Now would be a good time to concentrate on making money with your talents, not skills. Get out and talk to people and offer your services. Advertise your services.
Always thought about freelance work but have not found the right time? Well, if we are faced with a recession, experience shows that a recession can be a good time to be a freelancer.
Many larger companies and organizations lay off full-time employees and contract the work out to freelance professionals. It's cheaper for the some companies because they don't have to pay related benefits or long-term employment issues.
How do you get started? You don't need to even quit your full-time job. Becoming a part-time freelance professional has never been easier. Then, if you decide you have enough work and want to switch to full-time later...you can. Some people just stay part-time and enjoy the extra income.
In order to get started, the first step is finding a good freelance community and search for work that may be of interest to you. There are many different freelance communities with thousands of different jobs available. You will just have to find the one that fits your interests and goals.
Once you have found work that you are interested in, you will either apply or bid on the available work. You may not be chosen for every assignment, but with so many available, you are certain to find just the right work for you.
Then you work with employers, complete your assignments, and receive payment.
As you complete more and more work, you will earn a reputation as a freelance professional...so if a recession hits, they will pick you as their worker of choice.
Showing posts with label philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philosophy. Show all posts
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Ban on Arts Stimulus, Declare Arts Worker Jobs Not “Real”
Folks, we have a lot of work ahead of us in the good ole' USA...
The plot in US politics, in the space of a few short weeks, has gone something like this:
- A new Administration could bring new vision to making the arts part of the economy.
- Arts spending is wasteful.
- Any spending on anything should be specifically prohibited from reaching the arts, as that would be wasteful and evil, and the arts are the best symbol of Waste itself.
As digital musicians and visualists, relevancy to the rest of the people around us is important. What we do can be meaningful to people, and it can pay for our health care and our loved ones and our kids. It’s often not a life or death thing - but then, neither are many jobs. It’s a gig. Heck, even if it’s a hobby, it supports someone else’s gig.
So that raises some really deep questions about what’s going on with our society when arts-related jobs are singled out above nearly every other sector as meaningless or “wasteful” or not “real jobs.” This stimulus bill will pass, but that fundamental misunderstanding isn’t going anywhere - and it’s time to recognize there’s a problem, and start to work to set it right.
Roughly half of one one hundredth of one percent of the US economic stimulus plan was slated to support job protection in the arts — US$50 million. Meanwhile, we’ve just passed one trillion-dollar bailout of finance and are told another trillion is needed.
You might expect anger to be directed at finance, given their industry was at the heart of the problem. Instead, legislators single out — the arts?
In last-minute negotiations in the US Senate, legislators — including key liberal Democrats — have gone still further to ban any use of stimulus funds for the arts (”museums,” “theaters,” and “arts centers” get singled out). The move was largely symbolically-motivated, not fiscally-motivated. Adding insult to injury, arts institutions are lumped together with casinos and golf courses - literally.
- U.S. Senate Votes Against the Arts (Chicago Examiner)
- Arts Bashing (Center for American Progress)
Congress Restores Arts Funding, Drops Arts Stimulus Ban, After Public Outcry
Here in the US, Congressional Democrats have reversed not one but both bad decisions on the role of the arts in the economic stimulus package. Provisions that would have blocked any stimulus funds from reaching arts centers, museums, and theaters have been dropped. (Golf courses and casinos are still in the ban. Maybe this time, someone read the actual legislation.) And the US$50 million (out of some $800 billion) that would go to the National Endowment for the Arts, dropped from a Senate version, has been restored to the bill. It appears both of those changes not only cleared the House but are part of the Senate version that’s in votes as I write this.
If you believe artists shouldn’t rely exclusively on government funding, you can still celebrate. The arts will receive far less of a handout than a lot of other industries — and do more with it. Arts advocacy groups estimate that for every dollar of the NEA money, another seven dollars will come from public and private supporters. What the tiny amount of federal spending does is make up for shortfalls in lean times, protecting an arts sphere that depends on a variety of sources for revenue. Nearly 15,000 real jobs could be saved by those same estimates. That means an arts infrastructure in the US that can remain healthy and independent.
But the important story here has nothing to do with the stimulus bill, or even the US. It’s that public outcry from people like you rescued this legislation. And if public support can do that, it can do a lot more for the arts, not only in federal spending but other key areas.
Americans for the Arts says supporters from its organization alone sent some 100,000 messages and letters to their Members of Congress. That’s not counting the many more letters and phone calls from constituents, not to mention letters to the editor and press attention.
Here’s one example from CDM comments, by Dartanyan Brown:
I heard the congressman from Nashville (!) talking down the $50 million for the
National Endowment for the Arts. I immediately called his office and let his
staffers know that (blue dog democrat Cooper) was full of hot air on this issue.
As a synthesist, jazz musician and former NEA artist-in-residence I had the
facts and anecdotes to make my points clear.
