Free Music Download

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A violin can be an intimidating musical instrument ?it’s beautiful to look at and listen to but a violin requires an extraordinary amount of education and discipline to be played properly. If you’re thinking of taking violin lessons but feel anxious about it, familiarize yourself with the instrument. Here’s an introduction to the art of playing the violin.

As you probably know, a violinist rests his or her chin and left shoulder on the conveniently named “shoulder rest?o…

A violin can be an intimidating musical instrument ?it’s beautiful to look at and listen to but a violin requires an extraordinary amount of education and discipline to be played properly. If you’re thinking of taking violin lessons but feel anxious about it, familiarize yourself with the instrument. Here’s an introduction to the art of playing the violin.

As you probably know, a violinist rests his or her chin and left shoulder on the conveniently named “shoulder rest?of the violin and sounds the instrument by plucking the strings and/or drawing a bow across them. One reason a violin is so much more difficult to play than a guitar or other stringed instrument, is there are no frets. A violinist must finger a string ever so precisely.

A violin player uses his or her left hand to pluck the strings; beginners might want to put pieces of tape on the instrument to show where notes are located, so they can place their fingers in the correct spots. Moreover, for purposes of learning proper hand placement, a person’s index finger is labeled ?,?and his or her pinky finger is as expected, ???in most instructional booklets, the notes to be played are accompanied by numbers for suggested fingering. There are then various positions of your left hand that you will learn; you will most likely start at first position.

But what do you use your right hand for? And what about the bow? Basically, your left hand creates the pitches, while your right hand or bow is responsible for the tone, rhythm, dynamics, and articulation of the music.

Once you understand how to read violin music, you can then learn all sorts of ways to pluck the strings, as well as multiple bowing techniques. Soon enough you’ll be ready to experiment with the different styles of music, like classical, jazz, and folk (or fiddling).

Learning to play the violin is a rewarding hobby. Lots of people can play the piano, and even more can play the guitar. But how many people can say they are a violinist?

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Microsoft has not been exactly forthcoming with specifications of future Zune devices but they have unveiled hints that intrigue the public and encourage tech enthusiasts to keep an eye on Redmond in the future. Although Microsoft has made some mistakes during the Zune launch no one has completely discounted their efforts and what Zune means to the portable device market.

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Microsoft has not been exactly forthcoming with specifications of future Zune devices but they have unveiled hints that intrigue the public and encourage tech enthusiasts to keep an eye on Redmond in the future. Although Microsoft has made some mistakes during the Zune launch no one has completely discounted their efforts and what Zune means to the portable device market.

Just as Microsoft released their Zune MP3 player, the company confirmed the rumors spreading over the tech industry that they are preparing a lineup of devices that would compete with almost every existing handheld player on the market. According to Microsoft, their future technological innovations would connect home, office and automobile audio-visual systems and enable users to experience multimedia entertainment at their fingertips. It’s their Live Anywhere Initiative and the Zune family of devices appear to be the "Anywhere" component.

The trademark of Zune, which filed documents describe as a “family of multimedia devices” rather than one product, draws quite a bit of attention from many handheld enthusiasts and critics. Many bigwigs from the industry opined that Microsoft is having a “risky game” with existing multimedia devices, threatening them all as the company develops new devices under Zune trademark that would integrate functionality that are offered by separate portable devices nowadays. Many are concerned with Microsofts abandonment of their previous market endeavors such as the Plays4Sure program. Microsoft defends their position by claiming they plan to support both Zune and Plays4Sure as two seperate programs. The Zune devices will allow Microsoft more control over the device design and upgrade progresssion.

The Zune system’s trademark documents submitted to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expose that one of the future features of Zune family would be electronic games. This means that Microsoft intends to have their own product representation in handheld games industry that is currently dominated by companies such as Sony and Nintendo. The software giant’s confidence on their handheld game device venture is strengthened by the success previously realized by their own Xbox – as you may remember, it became the world’s number two game console when it was launched – surpassing the game entertainment veteran, Nintendo. A Microsoft portable game player has been discussed since the beginning of the Xbx was introduced and many have looked forward to the "Xboy" for quite some time. Many in the industry have high hopes for the Zune game player and there is no longer doubt that one is being planned, the only speculation left is what will a Zune gaming device do?.

