Winning Minneapolis Songwriter Profits From Independence

Protect the copyright in your songs. Have them written out professionally in music. For details click on lead sheets to send an email. Enter "Lead Sheets" in the subject line.

Anyone reading my articles, will know I’ve always had a great passion for the piano – and pianists famous for their different styles of music, from Franz Liszt to Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Joel and so on.

The reason I make the point is, I just found a program called Rocket Piano. If you’re looking to take up the piano as an instrument to learn –

or improve your current level as a pianist, before you do anything else, take a close look at Rocket Piano. So, what is it? In a nutshell, it’s a guide for teaching you how to play the piano. I would say that’s putting it mildly.

When I looked at the package, I could see they’d put far more into it than most other courses I’ve seen to date. You're shown how to read music, how to improvize, play Jazz, Pop, Rock, Classical or Blues, and how to play like a professional. It’s packed with impressive information, with lots of helpful diagrams, sound files, videos and step-by-step instructions which actually train you to read music and play by ear – so you can do both!

I’m from the school that says you should always read music the orthodox way – but I have to say I was impressed with this simple method of how to read music from nothing but chord symbols! Absolutely fascinating. From this you’ll be able to look at a page of chords and be able to play the song straight off. I know lots of musicians who become really nervous when they have to play something they haven't practiced in advance! Once you learn this simple method you’ll find it easy.

You get three books of step-by-step lessons, video demonstrations and high quality sound files. These lessons take you on a journey from beginner to an advanced skill level by fast-tracking your development, while covering every aspect involved in learning to play piano. I wished I had this course when I started playing the piano in the seventies.

Who’s behind Rocket Piano? An organization called Rock Star Recipes. They’ve been providing piano lessons online for 5 years with an award winning team made up of passionate musicians and music teachers. The piano teachers who worked on Rocket Piano have a total of 30 years combined musical experience of teaching, playing and performing.

n-Track Studio is a multitrack recorder for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP.

Click on the image below. It's a complete recording studio in your PC: all you need is a card and some free space on your hard disk to store audio data.

The program supports simultaneous recording from multiple 16 and 24 bit soundcards, and real-time audio effects can be applied non-destructively to each track, allowing the user to listen immediately to the result of a change in the parameters of an effect: up to 25 combinations of effects per track are allowed. Built-in effects include Reverb, AutoVol, Echo, Pitch Shift, Chorus and Track EQ.

The program can use third party DirectX and VST plug-ins to process in real-time audio signals in a number of different ways. Effect can also be used to process the recorded signal in real-time so that the computer can act as a multi-effects device.

The program uses 24 bit (32 bit floats) resolution for mixing and effects processing. Various wave files formats are supported, mono & stereo tracks are can coexist in the same song and wave editing operations can be performed from within the program.

MIDI tracks can be imported end exported to regular MIDI files, and edited using the built in piano-roll based MIDI editing.

All the audio tracks are saved as standard wave files and mixed "on the fly" during playback.

Volume and pan evolution can be programmed by drawing on the timeline window.

When all the tracks have been recorded and all the settings are correct, it's possible to mix-down all the tracks to a single wave file for recording it to a compact disk using a CD recorder or for distributing it through the Internet (using the built-in mp3 encoder).
Click on the image, below:

Everything You Need To Start and Operate a Record Digital Label. (Dennis R. Sinnott)

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

Ann Arbor,MI (PRWEB) October 22, 2008 -- Tim Mahoney's latest victory in the 2008 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest is further proof that he's doing just fine, thank you, without a record deal.

The Minneapolis songwriter-performer won the Grand Prize in the contest for "Theme Song," an original composition from his 2007 recording, "Stay/Leave." As well as about $3000 in prizes, he won the headliner spot at the contest's annual Winners' Concert, scheduled for Feb. 7, 2009, at the Trinity House Theatre, a premier Detroit-area concert venue.

"'Theme Song' totally rocked my world," said contest judge Jodi Krangle, proprietress of the "Muse's Muse" on-line songwriting magazine and website. "I loved the writing and the interesting little twists and turns the melody took. That's an awesome song and the writer should be hugely proud."

Mahoney began his music career with the high-energy pop-rock band, the Blue Meenies, which quickly made its mark on the Twin Cities music scene and at colleges and clubs all over the Midwest. From there, embarking on a solo career, he learned some of the hard but valuable lessons of the music business. In an attempt to land a record deal, he took out a second mortgage on his house and enlisted players from John Mellencamp's band. The resulting album, "3 Different Views," was his most expensive CD to make and had the lowest sales. Despite interest from almost every major label, no record deal ensued. He then recorded a solo acoustic CD, "Full Circle." It sold much better, and was his least expensive to make.

Now, after 10 years in the music business, Mahoney plays about 150 concerts a year, both solo and with a full rock band. He recently won Ray-Ban "Never Hide" music contest, which led to a performance at the Rolling Stone magazine 40th Anniversary party at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas and an upcoming photo spread in the magazine. Despite the lack of a label, his CD sales have reached the six-figure mark and his songs have been played thousands of times on Twin Cities radio stations.

The Great Lakes Songwriting Contest is the largest regional songwriting contest in the United States and Canada, with 11 winners getting a variety of cash and merchandise, plus promotional and performance opportunities. In 2008, the contest attracted 600 entries from the eight states bordering the Great Lakes, plus the Province of Ontario, Canada. Based in Ann Arbor, MI, the contest started in 2003 as the Metro Detroit Songwriting Contest, which was organized by a group of southeastern Michigan songwriters. More information is available at the contest website, http://www.GreatLakesSongs.com.

The other 2008 winners are:

First Place: Jacob Moon of Hamilton, Ontario, for "The Great Beyond"; and Allister Bradley of Kitchener, Ontario, for "What a Day";

Second Place: Allison Downey of Portage, MI, for "All That Matters"; Greg Hobbs of Toronto for "Sunshine and Roses"; Rob Taube and Hugh Colocott of New York City for "Savannah"; and Mark Croft of Madison, WI, for "Is It Gonna Be Funky?"

Third Place: Dan Hazlett of Waterford, MI, for "Try the Beginning Again"; Juliann of Fort Gratiot, MI, for "Whiskey on my Breath"; Andy Baker of Gobles, MI, for "Origami Heart"; and Mischa Suemnig of Minneapolis for "Movin' On." The contest website contains photos, biographies and website links for all of the winners. It also contains more information on contest finalists and the songs that won honorable mentions.

Details of the 2009 contest will be announced on the website on Jan. 1. The contest is open to all ages and all types of music. The 2008 contest was sponsored by Broadjams of Madison, WI; Indie-Music of Indianapolis, IN; the Songbridge music marketing company based in Ontario, Canada; Elderly Instruments of Lansing, MI; the CD Seller of Minneapolis; and Lamb's Retreat for Songwriters of Royal Oak, MI. More information on the contest is available at http://www.GreatLakesSongs.com.

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