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The Muse's News |
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Issue 8.2 - May 2005
ISSN 1480-6975
[ Back to The Muse's News Index ] [ Home ]
This issue sponsored by:
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I n T h i s I s s u e :
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@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Music Reviews - by Gian Fiero, Brian Rutherford
& Stacey Board
@-- New Artist Spotlight Additions
@-- Copyright & Publishing Q&A - by Nancy VanReece
@-- Songwriting Book Review - by James Linderman
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - Songwriting Web sites that inspire - brought
to you by singer/songwriter & teacher, Irene Jackson.
@-- Featured Article - When Do You Know You Need A Producer?
(Part 1) By Rod Clemmons
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
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ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998/99/00/01/02/03 - Jodi Krangle.
For more contact information, see end of issue.
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A DAILY REMINDER OF YOUR COMMITTMENT TO BETTER SONGWRITING!
You can pick up some attractive and useful Muse's Muse items like
mugs, mousepads (currently on sale!), t-shirts in various colors
and more by visiting http://www.cafepress.com/musesmuse . Get
yourself some classy merchandise to remind yourself of your
commitment to better songwriting and support The Muse's Muse all
at the same time.
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DEADLINE LOOMS - 10th ANNUAL USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION
Enter the 10th Annual USA Songwriting Competition now! Winning
songs receive radio airplay! Win Grand prize of US $50,000 of
cash, music gear and more! Judges included from Warner and SONY
Music.
Also, receive free bonus for entering.
Entries must be postmarked by May 31st or earlier.
Hurry to: http://www.songwriting.net/mm.html
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Hello again! I hope you're all having a great time with the
warmer weather (if it matters to you and you're somewhere where
you don't see it all year round, that is. You folks in
California, stop laughing. ;)). I know I am! No more snow!
Yay! Is it my imagination or is winter just getting longer and
longer? We have snow storms at the oddest times, for instance.
It was warm one day, and then on April 1st, we had a horrible
snow storm (that I had to drive through, incidentally. Fun.
Wow.). Just ... strange. But it does appear to be all over for
another year. I'm enormously grateful.
I hope you're all getting a chance to go outside and enjoy the
beautiful weather! Certainly, doing so can be highly
inspirational, don't you think?
As previously mentioned, Radio Muse is back and ready for your
entries! So if you're interested in having your music played in
the show, please visit the Radio Muse page at
http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html for full instructions.
You'll also find previous shows there. Feel free to listen! The
actual format will be slightly different but the idea
behind the pages that display more information on the artists is
still the same. Also, the show will be in MP3 format rather than
its previous Real Audio format.
There's still space left for the first show, folks! I'd love to
hear your music. Please note that you will only be contacted if
your music is chosen. I appreciate your understanding about
that.
The raffle winners this month are:
* Christiann Adams from Los Angeles, CA has won a copy of VSS's
songwriting organization product, Lyricist (for details and
information on a discount offered, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html)
* Cassandra Kubinski from New York, NY has won a copy of
"100 Miles To A Record Deal" by Bronson Herrmuth
(http://www.songrepair.com/bookforweb2.htm)
* Jason Joven from Glendale, CA has won a copy of "Music Business
Made Simple" by J.S. Rudsenske (reviewed below!).
* Dan Johnson from Harrisburg, SD has won a copy of the
"Musician's Toolkit" (for details, see
http://www.musicianstoolkit.com/muse/)
Those of you that want a raffle prize, all you have to do is
email me and ask. :) I'm still interested in passing these out
and I'd love to hear from you. :) If you do write, let me know
which raffle prize would be most useful to you, ok?
Thanks again for taking the time to read another issue of The
Muse's News and enjoy!
--Jodi
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
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LYRICIST VERSION 3: THE SONGWRITER'S BEST FRIEND
Lyricist is the first-of-its-kind word processor designed
specifically for musicians, songwriters, and poets. The software
includes a Rhyming Dictionary, Thesaurus, Album Categorization,
Chord Charting, Chord Generator, Song Arrangement, On-Line
Copyright Link. The new version 3 release adds support for
"Piano Style" chord symbols, Nashville Number System, and
Transposition features - all in one easy-to-use package - and all
for only $44.95! (That's $5.00 off to all Muse's News readers who
purchase from the review link at
http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html!)
