Robert Shahnazarian
Encyclopedia
Robert Shahnazarian, Jr. (born July 28, 1972 in Queens, New York) is a prolific record producer
, having produced over 350 sessions for Sony Connect. These sessions have included such artists as The Killers, David Crosby
/Graham Nash
, John Legend
, Kelly Clarkson
, Snow Patrol
, Silver Sun Pickups, and many others. In addition to producing sessions for Sony
’s online music store, he heads his own record label http://www.feudalrecords.com and production company http://www.feudalproductions.com, Feudal Productions.
He began his career in the music business in 1993 as an intern at Capitol Records
. After graduating from Pepperdine University
with an emphasis in music, he landed his first job in the legal department at Sony Music and on the weekends at KCRW during the radio program Café LA with Tom Schnabel. Next he was hired to work with A&R executive Tim Devine at Columbia Records. In 1997 he designed an in-house production studio in the A&R department at Columbia Records, performing pre/post production work with artists on their demos, album overdubs, radio spots, mixes and editing. In 2003, Robert moved into the space formerly occupied by Sony Studios in Santa Monica and began working with all of the artists on SonyBMG’s labels. In addition he began producing “exclusive” sessions for the Live from the Connect living-room series, created by Ty Braswell and Neil Schield. He is an expert Pro Tools engineer who also pursues, develops and produces new talent as well as offers consulting for music industry related projects. He is a member of AES and NARIP, a voting member of NARAS and supports the T.J. Martell Foundation/Neil Bogart Memorial Fund. He has been interviewed by the BBC World Service and has served on numerous music panels.
In 2007, Robert left Sony BMG and formed Feudal Productions, to Produce artists for both his label and for other labels. Running his sessions, Robert prefers to capture the best live performance of the band as the foundation for the recordings, “getting out of the way of the music coming from the artist” and “letting it come through the console without any distraction”. He views the projects he does with the artists he works with as collaborations, where “egos are left at the door and the music is served”. Besides looking for artists with great songs and a strong work ethic, Robert places a high priority on pre-production and a mutual trust between himself and the artists.
In 2009, Shahnazarian release the debut EP from the dance-rock group The Library, which has garnered critical acclaim. Additionally, he produced original music for the Val Kilmer film "American Cowslip". The band, UltraRev, features members of the rock bands Soundgarden, Color and Seed, who came together to write music specifically for the film.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, having produced over 350 sessions for Sony Connect. These sessions have included such artists as The Killers, David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
/Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
, Silver Sun Pickups, and many others. In addition to producing sessions for Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
’s online music store, he heads his own record label http://www.feudalrecords.com and production company http://www.feudalproductions.com, Feudal Productions.
He began his career in the music business in 1993 as an intern at Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. After graduating from Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
with an emphasis in music, he landed his first job in the legal department at Sony Music and on the weekends at KCRW during the radio program Café LA with Tom Schnabel. Next he was hired to work with A&R executive Tim Devine at Columbia Records. In 1997 he designed an in-house production studio in the A&R department at Columbia Records, performing pre/post production work with artists on their demos, album overdubs, radio spots, mixes and editing. In 2003, Robert moved into the space formerly occupied by Sony Studios in Santa Monica and began working with all of the artists on SonyBMG’s labels. In addition he began producing “exclusive” sessions for the Live from the Connect living-room series, created by Ty Braswell and Neil Schield. He is an expert Pro Tools engineer who also pursues, develops and produces new talent as well as offers consulting for music industry related projects. He is a member of AES and NARIP, a voting member of NARAS and supports the T.J. Martell Foundation/Neil Bogart Memorial Fund. He has been interviewed by the BBC World Service and has served on numerous music panels.
In 2007, Robert left Sony BMG and formed Feudal Productions, to Produce artists for both his label and for other labels. Running his sessions, Robert prefers to capture the best live performance of the band as the foundation for the recordings, “getting out of the way of the music coming from the artist” and “letting it come through the console without any distraction”. He views the projects he does with the artists he works with as collaborations, where “egos are left at the door and the music is served”. Besides looking for artists with great songs and a strong work ethic, Robert places a high priority on pre-production and a mutual trust between himself and the artists.
In 2009, Shahnazarian release the debut EP from the dance-rock group The Library, which has garnered critical acclaim. Additionally, he produced original music for the Val Kilmer film "American Cowslip". The band, UltraRev, features members of the rock bands Soundgarden, Color and Seed, who came together to write music specifically for the film.
External links
- [ Allmusic.com entry]
- Video interview with Robert Shahnazarian
- Production website
- Record Label