If Rush Limbaugh can get his folks to call, we can at least counteract them with some facts and persistence.
Call them, they listen, they respond to numbers.
More background on today’s developments:
- House passes stimulus bill with $50 million for artists (Los Angeles Times)
- U.S. Senate Begins Voting on Obama’s $787 Billion Stimulus Plan (Bloomberg)
To all of you who were active, and to our elected representatives who got this right, thanks.
Targeting the arts in this way may have backfired for those elements seeking to vilify it. Instead, it caused thousands of people to rally to the cause. Here’s an example of organizing meetings in Chicago - and a renewed sense that the arts could be part of the economic solution, not the “costly distraction” so many try to make it out to be.
- Organizing Around Art (Chicago Tribune)
I Really Dont Want To Get a Regular Job
Written by Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit's eponymous album will be released on February 17, 2009 on Lightning Rod Records . Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit is Isbell's second solo release and his first release with his band The 400 Unit. Prior to his solo career Jason was a member of Drive-By Truckers from 2001 to 2007.
When giving anyone advice about the music business, or anything in general, I find it necessary to have a sense of what the person or group of people is trying to achieve. The trick to manipulating the entertainment industry is knowing your specific goals and being willing to work very hard, cut dead weight, and take some chances in order to get there.
For most musicians, at least most that I know, expectations change as time goes on. When I was thirteen, for example, I spent a great deal of my time daydreaming about fame and wealth. In my mind, I had already chosen jobs for all my friends, though there weren't that many, and I had planned out every initial conversation with all my heroes. While these dreams haven't left me altogether, my priorities now line up far more evenly with my reality. Today, my wildest dreams of rock stardom can be boiled down to this: I really don't want to get a regular fucking job. I think that's an achievable goal that, in the long run, can make me very happy, indeed.
It's clear that this isn't enough for everyone. If you want to be a star, which I don't advise, you should probably stay with a more traditional method of using the business. Audition for anything that comes your way, network until your iPhone is full of numbers and your soul is locked away in your inner monologue (the soul just gets in the way of celebrity), and listen with feverish intensity to that wisest of fanny-packed and man-sandled sage, the A&R person. Allow that person's creative input to guide your creative output, and he or she will be your guide to credibility and artistic worth, at least in the eyes of the average. If you write songs, don't scare anybody. Keep it short and don't try to impress. Dress accordingly. Find a manager that demands at least twenty percent. Anything less, and you'll find yourself up saddle creek without a paddle. You'll probably want to devote every realized thought and every waking hour to understanding and pronouncing the word 'yes'. Make it your mantra. You'll get time for yourself later, when you're loaded and can afford to hide.
This is clearly not the path for folks like us. I write songs to teach myself how to feel about something, and when I see a crowd of people in front of me, singing along to those songs, I can't help but think I'm not alone in this world. This interaction is a plant that must be grown and cultivated. Find people you trust to water it when you're away. At this point in my career, the best tip I can give anyone is this: Work with your friends. Oh, and don't have stupid, greedy, negligent friends. Seems easy enough, I guess.
Internet, internet, internet. Any discussion of the music business would not be complete without the inclusion the of the mighty mighty media, the new Goliath killer that allows all of us shoe-gazing Davids access to the most powerful slingshot in history. With a click or two, we can propel our music to all corners of the world, or receive music form the least popular new band in Belgium. Become familiar with it. Unknown bands now have the ability to spend their spare time spreading the word without anyone else's help or authorization. I could sit in front of my computer and connect with hundreds or thousands of people in a day's time. If only a small percentage of these folks ever become fans of my band, that is a big step in the right direction. MySpace, Facebook, iTunes, YouTube... It's as if these sites have been custom built for emerging bands and artists, and they're easy to use. Don't complain about their power, and don't underestimate it.
Tour, tour, tour. My final piece of advice for those interested in making a living in music is to get your ass on the road. You don't have to wait on labels or radio or anything else. The Ford Econoline van is the greatest automobile ever made. Get one, load it up, and call in every favor you can. Trust friends to tell you where to play and put in a good word with the booker. If you're any good and you work hard, you should be able to find someone to take over your booking. Once you get an agent, you can usually find a manager. Once you have an agent and a manager, you can usually find a label. Don't be afraid to fire any of these people at any time, and remember that they work for you, not the other way around. In many cases, you could do their job, but they can't do yours.
If you work very hard and still have no success, there's a chance that you might be making bad music. If that's the case, I can't help you. However, if you put all of your energy into achieving well-thought-out goals, like that of not having to work a regular job and making the best music you can make, something might accidentally catch fire and you might find yourself with a hit. Stranger things have happened. More than likely, though, you'll build a relatively small but loyal group of fans that will follow you to your grave. That can enable you to make music for a living for the rest of your life, and that's way better than being famous. I hope.
www.knowthemusicbiz.com
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit's eponymous album will be released on February 17, 2009 on Lightning Rod Records . Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit is Isbell's second solo release and his first release with his band The 400 Unit. Prior to his solo career Jason was a member of Drive-By Truckers from 2001 to 2007.
