 |
The Muse's News |
 |
Issue 4.3 - June 2001
ISSN 1480-6975
[ Back to The Muse's News Index ] [ Home ]
This issue sponsored by:
=================================================================
I n T h i s I s s u e :
-----------------------------------------------------------------
@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Q&A with Nancy A. Reece from Carpe Diem Copyright Management
@-- Music Reviews - by Ben Ohmart
@-- Featured Article - THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC:
- Let The Songwriter Beware - by Charles Katz
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - by Irene Jackson
@-- Songwriter In Spotlight - BILL BROWN
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
=================================================================
ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998 - 2001, Jodi Krangle. For more
contact information, see end of issue.
=================================================================
This ezine featured at EzineCenter.com - the Ezine Search
Engine(tm) - http://www.ezinecenter.com/
=================================================================
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SONGWRITERS: VISIT RHYMEZONE ( http://www.rhymezone.com/?mm ),
a language arts wonderland! Totally free since 1996, RhymeZone
offers the best and fastest way to find the words you're looking
for, whether they're rhymes, synonyms, phrases, witty quotations,
or more! New features on RhymeZone for songwriters:
- A unique related words feature to inspire imagery in your work
- The best Shakespeare search on the net. Spice up your songs by
referencing the Bard! ( http://www.rhymezone.com/shakespeare/ )
- Lyrics search integrated with Lycos ( http://music.lycos.com/ )
=================================================================
E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to another edition of The Muse's News and thanks for
continuing to join us every month.
I'm particularly proud of this issue because it spans a great deal
of different types of songwriting - some that you may not have had
much experience with before. Our Composer In Spotlight this month,
is Bill Brown, someone who's seen a great deal of success composing
music for feature films, TV shows and video games. The "On Site"
Featured Article is by cabaret songwriter, Dennis Livingston, who
tells us a little about his favorite songwriting genre. And
Charles Katz is back with us again, talking about how you can
protect yourself and your relationship with a co-writer by being up
front with the legalities right from the start.
And speaking of legalities, Duff Berschback & Nancy Reece have
begun the first in a series of panel discussions having to do with
your questions about Copyright and Publishing. You can find their
first panel discussion below, and also online linked from both of
their columnist sections.
As usual, there are lots of conferences and songwriting contests on
at the moment and you can find details on those in the "Musical
Notes" section. I'll mention again that the Just Plain Folks
Showcases (there's more info in the "Musical Notes" section if
you're interested in participating) are continuing and that the one
in Toronto takes place on June 18th @ Ted's Wrecking Yard - 549
College Street (west of Bathurst) between 7:00pm and 12:00am. I'm
intending to be there and I'd love to meet any of you that do
end up going so please do introduce yourself! Say hi! I'd love to
meet you. :)
The second Radio Muse show is online now, so I hope you'll drop by
and have a listen. That's at
http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html - and instructions on how
you can have your own music considered for a show, are all there.
While there isn't a book give-away this month (I've had a bit of a
cold here and that's set me back a little, so no new songwriting
book review...), there IS a raffle of Virtual Studio Systems'
"Lyricist" software package (see
http://www.virtualstudiosystems.com/products.htm for more details).
The winner of the raffle this month is Jennifer Lynn Wooten from
Houston, Texas. Congratulations, Jennifer! This is a fantastic
program that I'm sure you'll enjoy.
In case you might be interested in joining the discussions, some of
the message board topics include how folks make their demos, how
they collaborate, and of course, a great many lyric critiques,
among other things. If you'd like to participate, drop by:
http://www.musesmuse.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi . We'd love to see
you there!
And that's all for now. Hope you enjoy the newsletter and best of
luck with your writing!
Back to Menu
=================================================================
SHAMELESS PLUG:
Drop by http://www.musesmuse.com/musemerchandise.html today to pick
up your very own Muse's Muse shirt, mug or mousepad! And while
you're at it, think about starting your *own* store. It would be
pretty cool to sell your own band's logo or design on promo items,
wouldn't it? And starting up a store requires no investment of
money on your part at all. Details on how to do that are only a
click away...
=================================================================
C o p y r i g h t & P u b l i s h i n g Q & A :
Names Titles - Trademarks and Copyrights
This is the first of many panel discussions by attorney Duff
Berschback and administrator and licensing executive Nancy Reece.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Q: .... I hope to eventually record under my own label (and would
like to publish under this name as well). What do I do to protect
the name I have come up with for it?
.... how do you register a band name so no one else can use it?
------------------
A: FROM DUFF:
Technically, you're going to go after a servicemark, not a
trademark, since you're not selling goods, but services (although
you'll apply separately for trademarks in connection with sale of
merchandise). You acquire rights to a mark by having the public
associate it with the services you're hawking--the rights are based
upon _use_ (As opposed to copyrights, which are based on fixation.