This tool will revolutionize the way you write and organize your
writing.
Be the best songwriter you can be and purchase Lyricist today!
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M u s i c R e v i e w s :
by Gian Fiero, Steve Allat & Brett Thompson
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NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
Gian Fiero:
* More
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000893.html
* Muller & Patton
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000889.html
* Ebony Burks
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000887.html
* Neversay
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000881.html
* Emony Entertainment
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000891.html
* Phame
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000880.html
* RayRay
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000888.html
* Inovation Entertainment
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000879.html
* Jazmin Sky
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000884.html
* Icarus Jones
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000890.html
* Typhoon Ferri
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000882.html
* Kedash
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000892.html
* Michelle Latimer
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000878.html
* Jen Woodhouse
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000883.html
* Mali Woods
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000877.html
Reviews by Brian Rutherford:
* Zack Ashton
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000875.html
* The Night Owls
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000876.html
* Kieskagato
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000895.html
Reviews by Stacey Board:
* David Simpkins
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000896.html
* Table 69
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000897.html
* Madelyn Lavender
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000898.html
* Joey Graziano
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000899.html
* Jamison Priest
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000900.html
* Tumbleweed Mile
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000901.html
* Jennifer Paskow
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000902.html
* The TippHillbilllies
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000903.html
* Pete Muller
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000904.html
* Kilgore Trout
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000905.html
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******
For bios on each of the reviewers, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html . If you're considering
sending in your own CD for review, you can also view that page to
find out which reviewer reviews your genre. Thanks!
Back to Menu
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N e w A r t i s t S p o t l i g h t A d d i t i o n s :
Great music is only a click away!
Here is the latest addition to the Artist Spotlight section of
The Muse's Muse at http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html
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Alaria Taylor - Genre: POP
Alaria Taylor's new CD, Unfinished Business is nominated for 2005
WAMI CD of the Year & Song of the Year! An award winning
singer/songwriter, Alaria's voice has been compared to Chrissy
Hyne, Stevie Nicks, Heart, & Vanessa Williams. Unfinished
Business, produced by Grammy award winner,Joe Puerta, is already
receiving lots of industry attention.
http://www.alariataylor.com/
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John Amen - Genre: SINGER/SONGWRITER
Ranging from stripped-down Americana ballads to fully
instrumented rock pieces, All I'll Never Need showcases John
Amen's gift for melody, unique voice, and powerful lyrics.
Sometimes stark and haunting, other times triumphantly
celebratory, these songs offer proof that Amen is an invaluable
addition to the current musical landscape.
http://www.coolmidget.com/newreleases.htm
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C o p y r i g h t & P u b l i s h i n g Q & A :
With Licensing executive Nancy VanReece
http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html
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Q: I am a songwriter who is getting ready to record a CD with my
band. We are going to record songs that I had written before I
even knew these guys. They told me that I can claim the lyrics
but that we should split the music four ways because they made up
their own parts. There is maybe one song that I would be willing
to split because I presented it to them and it now is totally
different than what I did initially. But the rest of the songs
were completed, with music, arrangement and words, when I taught
them. Also I even told the players what to play on some of the
songs. And here is where it stands.... they all agree and I am
the only one who disagrees so I need some outside support. I
don't think I'm crazy or selfish. I think I'm being realistic
when I say that unless my songs were drastically changed or
improved by something they did, they should not be allowed to own
any copyright on them. Can you tell me if I am right or wrong?
Thank you very much.
A: This is a question that comes up often. Understand that there
is no right or wrong here. Ultimately, you need to all agree and
find common ground on the issue. It is best to create perimeters
before you start writing or arranging. However, since this is
after the fact, you have to simply ask yourself how to get a
win-win out of the situation.
