http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/forum/general-musician-topics The Community for Working Musicians en-US Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:49:20 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/search.php http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/obtain-permission-for-excerpt#post-1890 Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:40:42 +0000 David J. Hahn 1890@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>But isn't the 3 Penny Opera in the public domain by now? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/obtain-permission-for-excerpt#post-1889 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:24:46 +0000 funkyguitar 1889@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I agree with Cameron. I imagine if there's money to be had like from a mega hit such as "Only Wanna Be With You", then you'll find the copyright holder "knocking on your door" to collect. If your song doesn't become that popular I wouldn't be surprised if the copyright stuff slips under the radar. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/obtain-permission-for-excerpt#post-1879 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:57:46 +0000 Cameron Mizell 1879@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I'm not sure. I believe it's ultimately up to the original author or copyright holder. It's never a bad idea to obtain permission, but it could get you tangled up in unnecessary red tape.</p> <p>Speaking of getting tangled up, I know that "Only Wanna Be With You" by Hootie &amp; The Blowfish was a nod to Bob Dylan and made reference to some of his songs and quoted some of his lyrics. Dylan ended up suing and won a settlement.</p> <p>It's better to error on the side of being too cautious because the cost of settling a copyright dispute later will probably not be cheap. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/obtain-permission-for-excerpt#post-1872 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:47:09 +0000 ccouture 1872@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hello all, I'm hoping someone can answer this question for me.</p> <p>I understand the permissions and licencing involved in recording/releasing a "cover" song, but what if you're just using one line?</p> <p>I have an original song in which I quote two lines from "Pirate Jenny" of The Three Penny Opera. The melody is mine, the surrounding lyrics are all mine... do I need to contact the copyright holder for permission to use two lines of lyric? </p> <p>Are there guidelines to follow?</p> <p>Any advice is welcome! Thank you! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/introduction-and-patch-question#post-1869 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:57:30 +0000 nathang 1869@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>If you have a Mac, a good way to organize patch changes is to program it all into Mainstage (which is now a separate app that can be purchased for $29.99 on the App Store.) Regardless of what program you use, if your patches are in order, then you can use a MIDI Mouse or similar tool to cycle between them. This will even work if you have patches programmed into the Master section of a keyboard. I hope this helps! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1868 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:03:20 +0000 nathang 1868@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I guess I forgot to edit that second sentence. I meant to say something along the lines of "It might not have as many features as the Lexicon but it more than makes up for it in sturdiness and functionality." </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1867 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:02:44 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1867@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I actually have one out for delivery right now. I found an 8i6 on eBay for 200 new, and grabbed it up. I'm pretty excited. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1866 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:00:51 +0000 nathang 1866@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Regarding PreSonus and Lexicon:<br /> I have used both, and much prefer the PreSonus. It might not have as many features as the Lexicon (mine was the Lambda). I managed to find an open-box PreSonus Audiobox USB for $120 last year, and it's one of the best purchases I've made. It's by far sturdier than the Lexicon, and even though it doesn't have as many features, mscottweber pegged it when he said that often that will mean it performs better with what it has. In this case, the physical construction of the box is far superior (all metal versus plastic), and the converter is much higher quality as well. My Lambda crapped out when I was about to take it on tour last year, I'm glad I was able to borrow one to use until I could find the Audiobox. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/musician-website-from-the-ground-up#post-1861 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:37:31 +0000 Joe Stone 1861@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>laura,</p> <p>You could always find another web developer willing to update your site for you. I've done that for people over the years.</p> <p>Unless you really think you need to have your site redone completely, this would probably be a cheaper way to go. I would suggest that you don't get your site redone because you are getting a new person to do it. Get your site redone when it's time to change it, either because you want a new look or you want new features that require enough changes that you may as well redesign it.