The exception is an "intent to use" application at the federal
level, discussed below). As with copyrights, registration gets you
other associated rights and remedies, but the core of trade and
servicemarks is use. For example, you've really got to go out of
your way to "abandon" a copyright--not so with a trade/servicemark
-- mere nonuse for a period of time affects your rights.
The first step in securing band name rights is to perform a search
of the name to establish (never with perfect certainty) that no one
else is using it. Billboard has a publication called the
"International Talent and Touring Directory" which lists touring
bands. A search at the federal level is next--that costs around
$1000 for a fairly comprehensive search. (As an aside, major
labels are very sensitive to this topic--they don't want their
national distribution roll out to come to a screeching halt because
a garage band from Knoxville claims prior use of the mark. So
they'll usually pay for the search--of course, it's recoupable).
If your search reveals someone else using the same name, you can
either change your name or negotiate to buy them out (hopefully,
it's apparent that this process should take place relatively early
in the band's life). The next step is registration--both at the
state and federal level. If you're a Montana band only, you can
register with Montana. It used to be that you had to play a gig in
Wyoming to make a federal registration, but now if you can show you
*intend* to play across state lines, you can file an "intent to
use" federal application. In any case, registration affords you
certain rights and remedies that come in very handy, not the least
of which is notice to anyone who searches for your name that you
have a claim to it. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has all the
necessary forms for registration--they're really quite fun (not).
Expect about a year to go by before you get a piece of paper
stating: "you've got rights".
FROM NANCY:
Duff has some excellent points and suggestions concerning the
appropriate way to trademark or servicemark a band or group name.
In one situation in my past I managed a band who, at the advice of
counsel, simply started identifying the "TM" notice on all printed
material from banners on the stage, on all merchandise from
stickers to posters and everything in-between. The "R" with the
circle around it was not use because the trademark had not yet been
registered. However, the "TM" was employed to inform anyone else
using the name of the intent to register.
I would urge any group wanting to take steps on name registration
either for a servicemark or a trademark (or both) to first off be
sure they have a group agreement in writing clearly stating
ownership of the name.
If you form a corporation, a limited liability company or even a
general partnership then it is good to then claim the name as
property of that entity. For example "XYZ" is a trademark of "XYZ
Group, LLC". This will keep any record company from assuming
ownership in the name and will help facilitate clearly defined
lines of use in the future when someone from the group leaves.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Q: ..... I have a question about stage names. Is there such a
thing as copyright infringement if you choose a stage name from
someone else's copyrighted work? Example: the magician David
Copperfield. Maybe a bad example since Dickens' book is so old,
but what if someone wanted to use the stage name Harry Potter, or
even Elmer Fudd? Does the creator of a fictional character have
the sole right to that character's name?
------------------
A: FROM DUFF:
Is there such a thing as infringement if you infringe? Yes.
Technically, it'll be trademark/servicemark infringement, but the
result will be the same-a cease and desist letter from the owner's
attorney, followed by a lawsuit summons if you don't repent and
agree to sin no more. Choosing a public domain stage name is
another matter. So, for example, you could call yourself
"Achilles" without too much worry about Homer's heirs coming after
you.
FROM NANCY:
I think it is important to be as creative as possible when choosing
a name. Ultimately, it is the true test of a writer to come up
with a single word (or two or three) that clearly defines what you
are and what you are trying to say along with a name that appeals
to the audience you want to attract.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TO VIEW OTHER QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES, SEE NANCY'S "COPYRIGHT &
PUBLISHING Q&A" ONLINE AT http://www.musesmuse.com/pubq-a.html OR
DUFF'S "THIS LAW GOES TO 11" COLUMN AT
http://www.musesmuse.com/songlaw.html .
Please note: These two received a *lot* of e-mail in a month. If
you sent in a question but have not heard a reply, it's very likely
it already *has* an answer online. It's always a good idea to
thoroughly look through the Q&A's online to see if your question
has already been asked before you send in a request. Thanks!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*****
ABOUT NANCY A. REECE:
Carpe Diem Copyright Management's owner and president, Nancy A.
Reece has been involved in the music business since 1983. She was
the president of an independent advertising agency for eight years
as well as a successful personal artist manager for nine years. She
represented the careers of several recording artists and
songwriters including those with EMI, Zomba and Liberty Records as
well as Benson, Starsong, WoodBridge, Temple Hall and N'Soul
Records. She also represented, for a number of years, a Grammy and
Dove nominated record producer. Reece has won awards of excellence
in print magazine advertising and has been named as one of 2,000
Notable American Women (1995) as well as being listed in the
International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women (1993).
She was also named Cashbox Magazine's Promoter of the Year (1989).
In addition to her work at Carpe Diem Copyright Management, Reece
is a Licensing Executive specializing in Corporate and Healthcare
compliance in the General Licensing Department at BMI.
