T.G.I.O.- "Thank Goodness It's Online ", right?

“Thanks to the Internet, musicians and singers now have more control over their own fates.”

The Internet has made such a drastic change within the world as well as the Music Industry as we know it. Years ago the music industry had a different scene. It relied on CD sales, The Charts and radio stations. People even bought CDs and cassette tapes to parties then too. Today, all of that has changed. The progress in technology has decreased the need of hard copies of music in the music industry. The demand of digital mp3 moved the requirement to own CDs out of the way. 

Though satellite and digital technology is rapidly growing, live radio shows on the air are still important as they were in the 1950s. When it comes to news and vital information listeners take heed to it in their vehicles. Now there is Internet radio stations that give entertainment, such as Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Radio Reverb, iTunes Radio and many more.

Social networking has brought a new element to the music industry as well. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Vimeo, YouTube, etc.; provided a platform for users to follow musicians and discover bands. YouTube has meant that consumers no longer have to rely on MTV or purchase a band’s video or DVD to their music videos. Streaming services like Spotify and Pandora give listeners access to any music from anywhere with a liable Internet connection.

Technology has given artists the advantage to take control of their music careers now. With the accessibility to create beats, write lyrics through a mobile app, produce a song, then record through a program that is already installed into most computers today, artist should be successful. At least aiming to be with the easy access to an in-home studio.  Through unlimited access to social media sites, it can be easy and fast to promote a musical project and allow fans to enjoy the sounds of your band via online. There is absolutely no excuse, today.

References:

Alan, T. (2014, June 5). How Technology Has Changed the Music Industry.

Retrieved March 6, 2015 from http://www.business2community.com/entertainment/technology-changed-music-industry-0905712

Alan, T. (2014, November 19). How Social Media and the Internet Changed the Music

            Industry.  Retrieved March 8, 2015 from

http://www.business2community.com/entertainment/social-media-internet-changed-music-industry-01070744

Harrison, Laura. (2014, July 23). How has the Internet Changed the Music Industry.            Retrieved March 7, 2015 from   

http://www.socialnomics.net/2014/07/23/how-has-the-internet-and-social-media-changed-the-music-industry/

Kanchwala, A. (2014, November 30). 5 Steps to build a rocking digital marketing      template. Image retrieved March 8, 2015 from

http://socialmediawala.com/2014/11/30/5-steps-to-build-a-rocking-digital-marketing-template

What makes a GOOD songwriter?

#1: IS YOUR SONG FINISHED?

It can be so stressful within the walls of a recording studio. When its time to record, most producers and sound engineers prefer getting straight to work. They usually hate having to wait for an artist to finish writing a bridge or outro of a song. The art of creating different waves of lyrics and putting them together in a fancy way, is a talent, but the professionals at known studios, usually will not want to drag out studio time for a simple writing session that wasn’t scheduled to happened in the first place.

#2: WHAT ABOUT A ROUGH RECORDING?

            Every songwriter has a different writing process. The one vital part in making sure a song is complete is creating a basic rough draft. That means a using one instrument like a guitar and a vocal into anything like a hand-held recorder or a phone with recording access. “Here’s why you should record a rough draft: Without listening back to your song from the perspective of an audience member, you could miss a crucial part of the writing and editing process. Even if you have sang or played a song over a hundred times, sitting back with a lyric sheet to listen to your song could assist you in finding flaws within your lyrics or music. This rough draft can give you the precise outlook to make proper adjustments to your song and improve it. Every time you think you song is ready to record, I recommend that you create more than one rough draft. This way you can find different things within your song to make it better.

    

#3:  IS YOUR DEMO FLAWLESS OR WHAT?

            Ever feel like something is missing within your song? Well if you do, you’re probably right. Sometimes when I write a song and I have finished all the components of the process, I assume its time to record and that’s it. If you still find things to correct from your rough draft then you shouldn’t record a demo as of yet. You may save money by staying in the editing process longer than you think, so don’t let anxiety get you to rush a recording of a demo. Cliff Goldmacher stated, “Demoing to fix the problem is an expensive way to get unsatisfactory results” and I agree with him, from my personal recording experiences.

References:

Goldmacher, C. (2011, April 11). Five Mistakes Songwriters Make before Demoing

Their Songs (and how to avoid them). Retrieved February 21, 2015 from http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/five_mistakes_songwriters_make_before_demoing_their_songs_and_how_to_avoid_

Industry Liabilities

The first legal controversy was about a lawsuit between producer Dr. Luke and former artist Ke$ha. There were allegations about the producer manipulating the artist career and sexually abusing her. The article stated how he forced her to do drugs and awful things.  She ultimately wanted to breech the contract because he was controlling.  She began to have an eating disorder and went to rehab in regards to it. I believe that artists should be careful who they sign contracts with. Making sure to a lawyer is present and that if the artist is 18 and in high school parents should be involved the uttermost. Even though Ke$ha’s producer made statements that she only made those accusations about him raping her and the such, so she could breech contract without penalty, then resulted in a lawsuit as well. Personally I think she was being brave by protecting herself.

