liked a tiny bit more vocals in the mix, but that was probably intentional given this genre of music. I didn't mention in the review for "Awake", but meant to and it also applies to this song - I really love the guitar work overall and the way you've mixed them into the song. Great job and very creative. Excellent playing and cool guitar tones. The bass and drums are nice and tight on this one as well as the other tracks, which is exactly what you'd want with this style of music. Great playing, guys. It's really nice to hear young guys who are actually able to play their instruments and not relying on samples, loops, and other people's work to get their points across musically. Very refreshing - thanks. It gives me hope... we're constantly exposed to "artists" who can barely sing and play their instruments and are all marketing and packaging by the record label. For Samsara. though, that is not the case, I can tell you guys have put the work in to be a really great band.Your songs have good arrangements too and an interesting style. They don't quite follow the "hit song" format, but they don't need to. It's almost like you know the rules well enough to break them just enough to make it interesting, so kudos for that too. Good hook on this one. Very memorable. I like the slow-clap at the end too.This is another song where we could probably pitch it to Sports TV and/or an Action Sports Video Game developer, like we should also do for "Awake". Loads of energy and attitude that might just work for something like that. I could definitely hear this one in a skateboarding video game (which we've actually provided music for previously) - or something similar. Make sure you have your instrumental version of this song (and all others) mastered and ready to go too because you never know when you need them (or if an editor/producer/music supervisor asks for that).Not a lot of other pointers I can give you on this one. Keep up the great work and write songs together as a band as much as you can... and do stay in touch. I'll be interested to see where you guys go!Best of luck now and in the future!Sincerely,Doug D.doug@musicopps.com

Quote From Pro: "Nevermind" would be an excellent sync licensing placement choice for Sports TV or a high energy Video Game. The attitude and production are there, and the hook is very memorable. Samsara. is one of the best young bands out there. Give any of their songs a listen and you won't be disappointed.

Broadjam Artist: SAMSARA.
Song: AWAKE

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )

Pro General Comments: Hi guys -Thanks for sending "Awake". Tons of energy on this one too. I dig it. Great production value and performances again on this song, similar to "By Your Side". You-all are a very talented, young band. One thing I noticed when looking up the lyrics to your songs (by Googling them - source Musixmatch), it does list the songwriter(s) at the bottom of the page. This song lists only Dylan as the songwriter. Guys, I would suggest that you split all of the songwriting credits (and therefore the songwriting royalties) evenly, instead of just one of you getting essentially any/all royalties, per song. "By Your Side" just listed Brendan as the writer instead of the whole band. The problem with this arrangement is that even though you do have one main writer of any given song, ALL of you contribute your parts to it to make it what it is ultimately. It should go without saying that not *every* song will be a success, so because of this, the successful songs will make the most money and that writer will get the bulk of any royalties, leaving the rest of the band out of the picture, which can breed animosity and bitterness (it's only human nature). Maybe you guys already know this and what I'm seeing on Musixmatch isn't correct, I don't know. Just my 2-cents... split the songwriting royalties evenly as well as the publishing, no matter "who does what" in a given song. It will balance out and everybody will be making the same $$ - on the successful songs and all the others. I hope you don't mind that bit of advice, but I've seen it break bands up when one guy is making all the bank, you know? Everybody does their part and contributes something and should be recognized for their work, so in my opinion, each should get a fair share.So on this song, while I do like it and love the energy, it doesn't have as memorable a hook/melody as some of your other songs. That's not a bad thing necessarily, just something I noticed. The first thing that came to mind on this one, is that it might be a really great song for a video game, in the right context... both with or without the lyric/vocals. You definitely should have an instrumental version of this song ready to go too (fully mastered like the main version with the vocals). This is because sometimes sync opportunities work better with an instrumental version of the song in certain contexts. In the case of a video game, it could go either way... I like the vocals, but you never know if the lyrics will fit in with what's happening on-screen. We have an Action Sports Video Game opportunity that we run from time to time that it might be perfect for that developer. I also would not have a problem pitching it for Sports TV - like Fox Sports, etc. We pitch songs and place with them often. For those types of things, the main hook/melody isn't quite as big a deal as the overall feel and energy a track has. I'd be happy to send this one along for that and see what comes back from them, if anything. They may like it...Again, great work on this and do consider the songwriting thing I mentioned. I would like to see you guys succeed and for that to happen, so many things have to align correctly, but ironing out the financials is super-important, if you haven't already done that. Have a band meeting and talk about it. There are good courses out there that you might consider taking so that you understand how it all works.Best of luck to you now and in the future and keep up the excellent work!Doug D.doug@musicopps.com

Quote From Pro: "Awake" might be a perfect fit for Sports TV or a high-action / high-energy video game soundtrack. Excellent performances and production value make this song an obvious pick for the right sync situation. Good job guys!