There are some performers who require part of the writer's share
in order to agree to perform the work. They may have had nothing
at all to do with writing it. It was just part of the negotiated
win-win arrangement.
If you are a self-published writer, you may consider offering 50%
of the writer's share to be split amongst them all but you remain
100% publisher of the work. You may flip it and require that you
remain 100% writer and you agree to split the publishing with
them. Come up with an option that you feel good about and then
present it to them as a peace offering.
If I were you, I would keep the writer's share and give them 50%
of the publishing with a 24 month reversion clause. If they do
nothing to help get the song exploited beyond your own recording
within the next two years, then the song reverts back to you and
you go on your merry way. If they do kick in to help exploit the
work, then everyone wins.
I don't know the people so you will know best what may work for
your situation. In the future, always get an agreement in
writing before you sit down to write or arrange with someone.
-------
Q: Hi Nancy. Just a quick question: How long do song copyrights
last? I am doing a new CD and would like to do a couple of songs
I wrote in the 60's. They were published by various publishers
back then. Is there any chance I can now publish them in my new
publishing company?
A: The current copyright term is life of the author plus 70
years. However, if the work was written and published before
1978 the term is 95 years from the date of creation. There are
duration issues on fileing for works before 1978 so it would be
best to consult the publisher or an attorney to be clear on any
particular work.
Attached is the Sony Bono Term Extention Act for your review.
http://www.musesmuse.com/bonotermextention.doc (Word Document)
*****
ABOUT NANCY VANREECE:
Since 1998, Nancy VanReece has been providing a question and
answer forum for Muse's Muse readers. Now all of the articles,
forums and Q&A's are compiled into an e-book called REAL ANSWERS
TO REAL QUESTIONS: THE SONGWRITER-PUBLISHER FORUM.
http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html
How to Ask a Question:
If you have a question for Nancy about publishing or copyright
administration, you can e-mail her at nvanreece@musesmuse.com.
Please indicate in the subject of your e-mail that your
submission is for The Muse's Muse guest forum, Real Answers to
Real Questions. Thanks!
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S o n g w r i t i n g B o o k R e v i e w : by James Linderman
Music Business Made Simple by J.S. Rudsenske
http://www.musicbusinessmadesimple.com/
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If I were to start this review by telling you that this is a book
that was written by a lawyer, many of you would not read past the
first paragraph.
Good! You are still reading. The terrific thing about this book
IS that it was written by a lawyer - a music attorney to be
precise.
J.S. (Skip) Rudsenske is an entertainment lawyer in Nashville, TN
and has a client base from every genre and from almost all of the
majors and a few indie and boutique labels, as well. He also
owns the Urban Art Bar where he has booked and produced events
for artists such as Bush (the band not the president), Oasis,
Jewel, Jeff Buckley, Creed, Tonic, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls
and Better than Ezra.
This is an author who knows his business and his music.
Let's take a look at his book.
Music business Made Simple is divided into four parts.
Part one is all about getting started and has chapters on
defining your artistic goals and learning the rudiments of the
music business.
Part two looks at developing your craft as a music creator,
performer, recording artist and self promoter.
This is the stage where I'm at now, and you might be too, whereby
we are working really hard on every aspect of our career but we
are not quite at the place where we can hand it all over to
managers, agents, lawyers and publishers.
I had a lot to learn in this part of the book and I found that it
really delivered some great insights.
I found part three the most interesting because it deals with the
point where you hand over the career you have been slaving away
at, on to all those professionals... all those managers, agents,
lawyers and publishers.
Part four is all about the record deal, how do you get one, what
will it do for you, should you go indie or major and deals with
many of the other questions that haunt us all nightly.
There is some invaluable information on showcasing and signing
contracts that I found really interesting and there are some
resources in the back that should be useful as well.
One thing I liked about this book right away is that each chapter
stands on its own so if you are interested in finding out about
music conferences, you can flip directly to that chapter as if it
were the start of the book.
Another great advantage this book has is that it is written with
information often only available to a music attorney. It is
intelligently written without "lawyerese". It has a clarity and
simplicity that is really disarming.
