Tuesday 25 March 2014
1st year festival review
My favourite song of the first year festival is the original song called 'Right Way'. The song was produced and composed by YungFayz (Faysal) and written by Cogent (Leon). What I like about the song is the style, lyrics and flow. The style is very chilled and is at a slow tempo. The lead vocals and doubles fit in very well because it gives the song a very atmospheric feel. The synths used in the song also give it that atmospheric feel and vibe. The lyrics written for this song fit in very well with the song because it fits the purpose and concept of the song. The lyrics were not rushed, they were written carefully and thoughtfully.
Wednesday 12 March 2014
Roles & Contracts
In this assignment I am going to write record labels and what they do. Records labels are big companies that exploit an artist' music out to the public. Not only do they do that, they own the copyright of the artist' music for a certain period of time. When an artist or musician is about to get signed to a label it is important that the artist and the artist' manager are happy that the contract is fair and reasonable. Some record labels tend to offer musicians rubbish contracts and sometimes the contracts end up in the bin. In order to find a good contract with a good label it is important that you have loads of connections with other people and it's also important to have a good manager who will understand what you want and when you want it. Contracts can give a range of objectives. For instance if a producer signed a contract and the contract involved making a full album for an artist in 4-8 months, the producer will have to be very dedicated that he will not waste time and actually get it done. If the contract involves touring then the musician/producer will have to tour whether he/she likes it or not. This includes touring worldwide. When a musician signs a contract this shows the musician is accepting what is on the contract and will be dedicated to what is required on the contract. But before a musician signs a contract, the musician's manager and the musician must read through the contract first to see if it's a reasonable contract. If both them are satisfied with the contract they will sign it off and accept what is on there and if they are not satisfied they will reject whoever's offer and they will look somewhere else for work.
A fixed term contract is a contract that doesn't last forever. It will have an expiry date on it. When a musician has signed this kind of contract it that he/she will have a number of duties such as touring, making an album, selling merchandise, etc. But when a fixed term contract ends then the artist is no longer works for whoever he/she was working for. However these contracts can be renewed. These kind of contracts will have the duties required, pay, promotion, hours of work, etc including the expiry date. This contract is very different to a freelance contract because a freelance contract allows a musician to work solo and it also gives the musician a limited amount of work to do. This means that when a freelance musician has finished working for whoever he/she does not have any more work to do unless he/she is hired for some other freelance work.
A freelance contract means that you work by yourself and and you do your jobs one at a time. A freelance artist owns their own tax and insurance. A producer, sound engineer or session player are the main freelancers. They are the main freelancers because a producer will make tracks mostly by himself, an experienced sound engineer will mix and master the tracks and a session player will either play piano or guitar for an artist. You hear a session player on the radio or on tv. Producer and sound engineers mainly work in the studio. A freelance artist can work until he/she has no more work to do and probably he/she will be hired for some new work. The good thing about working freelance is that a musician has no one bothering him/her and it allows the musician to focus on what is important and what needs to be completed. However a freelance artist will be under a lot of pressure to get work done because a freelance artist has quite a lot of work to do and freelance work needs to be 100% high standard. This could probably mean that the artist hardly gets a chance to take a break or rest because freelance work never pays off.
These two contracts will have features such as hours of work, pay, job security, independence, etc. Some of these contracts may not satisfy the artist or the artist may not like what's on it. When an artist looks for work it is important that he/she has loads of connections with people and that he/she is serious about being a known artist. Before signing a contract it is important that the artist and whoever is with the artist reads the contract and also looks at the factors e.g. pay, hours of work, etc. Finally if they are both satisfied then the contract will be signed off and the artist will be more than happy to work for whoever he/she is working for.
