How To Read Piano Music Sheets

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Everything You Need To Start and Operate a Record Digital Label

Anyone with a talent for music - particularly writing and recording songs - is now sitting on a potential gold mine.

What would have been unthinkable just a few short years back – is now not only possible, it’s being done with enormous success by individuals across the globe. What am I talking about? A digital record label.

Before I discuss the advantages of running your own digital label - I'd like you to imagine what it would have been like starting a physical label just ten years ago. A minimum investment of $350,000 would have been needed. This would have enabled you to rent an office sufficient to hold yourself plus a secretary, an a&r manager, a talent scout, a plugger/ promoter, and a receptionist. You would also need a copyright and royalty manager.

Your next task would have been to acquire good commercial recordings - with emphasis being on the word "commercial". Finding recordings was one thing, (as is the case today), finding good commercial product is something else. Unless you were able to acquire ready made masters under license from a third party, you would have had to pay for your artists to record the masters yourself. In addition to hiring a recording studio, you would also have had to pay a producer - plus a recording engineer (although the engineer's costs were usually included with the studio hire) - thus eating further into your $350,000 budget.

Assuming your product proved to be commercial (after heavy promotional costs), and sales from your first album had started to feed back from around the world. Eighty percent of your income would have been taken up in overheads through royalty payments to the artist, producer and the music publisher (mechanical license). Then, there would have been your general overheads: salaries, expenses, office rent and so on.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Before selling any records you would have needed a reliable manufacturer and a distributor to create and disperse your cds, (and maybe some dvds to promote the records), to the shops.

Getting a distributor in the first place was one of the most difficult things for any new record label. Ever watchful of stores and outlets unwilling to give shelf space to unheard artists, (i.e. artists yet to achieve a playlist position on radio), many would refuse to get involved with a new untried label. Not surprising when, given the choice, retailers could choose from any of the big selling artists such as Nickelback, Beyonce, Pussycat Dolls, Justin Timberlake, James Blunt etc against the poor new artist. So, you with your new label and new artists, would be forced to plough more money to promote your record, in the hope of getting on the playlist – in the hope of securing that elusive distribution deal. At this stage you would be wondering why you had started a label in the first place.

So, what enormous monstrosity of a thing happened in the music industry to change the old physical method of selling records? Enter, the golden dawn of digital music. Now, suddenly every artist, songwriter, producer, engineer and, even manager who once had a notion of starting his/her own physical label but didn't have a $350,000 budget - is able to start and operate his/her own digital label for about the price of a new laptop.

For the first time - individuals have a great opportunity of developing their own label from zero up - and making a very healthy living. Unlike the older physical system of starting and operating a label - with all the huge overheads - the digital label operator can start a catalog and operate it at his own pace without the need to employ several individuals. You can start with as little as two tracks - and build a catalog at your own pace - concentrating on your niche in the music industry, testing and probing the markets as you go along. Compare that to a physical label spending wads of money hoping their records chart. Failure to chart would often spell disaster for many a physical independent and domestic label - leaving only the majors to compete. Not so for a digital label. If a particular recording isn't selling over a period of time - you simply delete the product from your site. Updating your catalog can be done in minutes. Some digital labels regularly update their catalogues every few days.

If you're not an artist yourself - but someone who is drawn to a special style or genre - or just someone interested in music in general - here's what you can do to start your digital label: Firstly, you'll need a good web host. Basic as this sounds, some people go with an outfit they think is good - then, six months later they vanish into cyber space - leaving you and your site high and dry. So, please do homework before opening a web host account. I recommend you check for independent reviews on hosts you're thinking of going with. Once your web host is confirmed, you should get a confirmation email from your host confirming your space is ready so that you can move forward and publish your site.

Some people are very creative and skillful in being able to create their own web site. Others, like me, are not. I was contemplating having someone design my web site for me when, by chance, I came across a web design system called Xsitepro, but there are many to choose from. As with the web host, look for independent reviews before making a decision.

Next, make sure you have an up to date digital contract - one you can offer artists (or the owner of the masters). If you're not an artist yourself, you can enter into a license deal with any artist or production company willing to have you promotes and sell his/her product. By knowing a particular field or style of music well, will help you no end build your catalog faster than if you're someone learning as he/she goes along. However, enthusiasm will go along way. What you need to do when you start off is to ask yourself this question - "Why would an artist license his/her rights to me and not someone else?"