I would obviously recommend this book to anyone working on a
career in the music business - even if you are only working as a
passionate music hobbyist. You might even find it interesting if
you just want to know the mechanics of the industry.
If you are at any of the tipping points of your career and need a
road map for what's around the corner, I would order this book
today.
You can pick up a copy of Music Business Made Simple by J.S.
Rudsenske at www.musicbusinessmadesimple.com
******
ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
James Linderman lives and works at theharmonyhouse, a music
lesson, songwriting and recording pre-production facility in
Newmarket, Ontario. James writes songwriting articles and music
book reviews for The Muse's News, Canadian Musician Magazine,
Songwriters Magazine, and Professional Musician Magazine. His
writing is also featured in the James Linderman Wing of the
library at www.songu.com. James has a Canadian University and
American College education in music theory and composition and is
also pretty good at making up songs and playing the guitar.
Contact James at: theharmonyhouse@rogers.com
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPOTLIGHT YOUR MUSIC ON THE MUSE'S MUSE!
The Muse's Muse Songwriting Resource (online since 1995) now has
a section of Artist Spotlights at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html where musicians
and songwriters of all genres can strut their stuff. Newly
spotlighted artists are also mentioned in this newsletter (see
above). Check out http://www.musesmuse.com/spotlightinfo.html for
more details!
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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!
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2005 MOVA ARTS FESTIVAL SONGWRITERS' COMPETITION NOW OPEN
The fourth annual MOVA Arts Festival offers a $2,000 Best of Show
plus recording time, a $1,000 1st Place and many, many more cash
and performance opportunity awards. Semi-finalists invited to
perform for, and interact with some of the best songwriters in
the business at the MOVA Arts Festival held in the beautiful
resort town of Lake Guntersville, Alabama, September 15 - 18.
Every semi-finalist song recieves a written critique from a panel
of three judges in their genre. Past finalists include: Nellie
McKay (New York), Melanie Dekker (Ontario, Canada), Amber Brooke
Band, Georgia. A Musician's Weekend takes place the same weekend
for additional interaction with music professionals and is open
to all songwriters.
For more information, please visit:
http://mova.mountainvalleyartscouncil.org/. or call 256-582-1454
to be sent paper information. Early Bird deadline is May 15 -
Night Owl deadline is June 15 (Postmark Deadlines).
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FAVORITE ARTIST SONGWRITING CONTEST
Producers from Sound Works Entertainment will pick their favorite
artist based on a review of all songs included in its online Song
Catalog as of 5/31/05. The winner gets to choose the prize
(valued at over $1,000.) from a list of manufacturers including
Apple Computer, Fender, Kurzweil, Mackie and many more! This
contest is part of an on-going series of songwriting contests and
giveaways sponsored by this organization exclusively for its
members. The winner will be announced in its June Newsletter. For
more details visit http://www.songwriter.tv/
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INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION
ISC is an annual songwriting competition that provides
songwriters the opportunity to gain exposure in the international
arena. In addition to a total prize package of $100,000 in cash
and merchandise, ISC offers its entrants the unprecedented
opportunity to have their music heard by some of the most
prominent members of the music industry. Deadline for submission
is September 15, 2005. Please visit
http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/ for more information.
ISC past and present judges include:
Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20); Andy Summers (The Police); Sean "P.
Diddy" Combs; B.B. King; Clint Black; Pat Metheny; David Hidalgo
(Los Lobos); Aaron Lewis (Staind); Five For Fighting; Monte
Lipman (President, Universal Records); Arif Mardin (VP/GM,
Manhattan Records); Alan Meltzer (President, Wind-Up Records);
Michael McDonald (President, ATO Records); Tara Griggs-Magee
(Exec. VP, Gospel/Urban Music, Sony Music); Rose Noone (Sr. VP of
A&R, Epic Records); and many more.
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GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT AND MEDIA SUMMIT RETURNS TO NYC!!!
The Global Entertainment and Media Summit (GEMS) is one of the
industry's leading conferences dedicated to building sustainable
careers at a time of significant change in the music industry.