When giving anyone advice about the music business, or anything in general, I find it necessary to have a sense of what the person or group of people is trying to achieve. The trick to manipulating the entertainment industry is knowing your specific goals and being willing to work very hard, cut dead weight, and take some chances in order to get there.
For most musicians, at least most that I know, expectations change as time goes on. When I was thirteen, for example, I spent a great deal of my time daydreaming about fame and wealth. In my mind, I had already chosen jobs for all my friends, though there weren't that many, and I had planned out every initial conversation with all my heroes. While these dreams haven't left me altogether, my priorities now line up far more evenly with my reality. Today, my wildest dreams of rock stardom can be boiled down to this: I really don't want to get a regular fucking job. I think that's an achievable goal that, in the long run, can make me very happy, indeed.
It's clear that this isn't enough for everyone. If you want to be a star, which I don't advise, you should probably stay with a more traditional method of using the business. Audition for anything that comes your way, network until your iPhone is full of numbers and your soul is locked away in your inner monologue (the soul just gets in the way of celebrity), and listen with feverish intensity to that wisest of fanny-packed and man-sandled sage, the A&R person. Allow that person's creative input to guide your creative output, and he or she will be your guide to credibility and artistic worth, at least in the eyes of the average. If you write songs, don't scare anybody. Keep it short and don't try to impress. Dress accordingly. Find a manager that demands at least twenty percent. Anything less, and you'll find yourself up saddle creek without a paddle. You'll probably want to devote every realized thought and every waking hour to understanding and pronouncing the word 'yes'. Make it your mantra. You'll get time for yourself later, when you're loaded and can afford to hide.
This is clearly not the path for folks like us. I write songs to teach myself how to feel about something, and when I see a crowd of people in front of me, singing along to those songs, I can't help but think I'm not alone in this world. This interaction is a plant that must be grown and cultivated. Find people you trust to water it when you're away. At this point in my career, the best tip I can give anyone is this: Work with your friends. Oh, and don't have stupid, greedy, negligent friends. Seems easy enough, I guess.
Internet, internet, internet. Any discussion of the music business would not be complete without the inclusion the of the mighty mighty media, the new Goliath killer that allows all of us shoe-gazing Davids access to the most powerful slingshot in history. With a click or two, we can propel our music to all corners of the world, or receive music form the least popular new band in Belgium. Become familiar with it. Unknown bands now have the ability to spend their spare time spreading the word without anyone else's help or authorization. I could sit in front of my computer and connect with hundreds or thousands of people in a day's time. If only a small percentage of these folks ever become fans of my band, that is a big step in the right direction. MySpace, Facebook, iTunes, YouTube... It's as if these sites have been custom built for emerging bands and artists, and they're easy to use. Don't complain about their power, and don't underestimate it.
Tour, tour, tour. My final piece of advice for those interested in making a living in music is to get your ass on the road. You don't have to wait on labels or radio or anything else. The Ford Econoline van is the greatest automobile ever made. Get one, load it up, and call in every favor you can. Trust friends to tell you where to play and put in a good word with the booker. If you're any good and you work hard, you should be able to find someone to take over your booking. Once you get an agent, you can usually find a manager. Once you have an agent and a manager, you can usually find a label. Don't be afraid to fire any of these people at any time, and remember that they work for you, not the other way around. In many cases, you could do their job, but they can't do yours.
If you work very hard and still have no success, there's a chance that you might be making bad music. If that's the case, I can't help you. However, if you put all of your energy into achieving well-thought-out goals, like that of not having to work a regular job and making the best music you can make, something might accidentally catch fire and you might find yourself with a hit. Stranger things have happened. More than likely, though, you'll build a relatively small but loyal group of fans that will follow you to your grave. That can enable you to make music for a living for the rest of your life, and that's way better than being famous. I hope.
www.knowthemusicbiz.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Copyright Criminals
Copyright Criminals: This Is a Sampling Sport examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money.
This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.”
The film showcases many of hip-hop music’s founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Digital Underground—while also featuring emerging hip-hop artists from record labels Definitive Jux, Rhymesayers, Ninja Tune, and more. It also provides an in-depth look at artists who have been sampled, such as Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown's drummer and the world's most sampled musician), as well as commentary by another highly sampled musician, funk legend George Clinton.
As artists find ever more inventive ways to insert old influences into new material, this documentary asks a critical question, on behalf of an entire creative community: Can you own a sound?
http://www.copyrightcriminals.com
This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.”