ABOUT DUFF BERSCHBACK:
Duff Berschback is an entertainment lawyer in Nashville, TN. He
represents singers, songwriters, publishers, and other assorted
industry types, with a particular focus on digital entertainment
and new media. He spends spare time hanging with his family,
playing with his Lab, reading, and, of course, listening to music.
A bit scattershot in his musical taste, at any given time he can be
found listening to Bach or Martina McBride, Wagner or Robert
Johnson, Muddy Waters or (old) U2, Dire Straits or Dwight Yoakum,
The Rolling Stones or Frank Sinatra, and (old) Van Halen or George
Winston, among others.
**If you would like to ask either of these two a question, you can
send your e-mail to Nancy at nreece@musesmuse.com or to Duff at
duffb@musesmail.com . They can't guarantee they'll get to all of
the questions, but they'll certainly try.**
Back to Menu
=================================================================
M u s i c R e v i e w s : by Ben Ohmart
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Heaven's Burning Free Agents (Soul'd Here)
Heaven's Burning again, set on fire by the dual fem-charm of Angela
Santiago Chung (voice, guitar, bass) and Kristy Jones (voice,
guitar, bass no misprint!). Believe it or not, the 2 guest
musicians credited are on drums. Proving the superiority of the
woman in alt-rock.
Yep, this is alternative rock, the 2nd release from 2 little girls
who aren't little anymore. They've been around, and it seems,
they've learned how to perform the correct way: via gigs.
Personally, I love 'Shake This World' more than anything, even
though you might call the chorus (being the title) a bit
adolescent. But therein lies the charm. It is homemade youthful
zeal, unlike the faces of Christina, Britney and the like that
adorn every Pepsi and Taco Bell burrito that comes through hell.
Rather than using a group of adult, overpaid session players, all
sounds (save the beat) come from the heroines of this novel
approach to songwriting.
These pretty ladies are from Pasadena, CA, heavily playing that
area, so check out their website for dates and times. Seems they've
crossed the border into the rest of the US as far as airplay goes,
though. From Tacoma, WA to Beaver Falls, PA to net broadcasts, no
stone's being left unflung.
But you want to know about the music, right? Well, they have the
fluidness of the 60s self-taught bands, writing all material
themselves, with catchy-as-pop hooks wound up in a tight ball of
fire that you could call: quirky. Personalized music that is as
cute as it is rockin', often in the very same moment.
It is also the stuff you needn't be afraid of your 15 year old
daughter getting her hands on. While I cant quote lyrics as they
aren't included I will say that I love the electric guitar hooks
I hear, against which hip princess voices are set in a very real
setting. Like a school band that's suddenly got quality control.
Sure, they might have a way to go before perfection is reached, in
comparison to mega-radio play, but the passion that gushes from
these ladylike pores is fresh, exciting, and like a good
greenhouse, deserves to be watered daily by fans for full growth.
Info@heavensburning.com
www.heavensburning.com
------------------
OTHER NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
Crazy Mary -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000008.html
Moses And The Guys With Jobs -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000009.html
Motpourri -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000010.html
The Diamond Galaxy -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000011.html
Soulfarm -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000013.html
------------------
******
Ben Ohmart has had 100s of stories and poems in zines and
journals, and had 4 plays produced last year. His lyrics will be
on 2 CDs this year, 1 a gothic album, the other a rock album.
He's currently writing films, with hopes of having one done in
Malaysia soon, and is also trying to break into the prison of
television. He's white, 26, single and loves British comedy. He
lives in Boalsburg, PA, and enjoys watching rabbits eat his
garbage. Contact him at: ohmart@musesmuse.com .
**Ben has kindly consented to do music reviews for this
publication and also for The Muse's Muse itself. If you have an
independently released CD or tape that you'd like to get
reviewed, send it off to: Ben Ohmart, P O Box 750, Boalsburg, PA
16827 or drop by his Music Reviews web section at
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html for more details.**
Back to Menu
=================================================================
F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
Charles will be providing us with a series of articles discussing
common problems performing songwriters might face within the music
business.
THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC: Let The Songwriter Beware
by Charles Katz
©2001, Charles Katz. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael McDonald and Kenny Logins wrote a hit soft rock classic
"What a Fool Believes". That is exactly what the performing
songwriter will be without a written collaboration agreement .
Last summer I located an excellent local singer for an album I was
working on. I wrote the lyrics and music and produced the songs in
my studio. The singer was quite gifted with an excellent set of
chops and helped improve the melodies of some of the songs. The
initial set of songs were so promising that I paid $900US for that
performer to take a songwriting course from a famous songwriter
with the purpose that the artist complete the album with vocals and
help rewrite the lyrics after graduating from the course.