Broadjam Artist: SAMSARA.
Song: AWAKE

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )

Pro General Comments: Hi guys -Thanks for sending "Awake". Tons of energy on this one too. I dig it. Great production value and performances again on this song, similar to "By Your Side". You-all are a very talented, young band. One thing I noticed when looking up the lyrics to your songs (by Googling them - source Musixmatch), it does list the songwriter(s) at the bottom of the page. This song lists only Dylan as the songwriter. Guys, I would suggest that you split all of the songwriting credits (and therefore the songwriting royalties) evenly, instead of just one of you getting essentially any/all royalties, per song. "By Your Side" just listed Brendan as the writer instead of the whole band. The problem with this arrangement is that even though you do have one main writer of any given song, ALL of you contribute your parts to it to make it what it is ultimately. It should go without saying that not *every* song will be a success, so because of this, the successful songs will make the most money and that writer will get the bulk of any royalties, leaving the rest of the band out of the picture, which can breed animosity and bitterness (it's only human nature). Maybe you guys already know this and what I'm seeing on Musixmatch isn't correct, I don't know. Just my 2-cents... split the songwriting royalties evenly as well as the publishing, no matter "who does what" in a given song. It will balance out and everybody will be making the same $$ - on the successful songs and all the others. I hope you don't mind that bit of advice, but I've seen it break bands up when one guy is making all the bank, you know? Everybody does their part and contributes something and should be recognized for their work, so in my opinion, each should get a fair share.So on this song, while I do like it and love the energy, it doesn't have as memorable a hook/melody as some of your other songs. That's not a bad thing necessarily, just something I noticed. The first thing that came to mind on this one, is that it might be a really great song for a video game, in the right context... both with or without the lyric/vocals. You definitely should have an instrumental version of this song ready to go too (fully mastered like the main version with the vocals). This is because sometimes sync opportunities work better with an instrumental version of the song in certain contexts. In the case of a video game, it could go either way... I like the vocals, but you never know if the lyrics will fit in with what's happening on-screen. We have an Action Sports Video Game opportunity that we run from time to time that it might be perfect for that developer. I also would not have a problem pitching it for Sports TV - like Fox Sports, etc. We pitch songs and place with them often. For those types of things, the main hook/melody isn't quite as big a deal as the overall feel and energy a track has. I'd be happy to send this one along for that and see what comes back from them, if anything. They may like it...Again, great work on this and do consider the songwriting thing I mentioned. I would like to see you guys succeed and for that to happen, so many things have to align correctly, but ironing out the financials is super-important, if you haven't already done that. Have a band meeting and talk about it. There are good courses out there that you might consider taking so that you understand how it all works.Best of luck to you now and in the future and keep up the excellent work!Doug D.doug@musicopps.com

Quote From Pro: "Awake" might be a perfect fit for Sports TV or a high-action / high-energy video game soundtrack. Excellent performances and production value make this song an obvious pick for the right sync situation. Good job guys!

Broadjam Artist: SAMSARA.
Song: BY YOUR SIDE

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )

Pro General Comments: Hey guys -Thanks for letting me know about your song "By Your Side" again. I've heard it before and really liked it - even upon first listen awhile back. I appreciate the opportunity to dive deeper into it for this review. Overall, I really like it a lot. Loads of energy and a great, memorable hook. The production value - the technical aspects of the recording, mix, and master are also excellent (a *must* in today's sync licensing/music placement world - because it's your actual recording that would get used). Your performances are all excellent. I wouldn't change a thing. I really like Dylan's vocals, the vocal phrasing and tonality in general. It's a really good fit for your sound as a band. I know you guys are very young, but had I not read your bio, I wouldn't necessarily know that by hearing your music. It's better than a lot of band's music of people twice your age - or more! Just all around excellent job. I'm not sure how you guys got to be so good given your very young age (lots of hard work is my guess), but other bands could certainly learn from you. Whatever you're doing, you're doing it right. Keep up the good work. I can tell you've spent a lot of time individually working on learning your instruments and vocals, and it really comes together well as a group. I really hope you guys go far. I think you have the makings of being great. Of your songs I've heard previously, "By Your Side" is probably my favorite. I think it does have commercial appeal and seems like a perfect fit for the right type of radio - terrestrial or satellite (looks like you've had some SiriusXM play - congrats), but also college radio. As I work in the sync licensing and placement world, I will certainly keep it in mind for anything that comes up that I think it could fit for. The quality is there. It could definitely work for the right scene in a television show or indie film, commercial, trailer, video game, etc. The production value and performances are a huge first hurdle that a lot of bands can't make it through successfully, but I think you've navigated that extremely well. Beyond that, it's all about the hook, the melody, the attitude, and the sound - if it might work in the right placement situation, and I definitely feel it could. One thought I had was, it would be cool to have an instrumental mix of this song with an extended "oohs and aahs" section taken from the Bridge. That part is really good. I can see/hear just that part in a commercial or montage scene, etc. It might be good to showcase it by having a separate mix to pitch for film/TV. Again, great job overall and keep it up. Keeping a band together can be quite a challenge, especially when you're young, so I hope you guys give it a priority in your lives and take it seriously long-term. The dividends will pay off if you can keep it together. But I know it's tough. Good luck and I look forward to reviewing your other tunes too.Best,Dougdoug@musicopps.com

Quote From Pro: "By Your Side" is such a cool tune. I wish I had the perfect sync opportunity for it in a film or TV show right now - I'd place it it's that good. Samsara. is one of the best young bands I know of, period. Keep up the excellent work, guys!

Broadjam Artist: SAMSARA.
Song: BY YOUR SIDE

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )

Pro General Comments: Hey guys -Thanks for letting me know about your song "By Your Side" again. I've heard it before and really liked it - even upon first listen awhile back. I appreciate the opportunity to dive deeper into it for this review. Overall, I really like it a lot. Loads of energy and a great, memorable hook. The production value - the technical aspects of the recording, mix, and master are also excellent (a *must* in today's sync licensing/music placement world - because it's your actual recording that would get used). Your performances are all excellent. I wouldn't change a thing. I really like Dylan's vocals, the vocal phrasing and tonality in general. It's a really good fit for your sound as a band. I know you guys are very young, but had I not read your bio, I wouldn't necessarily know that by hearing your music. It's better than a lot of band's music of people twice your age - or more! Just all around excellent job. I'm not sure how you guys got to be so good given your very young age (lots of hard work is my guess), but other bands could certainly learn from you. Whatever you're doing, you're doing it right. Keep up the good work. I can tell you've spent a lot of time individually working on learning your instruments and vocals, and it really comes together well as a group. I really hope you guys go far. I think you have the makings of being great. Of your songs I've heard previously, "By Your Side" is probably my favorite. I think it does have commercial appeal and seems like a perfect fit for the right type of radio - terrestrial or satellite (looks like you've had some SiriusXM play - congrats), but also college radio. As I work in the sync licensing and placement world, I will certainly keep it in mind for anything that comes up that I think it could fit for. The quality is there. It could definitely work for the right scene in a television show or indie film, commercial, trailer, video game, etc. The production value and performances are a huge first hurdle that a lot of bands can't make it through successfully, but I think you've navigated that extremely well. Beyond that, it's all about the hook, the melody, the attitude, and the sound - if it might work in the right placement situation, and I definitely feel it could. One thought I had was, it would be cool to have an instrumental mix of this song with an extended "oohs and aahs" section taken from the Bridge. That part is really good. I can see/hear just that part in a commercial or montage scene, etc. It might be good to showcase it by having a separate mix to pitch for film/TV. Again, great job overall and keep it up. Keeping a band together can be quite a challenge, especially when you're young, so I hope you guys give it a priority in your lives and take it seriously long-term. The dividends will pay off if you can keep it together. But I know it's tough. Good luck and I look forward to reviewing your other tunes too.Best,Dougdoug@musicopps.com

Quote From Pro: "By Your Side" is such a cool tune. I wish I had the perfect sync opportunity for it in a film or TV show right now - I'd place it it's that good. Samsara. is one of the best young bands I know of, period. Keep up the excellent work, guys!