The film showcases many of hip-hop music’s founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Digital Underground—while also featuring emerging hip-hop artists from record labels Definitive Jux, Rhymesayers, Ninja Tune, and more. It also provides an in-depth look at artists who have been sampled, such as Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown's drummer and the world's most sampled musician), as well as commentary by another highly sampled musician, funk legend George Clinton.
As artists find ever more inventive ways to insert old influences into new material, this documentary asks a critical question, on behalf of an entire creative community: Can you own a sound?
http://www.copyrightcriminals.com
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Rise & Rise of Independent Music
The Association of Independent Music (AIM) is holding a special event to celebrate 50 years of successful independent music which will include a gig, a five part television series, a one off auction on ebay and the release of a double CD full of "independent" covers. Artists including The Prodigy, The Charlatans and Maximo Park have all given their backing to the cause and plan to donate songs for the album. Songs to be covered include Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart, PIL's Public Image and Ghost Town by The Specials.
Independents Day marks the anniversary of Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall's indie label, Island Records. The Jamaican-born label signed giants U2 before selling to Polygram in 1989, a trend which many independent labels followed. Creation and Factory records disappeared in the 1990's whilst others folded through a calamity of errors from over expansion to cashflow problems.
Independent music is responsible for more than 25% of the UK's music scene and is claimed to have pioneered the music industry for many years. Alison Wenham, Chairman for AIM stated that [independents] had been "at the forefront of every single new musical movement over the years."
For proof of this, just take a look at every popular music scene over the last 50 years: There was the DIY punk scene in the seventies, the indie guitar sounds from New Order in the eighties and the massive dance music boom in the nineties.
Today, we are seeing the independent label make a comeback. Domino Records have given us two recent chart toppers; Scottish band, Franz Ferdinand and northerners, Arctic Monkeys. The internet has provided a new platform with which to promote this music. Sites such as Myspace, Youtube and Facebook all promote bands young and old, signed and unsigned for general consumption. These social networking sites have allowed users to access new music much easier than ever before with some 40% of users embedding music within their pages.
Russell Hart, chief executive of Entertainment Media Research added "Social networks are fundamentally changing the way we discover music... the dynamics of democratisation, word of mouth recommendation and instant purchase challenge the established order and offer huge opportunities to forward thinking business."
Local label, Signature Tune is making the most of these sites and one of their bands, Lakes is reaping the benefits of using an independent label. Scott Byatt, the band's drummer said "As a band on an independent label, advances in communication and technology mean we can communicate with bands and promoters the world over helping us network and get shows with ease... Our CDs can be bought in many high street stores and our tracks can be downloaded from iTunes, once again without the help of a major."
Radiohead were perhaps the first big band to see the change in direction and act upon it. After the end of their contract with music giants EMI, the band went solo with the release of their latest album, In Rainbows. The album was released as a digital download in October 2007, allowing customers to pay as much, or as little as they liked for it. The group took ownership of their own songs and released ten tracks online more than one month before the tangible album was released in the shops.
Front man for the band, Thom Yorke noted the growing number of pirate copies of their music being appearing online and in an interview with Wired he said, "every record for the last four - including my solo record - has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it then." Yorke's attempt to beat the pirates seem to have worked. On average, the electronic download sold for 4 GBP. Not bad considering you could download it for free if you were feeling too tight to pay.
The return to indie worked wonders for Radiohead. Although the downloads from the website, inrabows were not counted in the album charts, the band did manage to create enough hype and speculation around the release of their album that when the CD actually hit the shops, it reached number one in the UK album chart, the United World Chart and the US Billboard 200.
Other groups may do well to take note of this action when considering future releases. Of the music industry, and in particular their ex record label, Yorke added "What we would like is the old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music [as] a nice side project who weren't too bothered about the shareholders. Ah well, not much chance of that."
Au contraire, EMI boss, Guy Hands is keen to seize upon the opportunities presented by smaller, independent labels. These labels have always maintained a stronger working relationship with their artists and are much more keen to try their hands at new promotional techniques. With the renaissance of DIY music and bands creating music for music's sake, independent labels cannot be ignored. EMI declared that they are planning on working like a larger version of the indie label, with many smaller labels working under their umbrella.
So they may be more willing to try new techniques, but the problem of shareholders still remains. Wenham continues, "If you have shareholders to please, inevitably it becomes about making music from the music." Indie music is very much about the music and as long as the shareholders give the smaller labels a wide berth, we should continue to see more impressive acts pushing the scene forward.
Independents Day marks the anniversary of Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall's indie label, Island Records. The Jamaican-born label signed giants U2 before selling to Polygram in 1989, a trend which many independent labels followed. Creation and Factory records disappeared in the 1990's whilst others folded through a calamity of errors from over expansion to cashflow problems.
Independent music is responsible for more than 25% of the UK's music scene and is claimed to have pioneered the music industry for many years. Alison Wenham, Chairman for AIM stated that [independents] had been "at the forefront of every single new musical movement over the years."
