I was sitting in the studio doing some editing, and was wondering why most of my clients are out of another country. I mean, I’m not complaining about any of the work. I actually like working long distance. It helps me get more international, and I also gain more clients through their word of mouth. But check this. I’ve advertised locally, and have fewer clients . And what’s more puzzling is that I know there’s talent out there that’s not being heard. I don’t know if they feel as though my price is too high, or maybe their not confident in my work, but I put a lot of work in myself, and I feel as though I’m worth the expected quality you want when you record your masterpieces to be enjoyed by your followers. But… this is just my situation. What’s yours?

Guess what day it is? That’s right, trivia day. And I’m going to pick your brains, today. But first, how are you enjoying my blogs? Are they informational, boring, what? Please leave a comment below, and let me know what you’re wanting to hear about, and I’ll work on getting the information for you. Now, today’s trivia.

1. What rapper has the most hit songs?
2. Who is the best rapper in the world right now?
3. Who invented rap?
4. What country artist has the most #1 hits?
5. What country artist has sold the most records?
6. What country artist has the highest net worth?
7. What rock artist has the highest net worth?
8. What rock artist has the most charted songs?
9. What year was the first rock number 1 hit?
10. What European country has the most #1 hits?

Leave your answers in the comments below.

Singers, writers, composers, rappers, and all of you who are trying to get paid!!! May I have your attention!!!

Do you want to make royalties with your material? This is some information that I came across that may interest you.

HOW MUSIC ROYALTIES WORK IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

I want to share with you part of a blog by a writer who goes by the name of Leticia, from Landr.com.  She is a lover of acid basslines and hypnotic techno. She DJs and produces under the name softcoresoft. 

Music Distribution is the link between your finished record and your future fans.

Distribution is a crucial part of music promotion. Brick and mortar music distributors used to be the only way for record labels and independent artists to get their records in the hands of listeners.

But digital music distribution has taken the center stage. Digital surpassed sales of physical mediums for the first time in 2015.

As an artist, digital distribution has become a must in order to reach all your potential fans. Smart distribution grows your visibility. It gets your music into as many ears as possible. And it helps you get paid for your music.

So here is everything you need to know about digital music distribution and how to do it right.

How Digital Music Distribution Works: Then and Now

Traditionally, distributors got records into stores and labels got people to go buy them (through promotion). Along the way, each of these middlemen took a percentage of the revenue.

This system still exists today. At least to some extent…

But the role of distributors and record labels has changed dramatically. Not to mention the changes the internet has brought in the way people consume music. People spend more time online, and less money on physical music.

Plus, the resources and energy of physical distributors are often focused on top-selling records only. Smaller bands who sign to them get trapped in exclusive agreements that end up hindering their success.

That’s why digital distribution has become the smart way to get your records out there, keep full rights to your music, and start building a name.

What Is Music Distribution?

Music distribution is how music gets delivered to the listener. Traditionally, distributors enter agreements with record labels to sell to stores. However, digital distribution changed all of that by cutting out the middleman—allowing artists to distribute music directly to online stores while keeping 100% of their royalties.

How Digital Music Distribution Works Today

The goal of digital distribution is to get your music on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and other streaming platforms and digital music stores.

Think of them like a digital record shop—Once you get your music in them, people can stream, download and buy your music. In exchange, you receive royalties depending on how and where your music was listened to.

Just like traditional record stores, digital music stores receive music from digital distribution companies. But instead of shipping boxes of vinyl every week, digital distributors deliver digital music to the major music stores I mentioned above.

So what used to take weeks or months of shipping and manufacturing—not to mention a lot of upfront costs—is now as simple and fast as a couple of clicks.

So what does a music manager do?

Music managers negotiates contracts and fees, finds venues that fit their clients, advise on career decisions, publicity and promotions, and a host of other things that deal with media promotions.

Do you necessarily need a manager to represent you?

No, but if you don’t know exactly how to do any of the things that I’ve mentioned, it’s probably best to get a manager that has some experience and connections to get you moving in the right direction.

How much does a manager usually cost?

According to the artists that they represent, a manager usually gets 15-20% of the gross income. But some managers work variable rates.

Independent artists try to do it all and I commend them for their determination, but in truth, it will run you crazy! And with all the negotiations needing to be done, you have very little time to even be creative and make music for everyone to enjoy.

Bottom line, invest in yourself and do it right. We’re talking about where you’re going and how you’re gonna get there. You are worth it.

I think I’m starting to like trivia. Some of you have very interesting answers. Maybe I’ll do this every Friday. What do you think?

Ok, today’s trivia. Correctly match dates with its appropriate era and tell me who is accredited with the invention of recording sound. Let’s get your answers.

