Per the Copyright Act of 1976, as soon as your song is in a fixed form, you own the copyright. So usually what people are talking about is registering the copyright when they ask, “Should I copyright my song?” Read the post.
The “Mentoring for the Modern Musician” podcast interviewed Keith Hatschek, author of How to Get a Job in the Music Industry. Hatcheck connects his own career path to how he teaches students, encouraging them to hone a variety of skills as they find their place in the music industry. Read More.
For indie musicians and songwriters who don’t yet have connections in publishing and licensing, music libraries are one way you can seek music licensing opportunities. Read the post.
These five steps might not be fun or glamorous, but they’re necessary if you’re serious about seeking a music licensing deal. Read More.
Copyright termination is giving music artists the opportunity to reclaim the rights to their songs. The stories of Duran Duran, Paul McCartney and The Village People’s Victor Willis tell the tale. Read More.
Whatever you think of Adele’s decision to follow the likes of Taylor Swift and Thom Yorke and sidestep streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, she’s proven again that she has the star power and “four quadrant” appeal to change the trajectory of album sales for the industry this year. Read more.
Everyone wants to know how to make a little extra cash with their music, and music licensing is an appealing option for many independent musicians. There are measurable differences between the different levels of music libraries – finding the ones for you depends on your experience and business model. Read more.
Game composer Tom Salta and music publisher Jake Versluis advise hooking up with a quality music publisher if you can – or making a strong pitch directly to game-makers if you can’t – but how do you approach either sort of party and get taken seriously? Here’s advice on how to pitch your music for video games. Read more.
While you may find success placing music in smaller-scale video games, music publisher Jake Versluis (Director of A&R Creative for Position Music) says you need a long-term plan, a big-time work ethic, and really great music to land your work in the big-league titles. Read more.
“Happy Birthday To Me:” a complicated history – and future – for the world’s simplest song; vinyl sales continue to make headlines, with sales generating more revenue than free Spotify, YouTube, and VEVO combined; JVC and Taiyo Yuden to stop producing optical media – FalconMedia remains a reliable option. Read more.
In the broadest sense, a music publisher looks for music initially like an A&R rep at a label would. We’re searching for the best talent. We do differ in one significant way: talent alone can sometimes entice an A&R rep to sign an artist. With music publishers, that is rarely the case. Read more.
Music publishing has its lore and legends. The story of Michael Jackson coming to own the rights to The Beatles’ catalog is high on the list. It started when Jackson contributed to McCartney’s Pipes Of Pan album, when McCartney opened Jackson’s eyes to the notion of song copyrights as an investment. Read more.
If you are an aspiring songwriter, the promise of earning a steady stream of music royalties from the use of your songs is just that – a promise. Assuming that you’ve written songs that have the potential to attract an audience, and likewise a potential user of your songs (a licensee), understanding the numerous avenues available to license your original song is the next step on the road to earning money from your compositions. Read more.
Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs … and what’s wrong with that? If you’re planning to use a previously written composition in your efforts, though, you may want to ask: “What constitutes a public domain composition?” Read More.