Microsoft has partnered with several big companies to develop future Zune devices. With the information leaked in the filing of device prototype at FCC from a consortium involving Microsoft, it revealed that their current partners are Intel, Dell, Phillips and HP. Rumors were confirmed by Microsoft and its partners that they are currently working on a smart phone dubbed the “Zune phone.” Though the company did not confirm that their new Zune device is aimed to compete with Apple’s iPhone that will be launched on June 2007, they said that it would be available on the holiday season of the same year. The revelation of the Zune and iPhone would potentially stir telecom companies as these new products take advantage of wireless VOIP. Wireless VOIP would be attractive to public because calls are generally cheaper because they are routed through the Internet.

“Microsoft is getting involved with everything” would seem true statement when other Zune devices scheduled for release. The company’s greater cross-platform ambitions apparently would strike existing handheld manufacturers and encourage them to undergo massive re-strategy either to keep their dominance on their market or to protect their product’s existence. As these competitions push technological development and innovations more rapidly, it is clear that Microsoft is trying to steal the crown from companies as they join the handheld battle of the fittest.

The only question that remains is that if the software giant will be able to realize their plans. While future Zune devices will not immediately materialize, people involved in the industry have plenty of time to wait and see – and it begins with the Microsoft’s first Zune device. Microsoft’s attempt to topple down Apple’s market-leading iPod is merely the beginning of a long, exciting battle in the portable player market.

This article was published using Article Submitter

447

I’m sure you’ve heard that it is incredibly useful to practice with a metronome. Most books and teachers make it abundantly clear that using a metronome is a great way to improve your timing. This is true. But did you know that there are other HUGE benefits to using a metronome? Let’s take a look at a few now…

***Goal Setting***

It’s been proven time-and-time again that goals need to be specific and measurable to work. If you don’t know exactly WHAT you are trying to …

metronome, fretboard mastery

I’m sure you’ve heard that it is incredibly useful to practice with a metronome. Most books and teachers make it abundantly clear that using a metronome is a great way to improve your timing. This is true. But did you know that there are other HUGE benefits to using a metronome? Let’s take a look at a few now…

***Goal Setting***

It’s been proven time-and-time again that goals need to be specific and measurable to work. If you don’t know exactly WHAT you are trying to achieve, how will you know WHEN you have achieved it?

I use my metronome all the time to help me set SPECIFIC goals for my technique development. For example, let’s say that you would like to increase the speed at which you can play a particular exercise. If you use a metronome you can set an EXACT speed for your goal. For example, you might say that when you can play the exercise using sixteenth notes at 160 bpm (beats-per-minute), then you have reached your goal. Can you see how powerful this is? The metronome setting gives you a clear target to aim for!

***Progressive Realization Of Goals***

Metronomes allow you to progressively achieve your goals. What do I mean by this? Put simply, it means start slow and GRADUALLY increase the speed of your metronome. For example, let’s say you want to get a particular lick up to 200 bpm. You could first master the lick at 40 bpm. Once mastered at this speed you could then increase the metronome speed to 42 bpm, then 44 bpm, then 46 bpm. You get the idea! You would work up to the target speed incrementally over a period of days, weeks or even months.

***Developing Listening Skills***

One absolutely vital skill to develop is the ability to play your guitar while still being able to listen to the people that you are playing with. This is especially true in jazz, where a large proportion of the song may be improvised!

Metronomes really help you develop this listening skill. As you practice you will also have to be listening to the click of your metronome. If you don’t, you will soon be playing out of time with it!

Obviously, you’ll develop this listening ability more fully by playing with other musicians, but playing with a metronome will definitely help as well. It’s a great place to start and can often can help build your confidence to play with other people.

Hopefully this article has inspired you to dust off your metronome and use it. It would also be a great exercise to think of some other benefits yourself. Practice hard and have fun!

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If you enjoy writing and recording your own music then you probably just want to concentrate on that, but it is worth taking a few steps today that can save a mountain of trouble later on.

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If you enjoy writing and recording your own music then you probably just want to concentrate on that, but it is worth taking a few steps today that can save a mountain of trouble later on.

Register your work:

If you want to get published, or even if you self publish your work, you will be sending copies to your agents, record companies, or other individuals.
Can you trust those who get hold of your work to respect your rights, or will you discover one day that your music is being passed off as someone else’s work, while you miss out on the royalties.

Having seen my own work turn up in the hands of plagiarists who have claimed it as their own, I am an advocate of copyright registration, as a means of protection, and would recommend Copyright Witness as being a very fast, efficient and secure registration service.

