In an industry that changes more than the weather, The Heat Magazine wanted to enlighten artists and music business stakeholders with pertinent information. A superficial glance at the music industry can deceive an upcoming artist or company. The Heat Magazine realizes the importance in educating artists.
One of the first issues addressed in this discussion concerns copyrighting and publishing. It is imperative that all music and lyrics are copyrighted through the Library of Congress. Copyrights protect an artist from infringement by other artists, companies, and it also helps identify owners and songwriters of a particular tune. Although a song is copyrighted once recorded, it has to be legally copyrighted using the correct forms.
A buzz word in the music industry is publishing. Publishing deals with mechanical, performance, and sheet music royalties. The songwriters can collect upfront monies as well as semester payments based on the magnitude of a song. This can be managed by publishing companies ASCAP and BMI and a publisher. An artist has to register as a songwriter, and a company as a publisher. This enables an artist and a company to collect owed royalties. For example, if a motion picture uses an artist’s song in a film, royalties are owed by the film company to the artists and other co-owners of the publishing rights on that song. If another artist uses a portion of your song or creates a cover, then royalties are due to the artist and publisher. This is a streamlined example but the artist can receive money anytime another entity uses or makes money with his/her song or portions of it. Royalties can be collected from record sales, radio/video play, club performances, and sheet music.
The Heat Magazine hopes this summary helps upcoming artists and companies. The next subjects were covered in the following interview:
The Heat Magazine: How important are email blasts?
LaJoan of Dream Management: Eblasts are very important. It’s the driving force that spreads your music worldwide to different D.J.s and helps start fan bases in other cities and states. Eblasts are respected more by D.J.’s. They rather get it sent to them that way instead of artists filling up their inbox.
The Heat Magazine: How important is artist management?
LaJoan of Dream Management: Management is important because it takes the everyday stress of the music business off the artist. I think everyone needs good management to help develop plans, marketing & promotional strategies, make phone calls and take care of other needs the artist has. Having proper management can open many doors that you may not otherwise have access to.
For more information, contact dreammgmt@gmail.com
The Heat Magazine: How important is a publicist?
Arlene Culpepper: As music artists, you need the world to know your particular brand. In order to achieve that, you need press, particularly a social media buzz, including articles regarding your work. Publicists can help brand you and get your art out to the world.
The Heat Magazine: How important is the D.J.?
Original Ice Mike 1200: Well the DJ is certainly one of the most important people to an artist. The DJ is the soundtrack to the good times in the life of party-goers. If an artist makes a record that is so hot it withstands the test of time, the DJ is the one that is stitching that song in the memory of the people in that time of their lives.
The Heat Magazine: How important is a producer?
Original Ice Mike 1200: The producer is probably the most important of all in the career moments and recordings of an artist. It’s not just making the beat. That is the music writer but the producer is the one who will not only pick or make the music track, but who delivers the final product. The way a song comes across from the left and right speaker. Its dynamic ability and spectrum. Sometimes a producer can be hired by an artist to give that artist the type of songs the artist may know from the producer’s success and the artist may begin to dive into telling the producer what to do in a production and yet fall upon the same average wave of success as they were already at. It’s a factor of not letting their producer do what he was hired for.
When choosing a producer, it must be someone you can have faith in with your job. Otherwise an artist may very well see others achieve more success from the same producer. Techniques in recording, pulling out the best in an artist, or stopping an artist from overusing their talent are all the call of a producer. The object is to have an undeniable music work before any person outside of a studio hears it. If a DJ has to say it is not mixed right, or an A&R has to say it takes too long to get to the good part,or if a consumer has to say, Why isn’t loud like I heard it in concert, 9 times out of ten you just lost one for good, who would have played it, signed it, or bought it! Production is a craft not just a title.
For more information, contact icemike1200@yahoo.com.
The Heat Magazine applauds the panelists for sharing valuable knowledge concerning the complex music business. The entertainment industry is much more than singing, dancing, and rapping.
For more information, contact Dion Norman at itsdevious@yahoo.com. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1455661841