At the beginning I drafted a collaboration agreement fully
outlining our obligations. The performer took it home to review and
never signed it, even after several requests.
After completing her song writing course, she completely reneged on
our verbal agreement. The performer mentioned a busy schedule and
that I have on staff more professional writers to complete the
project.
This performer is now stating the work is hers and is requesting
that I remove all songs from the Internet. I had copyrights from
the US Library of Congress at least a year before I had even met
the artist.
I learned from this experience.
Do not commence any projects without a written collaboration
agreement and if the other parties refuses to sign find new
partners.
Here are the important clauses to have in your agreement. The
following is a condensation of the research I have done in putting
together a contract for Windrift Music.
1. Joint Work
This is where you state the name of the song and who is
responsible for lyrics and music.
2. Ownership
Each party normally owns 50% of the song and co-owns the joint
work.
3. Grant of Rights
As joint owners either party may exploit the song and grant
nonexclusive licenses. However each co-owner must account for the
money that is generated from the nonexclusive license and
reimburse the other co-owner when money is received.
Public Performance Agreements must be entered into with such
companies as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or SOCAN. All income must be
divided.
a) Mechanical Licenses. Any co-owner can grant them but must
account to and pay the other co-writer.
b) Print Rights. All co-owners must agree.
c) Sub-publishing rights. All co-owners must agree
4. Division of Income
Any and all income is to be shared by the co-owners 50/50.
5. Pursuit of Infringement
It is an obligation between all co-owners to protect the copyright.
6. Copyright Duration
The copyright will last for a period of fifty(50) years from the
date of publication
7. Copyright Transfers
Each collaborator, independently of the other collaborator, has
the right to transfer his copyright ownership to another party.
The transfer may be for the full copyright share of the
collaborator to a publisher, or a partial copyright transfer to a
co-publisher. A collaborator may also grant all administration and
supervision rights of the collaborator's share to a third party as
the publishing administrator, while still retaining ownership of
the copyright. If one collaborator transfers his copyright
interests to a third party, but the second collaborator does not do
the same, then the third party would co-own the copyright with the
other collaborator. At the same time, the second collaborator has
the option to transfer his copyright interest, in whole or in part,
or just the administration rights, to the same new owner as did the
first collaborator or to a different party.
Unless either collaborator has granted to the other collaborator
administration rights in the copyright for the song, the new
co-owner will have to share decision making and the publisher's
income share with the collaborator who did not transfer his
interest.
8. Different Performing Rights Society Affiliations
Each co-author may belong to a different Performing Rights Society.
If that is the case, than a share of the performance income will
be allocated to each collaborator's affiliated Performing Rights
Society. Each performing rights group, would receive its allocated
share and report to the collaborator/member affiliated with it the
latter's performance income share as songwriter and as
co-publisher.
9. Songwriters as Members of Different Band
In the event one of the collaborating songwriters is a member of a
band and the other is not, the collaborator who is a member of the
band will have the authority to allow the band to rehearse and
perform the collaborated song in live concerts and to record the
song for release on phonorecords, CDs, MP3, Real Audio, or other
Internet media.
However that band member collaborator must account to the other
collaborator.
10. Controlled Composition Clause
The recording artist/collaborating writer will be required to
obtain permission from the collaborating member that is not a band
member for a reduced mechanical royalty for any record contracts
the band member enters into.
11. Co-Accounting
Any income that either collaborator writer receives from the
commercial exploitation of the song, whether it is from their own
use or from use by an authorized third party, must be accounted for
and apportioned to the other collaborating songwriter. Such
payments should be made in a timely manner, for example, no less
than 30 days after receipt. Also any statements that accompany the
payments to the first collaborator should be copied and forwarded
with payment to the other collaborator.
12. Future Generations
The rights of each deceased co-author will pass on to the benefit
of the heir(s) and descendant(s) of that co-author, either by way
of a will (testate) or without a will (intestate) . If there is no
will the distribution will be governed by state statutes, usually
to surviving spouses and children , on a first priority basis,
before other relatives. It then will be the heir or executor of the
state of the deceased who will have the authority to grant and make
decisions with respect to the use of a collaborated composition.
As well, the surviving collaborator will have the authority to
continue to exploit the song while having a reporting and payment
sharing obligation to the deceased's descendants or executor. The
estate of the deceased collaborator can exploit the song too, but,
in turn, must account to the surviving co-author.
13. Governing Laws.
This agreement is governed by the laws the State or Province you
reside in.
All notices issued under the terms of this Agreement shall be in
writing delivered by fax, personal service, first class mail,
postage prepaid or by registered mail to the following location:
<< Insert your Name, Address & Fax Number >>
If any clause is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the
validity, legality, and enforceability of the remainder of this
Agreement will continue unaffected.
Neither party will be responsible for failure or delay in
performance due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control such
as labor disputes, natural disaster, war, riot, embargo, or any act
or condition beyond the reasonable control of the non performing
party.
The agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties
relating to its subject matter and supercedes all prior
representations, discussions, negotiations and agreement, whether
written or oral.
Signed and witnessed by both parties
All famous song writing teams have Collaboration Agreements,
signed, sealed and witnessed.
Songwriting is subject to performers with divergent personalities
and attitudes. This is obvious from great teams such as: Lennon and
McCartney, Henley and Frey, Bacharach and David, Goffin and King,
Mann Weil and Spector, Wine and Sager, McDonald and Loggins. It
therefore, makes a great deal of sense to begin a collaboration
with agreements in place so that no misunderstandings occur at a
later date.
Stay tuned for next month's article:
Music Attorneys
******
Charles Katz owns a high-tech company, Printerm, established for 20
years, and manages a Record Label, Windrift Music Inc. He currently
has a CD "Night Driving Music" installed at Internet sites in the
US, UK, and Asia collecting royalties. Charles is presently working
on his second CD with a female recording artist and has established
a virtual band, Spencer K for that project. As a business leader,
musician, publisher, and promoter, he is now providing his
expertise for fellow artists. Contact: ckatz@windriftmusic.com
Back to Menu
=================================================================
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNLEASH THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET WITH SONGSCOPE.COM!
SongScope is a valuable tool enabling you to build an on-line song
catalog, accessible only by proven industry professionals. Receive
FREE email informing you every time record producers and industry
professionals make requests. Song listings are only $29.95 per
year. An ecommerce enabled marketing/promotion page and tour
calendar are also available for performing songwriters to get
further artist exposure. See www.musesmuse.com/songscope.html for
details or contact: writerinfo@songscope.com ~ Tel: 770.754.4543
=================================================================
M u s i c a l N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
In the interest of conserving space, I will only be including
changes to this listing in this newsletter. All other contests
and market information that have already been listed here, are
displayed at http://www.musesmuse.com/contests.html &
http://www.musesmuse.com/markets.html . Please check there
regularly for updates!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW 'RADIO MUSE' WEBCAST FOR INDEPENDENT SONGWRITERS
- NOW SEEKING MUSIC!
The Muse's Muse & Host, Jan Best of Independent Songwriter
Web-Magazine, are putting together a series of shows, one every
month, featuring the songs of independent songwriters just like
you! See http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html for details on how
you can send in your own music for consideration.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
EVE OUTLOUD, AN ALL-WOMEN'S ARTISTS ALL-WOMEN'S ISSUE RADIO SHOW,
is seeking new music. The weekly show features women of all genres
and tackles important women's topics. You may submit material to:
Katrina Baker and Danie Taylor
Eve Outloud (92 WICB Ithaca)
Park School of Communcications
953 Danby Rd.
Ithaca, NY 14850
Eveoutloud@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/eveoutloud
-----------------------------------------------------------------
JUST PLAIN FOLKS 2001 NORTHEAST US/CANADA ROADTRIP SHOWCASE:
Every Just Plain Folks member (becoming a member is free and all it
requires is signing up for the Just Plain Notes newsletter!) is
welcome to participate in any of these events, even if you live in
another area of the world. All levels of experience are encouraged
to get involved and even if you aren't a performer, we want you to
come out and meet your peers and fellow members. If you want to
know what our showcases are like, please visit this link to answer
most of your questions. If you would like to sign up yourself or
your band to perform at one or more of these showcases, you MUST
follow the instructions located at
http://www.justplainfolks.org/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000031.html, or your
request will not be honored.
For those who will be in the Toronto area on the date below: A
location has been found for a showcase in the area in conjunction
with the Songwriting Association of Canada & The Muse's Muse:
June 18th - TORONTO: Ted's Wrecking Yard - 549 College Street (west
of Bathurst) - 7:00pm - 12:00am
For further information and more locations, times and dates of
other showcases, please see
http://www.justplainfolks.org/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000031.html.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
S.E.I.C. SEMINARS, N.Y.C. SONGWRITERS EDUCATION, INSPIRATION &
COLLABORATION
The S.E.I.C. ("Psych") Seminars are informative meetings and
gatherings for serious songwriters. The seminars provide resources
and information covering the three most important aspects of being
a songwriter: Education, Inspiration and Collaboration.
As an ongoing series, the S.E.I.C. Seminars take place the first
Wednesday of each month at the "Living Room" at ASCAP in NYC. Each
seminar will be structured according to the topic of that
particular meeting. Segments will include listening sessions,
spotlight performances by members, roundtable discussions of
specific topics, and special guest speakers and panels to include
accomplished songwriters, artists, A&R people, entertainment
lawyers, film music supervisors and publishers.
The S.E.I.C. Seminars are completely free, but seating is limited.
