Publishing Issue: Music Streaming Services vs. Songwriters (ASCAP & BMI)

PRO’s complained that streaming services are not fair to their songwriters.  They just want to update the calculating royalties for songwriters and composers. Representatives are using antitrust consent decree. It’s an anti trust law made back in 1941. The issue is brought to the federal government to determine everything. Everyone knows streaming is taking over. Currently, Jay Z bought a streaming service called Tidal. He’s hoping it will be a big streaming service such as Pandora, Spotify and iTunes.

CEO of ASCAP, Elizabeth Mathews, stated, “The use of music has increased exponentially, but the payments have not followed.” She thinks some day the there won’t be any PROs anymore and everyone will switch to streaming.

I think that the songwriters do get paid too little.  Many listeners always play music from streaming services daily. Some songwriters never got paid. There’s an article about singer-songwriter, Ne-Yo, complaining about the streaming services and wants to warn other songwriters.  Here the link: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2015/04/23/ne-yo-streaming-companies-enjoy-billion-dollar-revenues-at-our-expense

It takes 1 million streams for a songwriter to receive $90. If there are multiple songwriters in one song, then that $90 is split.  On the other hand, Tidal want artists to have more control of their songs. There are advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and songwriters.  

Streaming service companies are defiantly taking advantage of consent decrees and songwriters. Songwriter Equity Act that can help shape up the licensing system. There might be a change, but no guarantee. Technology is changing our future and it does affect the music industry. It’s hard for a songwriter to make money because of publishing companies, collaborations, piracy and streaming services. I do agree with Ne-Yo because streaming services are a billion dollars companies. Streaming companies generate revenues from subscriptions and advertisements, but listeners can listen to free music all day.  

Ted Talk Review: Simon Sinek

The brand that embodies the why, how what format is Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has been a brand for many decades.  Coca Cola is a beverage company. Their purpose is to spread happiness across the world. The company sells drinks online, stores, and vending machines. The drink satisfies loyal customers and yet continues to do so. Unlike Pepsi, Coca-Cola has a different way of sending messages through people. Their goal isn’t to change the world, but to bring a smile on a person’s face. The brand represents their main color. Red represents passion, happiness and love.  By using positive message, that is how this company thrives in the industry.  You really can’t compare beverages out there because each messages are different.  I’m sure everyone across the United States drank Coca-Cola at least once.

    Two products I researched are Beats by Dre headphones and bought Promaster Selfie Stick. Beats by Dre headphones were developed by Dr. Dre in 2008. When the products were released everyone went out and bought them. I didn’t really care too much about it because I usually wait years later to buy it. Before I researched, my friends suggested that I should test the product. Under the law of diffusion, I fell into the category of early majority.  I fall in this category because I’m very practical and I wouldn’t try the product right away. I don’t always waste my money on something I haven’t tried yet. I ask for advice from friends and decide whether to purchase the product or not.  When I researched I saw good and bad reviews that’s why I pursue this product in a unique manner. I recently purchased Promaster Selfie Stick because it’s new and looks very essential.  I think it’s a great idea because many people can take better pictures without stretching their arm too far. Some people might consider it’s a horrible idea, but I think it’s pretty cool. Under the law of diffusion, I fall into the category of innovators.  I fell in this category because I like to try new products that look important to have. It’s a creative, fun and essentially that’s why I pursue this product in a unique manner.

Citations

Buzzfeed. (2015). Promaster selfie stick. Retrieved from http://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/whether-you-like-it-or-not-everyone-is-going-to-be-wielding

Coca-Cola. (2015). happiness. Retrieved from http://us.coca-cola.com/happiness/

Dr. Dre. (2015). Beats by dre. Retrieved from http://www.beatsbydre.com/aboutus

TED Talk . (2009). Ted: Simon sinek. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