A distribution contract allows an artist to sell his own CDs at concerts as well with a label, the artist own rights for his/her music that make he/she makes and the artist doesn't get any advances when signing. This contract can really help and artist or freelancer because it gives them copyright protection of his/her music and the artist earns royalties as well. Not every musician has to sign this contract but in my opinion I would sign this contract because I know that my music will be protected and I will earn royalties for the music I make plus I can sell my own CDs if I wanted to. Without this contract a musician will be unable to protect the rights for the music he/she makes. So from my point of view it is important that a musician sings a distribution contract because it can really help with earning rights and royalties for music.
A record deal contract allows a record label to exploit someone's music. They do this by selling CD's, vinyls, digital downloads, etc. When an artist is about to sign a record deal contract it is important that the artist and his/her manager read the contract properly and read what the terms are. They also need to look at the hours of work, pay, promotion, etc. Some record labels tend to offer rubbish deals to the artist (s) and this is not what a artist wants. The artist's manager is the expert at knowing a what a good contract looks like. When an artist is not sure on whether he/she should sign a contract for a record deal, the artist should ask his/her manager for his opinions and points of view on it. The artist must always listen to what his/her manager is saying because the manager is doing his job by keeping the artist's wishes safe and accepting what the artist wants for his/her career. This makes signing a record deal contract much more easier for the artist because he/she is listening and taking into account of what the manager is telling him/her. When the manager and the artist have read the full contract and both of them are happy with what's on it, they will sign the contract and they will accept the terms on there.
The salaries of record producer can vary quite extensively. The reason why this is because producers that are out there now have more than 20 - 30 years experience, they are very good at what they do, they have a good ear for music and they don't waste time when it comes to music. The skills that are needed to become a successful producer are:
A good ear for music
Networking with other people
Budgeting
To be assertive and persuasive
To know the whether a song is going to be a good hit
Plenty of experience
Good grades
Self released material
Record producers work very long hard hours including weekends, so it is important that person who wants to become a successful producer is passionate about what he/she wants to do and is willing to work long hours a good effort.
The A&R department (Artists & Repertoire) in the record label is the department that looks for new, unsigned and talented people. The artist' manager is the person who usually gets in touch with them and they would discuss terms and conditions on why the artist should be signed to the label. Usually some people from the A&R department would go to gigs to find new unsigned and talented people. If an artist finds a god artist/band for their label, the artist's name will be passed onto the manager of the A&R department. From there the department will decisions on whether artist is good or not and then they will come to a final conclusion. When the manager of the A&R department is satisfied that the artist/band is good and talented for their label, the manager of the A&R department will get into touch with the artist' manager and they will discuss terms and conditions on the contract. When the artist and artist' manager read the contract and that both of them are happy with it, they will accept the deal with the record label.
When it comes to live performance the artist or band needs to be well prepared and ready for their gig. Some errors can occur during live performance. For instance there could be some squealing sounds coming from the p.a. systems, the mics are not loud enough, the guitar and bass could be damaged, the mic stands are not an appropriate height for the musician, etc. So when technicians and musicians are doing sound checks before the gig it is essential that they do the sound check properly. This means no rushing and checking that every piece of equipment works like a clock and runs smoothly. It is also important that musicians and bands have pre rehearsals before the gig. This shows that they are taking the gig seriously and they want the gig to go well for their fans and not to disappoint them.
Punctuality and knowing the date of the gig are two very essential things when it comes to performing live. The musician or band needs to know when the date of the gig is and what time it starts at. If they are late to their own gig this slows everything down and it doesn't show any courtesy for the fans. So it is very important that a musician or band knows what date and what time they need to be at for their own gig.
If they do all of this then the gig will be a major success and everyone including the performers will enjoy themselves. This shows you people are here for the music and want to have a good time. All the hard work will have paid off eventually.
A fixed term contract is a contract that doesn't last forever. It will have an expiry date on it. When a musician has signed this kind of contract it that he/she will have a number of duties such as touring, making an album, selling merchandise, etc. But when a fixed term contract ends then the artist is no longer works for whoever he/she was working for. However these contracts can be renewed. These kind of contracts will have the duties required, pay, promotion, hours of work, etc including the expiry date. This contract is very different to a freelance contract because a freelance contract allows a musician to work solo and it also gives the musician a limited amount of work to do. This means that when a freelance musician has finished working for whoever he/she does not have any more work to do unless he/she is hired for some other freelance work.
