Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: People Hear What They See

How many times has an artist handed you an album or CD, and you immediately formed an opinion based on how it looked? Did it have a good-looking professional photo? Or a grainy, poorly lit shot? Did it have cool and/or appropriate graphics? Or did it look like someone’s kid just learned how to use Photoshop?

Most importantly, did it make you want to listen to it? When you listened, did the art fit the music? Or was it a complete departure?

I go through all of these questions when I’m producing an album. Why? I want people to listen to the album! If the album looks like amateur hour, many people will not take the opportunity to hear all the hard work you put into it. Does this mean you have to learn how to be a photographer or graphic designer? No. It does mean that you should work to build a creative team of people you can rely on to make you look as good as you sound. The day I embraced this philosophy is the day I quit calling people for work, and instead, more people started calling me. Enter Erick Anderson.