One Million Cups Video Review

     A presentation that I will be reviewing is Talent4Startups. The business pitch is mainly about an online startup company. It’ s a free matchmaking platform for startup founders to connect with talents. It’s a non-profit and the focuses on helping instead of competition. I saw many strengths and weaknesses during the pitch presentation. His strengths are connecting with the audience, speaking clearly and pacing himself. His weaknesses are looking at the slide show during the presentation, saying “um” and many words on the slides. I can tell he was nervous at the beginning. Later on he got comfortable presenting. He really connected with the audience by asking questions and interacting with them. He spoke clearly. I can understand him by his accent. He did a great job on pacing himself. He talked for a minute on each slide. I had noticed that he kept looking back at the presentation.  I think he wanted to make sure his words and the slides matched or he was just nervous. It was constant. I also noticed that he said “um” a whole lot. He said “um” in every other sentence.  I think that his nervousness again, but I’m not sure. There were many words on each slide. I couldn’t see any of those words from my point of view. Overall, he did okay. I know that he could have done a lot better If wasn’t so nervous.  He can improve on slides. His presentation was better than his slides. The slides had way too many words. I would recommend having a picture and/or having few words with bullets. I would put a word and describe the business that way instead reading right off the slide. He did well without having note cards. When I would present to the class, I would carry note cards with me. If I didn’t present with note cards, I would also read my slides. Practice makes perfect. For the business concept, he should improve on explaining more about his platform. The presenter should talk about what’s in the platform, how everything works and how to use the platform. He briefly talked about it. I would recommend having a visual layout of his platform on his slideshow.  

Industry Liabilities Blog

Warner Music Group Settles Lawsuit

There was lawsuit against Warner Music Group for unpaid intern.  Kyle Grant interned for them back in August of 2012 and Justin Henry interned for them back in October 2007.  There were roughly around 3,000 ex-interns that filed a labor violation claims against the music group. According to Hollywood Reporter (2015), there will be a settlement around March 9^th. Other companies such as Viacom, NBCUniversal an ICM settled their claims. I personally think that Warner Music Group should pay the amount because there are other ex-interns that made claims. Warner Music Group is slowly having a bad reputation. I was actually thinking about interning for that company. After reviewing this article, I’ve decided not to. I don’t want to be the next person filing a lawsuit against them.  

Michael Jackson’s Family and AEG Case

Back in 2010, Katherine Jackson filed a 1.5 billion lawsuit against AEG Live (concert promoter). The family believed that the concert promoter company hired Dr. Conrad Murray to kill Michael Jackson by giving him anesthetic. According to Hollywood Reporter (2015), the family though that it’s an “involuntary manslaughter” at that time. In 2013, the jury ruled that AEG Live had nothing to do with Michael Jackson’s death. In 2014, the family had a new trail, but was later denied by appellate court of California. The court looked at the past trails, summary decision and facts. There was still no evidence of the claim. I believe that the family should go after Conrad Murray. AEG Live hired him as independent contractor, but the company nothing to do with his death. The family should find peace and stop going after AEG Live.

American Idol Winner Files a Claim Against American Idol

Phillip Phillips was the season 11 winner of American Idol. After his stardom, he believed that companies had manipulated him into getting jobs. He felt forced performing for idol sponsors for free and wants to comfortably run his career.  When the last album released, Phillip Phillips didn’t know the title. Talent Agency Act of California states that person need as to be license in order for them to act as agency.  The problem is that Phillip Phillips signed multiples of contracts before becoming an official winner. He thinks that 19 Entertainment violated the act because the company is not an agency. He also had commission and producers problems. The rate was too high.  Everything that 19 Entertainment did wasn’t Phillip Phillips best interest. I personally think Phillip Phillips should’ve negotiated. 19 Entertainment is just following what the contract says. It’s a lesson learned for him and other future contestants can learn from this too.

References

Gardner, E. (2015, January 26). 'american idol' winner files bold legal claim to escape 'oppressive' contracts (exclusive). Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/american-idol-winner-files-bold-767088

Gardner, E. (2015, Janurary 30). Warner music group settles lawsuit over unpaid interns. Retrieved from www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/warner-music-group-settles-lawsuit-768614

Siegemund-Broka , A. (2015, Janurary 30). Michael jackson's family can't revive $1.5 billion aeg case. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/michael-jacksons-family-cant-revive-768684

How Sound Affects Us

I will be doing my blog on Ted Talk “The 4 Ways Sound Affect Us” by Julian Treasure.

http://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_the_4_ways_sound_affects_us#t-51431

Physiological

  Sound can affect us in many different ways.  It can be nice and not so nice.  Many sound around us are accidental, noises such as streets, birds and cars.  This means we are unconscious about these sound.  It affects our breathing, heart rate, and brain waves.  When we listen to sounds like the ocean, the deep resonates is being at rest.  The ocean sounds calm and stress free. 

