Posts tagged as:

copyright

Licensing FAQ – presented by Disc Makers and Limelight

by Disc Makers September 14, 2011

Any time you reproduce and distribute a recording of a composition you did not write – and that is not in the public domain – you need a mechanical license. Mechanical licenses are issued by the owner or controller of the composition, typically publishers, acting on behalf of songwriters or composers. Basically, this is a royalty payment to the songwriter (or more correctly, the copyright owner) for allowing you the use of the composition. Read more…

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Copyright Basics: Exclusive rights, licensing lingo, and more

by Keith Hatschek March 24, 2011

So you’ve written a new song. It may have the potential to be a hit, but one thing is certain: it makes sense to properly protect your song if you hope to profit from its recording and public performance. How do music copyrights work? What is required to have ownership of your song’s copyright? Why should you register it with the Library of Congress? What are some of the common music licenses that generate income for songwriters? Read more…

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The Self-Released Album – A Four Part Series

by Disc Makers June 11, 2010

Cameron Mizell, freelance guitarist, producer, and consultant in Brooklyn, has written a four part series about self-releasing an album. Filled with helpful information and resources on everything from your production schedule to digital distribution to copyrights and cover songs, it is a must-read. Read more…

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Get Paid When You Get Played

by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan September 30, 2009

Practical advice to earn you twice the royalties you think you’re owed

ibsurvivalguideNo musician can afford to miss out on a potential source of income. So if you’re a songwriter, and not a member of a Performance Rights Organizations (PRO) like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or SOCAN (Canada), you could be leaving money on the table. It’s not difficult to join one of these organizations, and as an independent, there are ways to enroll that allow you to maximize your royalties and double what you might think you’re eligible for.

Unfortunately, to understand PROs and what they can do for you, it’s important to understand how copyright works for music. So even though “brief” and “copyright” should probably never go into the same sentence, an overview to explain why PROs exist, how they pay songwriters, and how they are different from other organizations that collect money for musicians (like Harry Fox) is necessary. Read more…

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Music Business 101 – Publishing

by Terry Hart August 18, 2009

Publishing.

This one word has caused more musicians to pull their hair out than any other word in the music business. It’s a tricky and confusing subject – confusion that’s aided by the unintuitive nature of copyright law, the use of archaic terms left over from the history of music publishing, and the general craziness of the music business.

But music publishing is one of the most important aspects of the music business. Every musician wishing to earn money from their music needs to have at least a general understanding of publishing.

If you’ve been following the Music Business 101 series on GrindEFX, you should have a leg up on copyright and licensing, which form the basis for music publishing. Read more…

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Choosing a Record Producer

by Bobby Borg August 7, 2009

The most important thing to a musician is the music you create.

You’ll probably spend years developing a distinctive sound and style before finally getting the opportunity to record your first album professionally. Be warned, all the hard work you’ve put into creating your sound may not be enough to create a successful record. Producing a great album is an art form in itself, and it will likely require the expertise of an experienced professional producer. A producer can actually make or break your career. Read more…

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Music Business 101 – Copyright

by Disc Makers July 27, 2009

GrindEFX just wrote the first in a series of articles about the music business, targeted at musicians. This edition tackles the infamous copyright.

Welcome to the first installment of GrindEFX’s introduction to some of the most important, and most confusing, concepts in the music business. These are concepts that serve as required knowledge for anyone wishing to take their music beyond the hobby level.

Read more…

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Planning Your Album

by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan July 22, 2009

Planning Your Album
A checklist to help you plan your next album and win fans worldwide.

If you’re sitting down to tackle making an album, there’s a lot to think about; from clearing the rights for your cover songs, to converting the cover art to the right format. These issues can trip you up, or cause the album to take a lot longer than you planned. Some musicians get so lost in handling the technical production of the album that they forget generating publicity and buzz about a new release. Read more…

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