By registering, you place on record verifiable proof of your copyright, and this means that you can prove your copyright should the person copying your songs claims they wrote them first.
I find the cheapest and most convenient way to register is to send a whole album as a single ‘work’ (i.e. a CD containing all your songs). Registering on-line can be a little cheaper, but be sure to convert your songs to mp3s, otherwise uploading will take an age!

Mark all your work with copyright notices:

A copyright notice is simply a piece of text that states that the work is subject to copyright and the authors name, it is often followed by the phrase ‘all rights reserved’ which simply means that you withhold all rights to that work as is your right under copyright law.

A copyright notice is not required under law ?the work will still be subject to copyright without one, and the ‘all rights reserved’ statement adds nothing, (this is assumed unless you explicitly state that you relinquish some rights). So why use them? Simple: It’s a deterrent. It makes it clear to everyone that your work is subject to copyright, and that you take your rights seriously.

The standard format for copyright notices is 5 elements:

1.The word ‘copyright’.
2.The internationally recognised copyright symbol ‘?.
3.The year of publication.
4.The name of the copyright owner.
5.An optional statement of intent, (not required).
For example: ‘ Copyright ?2006 J. Bloggs. All rights reserved.’

The ?’C in a circle?is the normal copyright symbol and can be applied to most types of work. It can be found in most word processor programs under the ‘insert’ menu.

Band member agreements:

If you write songs within a band, you need to plan for the day when you will be earning royalties from your songs, and be clear what will happen if a member of the band leaves or if the band splits up.
The best way to deal with this is to all agree what is fair, and then put this in writing as a formal agreement which you all sign. This way there is little chance of any comeback if the band splits for less than amicable reasons.

Here are a few specific points you should consider:

1. If a member of the band leaves, do they forfeit all rights to the songs, and the songs remain the sole property of the band?
2. Are the songs written by one person, or a few principal writers, who wish to retain all rights?
3. If a band member leaves would both he and the band both retain a claim to the song, (this is probably the most likely option).
4. How do you determine each persons share? Do you base it on a song by song basis ranking each members input, or use the same formula for every song.
5. Do you simply divide everything up equally, (i.e. 5 members each own 20% of all the songs and therefore receives 20% of the proceeds/royalties), or do you rank each individuals input?
6. If a member leaves, can he/she perform or profit from the music outside of the band. As a example of this in ‘real’ life, Ozzy Osbourne still performs songs he co-wrote during his time with Black Sabbath.

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Mp3 encoders and converters have made it possible to rip other file formats into compressed Mp3 file format and thus large data can be incorporated into a less storage space.

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Mp3 is really a cool stuff for music lovers who enjoy and appreciate quality music. It also provides the consumer with the convenience of purchasing the music online and ripping from purchased CD’s and is also easily portable.

The popularity of Mp3 format for digital music files has exploded within the past few years whereby you can download Mp3 files from peer to peer file sharing websites and commercial Mp3 download websites and can easily play on their portable or software based Mp3 players. You can easily email your favorite music songs to your friends and relatives. These Mp3 websites supply a wide variety of Mp3 tools such as Mp3 players, music file conversion software and Mp3 downloads that enables you to hear your favorite Mp3 anywhere in the car, office or even on the beach.

If you have a huge collection of your favorite songs that you want to listen in your car audio system but you are confused as how so many files could be stored onto your 800 Mb CD? Mp3 encoder or converter is the solution to this. An Mp3 encoder is the software that uses Mp3 codec (compression and decompression algorithm) to make MP3 files. Most of the encoders convert WAV file to Mp3 format whereas many can convert other formats such as WMA to Mp3.

Mp3 stands for MPEG Audio Layer 3 where at layer 3, psychoacoustics principles are applied so as to find and remove unnecessary sound data such as the stuff human ears don’t hear anyway (sounds above 16 KHZ) and leaving only crucial data.

After the essential data is separated from the redundant data, compression takes place and at this stage, the same amount of data is stored using fewer bits and less space of the disk. Here, the bit rate is the ratio of number of bits transferred between two devices per second and the higher the bit rate ratio, the higher is the sound quality and vice versa. 192 Kb/s is the frequently used bit rate used in peer to peer networks and most of the converters use variable bit rates. This enables to get better quality of sound because bit rate conforms to the dynamics of audio frames stored and this in turn keeps more important data.