Two days of incredible opportunities as executives from the
music, film, media, new media, and gaming worlds gather to create
new opportunities and relationships! More than 25 seminars,
workshops, clinics and keynotes presented by industry visionaries
and leaders who are helping to shape and create the future of the
entertainment industries. Bring your CDs, demos, press kits and
business cards! Network like crazy!
WHEN: May 14th and 15th
WHERE: Times Square Arts Center,
Home of the world famous Laugh Factory,
303 West 43rd Street, New York City.
DETAILS: http://www.globalentertainmentnetwork.com/
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GET YOUR KIDS ROCKING THIS SUMMER!
Young musicians (and absolute beginners too!) can have the rock
and roll experience of a lifetime this summer at Bach To Rock! At
this highly acclaimed two week program, 10-16 year olds feel the
thrill of playing and performing in a band, receive quality
musical instruction, enjoy workshops in areas like performance
skills, music software, MIDI, equipment, percussion, songwriting
and more, and have a blast laughing and playing theater improv
and recreational games. A truly outstanding staff creates a fun,
supportive environment with a commitment to provide the
confidence, creativity, and community building experiences that
can make an impact for life. The program takes place August 1-12,
M-F 9-5, with a concert August 13 at the legendary Mulcahy’s
Music Club.
For more info, see a video at http://www.bachtorock.com/ , email
info@BachToRock.com, or call 888-212-9834
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MUSICIANS INSTITUTE
Musicians Institute, in Hollywood, California, offers a
comprehensive, hands-on education in contemporary music
performance, recording, guitar making, music business and film.
MI offers students access to real artists, labels, studios and
managers with their "Hiring Hall" where artists and labels
handpick MI students for their projects. Also there are interview
opportunities with MI professors and streaming video guitar
lessons! For more information check out their web site at
http://www.mi.edu/.
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KAUAI MUSIC FESTIVAL ADDS HIT BMI SONGWRITERS TO STAFF
The Kauai Music Festival today announced that hit BMI songwriters
Vanessa Carlton ("A Thousand Miles"), Sean Garrett ("Yeah!" by
Usher) and 2005 Grammy winner Harold Lilly ("You Don't Know My
Name" by Alicia Keys) will be joining the instructional staff for
this year's event. The Kauai Music Festival, held May 26-29, is a
four-day celebration of the craft of popular songwriting. The
Festival provides an opportunity for aspiring songwriters to hone
their craft under the tutelage of some of the best songwriters in
the world. The Festival offers a unique combination of small
group songwriter workshops, master classes, instructional panels
and seminars on a variety of pertinent subjects, a songwriting
contest, and concerts on the Garden Island of Kauai in Hawaii.
Check out their website at http://www.kauaimusicfestival.com/
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MUSE'S NEWS READERS -- TAKE a FREE SongU.com COURSE!
SongU.com is pleased to make this special offer of a free
SongU.com course available to all Muse's News Readers (a $40
value). Come see for yourself why ASCAP says that the courses
offered by SongU.com "will undoubtedly help prepare songwriters
for any market no matter their place of residence" and NSAI says
we're the "next important evolution for serious songwriters."
To take your FREE SONGWRITING COURSE, simply go to the following
link: http://www.songu.com/suSponsor/musesmuse/ .
You can learn more about SongU.com courses, co-writing hookups,
industry connections and pitching by going to
http://www.songu.com/?sa=3 .
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DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPYRIGHT KIT
Download Indie-Music.com's free and easy Copyright Kit. Print
Copyright forms, Copyright submission process, handy tips &
tricks, choosing the right form, and more.
http://www.indie-music.com/freemuse.php
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SONGWRITING CONSULTATION SPECIAL OFFER:
Pete & Pat Luboff will pay for the phone call for Muse's Muse
songwriters who use the Luboffs' songwriting consultation
service. The service provides detailed, constructive song
analysis, answers to all your creative and business questions and
references to contacts when appropriate. Visit
http://www.writesongs.com/consults.htm for more information.