A freelance contract means that you work by yourself and and you do your jobs one at a time. A freelance artist owns their own tax and insurance. A producer, sound engineer or session player are the main freelancers. They are the main freelancers because a producer will make tracks mostly by himself, an experienced sound engineer will mix and master the tracks and a session player will either play piano or guitar for an artist. You hear a session player on the radio or on tv. Producer and sound engineers mainly work in the studio. A freelance artist can work until he/she has no more work to do and probably he/she will be hired for some new work. The good thing about working freelance is that a musician has no one bothering him/her and it allows the musician to focus on what is important and what needs to be completed. However a freelance artist will be under a lot of pressure to get work done because a freelance artist has quite a lot of work to do and freelance work needs to be 100% high standard. This could probably mean that the artist hardly gets a chance to take a break or rest because freelance work never pays off.
These two contracts will have features such as hours of work, pay, job security, independence, etc. Some of these contracts may not satisfy the artist or the artist may not like what's on it. When an artist looks for work it is important that he/she has loads of connections with people and that he/she is serious about being a known artist. Before signing a contract it is important that the artist and whoever is with the artist reads the contract and also looks at the factors e.g. pay, hours of work, etc. Finally if they are both satisfied then the contract will be signed off and the artist will be more than happy to work for whoever he/she is working for.
A distribution contract allows an artist to sell his own CDs at concerts as well with a label, the artist own rights for his/her music that make he/she makes and the artist doesn't get any advances when signing. This contract can really help and artist or freelancer because it gives them copyright protection of his/her music and the artist earns royalties as well. Not every musician has to sign this contract but in my opinion I would sign this contract because I know that my music will be protected and I will earn royalties for the music I make plus I can sell my own CDs if I wanted to. Without this contract a musician will be unable to protect the rights for the music he/she makes. So from my point of view it is important that a musician sings a distribution contract because it can really help with earning rights and royalties for music.
A record deal contract allows a record label to exploit someone's music. They do this by selling CD's, vinyls, digital downloads, etc. When an artist is about to sign a record deal contract it is important that the artist and his/her manager read the contract properly and read what the terms are. They also need to look at the hours of work, pay, promotion, etc. Some record labels tend to offer rubbish deals to the artist (s) and this is not what a artist wants. The artist's manager is the expert at knowing a what a good contract looks like. When an artist is not sure on whether he/she should sign a contract for a record deal, the artist should ask his/her manager for his opinions and points of view on it. The artist must always listen to what his/her manager is saying because the manager is doing his job by keeping the artist's wishes safe and accepting what the artist wants for his/her career. This makes signing a record deal contract much more easier for the artist because he/she is listening and taking into account of what the manager is telling him/her. When the manager and the artist have read the full contract and both of them are happy with what's on it, they will sign the contract and they will accept the terms on there.
The salaries of record producer can vary quite extensively. The reason why this is because producers that are out there now have more than 20 - 30 years experience, they are very good at what they do, they have a good ear for music and they don't waste time when it comes to music. The skills that are needed to become a successful producer are:
A good ear for music
Networking with other people
Budgeting
To be assertive and persuasive
To know the whether a song is going to be a good hit
Plenty of experience
Good grades
Self released material
Record producers work very long hard hours including weekends, so it is important that person who wants to become a successful producer is passionate about what he/she wants to do and is willing to work long hours a good effort.