There are number of mp3 encoders and software available today such as Lame, Fraunhofer, Music match jukebox, real jukebox , Blade, Audio catalyst, GoGo etc. The use of mp3 encoding engine depends upon your personal requirements and preferences.

For more information, visit our recommended website freedownloadmp3song.info

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This article gives insight on the effects of the Detroit Soulful R and B Motown Sound, to the evolution of Street _Expression Rap / Hip Hop today.

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Growing up in the City of Detroit during the early sixties was a memorable era for music. It was a period of time whereby the unique sounding records of Motown were being played and heard throughout the streets, nightclubs, house parties and radio stations everywhere. It was common to have the soulful R and B records playing on the jukeboxes while folks were dancing in the streets or singing in the barber shops and beauty parlors to the love songs that eventually captivated the hearts of millions of people throughout the world. Music cds and rap music were not heard of during that period, it was all about the vinyl records and rhythm and blues soul.

The songs that were written by Motown songwriters during the 60′s & 70′s had so much meaning. They were songs that spoke about true love, current events and the heartache and pains of life experiences. Oh yes, Motown had it going on! Their music became universal music. Many of the soulful tunes crossed over into other markets such as pop, jazz, blues, etc?But just like George Benson said in one of his recordings “Everything Must Change? and sure enough, he was right about the music.

After giving so many years service and great music to the City of Detroit, Motown moved out and Rap/Hip Hop moved in. Instead of hearing someone singing My Baby Loves Me or My Girl, you began to hear new sounding lyrics of street experience expressed in rhythms with the mouth, chest, hands and feet as such had never been heard before.

This new sound called Rap evolved in the early 80′s and took off as a sky rocket in the late 90′s and New Millennium as Hip Hop/Rap. Even today Rap/Hip Hop music is still a multi billion dollar genre. Millions of cds, videos and dvd’s are sold each year in the Hip Hop genre of music. And there is no sign that Hip Hop will be slowing down or taking a back seat to anyone anytime soon.

So what happened to the Motown sound? did it die out? No! The Motown sound will never die out. It will always play a significant part in the hearts of millions who embraced it’s sound back in the early 60′s, and continued to pass that sound on to their children throughout the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s.

Sometimes you just have to move over and let the new kids on the block have a turn in expressing their musical talents, songs and ideas. That’s what Motown did…moved over-not out. And now the Hip Hop artists are not the new kids on the block anymore, for they have taken their position to express themselves musically, just like the rhythm and blues artists took their position to express themselves in the Motown era.

That’s how we’ve gone from Motown to Hip Hop!

Written by: Michael Bell

?006 Michael Bell

http://www.buymusicfromus.com

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Lil wayne is known for his freestyle abilities in singing, although he has a talent he wasn’t signed at first with Lil slim, Lil wayne use to record freestyles and haunted cash money offices almost every day.

history,Lil Wayne

Lil wayne is originally named as Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, he was born in the year 1982, at Louisiana, USA, he is an Grammy nominated rapper. Lil wayne began rapping at the block parties when he was a child. His first hip hop contact was Cash Money records.

Lil wayne is known for his freestyle abilities in singing, although he has a talent he wasn’t signed at first with Lil slim, Lil wayne use to record freestyles and haunted cash money offices almost every day.

In the year 1997, lil wayne first debut was released, the record was a great success and earned a huge fans for lil wayne from south and Midwest. His next debut, Guerilla warfare was released in the year 1998, followed by the next release in the year 2003 which Let Em Burn.

In the year 1999, Wayne decided to launch his own career with the new release of “Than Block is Hot? and than it went on to some releases of three albums after that. In 2004, Lil Wayne was known to be perfected in the trade of singing and earned popularity amongst teenagers during 2004-2006.

Lil Wayne has earned a lot since he first started his debut as a singer in the rappers industry, In spite of much competition in the Industry he earned his caliber and came through in his career.

Lil Wayne being involved in drugs was arrested few times, but his weaknesses don’t come as an hindrance to his singing career where he has performed his best and is well known amongst the younger public.

Lil Wayne is a popular icon amongst many youngsters and so the site http://www.mp3-lil-wayne.com/ is a debut to his singing career and the potentiality in his songs. His personal life is as distorted and not recognized, as much as his singing.

The site www.mp2-lil-wayne.com has got many freestyles videos and much more, the testimonials on the site prove that the site is worth a try for the downloads and when it is free than there is no fear what so ever!