In the second article, there was a lawsuit claiming Sony Music cheated former winners of the American Idol record label 19 Recordings. The lawsuits represented the interests of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood Christ Daughtry, Clay Aiken and more out of millions of dollars. American Idol Record Label 19 Recordings is suing Sony for allegedly failing o pay former contestants massive amounts of royalties due for their music. Some examples included treating streaming music sources like Spotify as “sales” rather than “broadcast,” which would have cost more under the terms of their contract.  19 Entertainment disputed how Sony Music classified sales of individual songs off albums on iTunes and is seeking at least $10 million in damages. Even though it was mentioned in the article that Sony hadn’t made any comment on the suit, I believe the lawsuit is right and fair.  No matter how long it takes, the plaintiffs should reap justice.

The third intellectual property issue I came across was the 2012 multibillion-dollar lawsuit alleging that Disney heisted the copyrights to some of the most iconic comic book characters.  Despite years of court losses, the resilient company that was founded by Stan Lee in the late 1990s still is attempting to convince the world that it was robbed a decade ago of many valuable franchises including Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.  Stan Lee Media Inc. is a company based in Colorado that the legendary comic book author Stan Lee founded but is no longer connected to- says it is the rightful owner of the copyrights to such characters mentioned above. There was a lawsuit that took place in October 1988 where Lee assigned the copyrights to his characters to a predecessor of Stan Lee Media. In November 1988, Lee signed an agreement with comic book company Marvel Enterprises “in which he purportedly assigned to Marvel the rights to the characters,” according to the lawsuit. Marvel never registered the copyrights, according to the lawsuit. Disney then scooped up Marvel and went on to make multimillion-dollar movie franchises around many of the characters. There also claims within the lawsuit that movies based on the characters have generated $3 billion in box office receipts in just the past three years. According to the lawsuit, The fact is that Stan Lee Media, Inc. owns the copyrights to Stan Lee’s creations”, but the Plaintiff Stan Lee Media, Inc. expressed that he is entitled to the billions of dollars of profits that have been kept by Defendant Disney. In my opinion, if it’s written and signed on paper in black and white then it is what it is and considered factual and legit. I must say the Plaintiff could have a point especially if he could prove that Marvel was suppose to register the copyrights, but it is also the Plaintiff’s responsibility to revise their steps and protect their creativity in every way possible so matters within this lawsuits would occur ever.

References:

Ingold, J. (2012, October 11). Denver federal lawsuit alleges Disney stole comic book Copyrights. Retrieved on January 10, 2015 from http://www.denverpost.com/ci_21745070/denver-federal-lawsuit-alleges-disney-stole-comic-book

Turner, A. (2014, February 21). American Idol lawsuit: Did Sony Cheat Winner Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood? Retrieved on January 10, 2015 from http://americanidolnet.com/american-idol-lawsuit-did-sony-cheat-winners-kelly-clarkson-carrie-underwood/

Ugwu, R. (2014, October 14). Kesha Accuses Producer Dr. Luke Of Sexual and Emotional Abuse in Lawsuit, Dr. Luke Countersues. Retrieved on January 9, 2015 from http://www.buzzfeed.com/reggieugwu/kesha-sues-producer-dr-luke-for-sexual-assault-and-battery

It's a Win-Win !

I conducted an interview with Antonia Jenae’, a professional in the Music Industry.

ANTONIA JENAE’- is a singer, songwriter, mother, voice coach, mentor, photographer, and very well known as being the background singer for Grammy Award winning artists Joss Stone or the past 11 years. She spoke up that she is the same person on stage as well as off, not indulging with the cliché of not being her self.  Her music invites those to get to know her. Simple tunes with complex storytelling that will captivate your soul and want to hear her sing her story. She has small negotiating tactics. She has negotiated gigs and background work for local artists in the Broward area of Florida.  I was surprised to have a converse with her being that her wrap sheet is lengthy, doing somewhat of what I plan to do as an artist and business owner.

I asked her how she separates people from the problem when negotiating and she expressed how she tells people what her worth is. Most times her price is not the price her client wants to pay, stating the budget is small. When she starts to hear the same language from different mouths, it becomes innate in how she negotiates a job or singing opportunity.  She’s found out that most times than none she has to compromise her initial price to a budget of the other party. It’s called Give and Take, so she stated.  She gave me a tip that I thought was useful and beneficial, to continue to research your market,. She impressed onto me to see if what I have to market is demanded in a certain area (or state).