For more information, please e-mail SEIC@bobbymack.net, or visit
www.bobbymack.net/SEIC.htm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE BELHAM VALLEY RECORDS SONGWRITING CONTEST
Open internationally for all unsigned songwriters, composers,
singers, solo artists, bands etc...Featuring a $50,000 cash Grand
Prize. We offer 21 categories. Entry fees are as follows $20.00
(U.S. currency) per song, $15.00 for a second song submission, and
$10.00 for each additional song. Our contest is limited to 15,000
entrants therefore does not have a deadline.
The Grand Prize winning songs and all first place songs from each
category will be produced on CD by Belham Valley Records and sent
to top record labels A&R Departments. For complete information,
rules & entry form, please visit: http://www.TheArtsContest.com.
You may also contact us via email at: info@TheArtsContest.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2001 SONGWRITERS CONTEST BY ENCORE PRODUCTIONS INC.
The 2001 Songwriters Contest is now open for all unsigned original
songwriters, composers, bands, singer-songwriters and solo artists.
There are 13 categories (see entry form) that will be awarded.
There is a $30.00 (U.S. currency) per song entry fee. Entries are
accepted up until June 30, 2001. No entries will be accepted after
that date, no exceptions. All qualified entrants (see rules) will
receive one copy of the winners on CD. Winners will have their
songs distributed to the top 25 radio stations in the US and top 2
stations in the UK for play in those areas. A management contract
will be awarded to all winners. We will send the winning songs to
several record labels A&R Departments. Also the winners will
receive a certificate with their name and category.
For Official Rules and Regulations and printable entry form go to
URL address above or e-mail encoreproductionsinc@velceroisp.com Or
send SASE to: Encore Productions Inc. 5402 Brantford Ave. Memphis,
TN. 38120-2440 USA http://www.encoreproductionsinc.com/2001.htm
(901) 821-9921
*Collect calls will not be accepted. Long distant calls may or may
not be returned.*
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NORTH BY NORTHEAST MUSIC FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE
TORONTO, ON, CANADA
~ 89 Church St, Lower Level, Toronto, ON M5B 1Y7 ~ CANADA
Phone: (416) 863.NXNE (6963)
Fax: (416) 863.0828
E-mail: inquire@nxne.com
Website: www.nxne.com
Andy McLean: Managing Director, Travis Bird: Festival Co-ordinator,
Ann Kennedy: Conference Registrar
This international three-night music festival and two-day,
street-level industry conference brings exceptional new talent to
the attention of industry, media and fans alike. NXNE 2001 explores
"Artists Taking Charge of their Careers", with former Nirvana
manager Danny Goldberg as keynote speaker. Register on-line at
www.nxne.com!
Next event: NXNE 2001, June 7-9, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Contact: Ann Kennedy @ annk@nxne.com
Back to Menu
=================================================================
M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2001 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved. Used By
Permission
-----------------------------------------------------------------
These days, there are a lot of websites where an artist or
songwriter can upload songs, a bio, and a profile and hope that
somehow they get some well-deserved attention. But that's just it,
there are a LOT of websites. Even with the downward trend in
DotCom's, this doesn't seem to deter well-meaning music lovers from
creating the "next best thing" to Mp3.com, which is still the
highest profile mp3 site on the web. But lately, one was brought
to my attention, and I took a little while to hang out at
StarPolish.com (http://www.starpolish.com/).
The very first thing I do when checking out any of these sites, is
to look at their "About Us" page. Usually that gives you a pretty
good clue as to the intentions and intelligence of the webmasters!
StarPolish takes the artists concerns VERY seriously! There is an
"Artist Advisory Board" featuring well-known band members from
groups like Rage Against the Machine, and The Mighty, Mighty
BossToneS (one of my favs!). There is also an Industry Advisory
Board that includes Barbara Carr, who works for Jon Landau
Management, who manages the careers of Bruce Springsteen and Shania
Twain, among others. Besides that, there's an A&R panel AND an
Attorney Panel featuring those who work in entertainment law.
You'll also find a lot of contributors working in various ways in
the industry (and out of it!).
But one of the very best features of this site is an area
completely dedicated to "Music Publishing and Copyright"
(http://www.starpolish.com/advice/article.asp?id=21). Greg Boggs,
who started work at BMI in 1992, writes an easy-to-consume 20-page
exploration of music publishing that starts at the VERY beginning,
explaining many of the terms and what importance they have, what
Performing Rights Organizations do (like BMI, ASCAP, SOCAN, etc.),
what publishers do, mechanical rights, and so much more! It is one
of the best and most user-friendly resources for music publishing
and copyrights that I've seen on the net...you will understand
everything about these often confusing elements by the end of it, I
guarantee!
