3.21.14 It's a Max Martin Reunion on A3!

OT -- It is the second day of Spring and we have a beautiful snow storm in NE Ohio. Looks like Christmas snowglobe snow!

**

On Max Martin, I really recommend have a broader view of this supremely talented man. For starters, before he was a producer he was a rock musician -- and in a heavy, Scandinavian-style rock band. If anyone can help Adam figure out how to integrate Rock into Mainstream Pop music it is Max Martin.

Setting that aside, a few thoughts....

1. Adam is a very smart, experienced and determined man. He has his own vision. Trust him. It is not 2009 and he is not there to sing the vocal to a track someone else has written. It is his team. I am sure he got to recommend people to bring into the writing sessions.

2. Several weeks with Max Martin, and allowing Max Martin to run a writing camp, is a huge investment. The last time I know about something like this happening, and the only time I think it happened, was back in the n' Sync days. I do not know if any label has funded this before. For example, for the Britney Spear writing camp, the song writers were assembled in Texas, but the big producers (Max Martin and Dr Luke) did not attend.

> Something like this took more than money. This took label guarantees for promotion and distribution of the music. This too someone with massive credibility working with Adam. (And DMG is not enough.) I say it points to Jason Flom and UMG, but there are other possibilities. But it must be someone respected working with Adam.

> If you are not impressed with Max Martin, and/or do not like his music, at least realize that Max IS the most important and successful man in pop music. He has more hits that Michael Jackson and Madonna TOGETHER. A Max Martin song will get radio airplay in the US.

3. The writing camp involves a lot of people. One that we are sure of is Joe Janiak who does indie pop. So whatever is going on in Sweden, it is not a typical set of pop songwriters.

4. Most importantly --- Max Martin has a track record of working with people with strong vocals on pop songs -- notable Kelly Clarkson and Pink.

Finally, if three of Max's 16 #1 songs ["Dynamite", "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "So What"] sound the same to you, you are actually not listening to the music.

"Dynamite" (Tao Cruz) is a dance-pop, R&B song with 120 BPM (fast version for clubs is 140 BPM). (6xP in the US! and still selling)

"I Knew You Were Trouble" (Taylor Swift) is electropop and incorporates dubstep. (debuted at #1 on the Hot 100, 416,000 copies sold in its first week)

"So What" (Pink) is an uptempo pop-rock song.