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TAKE YOUR SONGWRITING CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Ellen Silverstein Violette, Grammy-nominated Songwriter & CEO of
Create A Splash! e-marketing & writing strategies 4 success is
offering 15% discounts to Muse's Muse visitors on selected
services including all courses, web reviews, and some coaching
programs. Visit http://tinyurl.com/39yxa for information!
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INTRODUCING A SPECIAL WEBSITE PROMOTION PACKAGE ESPECIALLY FOR
MUSICIANS/SONGWRITERS
It's important for your website to be found once it's created. We
all know this. But who can afford the promotion a website needs
to truly make its mark on the web? Now YOU can. This package is
offered exclusively to Muse's Muse visitors only - and now
includes an Artist Spotlight listing! Do you have a website that
no one knows about? Do you want it to stand out from the crowd?
Now you can get it promoted for a fraction of the price most
search engine optimization packages would cost you. Visit
http://www.internet-marketing-mm.com/musicianpackage.html
for more details.
Back to Menu
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M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2005 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved. Used By
Permission
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Recently, while perusing the net, I came across an interesting
collection of music and interviews on the NPR (National Public
Radio) website. NPR's main page is at http://www.npr.org, but
the page I first came to is here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1043
What lead me there was a Google search on "songwriting" where I
came upon a link to an interview with John Prine. You can
actually listen to the stories and interviews if you have Windows
Media Player or Real Audio. The John Prine interview came about
as a result of the release of his most recent CD "Fair and
Square", and the interview features snippets of some of the songs
along with his recollections as to how they came to be. The most
interesting story was one he relates about actually writing a
song right there in the studio. And here I've been spending
months and months rewriting and polishing my songs before I even
go into the studio with them! Not only that, but he advocates
leaving some songs alone, letting them be exactly as they were
when they came out. I guess it's back to the drawing board for
me :-)
Another interesting interview is with music journalist and author
Greil Marcus who has recently written an entire book on the
recording of the hit "Like A Rolling Stone", Bob Dylan's epic
song from 1965. Aside from the audio interview, you can also
read through excerpts from the book about the actual session,
describing in detail how the recording fell into place. This, of
course, was a time when over-dubbing didn't exist much and every
musician had to have it right from the start, live off the floor.
My, how times have changed!
If Bob Dylan is just too old for your taste, skip down to the
bottom of the page and have a listen to an interview of DJ Kook
Herc, the father of the "breakbeat", the most danceable section
of hip hop music, and the first hip hop DJ. He has written the
introduction to Jeff Chang's new book "Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A
History of the Hip Hop Generation", which also has an entire
chapter devoted to him. Or, you might want to read a day-by-day
diary from the South By Southwest Music and Media Conference
(SXSW). Elaine Heinzman, a production assistant at NPR recently
took in the event and wrote about it including audio files of
some up and coming bands and artists who attended and performed
at the conference.
NPR can be heard all across the US through 760 independent local
radio stations, but you can also listen online. Check out the
show "All Songs Considered", which features an online open mic
here:
http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/openmic/index.php?episode=current
where you can submit your own music.
There's too much to describe in one column, so I'll leave it up
to you to find your way to NPR's website and get lost for a few
hours!
******
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 a songwriter's messageboard.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs: http://www.soundclick.com/irenejackson
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
When Do You Know You Need A Producer? (Part 1)
By Rod Clemmons © 2005 - All Rights Reserved
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In the present landscape of pop music, we have seen many
transitions in the way this music is presented to the public.
Internet technology in particular has made music of all kinds
much more accessible to the consumer. Likewise, this same
technology has made it easier for the independent creators of
music: singers, songwriters, bands and groups, to find and
develop their own audiences without relying on or being at the
mercy of a record label to expose and publicize their work.
While these are new and innovative times for independent artists
to carve their own niche, as the artist, it is still important to
ask yourself some very important and basic questions as you
prepare to record your music.
1. What songs do I choose to put on my cd?
2. Where or how will I get these songs recorded?
3. What instruments should be used for each song according to my
music style?