Once you've finished perusing that part of the site, you might
check out some of the many interviews and articles, such as the
latest one, "Functions Of a Record Label", which gives you a kind
of tour of the inner workings of a typical label. One of the best
features of these articles is that you can launch a "printer
friendly" page so you can copy them out for a little before-bed
reading :-) I also appreciate how the articles are broken down
into easy-to-digest sections rather than all on one page.
As an artist database, StarPolish offers pretty much what most of
the others do. Another interesting aspect of this site, however,
is its recent partnership with both Tonos and Napster! Now THERE'S
a twist :-) All in all, very well worth the time I spent there!
******
Irene Jackson is a performing songwriter from Victoria, BC in
Canada. Aside from writing, recording and performing, she also
maintains a website for songwriters that includes tips, articles
and more links of interest. Her eagerly anticipated CD "Catnip" is
finally here, and her earlier recordings have had attention
everywhere from Japan to South America.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs on MP3:
http://www.mp3.com/artists/20/irene_jackson.html
Back to Menu
=================================================================
S O N G W R I T E R I N S P O T L I G H T : Bill Brown
Some of Bill Brown's recent composing and arranging highlights
include director Oliver Stone's feature film 'Any Given Sunday',
Deran Sarafian's 'Trapped', Gus Van Sant's 'Finding Forrester',
Clive Barker's 'Undying', Michael Crichton's 'Timeline', Jim
Sonzero's film 'War of the Angels', Tom Clancy's 'Rainbow Six' and
'Rogue Spear', and Steven Spielberg's 'The Lost World: Trespasser'.
Here's what this successful composer had to say about how he got
started, his process and where he's hoping to go with it in the
future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What's your background in music? How did you get started? Was
your family musical?
A: I was raised with music around me all the time. My father was
(and is still) a DJ in NYC and had a huge record collection that he
had gathered from being in radio. I just picked out something that
looked interesting and played it. Music was like a toy for me
growing up. Listening to a song I loved was like playing with a
favorite toy, I just couldn't get enough. I also started playing
piano when I was about 4 years old, which was something I just
needed to do for some reason.
Music was something I utilized to express myself and help me get
through those pre-teen and teen years. I think I got into song
writing because I needed to express the deeper, more meaningful
stuff going on inside of me then. It helped connect me to my
feelings. Music in general is really great when it can do that. I
just kept writing and honing my skills, played in a few bands and
began learning about production and gear just through trial and
error over a lot of years. Getting my degree in Filmscoring and
Songwriting from Berklee (officially Filmscoring - but I finished
the entire Songwriting curriculum) was really a humbling
experience, and a great one. I learned that I needed to learn a
whole lot more, even after I graduated. So I interned in New York
for a few years, worked out of my apartment for a year or so and
then picked up and moved to LA. Everything that has happened has
come at the right time for me, even if at that time I didn't think
so. I started in Sound Design here in LA for a couple years, then
moved over to Soundelux which at that time was doing only sound
design in LA, and started writing music for Games and commercials.
More than four years later I am the Director of Music here and we
are writing original music for Film, TV and Electronic
Entertainment.
Q: What were your musical influences? Who are your favorite
songwriter/composers and why?
A: I think the first big impression on me musically might have been
John Williams' score for "Star Wars". I saw that in the theatres
about 26 times I think and bought the 2-album set as soon as it
came out. I also remember listening to the Beatles, Stevie Wonder,
The Doobie Brothers, and some other stuff. I think I was very picky
about what I wanted to listen to. I listened to Frank Sinatra and
those incredible big band arrangements a lot. Of course, I kept
track of everything John Williams was doing, and gained a focused
interest in film music through the 80's in general. Berklee
(College of Music, Boston, MA) was like a Pandora's Box for me. I
was jazz / R&B junkie the entire time I was there. Contemporary
classical music was pretty new to me then - as soon as I heard this
entire incredible new musical vocabulary I was hooked. It was like
I was hearing a language that I already knew deep inside of me that
had been waiting to get out. It was really an exciting time.
As far as my favorite composers and songwriters go, I've since
branched out into enjoying almost every style of music possible. As
far as influences go - There are so many composers and writers that
have inspired me, the list is just too long now - it's too hard to
pick just a handful.
Q: How did you get started actually getting *paid* for composing?
Where did you go to get your music heard and did you need to put in
"dues" before you could go where you wanted to go?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
For the answer to this and other questions, please see the rest of
the interview at http://www.musesmuse.com/int-brown.html .
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Menu
=================================================================
" O N S I T E " F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E :
Contemporary Cabaret Songwriting
By Dennis Livingston
http://www.musesmuse.com/art-livingston.html
Dennis tells us about this lesser-known songwriting art form while
explaining how it's done and offering resources for those
songwriters that want to know more. His love of the genre comes
shining through making this a fascinating and inspiring read.