Firstly, to have an artist (or production company) freely license his rights to you - you need to convince him/her that you have a powerful distribution system. Unlike physical labels, with a web site, you have the ability to create your own "built in distribution system". Having a digital distribution account is an excellent idea - but you will still need to promote your product if you want to draw large numbers to your site. In my view, a newsletter, blog or e-zine, is the one of the best ways of drawing a high reading audience. Ten thousand plus is a good target to work toward. This will help you pick up more recordings from artists looking for a site attracting thousands of hits - assuming of course artist's genre works well with your label. There are some excellent publishers, blogs and newsletters hungry for good topical articles, presenting you with another outlet. Keep your articles fresh and original, and your audience will grow steadily with each article.

Since distribution is the key to your success - this is where you need to concentrate if you want your label to expand and prosper. Obviously, if your newsletter or e-zine readership is increasing, it's because people are enjoying the articles and information you're publishing - and more people will want to buy your product. A healthy situation all round.

Now, a note on your digital agreement, you can use a contract repeatedly for different artists. I would recommend you acquire rights non-exclusively. Keep in mind that a contract may need to be updated from time to time as new copyright laws come into effect to deal with technological changes. As a rule of thumb you can check back every six months to see if your contract needs updating.

Next, ensure you have a terms and conditions policy on your site. Anyone starting off a digital label, should have a general list of conditions, setting out criteria for accepting product online, together with a privacy policy.

Next, you'll need a strong accounting system. No matter how effective you are selling product online - if you're not accounting to your artists accurately and to the letter of your contract - you're dead in the water. In my view there is nothing worse than a company with a bad reputation for paying royalties. For me, trust and reputation is everything.

Work closely and be up front with the artists who put their faith and trust in you. Your good reputation and name will spread.

Since 1997, Songsalive! is the largest international non-profit membership organization dedicated to the nurturing, support, promotion and education of songwriters and composers worldwide.

Founded in 1997, by songwriters Gilli Moon and Roxanne Kiely in Sydney, Australia   Songsalive! is run by volunteer songwriters for songwriters and has reached the far corners of the globe with over 25 chapters worldwide (International head office in Los Angeles, CA, USA) We provide a "home", a family, for songwriters and composers through our programs, resources, community and support, all focused on the art and business of songwriting. It acts as an epicentre, a heart of the international songwriting community and music markets, bridging the gaps, tapping songwriters into the pulse of the business and at the same time giving them and their music the support they deserve. Through Songsalive!, songs and songwriters can be accessed by the whole world and when the hunt is on, Songsalive! is a one-stop song shop! Songsalive.org

Copyright (c) 2011 Andrew Jacobson

The piano is one of the grandest instruments ever since it was first played since the early centuries. Its influence is still very much alive today, with artists like Alicia Keys and bands like The Fray basing their music and melodies on the classical instrument. You might have heard some songs from these artists and thought about how you'd want to learn how to play the piano but never really took action in trying to learn it because you assumed that it would be too difficult or time consuming. Well, keep those thoughts out of your head. Learning how to play is not as hard as you think, and you can even start out by teaching yourself how to play it. You can start with piano music sheets for beginners that are easily and widely available. In order to read these and interpret these to "actual" music, you have to learn how to read music first and build a background on the very foundation that will help you become a good piano player. It is recommended that before attempting to play, beginners should familiarize themselves with basic concepts such as notes, pitches, and chords to help interpret this sheet music so that playing them later on will be a much easier task.

It would be a good idea to begin by trying your hand at piano music sheets geared towards beginners. These are usually customized and arranged for beginners who are just starting to learn how to play the instrument. These different sheet music will contain different variations of notes and arrangements, and most often they will deal with a certain aspect on how to read music that the composition will be able to help you master by the time you reach the end. As an example, take a few piano music sheets for beginners and glance through the entire piece. On these will be rows and rows that are comprised of five horizontal lines across the page. These structures are called "staffs", and they are the spaces where the notes are written down on. You will notice that there is a clef marking on the left portion on each of these staffs, which is a treble clef for the upper staff. You will notice the bass clef sign on the lower staff. They play different roles in the learning process, which you will fully learn and understand once you are knee deep in the process of learning how to read and interpret music sheets. It's expected, of course, that you won't be able to play flawlessly when you're still starting out, but keep in mind that after the first few tries, you will get better at playing and reading music so remember to just keep practicing.

Andrew Jacobson is a man who's greatest passion is music. He has been a musician all his life and believes in the healing and inspirational powers of music. Aside from that, he also loves spreading his love of music to others who share the same interests. Learn how to play the piano or find some tips to improve your skills at http://pianoeasymusic.com/