4. What specifically is my music style?
5. Who will arrange the instrumental and vocal parts for
each song?
6. What musicians and background vocalists should be used
for each song?
7. Who will guide both background and lead vocalists and
musicians during sessions so that everything is sung and played
the way it should be?
8. Who will mix the songs?
9. Who will master the songs?
Asking yourself these and other questions like them will quickly
help you determine whether or not you need a producer.
What exactly does a music producer do? Whenever I am asked that
question, and I have been asked that many times throughout my
twenty years producing music, I give a quick response. A
producer is to music what a director is to film. When you are
watching a movie you are seeing the efforts of many people from
the actors to set designers, makeup artists, screen writers,
costume designers, music score writers, and so on. However, the
way that you see all these elements in the movie is determined
primarily by one person, the director. The movie is the
director's visions of artistically, how all those elements come
together to tell the story. A music producer has the same
responsibilities in a recording project.
When I produce a cd for an artist, I first help the artist choose
the songs they want to record. Going song by song, I ask for a
rough version of each song and, after getting a sense of the
artist's vision for each song, I determine what instruments need
to be used to put the song across. I recently produced and co-
wrote a CD for my wife, singer songwriter Leslie Clemmons, called
Stop The World. After hearing her melody and lyrics of one of
the songs, Interpret The Sky, I decided that the instruments that
would best serve her emotional and artistic performance of the
song would be drums, bass, acoustic guitars, electric distortion
guitars, clean electric guitar, electric rhythm guitar, mandolin,
organ, and harmonica. Then I created the arrangements for these
instruments, or in other words, what each instrument would play.
Once the instruments were recorded, I gave the track to Leslie to
live with until she was ready to record the lead vocal. After
her lead vocal was done, I created harmony vocals for the
choruses, and I also asked her to double her lead vocal in the
chorus to make her melody in the chorus stand out from the verse
melody. After all those tracks were done, I mixed the song,
taking all of these elements and balancing them together, and
determining what effects should be used, such as reverbs, delays,
etc. Once every song on the CD was done in the same way, I went
to a mastering studio and worked with an engineer to give it the
final touches so that it can be released to consumers, radio
television, and other media. The producer handles all these
responsibilities so that the artist can focus on what they do
best - performing the song.
Like myself, there are many singers and singer/songwriters who
are also very skilled musically and have a rigorously trained
understanding of instrumentation (which refers to the choice of
instruments used in a song), arranging (which refers to what the
instruments play), and harmonic structure (which is important to
the entire song, but particularly important to background vocal
arrangements). On the other hand I'm sure that there are just as
many singers and singer/songwriters who are excellent vocalists
and write great melodies and lyrics and who may even play an
instrument very well, but do not have the skill to artistically
oversee an entire music production. These particular artists
benefit greatly by using a producer to help put their projects
together.
How do you choose a producer? One of the first things you want
to do in selecting a producer is to find out if the producer has
ever worked with your style of music. There are some producers
who are limited to one or two styles of music, while others,
depending on their musical training, are able to work with many
music styles. Neither scenario is right or wrong, good or bad.
As the artist preparing to spend hard earned dollars to hire a
producer, you want to be able to listen to some of the producer's
work to be sure that he or she can communicate your style of
music.
You also want to get a sense of the producer's personality.
While musical and technical expertise is of primary importance,
it is also very important for producer and artist to get along.
This can have a great impact on your project. The artist needs
to feel musically protected, nurtured, and nourished by the
producer. Mutual trust and consistent communication are also
vital to the successful outcome of your project.
*****
Rod Clemmons' company, Verdict Entertainment
(http://www.verdictentertainment.com/), is a music production company,
producing demos, EP's, albums, and new music for independent
artists and labels. Verdict is also an independent record label
becoming a visible force in the pop music industry. We have
adopted the slogan "Verdict…Music That Speaks" to create an
environment where music that has integrity of lyric content and
style can compete in the current climate of instability that now
defines the music industry. With more than 16 years of experience
producing Demos, EP's and Albums for up and coming artists and
independent labels veteran producer Rod Clemmons specializes in
shaping your music to create a distinct sound individual to each
artist.