</p> <p>Look at it this way. You don't need a new kitchen if your faucet is leaking and needs to be replaced. But, if you want to add a dishwasher, a microwave, a convection oven, well then, yes, you may want to redo your kitchen then. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/kopete/smile.png&quot; title=&quot;:)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/musician-website-from-the-ground-up#post-1860 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:06:18 +0000 laura 1860@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Piggybacking on tcuffari's question...I've been reading the responses to your email...for anyone who wants to answer this: is it fair to say that the templates/themes/capabilities of hosting packages are sufficient for a professional, unique-looking website with all of the bells and whistles that a musician needs? (ability to sign up for mailing lists, ability to list upcoming gig dates, blogs, etc.) </p> <p>By the way, I feel tcuffari's pain! About 4 years ago I spent over a thousand dollars to have someone build my website and host it (a friend of a friend). I quickly found out that, once he got his money and had the website up, he was very hard to reach. Suddenly, emails and phonecalls to him went unanswered. So, any question I have had or changes I've wanted to make have not been done. So, buyer beware -- if you work with an individual, make sure you get several references first. </p> <p>I, too, am illiterate with websites. I have now decided I need to start from scratch again instead of banging my head against the wall with the original designer. </p> <p>Now I have a lot of research to do. </p> <p>I am so glad I discovered this forum. You guys are great!</p> <p>-Cheers,<br /> Laura </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/skype-lessons#post-1859 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:39:50 +0000 SmallTimeMusician 1859@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I have been searching for a musician that has created any steady income stream giving Skype Lessons. I think Funkyguitar has such a good response from his personal experience. His response may indicate why Skype lessons have not yet come about. I do however think online lessons have a future, but I suspect they will be more successful with 'branded' and known musicians. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1858 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:17:22 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1858@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Thanks, Cam. That pretty much covers exactly what I was wondering. So I guess it would be safe to keep those videos up for now, and I'll take them down as I make higher quality videos and (hopefully) see more traffic to my channel. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1857 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:50:45 +0000 Cameron Mizell 1857@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>The person/publisher who owns the copyright for the underlying composition might not want the song online. Unlike releasing cover songs on albums, there's no compulsory license for video--meaning you don't need permission from the owner to distribute it as an audio recording (as long as you pay royalties) but you do need permission to distribute it in a video.</p> <p>Many publishers have an agreement with YouTube and are paid via ad revenue or something like that when people use their songs. Other publishers don't have an agreement and can issue take down notices or, perhaps, whatever you're seeing.</p> <p>For example, I know Prince doesn't like his songs being used, so somebody over at Universal Music Group spends all day looking for Prince songs to remove.</p> <p>Read the section about YouTube here, and check out the link to Suzanne:</p> <p><a href="http://www.musicianwages.com/the-working-musician/recording-releasing-performing-cover-songs/">Recording, Releasing, and Performing Cover Songs</a> </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1856 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:26:44 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1856@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I've seen some of the links, but I guess what I'm wondering is, what's the copyright law on performances? Music law is a bit more obscure to look through. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1855 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:59:59 +0000 Joe Stone 1855@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Nick,</p> <p>Have you seen this?</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/t/copyright_center" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/t/copyright_center</a></p> <p>(If you scroll <em>all</em> the way down, you'll see a link called "Copyright" in the footer, along with "Help," etc.) </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1854 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:51:41 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1854@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Okay. I still get the notification each time I go on my account page, though, so I have been wondering about that. Oh well, if they take it down, they take it down. I hope by then I'll have a new set of videos. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1846 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:38:34 +0000 funkyguitar 1846@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I think that video will be fine where it is. I believe the notice you received is merely to acknowledge that the copyright is held by another party. You wouldn't be able to do certain things with the video like earn money based on the number of views. My guess is if they haven't removed it you should be OK. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/youtube-copyright-notice#post-1844 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:34 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1844@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I got a copyright notice from YouTube for one of my videos. It's a performance of my show band on my ship doing a Tom Jones medley. I got the video from the sound crew after the show; they were filming. There are two other performances from that same show uploaded to my channel, however, I did not get a copyright notice for them. What would be my legal rights to uploading the video, if I even have any? </p> <p>Here's the video in question:</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZpku28BZdA&#038;list=UUgji_RsWg_KUBQL8S4lCH0w&#038;index=4&#038;feature=plcp" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZpku28BZdA&#038;list=UUgji_RsWg_KUBQL8S4lCH0w&#038;index=4&#038;feature=plcp</a></p> <p>Not the greatest video, but until I can get better quality examples of my playing, I kind of need it to stay there. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1843 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:54:27 +0000 Nick Rosaci 1843@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Thanks.</p> <p>With the MXL mics, I kind of am strapped for cash. This recording thing is a trial run, and I'm going to start playing with the gear and try to make YouTube videos of me playing tunes, and myself performing most (if not all) the instruments. The idea is, if I start making bread with this skill, I'll keep upgrading the gear. That being said, I found this:</p> <p><a href="http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=114" rel="nofollow">http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=114</a></p> <p>From what I've found in my internet research, Michael Joly is a well-respected microphone repairman and tinkerer. When I have the bread, he can modify a 990 to sound like its Neumann U 87ai counterpart. After reading off-site reviews of this guy, and hearing his comparisons of the $3500 microphone vs. a modded mic that costs about 10% of that, it seems like a good purchase. I've already exchanged emails with the guy, and he told me to take my time and he'll be there if I decide to go that route. Seems like a very sincere man.</p> <p>As for the Presonus, I've been hearing great things about it, and after running around and shopping the local areas, it seems the Focus Rite Sapphire 8i6 is very well thought of. They go for about $150 used, and I'm going to try to snipe one at around 100 if I can.</p> <p>As for that last paragraph, I couldn't agree more. I'm about as far from a gearhead as one can get, and it took me a while to figure out what amp to buy for my electric. What it comes down to is as long as it's not distorted or busted in some way that keeps it performing at all, I probably won't know the difference. But if I didn't bring my "A" game to the gig, then that will grab my attention. I just had my Fender set up today by a reputable local repairman, and we were talking about gear, and he said he couldn't tell the difference when they used a cheap mic or an expensive one. I bet most people feel the same. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/home-studio-gear#post-1842 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:53:21 +0000 mscottweber 1842@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Re: MXL mic package<br /> I would ONLY buy that package if I was strapped for cash and desperately in need of a handful of mics for recording something like a drumset. You will get much more use out of the Audio Technica mic mentioned above, or AKG's similarly priced equivilant.</p> <p>Re: SM57 vs Beta 57a<br /> I have no firsthand experience with the Beta 57a, so I cannot speak as to how much better it sounds than the standard SM57. However, the SM57 is a ubiquitous microphone; virtually every pro studio in the world has multiple of these. Not nearly as many studios have the Beta 57a. Also, I used to work at Guitar Center and I know that the profit margin is much higher on the Beta 57a than on the SM57. I am <strong>not</strong> saying that the salesperson was trying to upsell you just to make more money, but you are free to presume whatever you like based on this information.</p> <p>Re: Presonus vs Lexicon<br /> I have no experience with either of these products, but often times a box that costs the same but does less/has fewer features will <strong>perform better</strong> at what features it does have. Also, I know numerous people that have/use various Presonus interfaces (not that particular one) and really like them. I don't know anyone firsthand who has/uses a Lexicon interface. Again, derive from that information what you will.</p> <p>The most important thing to remember, something that can get forgotten quite easily when we start talking about gear and recording techniques and whatnot, is that a mediocre recording of a great performance will trump a great recording of a mediocre performance any day of the week. I'm sure you are a standout player, so I wouldn't stress too much over gear specifics </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/musician-website-from-the-ground-up#post-1835 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:25:28 +0000 tcuffari 1835@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hi Dave,</p> <p>That site looks really nice. You have a lot of things on your site that I am trying to teach myself to do on Wordpress. I have been watching so many how-to videos, most of them are confusing or outdated as they apply to code writing or PC programs. I think I need to get assistance from someone who knows what they are doing. When I was back in music conservatory I wish they would have stressed the importance of learning to market yourself and get the skills to build websites. The vast majority of education I have received about surviving as a musician started after school. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/sight-reading-tips#post-1834 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:22:59 +0000 RobertJ 1834@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>As silly as it sounds, the best thing to do for your reading to get better is to just play more music. The more music you're exposed to, the easier sight reading becomes. Just grab a new piece of music everyday that you've never heard and read through it. You can do this for notation as well as chord charts (more of what you'll find in a cruise ship environment). </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/sight-reading-tips#post-1833 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:20:40 +0000 AustinBourdon 1833@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I am a Music Ed. student in Chicago and graduate in roughly 2 years. After graduation I'm looking to find work on a cruise ship, possibly, or other things of that nature. My guitar chops are not my concern, I have 10 years of serious playing under my belt from all different genres. My drawback is my sight reading ability. I understand this is a huge disadvantage to me when looking for the type of work I will soon be looking for. With 2 years left before any huge auditioning takes place, what are some things that you guys have done to hone your sight reading, or what things would you have done? (websites, exercises, etc. And what does the sight reading look like for the Cruise lines or agencies? (Mostly jazz chords? mostly just melody?)</p> <p>p.s. This is a great site and has kept me reading for awhile! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/musician-website-from-the-ground-up#post-1832 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:36:20 +0000 David J. Hahn 1832@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hey Tom - </p> <p>I put together a website in one day this last Tuesday, and I thought I'd share my experience. </p> <p>I decided I wanted to make a website about my songwriting, and really try to market myself more in that direction. Check it out here:</p> <p><a href="http://Songwriter.fm">Songwriter.fm</a></p> <p>I know a lot of people don't like GoDaddy, and certainly they have valid reasons, but I've always liked them. So I went to GoDaddy and looked for a domain name. Miraculously <a href="http://songwriter.fm">http://songwriter.fm</a> was available so I snatched it quick!</p> <p>I added the new domain to our hosting plan and asked GoDaddy to install Wordpress for me. I waited about 20 minutes for them to finish that. </p> <p>While they were installing, I looked for themes. I went to ThemeForest.net and stumbled a theme I liked, <a href="http://themeforest.net/item/purity-clean-minimal-bold-wordpress-theme/639774">Purity</a>, and bought it for $35.</p> <p>I connected to our hosting space using the ftp client I like, Cyberduck, and uploaded the theme to the right place in the (now finished) Wordpress installation.</p> <p>I made a header image (my signature, with "New York City Songwriter" underneath) and uploaded it to the theme. I found a bunch of black and white photos to use on the site, picked out that bright pink color for the links and started uploading content. </p> <p>I also went to MailChimp.com and created a new mailing list for the site. I put the sign up form on the front page in bright pink.</p> <p>Altogether the site took maybe 8 hours to put together.</p> <p>Then on Wednesday I went to Facebook, told everyone I was starting a new project and asked if they would sign up for my newsletter. I got some sign ups and started sending out emails today (Thursday). </p> <p>Now I'm putting up some blog posts - YouTube videos of my favorite songs, mostly.</p> <p>And that's it. A new musician website in a day. I hope that info is helpful for you! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/backing-tracks#post-1831 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:11:10 +0000 Patrick Colwell 1831@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Keys,<br /> Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a detailed response. That was a lot of good info and I am surely going to need to read it at least 2 more times to fully digest it! The part that really caught my attention was your advice on arranging, particularly this quote:</p> <p>"Use your arranging powers for good and not evil. The more complex your backing track is, the less your audience may view you as a "live" musician. And don't be “that guy” who uses Garageband to re-create an AC/DC song that now has an accordion solo in it... just sayin'."</p> <p>At this point I have created tracks using the Garageband App that are (for the most part) just drum &amp; Bass tracks. In my solo show I play mostly rhythm guitar, sing, and play solos and melody hooks on harmonica. I am hoping that by adding the rhythm tracks I will be able to induce some dancing! I would never use the technology to ad in preprogrammed vocals or solos (although adding a vocal harmonizer pedal is on my list), but I have added simple piano loops to one song (werewolves of london).</p> <p>Your point about sound quality is also well taken. I have not yet decided to use this idea live, but if I do I will definitely woodshed it alot with my PA and make sure the sound is right. </p> <p>Thanks again Keys, I really appreciate your feedback. </p>