For proof of this, just take a look at every popular music scene over the last 50 years: There was the DIY punk scene in the seventies, the indie guitar sounds from New Order in the eighties and the massive dance music boom in the nineties.
Today, we are seeing the independent label make a comeback. Domino Records have given us two recent chart toppers; Scottish band, Franz Ferdinand and northerners, Arctic Monkeys. The internet has provided a new platform with which to promote this music. Sites such as Myspace, Youtube and Facebook all promote bands young and old, signed and unsigned for general consumption. These social networking sites have allowed users to access new music much easier than ever before with some 40% of users embedding music within their pages.
Russell Hart, chief executive of Entertainment Media Research added "Social networks are fundamentally changing the way we discover music... the dynamics of democratisation, word of mouth recommendation and instant purchase challenge the established order and offer huge opportunities to forward thinking business."
Local label, Signature Tune is making the most of these sites and one of their bands, Lakes is reaping the benefits of using an independent label. Scott Byatt, the band's drummer said "As a band on an independent label, advances in communication and technology mean we can communicate with bands and promoters the world over helping us network and get shows with ease... Our CDs can be bought in many high street stores and our tracks can be downloaded from iTunes, once again without the help of a major."
Radiohead were perhaps the first big band to see the change in direction and act upon it. After the end of their contract with music giants EMI, the band went solo with the release of their latest album, In Rainbows. The album was released as a digital download in October 2007, allowing customers to pay as much, or as little as they liked for it. The group took ownership of their own songs and released ten tracks online more than one month before the tangible album was released in the shops.
Front man for the band, Thom Yorke noted the growing number of pirate copies of their music being appearing online and in an interview with Wired he said, "every record for the last four - including my solo record - has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it then." Yorke's attempt to beat the pirates seem to have worked. On average, the electronic download sold for 4 GBP. Not bad considering you could download it for free if you were feeling too tight to pay.
The return to indie worked wonders for Radiohead. Although the downloads from the website, inrabows were not counted in the album charts, the band did manage to create enough hype and speculation around the release of their album that when the CD actually hit the shops, it reached number one in the UK album chart, the United World Chart and the US Billboard 200.
Other groups may do well to take note of this action when considering future releases. Of the music industry, and in particular their ex record label, Yorke added "What we would like is the old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music [as] a nice side project who weren't too bothered about the shareholders. Ah well, not much chance of that."
Au contraire, EMI boss, Guy Hands is keen to seize upon the opportunities presented by smaller, independent labels. These labels have always maintained a stronger working relationship with their artists and are much more keen to try their hands at new promotional techniques. With the renaissance of DIY music and bands creating music for music's sake, independent labels cannot be ignored. EMI declared that they are planning on working like a larger version of the indie label, with many smaller labels working under their umbrella.
So they may be more willing to try new techniques, but the problem of shareholders still remains. Wenham continues, "If you have shareholders to please, inevitably it becomes about making music from the music." Indie music is very much about the music and as long as the shareholders give the smaller labels a wide berth, we should continue to see more impressive acts pushing the scene forward.
Friday, July 25, 2008
End of the Diva
In this day and age of technology, every female vocalist must come to the realization that there is a human being behind them that makes them a diva. Without the music, the production and the beats, no one would be dancing to their acapella. I hate to be so blunt, but I see to many young ladies who can sing and think that is all that is required of them to be rich and famous. They feel because they have placed their vocals & lyrics on top of a track that people should bow before them. This is just non-sense. The music is just as important as the vocals. The drums, melody and rhythm helps give the listener a better feel of the emotions being expressed. It is the mixing of the two elements from both parties that create the magic of the track.
The vocalist that only sings and maybe writes lyrics get off easy. The hard part is the creation of the track, the production of the track and the mix down of the track with the vocals. Most of the time you must use auto tuning software on the vocalist to repair their mistakes. What makes most of the vocalists sound so great is the recipe of effects the producer uses on their voices.
If it wasn’t for the producers there would be no divas. Sure Gloria Gaynor brought something unique to the disco classic “I Will Survive”, but the music in this track is an emotional roller coaster. She could not have expressed such great heart & soul without such an emotional track under her.
Sometime in mid 2006’ I met a young lady after I had posted a message online looking for a female vocalist to appear on some tracks. When we first met she was very humble. She was happy to be getting the chance to sing on some tracks. I agreed with her that any profit that comes from the music projects we collaborate on together I would split with her.
We began to make tracks together. The power between us was amazing. The first two tracks were very good. The creative power together was amazing. I would write a beat with the basic melody and send it to her over the Internet in mp3 format. She would then write a song to this beat I created. Then she would record her vocals for me as I would work on the track getting it ready for vocals. After she sent me her vocals, I would mix them into our song.
The process was complicated because I was not in a studio with her to direct her on how I wanted her to sing; it was very hard doing this online.