Back to Menu
=================================================================
C l a s s i f i e d s & U s e f u l S e r v i c e s :
-----------------------------------------------------------------
USA INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Songwriters! Enter to win a grand prize of over US$50,000 in cash,
merchandise and more! This the largest prize package in any annual
songwriting competition. Also, winners' songs will be featured on a
nationally syndicated radio program serving over 60 cities in the
US and Canada. Judges include A&R Managers from Major Record labels
and publishers. Visit: http://www.songwriting.net/mm.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LYRICIST! THE SONGWRITER'S BEST FRIEND HAS ARRIVED . . .
Virtual Studio Systems, Inc. is proud to announce Lyricist, the
first of its kind word processor designed for musicians,
songwriters, and poets. Includes rhyming dictionary, spell checker,
thesaurus, album categorization and more. Visit our web-site at
www.virtualstudiosystems.com and download your free 30-day trial
today. Call us at 888.732.1176 U.S or 603.726.4911 outside the
U.S. and mention this ad to receive a $10 discount towards your
purchase.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
WINDRIFT SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Windrift Music, a new music label in Toronto is sponsoring a free
songwriting competition. THERE IS NO ENTRY CHARGE:
Grand Prize * $500 in cash * Make Your own demo CD * 50 CDs
courtesy of Windrift Music * Web Hosting of Your Song on Windrift
Music Site * Artist Home Page with download of music * 1000
promotional Flyers of CD * Free promotion of artist CD to major
labels. The deadline is June 30th, 2001. Contest details are
located on the Windrift web site:
http://www.windriftmusic.com/contest.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
MARKETING HELP! Are you a reasonably priced professional who knows
how to get exposure (reviews, press..) and CD sales for a upcoming
to-be released Acoustic/Singer/Songwriter CD later this summer?
Singer/Songwriter (that's me..) looking for marketing help before,
during, and after the upcoming next CD release (later this summer)
Will share early master with you for review.
e-mail: "MVMLtd@aol.com" Based in NYC/New Jersey area ...Thanks!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CHECK OUT STARPOLISH.COM - THE SITE FOR ARTISTS
StarPolish is dedicated to educating and empowering artists, with
an emphasis on artist advocacy and artist development. We are also
committed to supporting the arts by rewarding and highlighting the
most hard-working and deserving artists.StarPolish is a
collaborative effort between artists and music industry
professionals. We have tons of content including: the largest
advice library, a place to sell your music with the most favorable
rates on the web, a database of resources around the country and in
you area, industry news, as well as much much more...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
GO GLOBAL WITH CDSTREET.COM
CDstreet.com is your secure source for credit card music ordering
in your own website. As a member of the CDstreet network, you will
have access to the most cost-effective, secure transaction
processing for global music merchandise distribution. Plus, no
setup fee and no sales equals no cost!
Check it out - http://www.cdstreet.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
GET YOUR COPY OF THE INDIE CONTACT BIBLE & START MAKING WAVES!
This is an absolutely priceless resource for indie musicians. If
you want your music reviewed, on the radio, *heard*, THIS is the
resource you need to have. It's not going to tell you "how" but it
will *certainly* tell you "who". I highly recommend you pick it up
in order to compliment your other music marketing techniques. Have
a look at this url and read through a few sample pages to see what
I mean: http://www.bigmeteor.com/muse
(Full review at http://www.musesmuse.com/3.4-July00.html#book)
=================================================================
ADVERTISING RATES: For Classifieds: US$25 Max. 8 lines, where
a line = 65 characters including spaces and punctuation. All
contracts must be prepaid. Write to: editor@musesmuse.com
For Newsletter Sponsorship rates and other advertising
opportunities, please see http://www.musesmuse.com/media.html .
Back to Menu
=================================================================
C o n t a c t I n f o & C r e d i t s :
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jodi Krangle ............................................. EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain ...........................GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Muse's News is a free monthly newsletter for and about
songwriters. Subscribers are welcome to recirculate or reprint
The Muse's News for nonprofit use as long as the appropriate
credit is given and the ENTIRE text of the newsletter is
included (including credits and information at the end of each
issue). Others should contact me at editor@musesmuse.com.
All articles copyrighted by their authors.
Back issues and other information will be available at:
http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews.html
The Muse's News is part of The Muse's Muse, a web resource for
songwriters: http://www.musesmuse.com/
For further information, send your e-mail to:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
adinfo@musesmuse.com - How to place a classified ad, pass
on market information or sponsor
The Muse's News.
info@musesmuse.com - How to subscribe, unsubscribe, etc.
editor@musesmuse.com - To submit articles,reviews,ideas,etc.
SNAILMAIL: Please contact me first at editor@musesmuse.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back issues of the newsletter can be read at the National
Library of Canada ecollection:
http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/muses_news/index.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back to Menu
[ Back to The Muse's News Index ] [ Home ]
|