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=================================================================
" O N S I T E " F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E :
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MUSIC INDUSTRY Q&A: by Gian Fiero and Jon L. Duman
Could you give me some audition advice?
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000885.html
MUSIC INDUSTRY Q&A: by Gian Fiero and Jon L. Duman
Do we need permission to make a compilation CD?
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000886.html
Visit their new Music Industry Q&A column at
http://www.musesmuse.com/col-musicqa.html to ask your own
questions!
-----
Jerry Flattum has two more articles in his series on 'What Is A
Broadcast Quality Recording?' available:
Part 8: Monitors & Routing
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000828.html
What an engineer hears during recording, mixing and mastering
depends on the quality of monitors used.
and Part 9: Mixing To Broadcast
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000829.html
An arranger works with a palette of instruments and sounds. An
engineer works with a palette of f/x. Using f/x is as much an art
and science as playing an instrument and equally critical in
terms of quality of recording. Producing a broadcast quality
recording doesn't stop there. Once mastered, now the challenge is
distribution.
You can see all of the articles in this series on Jerry's Bridge
On Fire column at
http://www.musesmuse.com/col-jerryflattum.html
These are the last two in this nine-part series.
------
Mary Dawson also has a new article this month:
Principle 5: The Theory of Scarcity vs. the Theory of Abundance
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000894.html
This final segment of The Power of Principles is one of the most
important of all. We have all been conditioned by the Theory of
Scarcity in various aspects of our lives, but there is another
more powerful principle that overrides anything that may have
limited you before. It's called the Theory of Abundance. Learn
how it can empower you to find your most fulfilling place in
music -- wherever you live!
See http://www.musesmuse.com/marydawson.html for her other
articles and Q&A's.
=================================================================
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 :
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BE THE BEST SONGWRITER YOU CAN BE: LYRICIST V3
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It's the songwriter's best friend. Includes Rhyming Dictionary,
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This tool will revolutionize the way you write and organize your
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Artists: Why join Indie-Music.com? I-M has been spotlighting the
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I-M!
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE 6th EDITION OF THE INDIE BIBLE IS NOW AVAILABLE!
The Indie Bible shows you where to get your music reviewed, your
songs played, and your CDs sold. Now in its Sixth Edition, The
Indie Bible has 316 pages of valuable contacts and music-related
articles.
The 6th Edition of the Indie Bible contains:
4200 publications from around the world that will REVIEW your CD!
3400 radio stations from around the world will PLAY your songs!
600 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music!
330 sites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files!
500 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band!
51 articles that will help your career to MOVE forward rapidly!
Listings include web, e-mail and physical address, as well as
phone and fax numbers.
For details and to order online visit:
http://www.bigmeteor.com/muse/
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DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?
You wanted to become a musician/songwriter and earn a living from
music because it's CREATIVE and EXCITING. Yet here you are
struggling with your CD burner, hunting through A&R directories,
searching for stamps, etc ... Wouldn't life be easier if you
could spend your precious creative time writing music rather than
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REAL ANSWERS TO REAL QUESTIONS,
An eBook About Copyright & Publishing
If you want to know how to protect yourself as a songwriter in
this digital age, you need this book - EXCLUSIVELY offered
through The Muse's Muse. And it's now HALF PRICE!
Visit http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html to learn more!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
REACH NEW FANS ON MEDIAFEAST
Looking to reach new fans? MediaFeast is an online independent
music retailer dedicated to helping independent artists bring new
music to fans and helping listeners find great new music. Create
a free account and then have the opportunity to add albums for
sale on MediaFeast.com. In addition to prepackaged albums such as
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Visit http://tinyurl.com/2me2f for details.
=================================================================
ADVERTISING RATES: For Classifieds: US$50 Max. 8 lines, where
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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 .
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=================================================================
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
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For further information, send your e-mail to:
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Back issues of the newsletter can be read at the National
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