Within such a competitive market such as the music industry, Antonia understands protocol and positional hierarchy. Respecting who came before you and set the tone and paved the way for most live performers is highly look upon in the music industry. She has had many bosses and artist she has sang behind and who’s allowed their position to cloud exactly what their interests are. In order for beautiful things to occur in a performance or through a contractual agreement as a performer its best to know where you stand. Positional bargaining occurs in the industry. No one is thinking about how both parties can win or be satisfied instead, there is tension and one person who is over the other. It’s not right but it’s happening.

Antonia doesn’t use the hard approach to get what she wants. She uses a soft approach, and aims for a deal to be made so that herself and the other party can be satisfied and work on equal grounds with a mutual benefit. “Sometimes taking less money is worth it, depending on the project, the amount of exposure at the venue, and the built relationship with the party negotiating job with.

For example: Antonia once took a singing gig and settled for an amount she usually wouldn’t, but after taking the opportunity she reaped with 3 more gigs after she finished, and it all equaled up to an increase and not a loss.

Reference:

Structure: Williams, A. (2014, September 3).  Telephone Interview: Antonia Jenae’.

Contact Information: Antonia Jenae’- https://www.facebook.com/antoniajenae

THE Appropriate Age

Many mothers I have come across blatantly ask, if their child is old enough to receive singing lessons.  I often take a few steps backwards before answering that question, because every person with a voice is designed and structured genetically different of course. My response is, “ We can work on diction, articulation, breathing technique and sustaining proper posture, but gaining a higher range or stretching the tessitura is not recommended for children under the age of 12." Being that a child’s voice begins to change once puberty begins and that’s usually by the age of 11 or 12 years old. So there shouldn’t be any strenuous training or exercises towards the voice because their voice will change and need to be trained differently as the child grows and matures.

I currently teach a female child who is 11 years old. After listening to the type of voice she has, it would not be conducive to train her vigorously because she wouldn’t know how to apply the technique, especially when I ask her to sing a little stronger and give more of a forte dynamic. Her voice is not built to give a mature sound yet. Teaching children a song is one thing but training them how to sing with proper technique to create a certain ambience for an audience will be a task.

I never received vocal training as a child. I have been singing since my Mother put the microphone in my hand at the age of 2. Being in choirs, vocal ensembles, oratorical speaking competitions, acting classes, plays, and talent shows, I have watched my own voice change since the age of EIGHT. When I was 10 years old I remember standing in front of the dancing guru, Debbie Allen auditioning for a show. I sang “The Battle Hymn of Republic” and it was stated, I sounded like an older woman singing and that my voice was powerful and huge to be so young. I received the compliment, but didn’t understand what it meant, since I was a kid. So that is said to express this, that a child’s voice can sound a certain way like mine did but should not be intensely trained or should I state, “tamed” until there is a conscious conveyance in the training.

A vocalist should be engaged mentally, physically and emotionally when singing or speaking. This carries over into acting or speaking oratorically as well. It has been proven that most singers do not come into their true voice that will be apart of them for the rest of their life, until the age of  30.

RECOMMENDATION: Let your child be apart of a school or church choir where they are singing mostly in unison (all together on the same note or pitch), but none of the songs should be sung past c2 on the keyboard. Your child should be able to sing in a NATURAL WAY without pushing or shouting. This will help your child to understand the importance of taking care of their voice and not damaging the vocal chords at an early age.

Some other BLOGS to consider on this topic that I used as resources .

Cindy Shadrick

Petra Raspel

Rick Warren: A Life of Purpose

           I watched the web video on A life of Purpose, with Rick Warren as the speaker. Rick Warren has been considered as one of the world’s most influential and leading Christians. He is a pastor who has become a sought after advisor to world leaders and infamously known for writing the book The Purpose-Driven Life.  The video reflects on his own crisis of purpose in the wake of his book’s wild success. He explains his belief that, God’s intention is for us to use our talents & influence to do well.  Pastor Warren never intended on being a famous or even considered himself an author. He didn’t desire to be seen on television preaching either because he didn’t want to be a celebrity. He believes being a pastor, and author is all a service and good stewardship.

            Expressing how others would say they were living life when in reality they just existed shows how Rick Warren thinks. He lets the audience know that everyone was planned to be here by God. There is this inner desire and that no one is here on accident. “You matter; to God, to history, and to this universe.”, he says. We are wired and shaped for a precise action on earth. And living on purpose is required.

           

Pastor Rick Warren inspires me. He shows me consistency of a person with a purpose. Though he isn’t a singer or vocal coach, he definitely is a motivator. I learned that utilizing what was given to me: talent, background, education career, is my service to help others. I understand that I do not own anything during my existence on earth, all I’m required to do is willfully give of my self. So, now I have decided to take stewardship and service into the business I am building.  Using my influence, my identity and my income to make what I was given the abilities to do come to life.

Resource: http://www.ted.com/talks/rick_warren_on_a_life_of_purpose