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One of the more intriguing and mysterious figures in modern music is Beck, and he’s hitting the road this summer to provide more lasting memories for those lucky enough to attend his shows. Some would call Beck a musician, while others would label him as a poet. The general consensus, however, is that there is no label for Beck. Everyone who sees him and enjoys his music comes away with a different meaning and effect, and that trend will no doubt continue for the foreseeable …

Beck,Modern,Musician,Poet

One of the more intriguing and mysterious figures in modern music is Beck, and he’s hitting the road this summer to provide more lasting memories for those lucky enough to attend his shows. Some would call Beck a musician, while others would label him as a poet. The general consensus, however, is that there is no label for Beck. Everyone who sees him and enjoys his music comes away with a different meaning and effect, and that trend will no doubt continue for the foreseeable future.

Life Story

Beck was born Beck David Campbell on July 8, 1970 in Los Angeles. His parents seemingly passed his unique set of artistic talents onto him, as his father, David Campbell, was a musician, and his mother, Bibbe Hansen, was a visual artist. One can definitely see and hear these influences in Beck’s work.

Beck’s parents separated early in his life, and Beck adopted his mother’s last name. He stayed in Los Angeles with his mother, and it was here that he gained his first outward exposure to the world of music. Beck spent much of his time in Los Angeles dabbling in interests that included hip hop, rap, rock and roll and Latin music, and eventually, all of these styles were morphed into Beck’s work.

In the mid-1980′s, Beck dropped out of high school and began to educate himself through travel. Beck visited many places, including Germany, before eventually “settling?in New York City, where his musical boundaries were widened once again by his exposure to the punk and anti-folk scenes.

Beck paid for much of his poverty-ridden lifestyle by simply performing on the street with a hat or guitar case, and it was this experience that not only taught him the value of stage presence, but it also reinforced the belief in Beck that the responsibility of putting on a show along with just playing music was a crucial element in an artist’s success.

In 1990, Beck moved back to Los Angeles, where he lived in a series of hovels and worked several low-level, dead-end jobs to augment his income he made by street performing. During this time, Beck tirelessly searched out venues that would allow him on stage to perform, and his tireless efforts eventually led to “the break?that every musician needs.

Career Takes Off

Beck was discovered in Los Angeles by the founders of Bong Load Custom Records, and the first single Beck recorded for them is still his biggest hit to date. The single Loser was released in 1993, and the demand for this single astonished everyone involved with the project. Radio stations everywhere were looking for copies of the single to satisfy their listeners. Eventually, a bidding war between highly-visible record labels led Beck to sign with Geffen Records.

Since then, Beck has produced eight subsequent “official?albums as well as several independent releases with smaller labels. Every one of Beck’s albums has sold at least 200,000 copies, and his biggest seller was the 1996 release Odelay, which sold over 2,000,000 copies worldwide.

Comparisons

Musical experts from every corner of the globe have struggled for years to find an appropriate artist for comparison. The list is long and varied, which speaks to just how unique Beck’s style really is. Several prominent artists that have drawn these comparisons include Prince, The Beastie Boys and even Bob Dylan.

Beck’s unique style of music is no more or less memorable than the stage show he provides. Props are often used, and humor is always a central part of any performance. Beck also enjoys collaborating with other artists both in the studio and on tour, and he has appeared and/or worked with the likes of The Flaming Lips, David Bowie and Jack White of the White Stripes.

Beck will continue to thrill and sometimes baffle the music industry with his style and eccentricities, and his tour this summer will encapsulate all that he’s learned and accomplished in his career.

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This article discusses free music downloads and the hazards of downloading the wrong materials. It talks about the shifts that are now occurring in the music industry and the fact that there is now a substantial amount of free music on the web that is available for free as a legal music download.

music

While downloading music is one of the most popular online activities, besides social networking and playing games, there is a lot of information that is not made available to the public at large.

There are a number of serious issues that should be understood when downloading music (which most people overlook) and there are also ways to obtain free music that are simply unknown by the majority of people online.

This is very important when considering the growing trend by the large music companies, of suing individuals who infringe on their copyrights. Court records show a large number of out of court settlements, with fines ranging from $3000 to $5000, and maximum awards in excess of $250,000.

As if the fines and legal issues where not enough of a problem now there is the added danger of downloading music imbedded with spyware and viruses. The need to be cautious in your quest for free downloadable music is evident.

Having access to free music download files means that you can enjoy as much music as you want in your own home whenever you want it. You will find that many musicians are now freely giving away their music as a way to promote themselves and their bands. The concept of free legal downloads means that you have permission from the author or creator to download their intellectual property.