The Magnetic Era 1975- present

The Acoustic Era. 1877- 1925

The Electric Era 1925- 1945

The Digital Era 1945- 1976

I debated whether not I should blog today, but I told myself that my followers and other colleagues might be looking for the next subject. So here it is. For all of the producers/engineers that are just getting started, the work never stops. If you’re trying to make a name for yourself, then you’ve got to keep going. I’m not suggesting that you burn yourself out, but don’t let distractions get you off course. Those of us who have been in this for a while knows that the struggle is real. Building a brand and reputation takes long hours and hard work. I wish it were a little easier, but nothing worth having comes easy. While others celebrate holidays and events, you may be busy working on that next hit. The clients you work with are counting on you to give them what you claim you can produce, and days off are far and few in between. Plus, if you want artists to hear what you have, you need a library of music for them to listen to. As they say, hard work pays off. And if it’s a great product, it really pays! Don’t cut yourself short. Put in the work, and reap the rewards.

Have any of you heard about the Music Modernization Act and know what it is?

On October 11, the president signed the Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act of 2018 (formerly known as the Music Modernization Act) into law, after it was passed without opposition by both houses of Congress. In short, it says:

• The use of music by streaming services will now be paid for in a regularized royalty arrangement;
• Audio producers and engineers who participated in musical recordings will start to be paid when their recordings are played on online and satellite radio services;
• Digital services will have to pay for their use of songs recorded and released before 1972 (these recordings were not previously protected by copyright law).

Overview of the Music Modernization Act The bill reforms the music licensing landscape in four main dimensions.

Section 115 Reform

This section of the bill ends the bulk Notice of Intent (NOI) process through the Copyright Office, which can prevent songwriters from being compensated or compensated in a timely manner for uses of their works. Under the Music Modernization Act, the digital services would fund a Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), and, in turn, be granted blanket mechanical licenses for interactive streaming or digital downloads of musical works. The MLC would be governed by publishers and self-published songwriters. The MLC would address the challenges digital services face today when attempting to match songwriters and publishers with recordings. The bill would also create business efficiencies for digital services by providing a transparent and publicly accessible database housing song ownership information. Additionally, because the database would publicly identify songs that have not been matched to songwriters and/or publishers, publishers would also be able to claim the rights to songs and get paid for those songs. Songwriters and publishers would also be granted an audit right, which they don’t currently have under Section 115. Willing Buyer/Willing Seller Standard Section 115 of the Copyright Act has regulated musical compositions since 1909—before recorded music even existed. Section 115 allows anyone to seek a compulsory license to reproduce a song in exchange for paying a statutory rate. Current law directs the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB)—the government body responsible for setting the statutory rate—to apply a legal standard to determine rates that do not reflect market value. The Music Modernization Act replaces the current flawed legal standard with a standard that requires the court to consider free-market conditions when determining rates. The “Wheel” Approach Currently, ASCAP and BMI are each assigned to a single, respective rate court judge. Every case must be adjudicated before each performance rights organization’s (PRO’s) respective designated consent decree judge. Under the Music Modernization Act, a district judge in the Southern District of New York would be randomly assigned from the wheel of district judges for rate setting disputes. The “wheel” approach would enable BMI and ASCAP, as well as licensees, to go before any judge in the Southern District of New York on a rotating basis—rather than being assigned to a single judge—for the purpose of rate setting disputes. This “wheel” approach ensures that the judge will find the facts afresh for each rate case based on the record in that particular case, without impressions derived from prior cases. Section 114(i) Repeal Currently, Section 114(i) of the Copyright Act forbids the federal rate courts overseeing the consent decrees that govern the two major PROs from considering certain evidence when setting performance royalty rates for songwriters and composers. The rate court judges are barred from considering sound recording royalty rates as a relevant benchmark when setting performance royalty rates for songwriters and composers. As a result, the playing field is uneven, at the expense of songwriters. The Music Modernization Act repeals Section 114(i), moving the industry to a fairer system under which PROs and songwriters would have the opportunity to present evidence about the other facets of the music ecosystem to judges for their consideration. This repeal creates the opportunity for songwriters to obtain fairer rates for the public performances of their musical works.

Why am I taking interest in this piece of legislation? Everyone who has material played on streaming services will now be compensated rightly from said services because it has been signed into law. If that applies to you, then I would read about what it says so that you will know your rights! But if it doesn’t matter to you, just forget that I said anything. Wake up, people! This is not a drill! Know what applies to you as an artist, indie label, producer, manager, etc,. Oh, and by the way, have a nice day.

The majority of my clients are online from different countries, so it’s important that I give them my best work in order to keep them happy and wanting to continue doing business with me. But even if I did work with local artists, I would give them the same quality as my international artists. You see, first impressions are lasting ones, and I can’t have anyone spreading negative comments on the quality of my work. There needs to be a standard for everyone to set and live by that holds us accountable for the product we deliver. Otherwise, we can’t stay in business. People expect their legacies to mean something, not talked about and laughed at. Keep standards and deliver quality. That’s not hard, right?

Who are the 10 most popular music artists of 2018?

Of those artists, who is #1?

Lastly, who is the richest female musician in the world?

Let’s see how much you guys know?