The A&R department (Artists & Repertoire) in the record label is the department that looks for new, unsigned and talented people. The artist' manager is the person who usually gets in touch with them and they would discuss terms and conditions on why the artist should be signed to the label. Usually some people from the A&R department would go to gigs to find new unsigned and talented people. If an artist finds a god artist/band for their label, the artist's name will be passed onto the manager of the A&R department. From there the department will decisions on whether artist is good or not and then they will come to a final conclusion. When the manager of the A&R department is satisfied that the artist/band is good and talented for their label, the manager of the A&R department will get into touch with the artist' manager and they will discuss terms and conditions on the contract. When the artist and artist' manager read the contract and that both of them are happy with it, they will accept the deal with the record label.
When it comes to live performance the artist or band needs to be well prepared and ready for their gig. Some errors can occur during live performance. For instance there could be some squealing sounds coming from the p.a. systems, the mics are not loud enough, the guitar and bass could be damaged, the mic stands are not an appropriate height for the musician, etc. So when technicians and musicians are doing sound checks before the gig it is essential that they do the sound check properly. This means no rushing and checking that every piece of equipment works like a clock and runs smoothly. It is also important that musicians and bands have pre rehearsals before the gig. This shows that they are taking the gig seriously and they want the gig to go well for their fans and not to disappoint them.
Punctuality and knowing the date of the gig are two very essential things when it comes to performing live. The musician or band needs to know when the date of the gig is and what time it starts at. If they are late to their own gig this slows everything down and it doesn't show any courtesy for the fans. So it is very important that a musician or band knows what date and what time they need to be at for their own gig.
If they do all of this then the gig will be a major success and everyone including the performers will enjoy themselves. This shows you people are here for the music and want to have a good time. All the hard work will have paid off eventually.
Friday 7 March 2014
Case Study and Professional Bodies
Introduction
In this case study I am going to write about swedish DJ/Producer Avicii and how he rose to fame. The reason why I have chosen to do Avicii is beacause he is one of my biggest inspirational artists and I want to produce his style of music which is electronic dance, electro house and progressive house. I am also going to talk about what qualities and which companies I need to be affiliated with to become a successful DJ/Producer.
Obtain Data
The companies that I need to be affiliated with is:
PRS (Performing Rights Society) for royalties. This organisation collects money and pays money to their members when their music has been released in any sort of way. This could be playing it on the radio, live concert, performed live, broadcasted online, etc.
PRS helps you earn money for a record that you have written and composed or performed live to the public e.g. radio, online, tv, etc.
MCPS helps you earn money for a record written and reproduced or heard by the public.
It is vital that a musician has PRS because it will help with the artist's royalties that he/she deserves. If a musician doesn't have PRS than that means any person could steal the musician's work and class as their own work when it doesn't belong to them. So it is important that an artist has PRS because it will definitely help get the musician's royalties that he/she deserves. It can also help you make money.
PPL is an organisation that helps you apply for a license that allows to legally play recorded music and music videos to the public or you can become a member by signing up if you are a performer/producer/DJ/writer/composer and you can even get paid money for the work you do as a musician. This is another thing that a musician needs as well. The reason why a musician needs this is because having a license allows a musician to play any type of recorded music to the public; whether it's performing it live, playing it on the radio, broadcasting it on the internet you won't get into any trouble because you have a PPL license. Furthermore PPL can help you earn one for the writing and composing you do as a musician and that is another pro point of having PPL.
P2) Avicii listened to daft punk from an early age and that is what got him into producing his own music. He was more of a producer rather than DJ at the time before he started touring and playing at gigs. In one of his interviews he talks about rubbish record deals he was offered and then he talks about Ash who helped him build his career in music. If it wasn't for him he would've not reached the place he is in right now. He latest album 'True' was released on the 16th September 2013 with a track listing of 12 tracks. He hasn't changed his style of music since he began producing. The style of music he produces is EDM, Progressive House, Electro House and Folktronica. He needed to be affiliated with PRS, MCPS and PPL because if he wasn't affiliated with these organisations he would've been facing a lot of problems; not only with his music but with other artists as well.