Free music downloads have surged in popularity since the emergence of the Internet and even more so in the last few years. With the advent of iTunes, the mass population has become more accustomed to buying their music from the Internet in the form of single track downloads from membership websites. No longer is it necessary to purchase an entire album when you really only want a single track.

A huge shift occurred and people have moved toward digital media for the ease of use and speed of acquisition that it offers. As such, more and more people have begun to search the Internet for music rather than going to the local record shop.

You can find and use free and legal music downloads from a number of sources and in a number of ways. The key is to be aware of the dangers and also to know what you can use legally and what will get you into trouble.

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Music is an art, however, when it comes to the music industry Music is about money! If anyone or any company feels that your music will not make them money, there will be absolutely no interest in your music. That’s it in the nut shell. Remember, to always remember this. The Music Industry is about Money!

music industry

Music is an art, however, when it comes to the music industry Music is about money!

If anyone or any company feels that your music will not make them money, there will be absolutely no interest in your music. That’s it in the nut shell. Remember, to always remember this. The Music Industry is about Money!

There are a few sources of money to be made in the music industry. They include but are not limited to:

?Record sales

?Songs played on the radio

?In movies and television

?Concerts

?Song writing

?Producing

?Merchandising

?Advertising

?CD-ROMs/DVDs

If you are an artist and want to get into the music business, you need 3 very important very good people in your corner batting for you on a daily basis. They include:

?Personal Manager ?The most of important of the three. They should have contacts in the music industry, keep on eye on all your affairs, advise you on things to do, help promote your music, producers to hire, who to sign with when to go on tour, etc. The personal manager will receive 15% and 20% of an artists gross earnings and have good contacts with record companies A&R, Marketing / Sales, and Promotion departments.

?Music Attorney ?A good attorney specializing in the music will know how to properly negotiate and structure the deals an artist makes. They should have good contacts and be trust worthy. Expect to pay between 100 and 200 per hour for a good music attorney. If an attorney thinks you will get signed, they forego a set fee and charge a percentage of artist’s earnings. In bigger cities, you’ll pay more than in smaller cities.

?Music Agent ?Book concerts and special appearances. A Personal Manager will help the artist with selecting a good agent.

If you blow up and start generating the big money, then a good Manager / Accountant will be needed to handle your tax situation, review royalty statements, financing tours, offer invest advice and how to manage your money.

Getting recognized by mailing your demo to record labels isn’t impossible, however, 99.9% of the time your material will not get listened to. Even if you have the best song on the planet, it will not be listened to. Record labels want to limit their liability, so they do not listen to unsolicited music. Record labels don’t want to listen to numerous songs and then be held liable if someone claims their material was copied.

If you do decide to mail your CD to record label, send the “solicited?material. First get a contact, preferably an individual in the Artists & Repertoire (A&R) department. Call and first speak to someone. After sending your CD follow up to determine if the targeted individual received your material and another follow up call to determine if it was listened to. Submit 3 to 6 songs and send a bio and picture of yourself. Again this isn’t the preferred way to submit your material to major record labels.

Until you have music business advisors in your corner trying to promote you and there is a “buzz?going around about you, your demo will not reach the decision makers at the record labels. Record companies on a daily basis receive thousands of unsolicited CDs. Most likely your CD will be tossed into a bin located in a remote room filled with overflowing bins of CDs.

Record labels like to deal with artists who have a history of record sales. These are artist that may have produced and sold their own CDs locally or regionally. Record labels like to deal with artists who have performed their material and there is this “buzz?going on about them. MC Hammer, before he became famous, performed his own materials and sold his own records until a major record label signed him. MC Hammer had a lot of leverage in negotiating a good contract because he already proved on a local basis he could sell records.

Record companies want to limit their liability. If you are signed, you are considered an investment that will require some money and they want to see a premium return on their money invested in you. The more you can prove that you can sell record, the better chance you can get signed.

If you get signed to a record company, you the artist will go into the studio and record songs for the record company. The record company makes copies of the master recording and ships it to a distributor. The distributor is a wholesaler who then sells the CDs to retail outlets like Best Buy, Sam Goody and Tower Records. The record company then pumps money into marketing by advertising and promoting your music with hopes of selling records, thus making you a superstar and becoming rich!