Psychological

 A power sound that affects us is music.  Music makes a difference to our emotions.  When we play up-tempo music, we get a happier.  When we play slower music, we get sad.  When creating music, you really have to decide how do you want your audience to feel about your music.  The key word is “feel.”  You can create a song that’s meaningful or fun.

Cognitive

  You cannot understand when two people are talking at once.  We have to decide which to listen to. We have a small auditory capacity.  When working in a loud busy office, your productivity is reduced. So many noises are distracting you.  When creating music, I advise you to work in a quiet environment.  This is an easier way to focus and your productivity level will go up.

Behavioral

  The fourth way sound affects us is behaviorally.  People tend to move away from unpleasant sound.  Others who cannot move away from the sound such as construction workers and music producers can damage their health.  Music producers that works in the studio, needs to get their hearing check.  When I produce music, I want my music very loud.  I always get a health check up in case anything is damage.

   Music is very powerful because we can recognize and associate it. Every brand has their own sound.  Music producers out there has there own sound too such as Timbaland.  When we hear a song, we can easily identify who produce the song. I encourage you to find your unique sound and learn how it will affect the audience.

How Sampling Transformed Music

  TED Talk video I picked is How Sampling Transformed Music by Mark Ronson.  Sampling transformed music in many ways.  Music producer, Mark Ronson discusses the art of sampling.  Sampling is about taking a part of a song and creating something new.  Today, many music producers use sampling and other producers wants to be original. Without technology, there would not be any sampling or music.   Years ago, sampling has been a threat to music because there would always be legal issues.  When digital samplers came around, everyone would sample anything.

  This TED Talk video really speaks to me.  I personally sample, I would take interesting sounds and create something new.  I don’t always do it because I want to create my own sound. I love the art of sampling and building off things. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years. I would practice and expand my creativity by using music sampling.  Producers usually sample from drum kits to vocals. Two main genres that use music sampling are Electronic Dance Music and Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop has been here for a very long time.  In the early 80s, DJs played around with vinyl records and then sampled from different songs.  There is a difference between sampling and plagiarizing. When sampling, you have to get permission from the owner of the song. Without permission, there will be a court battle such as Vanilla Ice case. I’ve been studying music sampling for a very long time. At first, I was confused about music sampling and I have come to realize music sampling is apart of art.  We can express ourselves through music.  It can be from composing, songwriting, producing and DJing.  Many people disapproved of this because it’s shows lack of originality.  

   I personally think it is a great idea to sample, but do it the correct way.   I use music sampling because I grew up listening to Hip-hop. It's where it originated from. I would find it interesting when music producers use samples and turn it into a completely new sound.  To get better at creating new sounds, I would research different tips.  Music sampling is just another form of art.

TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_ronson_how_sampling_transformed_music#t-776926

Citation:

Weinhaus & Potashnick. (2014). Famous copyright infringement. Retrieved from http://www.fairwagelawyers.com/most-famous-music-copyright-infringment.html 

Music Industry. (2014). how music sampling works. Retrieved from http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-sampling1.htm

Review on Massive Native Instruments

I will be doing a review on a Massive.  Massive is synthesizer software with modulation and effect options.  You can find this in the Native Instruments.  Massive is great when it comes to producing music because this software comes with thousands of synth sounds.  I personally recommend any music producer out there.  There are many preset sounds for producers to use or practice working on their craft.  

There are tutorials on how to use Massive.  Massive is be used either on stage or in the studio.  DJs and sound designers also use this software for many projects.  DJs use Massive for live performances and events.  They would use it because it is easy operate.  With my experience with Massive, I would use multiple synths to get a specific sound. 

To expand my creativity, I would also use filters and effects.  All the best and unique sounds come from the software.  So there is never a dull or repetitive sound.  A new sound is a great way to start with in the session.  When using filter and effects, you can shape, compress and pitch shift the noise.  There are many options from this software.   

Massive has global settings that you can adjust the parameters.  Music producers can use Massive as hardware.  All the information is trigger through a keyboard. When you play the keyboard, you can control the amplitude such as feedback and width of the filter.  Everything is group in this software from digital to analog.

In my own experience with this software, I think its great for producing songs with any genres.  The genre can range from hip-hop to electronic.  I have given you details and features about Massive.  I recommend trying the free trail that the company provides.  To advance your music production skills, I recommend buying the Native Instruments that comes with piano, guitar and drums software.