When we first started working together and I saw the power between us, I warned her of what I call fiends. A fiend is basically a hater except a fiend will want what you have that they hate on. They will then conspire to take or ruin what you have so they can have it. Just like a dope fiend. If a fiend wants something you have, they will get it one way or another. I knew that there would be jealous producers that would try to step in between us.
Once we had completed a few tracks, I began to create product and promote us. Everything I did for us was out my personal pocket. Never once did she offer to help with any of the costs. If anything she only expected money. I pressed a CD and 2 records. I also promoted our work. I spent over $3000 dollars on product and promotion of our projects. The total revenue from this investment is about $1200 dollars. This is not even half of what I invested into our work.
The tone with my vocalist began to change after the 3rd solid track we created. She began accusing me of stealing from her. She told me that others were telling her what I was really making from her. Today I laugh because what I warned her about happened. She was listening to other producers who were not in my shoes, judging me. Of course they will bad mouth me if it means you will sing with them.
Shortly after this she began working with other producers. I will not lie, I felt betrayed. I enjoyed the magic we had and I saw no reason why she needed to work with other producers. If she was trying to gain fame then more power to her. I will not stand in her way. It just blows what I thought we were doing together, even though I did all the work and paid out all the expenses.
I figured these new producers were the ones she was talking to behind my back. The same ones that were filling her head with thoughts that I was getting rich off of her. Even today I laugh at that. In this business, it is possible to hit it with one track, but in most cases artists and bands can take 10 years of hard work to make a name for them selves. That is a lot of commitment that most who try do not have. At this point in my career, I had been producing for 7 years. I had showed my commitment and heart. She had only been singing on tracks a few months. She was getting an easy ride, but as in most cases it was not good enough for the diva.
Eventually her attitude pushed me away from her. I began to get tired of her moaning all the time about how I wasn’t making her a star fast enough. She had become demanding, expecting me to send her money when she wanted it. I could not help her. There was no money. I did agree to split the profits, but this includes losses too. The revenue is still in the negative compared to costs. There is no money to give her.
This was not good enough for the diva so I let her go. I figured maybe she will appreciate it more if she has to work herself for it. What I had done for her was much more than beyond the call of duty. What I was doing for her was something I only wish someone would have done for me when I was only one year into the scene. You would think that a rational human being would be grateful for what has been done for them, especially when someone spent over $3000 dollars on them out of their personal pocket. Let us not forget about the time invested, the opportunity presented and the exposure. How could you not be grateful for these things?
After I let go of her, she began spreading her vocals from tracks we created together to other producers all over the Internet. Still as of now, I have no idea why. I have seen way too many remixes of tracks that we wrote together. The best part is none of these kids give credit to me for writing the original version.
When the vocalist and I made our first or any song together, we created what is called a joint work. Since we had no contract, copyright law would hold that both of us each own an undivided interest in the whole of the copyright. This means in essence that we each own 50% and you can each exploit the entire work so long as you account and pay royalties to the other. What she is doing is copyright infringement and exposes herself, the remixer / producer who changed the works and any website exploiting those works without my permission to legal action and damages.
The vocalist that only sings and maybe writes lyrics get off easy. The hard part is the creation of the track, the production of the track and the mix down of the track with the vocals. Most of the time you must use auto tuning software on the vocalist to repair their mistakes. What makes most of the vocalists sound so great is the recipe of effects the producer uses on their voices.
If it wasn’t for the producers there would be no divas. Sure Gloria Gaynor brought something unique to the disco classic “I Will Survive”, but the music in this track is an emotional roller coaster. She could not have expressed such great heart & soul without such an emotional track under her.
Sometime in mid 2006’ I met a young lady after I had posted a message online looking for a female vocalist to appear on some tracks. When we first met she was very humble. She was happy to be getting the chance to sing on some tracks. I agreed with her that any profit that comes from the music projects we collaborate on together I would split with her.
We began to make tracks together. The power between us was amazing. The first two tracks were very good. The creative power together was amazing. I would write a beat with the basic melody and send it to her over the Internet in mp3 format. She would then write a song to this beat I created. Then she would record her vocals for me as I would work on the track getting it ready for vocals. After she sent me her vocals, I would mix them into our song.
The process was complicated because I was not in a studio with her to direct her on how I wanted her to sing; it was very hard doing this online.
When we first started working together and I saw the power between us, I warned her of what I call fiends. A fiend is basically a hater except a fiend will want what you have that they hate on. They will then conspire to take or ruin what you have so they can have it. Just like a dope fiend. If a fiend wants something you have, they will get it one way or another. I knew that there would be jealous producers that would try to step in between us.