It is not as easy as it sounds. It takes a lot of hard work by a talented group of people. Everyone has to work together to make this happen. There are usually many people behind the scenes working to make an artist a superstar.

Record companies often categorized into 4 groups: ?Major label record companies – have the recording and operating resources to complete all function to sell records. Major label record companies are integrated in that they can handle the promotion, sales, marketing, and distribution to sell music. Major label record companies are Arista, Atlantic, Capital, and Sony.

?Major label affiliate labels ?have special agreements with the major label record companies, where the major label may fund the smaller labels recording and operating expenses in exchange for a portion of the smaller label profits.

?Independent labels – distributes records through major labels. Independent labels have few employees. They tend to find talent, sign the talent, sees to it the music is recorded and contracts with major record labels to perform the promotion, marketing, and other functions.

?True independent labels ?Has no association with a major label and distribute their music through independent distributors.

The A&R (Artists & Repertoire) Department

The A&R department is the talent scout. They are in charge of finding new talents. They are the eyes and ears of the record company. However, not because you get signed to a record label because an A&R representative likes you it doesn’t mean your CD will ever get produced and released. Executives higher in the company could cancel your deal if they feel your CD will not sell. A record company will have to invest several hundred thousands of dollars to release your CD, so they will be extremely cautious on whom they release.

The Marketing and Sales Department

This department is responsible for getting the public excited about your music and first selling to retail stores the idea of carrying your CD. They are responsible for promotional merchandise, advertising your CD, in store displays, publicity, your CD cover, etc.

The Promotions Department

This department is responsible for getting your music played on the radio. The individuals in this department will visit the various radio stations to convince them to play your material. If your material doesn’t get played, no one will now how you are. People will look at your CD in the retail store and wonder who you are. There is also a direct correlation with CD sales vs. how many times a song for that CD gets played on the radio. More air time on the radio equals more CD sales for the record companies.

Remember music is art, but to the record companies, it’s about money. Keep in mind that it’s a business. Keep in mind everyone is out to make money. The minute people believe that you will not make money for them, you will be dropped and these same people will turn to seek other new artists that they believe will make them money. Unfortunately, the record business doesn’t believe in grooming people. If your first CD isn’t a success, you are out. There are rarely second chances. There are always other talented people behind you who what their shot at fame.

Distribution

Most major retailers such as Tower records will not carry a CD unless the record has a distributor. A strong distributor ensures that your CD will be available in enough places so your CD will sell to ultimately make money. Major labels use large distributors who are better able to get record stores stocked. After years of consolidation, there are only 5 major national wholesale distributors in the US who are owned by conglomerates who also own major record labels. They are:

?BMG (distributes Arista, BMG and RCA)

?EMI (distributes Capital and Virg.)

?Sony Music (distributes Columbia, Epic and Sony)

?Universal Music Group (distributes Interscope, Island/Def Jam, and MCA)

?WEA (distributes Atlantic, Elektra and Warner Bros.)

Distribution via the Internet Record labels and artists are increasingly using the web to distribute their music. Unknown artists can also use sites like this mZeus.com, http://www.mZeus.com, to generate buzz about their music. However, unknown artists will still have to work hard to get the buzz going about their music. Ultimately, signing a contract with a major record label is the way to go. The major record labels have the financial muscle and people to give you a good shot at becoming famous.

Let’s face it. It’s all about money! Yes, the entertainment industry seems fun and exciting, but people are in it to make money. As an artist the most important contract in the music industry is the record contract. The royalty is a portion of money from record sales paid to the artist for his/her music. The record contract which is a negotiated legal agreement between the record label and artist will state how much royalty an artist is entitled to among other things.

An artist should have a good understanding of how royalties are calculated. A good music attorney will help with this process by making sure the artist is paid what he/she deserves. A 13% royalty for one artist may be a lot of money, however a 13% royalty for another maybe “chump change?

So this is how the numbers work. An artist successfully signs a record contract. The artist goes to the studio and work diligently to create a CD that the record company fully supports. The record company via its distributor sells the CD with a suggested retail list price (SRLP) of $17.99 to a retailer for about $10.99. The distributor will take 10% – 14% of the $10.99. Therefore the record company will get about ?the SRLP of $17.99. Independent record companies may receive less than ?the SRLP. Major record companies will pay artist royalty as a percentage of SRLP.