M2) The reason why Avicii started producing his own music rather than sets is because he wanted to get his music out to the people and build his reputation. He was getting rubbish record deals because he hadn't reached the that stage in becoming successful than he is today. He had to keep building his reputation until he had plenty of experience and recognition from critics and the public. Ash helped Avicii reach his place in the music industry and now he is one of the world's best producer/DJ
Conclusion
Getting into the music industry is not easy as you think it is. Musicians need to have plenty of experience before getting a record deal with a label. Self releasing your own E.P or album counts as experience because it shows that you are willing to get musical material out there. Collaborating with other musicians is also experience because it shows that you are willing to produce a track for the singer/songwriter. On top of all it matters about how good you are, if you're not as good as the industry thinks you is then you won't make it into the industry. So it is important that an upcoming musician collaborates with other musicians and releases his/her own material because this will show the industry that you have potential as a musician to get brand new music out to the public.
In this case study I am going to write about swedish DJ/Producer Avicii and how he rose to fame. The reason why I have chosen to do Avicii is beacause he is one of my biggest inspirational artists and I want to produce his style of music which is electronic dance, electro house and progressive house. I am also going to talk about what qualities and which companies I need to be affiliated with to become a successful DJ/Producer.
Obtain Data
The companies that I need to be affiliated with is:
PRS (Performing Rights Society) for royalties. This organisation collects money and pays money to their members when their music has been released in any sort of way. This could be playing it on the radio, live concert, performed live, broadcasted online, etc.
PRS helps you earn money for a record that you have written and composed or performed live to the public e.g. radio, online, tv, etc.
MCPS helps you earn money for a record written and reproduced or heard by the public.
It is vital that a musician has PRS because it will help with the artist's royalties that he/she deserves. If a musician doesn't have PRS than that means any person could steal the musician's work and class as their own work when it doesn't belong to them. So it is important that an artist has PRS because it will definitely help get the musician's royalties that he/she deserves. It can also help you make money.
PPL is an organisation that helps you apply for a license that allows to legally play recorded music and music videos to the public or you can become a member by signing up if you are a performer/producer/DJ/writer/composer and you can even get paid money for the work you do as a musician. This is another thing that a musician needs as well. The reason why a musician needs this is because having a license allows a musician to play any type of recorded music to the public; whether it's performing it live, playing it on the radio, broadcasting it on the internet you won't get into any trouble because you have a PPL license. Furthermore PPL can help you earn one for the writing and composing you do as a musician and that is another pro point of having PPL.
P2) Avicii listened to daft punk from an early age and that is what got him into producing his own music. He was more of a producer rather than DJ at the time before he started touring and playing at gigs. In one of his interviews he talks about rubbish record deals he was offered and then he talks about Ash who helped him build his career in music. If it wasn't for him he would've not reached the place he is in right now. He latest album 'True' was released on the 16th September 2013 with a track listing of 12 tracks. He hasn't changed his style of music since he began producing. The style of music he produces is EDM, Progressive House, Electro House and Folktronica. He needed to be affiliated with PRS, MCPS and PPL because if he wasn't affiliated with these organisations he would've been facing a lot of problems; not only with his music but with other artists as well.
M2) The reason why Avicii started producing his own music rather than sets is because he wanted to get his music out to the people and build his reputation. He was getting rubbish record deals because he hadn't reached the that stage in becoming successful than he is today. He had to keep building his reputation until he had plenty of experience and recognition from critics and the public. Ash helped Avicii reach his place in the music industry and now he is one of the world's best producer/DJ
Conclusion
Getting into the music industry is not easy as you think it is. Musicians need to have plenty of experience before getting a record deal with a label. Self releasing your own E.P or album counts as experience because it shows that you are willing to get musical material out there. Collaborating with other musicians is also experience because it shows that you are willing to produce a track for the singer/songwriter. On top of all it matters about how good you are, if you're not as good as the industry thinks you is then you won't make it into the industry. So it is important that an upcoming musician collaborates with other musicians and releases his/her own material because this will show the industry that you have potential as a musician to get brand new music out to the public.
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