Once we had completed a few tracks, I began to create product and promote us. Everything I did for us was out my personal pocket. Never once did she offer to help with any of the costs. If anything she only expected money. I pressed a CD and 2 records. I also promoted our work. I spent over $3000 dollars on product and promotion of our projects. The total revenue from this investment is about $1200 dollars. This is not even half of what I invested into our work.
The tone with my vocalist began to change after the 3rd solid track we created. She began accusing me of stealing from her. She told me that others were telling her what I was really making from her. Today I laugh because what I warned her about happened. She was listening to other producers who were not in my shoes, judging me. Of course they will bad mouth me if it means you will sing with them.
Shortly after this she began working with other producers. I will not lie, I felt betrayed. I enjoyed the magic we had and I saw no reason why she needed to work with other producers. If she was trying to gain fame then more power to her. I will not stand in her way. It just blows what I thought we were doing together, even though I did all the work and paid out all the expenses.
I figured these new producers were the ones she was talking to behind my back. The same ones that were filling her head with thoughts that I was getting rich off of her. Even today I laugh at that. In this business, it is possible to hit it with one track, but in most cases artists and bands can take 10 years of hard work to make a name for them selves. That is a lot of commitment that most who try do not have. At this point in my career, I had been producing for 7 years. I had showed my commitment and heart. She had only been singing on tracks a few months. She was getting an easy ride, but as in most cases it was not good enough for the diva.
Eventually her attitude pushed me away from her. I began to get tired of her moaning all the time about how I wasn’t making her a star fast enough. She had become demanding, expecting me to send her money when she wanted it. I could not help her. There was no money. I did agree to split the profits, but this includes losses too. The revenue is still in the negative compared to costs. There is no money to give her.
This was not good enough for the diva so I let her go. I figured maybe she will appreciate it more if she has to work herself for it. What I had done for her was much more than beyond the call of duty. What I was doing for her was something I only wish someone would have done for me when I was only one year into the scene. You would think that a rational human being would be grateful for what has been done for them, especially when someone spent over $3000 dollars on them out of their personal pocket. Let us not forget about the time invested, the opportunity presented and the exposure. How could you not be grateful for these things?
After I let go of her, she began spreading her vocals from tracks we created together to other producers all over the Internet. Still as of now, I have no idea why. I have seen way too many remixes of tracks that we wrote together. The best part is none of these kids give credit to me for writing the original version.
When the vocalist and I made our first or any song together, we created what is called a joint work. Since we had no contract, copyright law would hold that both of us each own an undivided interest in the whole of the copyright. This means in essence that we each own 50% and you can each exploit the entire work so long as you account and pay royalties to the other. What she is doing is copyright infringement and exposes herself, the remixer / producer who changed the works and any website exploiting those works without my permission to legal action and damages.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Be Committed!...You'll Never Be Famous If You Don't Show Up!
by Sheena Metal, Music Highway Radio
Everyone wants to be famous: live in a mansion, drive a sports car, tour the world in your private plane, date a model, float around in the pool while collecting royalties for CD sales, and drink beer right out of your private tap. But not everyone is aware that, with any career that has the potential to end in a bounty of riches and beautiful babes, climbing your way to rock stardom is very hard work.
So, how does your average musical genius go from penniless Pop Tart-eater to Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? How do you move on up from mom's garage to a deluxe apartment in the sky? What's your first baby step on the Yellow Brick Road to fame and fortune? That's simple…be committed!
It sounds silly, but many a musical boat has sailed with a crestfallen unsigned artist standing confused on the dock, for lack of nothing else but follow-through. Commitment to your deeds and plans is the single most essential skill towards achieving your goal of Ultimate Superstardom. Entertainment is a fickle business and chances don't come along every day. One missed opportunity now could have spiraled into dozens even hundreds of opportunities down the line.
It may be true that talent is a gift you carry with you from birth, but commitment is a learned skill that you need to hone every day. So, how can you make sure that you've got what it takes to gather up your supreme musicality and conquer the universe with it continuously?
The following are a few tips that may help you to make sure that you're truly committing yourself to your musical career on a daily basis:
Everyone wants to be famous: live in a mansion, drive a sports car, tour the world in your private plane, date a model, float around in the pool while collecting royalties for CD sales, and drink beer right out of your private tap. But not everyone is aware that, with any career that has the potential to end in a bounty of riches and beautiful babes, climbing your way to rock stardom is very hard work.
So, how does your average musical genius go from penniless Pop Tart-eater to Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? How do you move on up from mom's garage to a deluxe apartment in the sky? What's your first baby step on the Yellow Brick Road to fame and fortune? That's simple…be committed!
It sounds silly, but many a musical boat has sailed with a crestfallen unsigned artist standing confused on the dock, for lack of nothing else but follow-through. Commitment to your deeds and plans is the single most essential skill towards achieving your goal of Ultimate Superstardom. Entertainment is a fickle business and chances don't come along every day. One missed opportunity now could have spiraled into dozens even hundreds of opportunities down the line.