Rates will vary of each artist depending on how successful their record sells. For a new artist who never had a record deal or has sold less than 100,000 albums will get a typical royalty rate of 12% to 14% of the SRLP. For an independent record label it maybe 10% to 14% of the SRLP. For established artists who have a track record of selling 200,000 to 500,000 albums the royalty rate maybe 14% to 16%. For artists who have sold over 750,000 albums the royalty rates maybe 16% to 18%. As you can see, the more successful the artist is, the higher the royalty. Additionally, royalty maybe based on how well the record sells. For instance, the record contract may state that an artist will get 12% for the first 100,000 units sold, 14% for 100,001 to 300,000 units sold, and 16% for over 300,000 units sold.

But hold your horses. If you sell 500,000 albums and have a royalty rate of 12% doesn’t mean you will get 12% of 500,000 at a SRLP of $17.98 which would equal $1,078,800. This is because as specified in the record contract, there are deductions (expenses) that have to be deducted.

To start off the bat, the record company will deduct a “packaging charge?from the SRLP which is typically 20% for cassettes and 25% for CDs.

Second, more often the artist is responsible for paying the record producer a portion of his/her royalties. Typically a producer will receive 3% to 4% of the SRLP.

Third, in the record business, the contract may state that the artist’s only generates royalties on 85% of the unit sales. For every 100 albums sold, 15 albums sold, the artist gets no royalty.

Forth, the record company will hold a portion of the royalty money because the distributor typically has an agreement with the retail outlets to take back and credit the retail stores money from unsold units. This is very important, because a good portion of your album could be returned to the record company if the album doesn’t sell! The money that’s held back is called a reserve. Reserves maybe held for 2 years before it’s paid to the artist. Typically a major record label will hold a reserve of 25% to 40% of the royalties.

Fifth, advances paid from the record company to the artist are deducted from the artist’s royalty. Advances include but are not limited to the:

?Recording studio expenses (new artists to an independent my get an advancement of $0 to $80,000, new artist to a major record label $150,000 to $400,000

?Hiring independent promoters to help sell the albums

?Cost of making a music video (promotions and an inexpensive music video can cost $150,000 to $200,000.

When money is made for the record sales, these costs are deducted from the artist’s royalties. This is called re-coupment. Therefore, if the artist’s record isn’t successful, the artist may never see a dime. If the royalties are less than the deductions, they artists may well owe the record company money by being in the red! This negative cost maybe carried over to the next album release. A good record contract will not allow a negative cost from one album to be carried over to another album (cross collateralization). If there isn’t another album the record company generally eats the loss.

There are many other costs that the record company will not charge the artists. This includes marketing and in-house promotions (free CD give away, etc.).

So how much does an artist make for a gold album (500,000 albums sold).

Check out the math:

CD (suggested retail list price SRLP) = $ 17.99 Less CD Packaging of 20% = $ -4.50 NET = $ 13.49 Times: Net artist royalty rate (12% – 3% to producer) = X 9% Gross royalty per CD (9% of $13.48) = $ 1.21 Times 500,000 albums = $ 500,000 SUB TOTAL = $ 605,00 Times: Royalty bearing % (15% o = no royalty) = X 85% Gross Royalty = $ 514,250 Less advances: Recording, promo, music video, tour = $ -350,000 TOTAL ROYALTY TO ARTIST = $ 164,250 – Reserves (35%) returned by retailer) = $ -57,487.50 (1) ACTUAL ROYALTY PAID TO ARTIST = $ 106,762.50

(1)Reserves will be paid to artist in 2 years if no CDs returned by retailer

Remember the artist still has to pay TAXES! Don’t forget Uncle Sam has to get his cut! Also, don’t forget the Personal Manger, the Attorney, the Accountant, the Agent and other numerous expenses.

However, there are many other royalties that an artist can acquire. They include, Record Clubs, Compilation CDs, Samplers (low-priced albums in which a few artists are featured), Premiums (albums sold with other products, such as cereal), Film Soundtrack Album, Music Video Sales, Greatest Hit’s Album, Foreign Royalties (song played in some foreign country radio stations pay royalties, unlike the US), Master Use License (music used in a movie, television, commercial, the Internet, CD-ROM and DVD), etc.

Of course because of the Internet, the rules royalties are changing. Many people now buy their music via the Internet. Just think, no packaging required and no distribution to traditional retail stores needed. Some websites allow customers to buy individual songs as oppose to an album. Changes are currently taking place on how royalties are calculated because of the Internet. Many attorneys are pushing to have royalties be based on each song sold as oppose to each album sold. So stay tuned!