Broadjam Artist: Collaborations
Song: Tomorrow final 5B

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Jason Miles (Producer, Keyboardist, Arranger)

Pro General Comments: Wow did this catch me by surprise. I was not expecting something that I was totally going to love the minute I heard it. Everything that I like about song form and songwriting is in this song. The chorus is great, the verses are really good and timely, and the performance is really good. Without criticizing I would've spent a little more time on a couple of the little pitchy moments but otherwise it was really pretty spot on. The harmonies were tight And it seems like all the instrumentation was together. The guitar really came off nicely whoever played that and the bass really sounded good as well.. I would like to have her a little bit better of a mix of the drums and make them a little more contemporary sounding. Definitely something to pump up the volume there as far as the sound of the drums. All the arrangements fit in very nicely with the strings and the horns. I particularly like the blend of the two vocalists. They seem very comfortable singing with each other and they each had a great enthusiasm of delivering the song. I think that the mix is acceptable but I think that without hurting anybody's feelings there are some mixed engineers they could probably take this song to the next level. I didn't really hear the dynamics inside the instruments and separation that I would like to have heard to give the parts a little bit more distinctiveness. I felt the keyboards were kind of lost in there. These are all things so that can be addressed. The most important thing is that you've got a really good song sung really well and very convincingly that the artist here knows what they were doing and knew how to put it across. These days when you have six people writing a song and it all seems not connected at the same place everything on this song connected and the song form in a traditional format really worked well. So there you go I don't know what else I can say except I hope you will take the advice about the mix and I wouldn't sit on this song I think there's something that could be done with it for sure. Congratulations

Quote From Pro: What a real pleasant surprise to be asked to review a song like this not knowing what it is but knowing that within the first 30 seconds there was something really great happening here. It's unusual to get such a professional product being submitted for review but this definitely is worthy of a five star review. I wish collaborations a lot of luck getting this out there it's a song that works in today's Global environment

Broadjam Artist: Collaborations
Song: Tomorrow final 5B

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Jason Miles (Producer, Keyboardist, Arranger)

Pro General Comments: Wow did this catch me by surprise. I was not expecting something that I was totally going to love the minute I heard it. Everything that I like about song form and songwriting is in this song. The chorus is great, the verses are really good and timely, and the performance is really good. Without criticizing I would've spent a little more time on a couple of the little pitchy moments but otherwise it was really pretty spot on. The harmonies were tight And it seems like all the instrumentation was together. The guitar really came off nicely whoever played that and the bass really sounded good as well.. I would like to have her a little bit better of a mix of the drums and make them a little more contemporary sounding. Definitely something to pump up the volume there as far as the sound of the drums. All the arrangements fit in very nicely with the strings and the horns. I particularly like the blend of the two vocalists. They seem very comfortable singing with each other and they each had a great enthusiasm of delivering the song. I think that the mix is acceptable but I think that without hurting anybody's feelings there are some mixed engineers they could probably take this song to the next level. I didn't really hear the dynamics inside the instruments and separation that I would like to have heard to give the parts a little bit more distinctiveness. I felt the keyboards were kind of lost in there. These are all things so that can be addressed. The most important thing is that you've got a really good song sung really well and very convincingly that the artist here knows what they were doing and knew how to put it across. These days when you have six people writing a song and it all seems not connected at the same place everything on this song connected and the song form in a traditional format really worked well. So there you go I don't know what else I can say except I hope you will take the advice about the mix and I wouldn't sit on this song I think there's something that could be done with it for sure. Congratulations

Quote From Pro: What a real pleasant surprise to be asked to review a song like this not knowing what it is but knowing that within the first 30 seconds there was something really great happening here. It's unusual to get such a professional product being submitted for review but this definitely is worthy of a five star review. I wish collaborations a lot of luck getting this out there it's a song that works in today's Global environment