It may be true that talent is a gift you carry with you from birth, but commitment is a learned skill that you need to hone every day. So, how can you make sure that you've got what it takes to gather up your supreme musicality and conquer the universe with it continuously?
The following are a few tips that may help you to make sure that you're truly committing yourself to your musical career on a daily basis:
- Follow Up On All Leads---No matter how insignificant they may seem at the time, it's important to follow up on every musical lead that's thrown your way. Letters, calls and emails should be answered politely and in a timely fashion. New contacts should be logged in your address book for future correspondence. Opportunities should be taken, invites accepted, and chances to network relished. By starting out with just these simple rules you'll watch your resources and mailing list grow. Suddenly you'll have music community friends with which to share your leads and ideas, ask advice, trade experiences, and combine talent and energies. Through these friends, you'll meet new friends and fans and from them even more new connections. Soon, you'll have so many opportunities that your concern will change from lack of opportunity to lack of time in the day to pursue each new chance.
- Just Show Up---Sounds so simple it's stupid, but you'd be surprised how many talented people have fallen by the wayside because they were unable to simply show up. Cancelled gigs, forgotten meetings, and missed auditions say to the Musical Powers That Be, "I'm a huge flake who doesn't think your opportunity is worth a half-hour of my precious time." This is a really bad thing. Entertainment is a small town with a huge memory. Don't give people any reason to think that you're not the person they want to work with, give the job to, book for the gig, sign to their label, write about, talk about, and help any way they can. Remember there are tens of thousands of musicians waiting to take your place, so step up to the plate and seize each chance with optimism and enthusiasm.
- Take Initiative---Don't wait for opportunities to come to you. The world is a virtual cornucopia of information, so reach out and nab yourself some chances at stardom. Comb the internet, join music communities, visit open mic nights, take classes and workshops…put yourself out there where there are cool musical happenings and let others know that you can be relied upon and want to be involved. By going out and seizing your own opportunities, you may double, triple, etc. your resources and chances, and expedite your journey to success.
- Do The Best Job You Can---As important as it is to show up, it is also essential that you come off efficient, talented, and professional when faced with a new opportunity. Being there is half the battle but the other half is being the best that you can be and impressing industry, press, clubs and your fellow musicians enough to make them want you to be involved in anything and everything they do. Make a commitment to put on the best live show possible, to have a terrific CD, to make a professional presskit, and to spread the word about your music. Be punctual, be courteous, be positive and be fun. Don't give anyone any reason not to work with you again and you'll see that it becomes easier and easier to get what you want for your artistic career.
It really is as easy as simply showing up, following up and giving it your all. Making it in music is not impossible; it's just a lot of elbow grease, a little organization, a bit of strategy, and the simple sculpting of your talent into a marketable commodity. There are thousands of chances offered every day to musicians...reach out and grab them by the handful, make every opportunity your own, get everything you want from this business and when you're richer than Oprah and more famous than Madonna, remember that it was you who made it happen. You were a pro. You showed up. You committed.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
What is Logos?
Logos is an important term in philosophy, analytical psychology, rhetoric and religion. It derives from the verb to count, tell, say, or speak. The primary meaning of logos is: something said; by implication a subject, topic of discourse, or reasoning. Secondary meanings such as logic, reasoning, etc. derive from the fact that if one is capable of (infinitive) i.e. speech, then intelligence and reason are assumed.
Its semantic field extends beyond "word" to notions such as "thought, speech, account, meaning, reason, proportion, principle, standard", or "logic". In English, the word is the root of "logic," and of the "-ology" suffix (e.g., geology).
Heraclitus established the term in Western philosophy as meaning both the source and fundamental order of the cosmos. The sophists used the term to mean discourse, and Aristotle applied the term to rational discourse. The Stoic philosophers identified the term with the divine animating principle pervading the universe. After Judaism came under Hellenistic influence, Philo adopted the term into Jewish philosophy. The Gospel of John identifies Jesus as the incarnation of the Logos, through which all things are made. The gospel further identifies the Logos as God (theos).
Psychologist Carl Jung used the term for the masculine principle of rationality.
Its semantic field extends beyond "word" to notions such as "thought, speech, account, meaning, reason, proportion, principle, standard", or "logic". In English, the word is the root of "logic," and of the "-ology" suffix (e.g., geology).
Heraclitus established the term in Western philosophy as meaning both the source and fundamental order of the cosmos. The sophists used the term to mean discourse, and Aristotle applied the term to rational discourse. The Stoic philosophers identified the term with the divine animating principle pervading the universe. After Judaism came under Hellenistic influence, Philo adopted the term into Jewish philosophy. The Gospel of John identifies Jesus as the incarnation of the Logos, through which all things are made. The gospel further identifies the Logos as God (theos).
Psychologist Carl Jung used the term for the masculine principle of rationality.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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