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Music Business
10 Things to Do Before You Release Your Album
sanctuarylane
Date:
March 23, 2006 @ 9:19 AM
10 Things to Do Before You Release Your Album
By Jeremy Rwakaara
**I apologize in advance, but I'm not sure how to
make clickable links in this forum (I tried to
find a help section, but could not find one
related to making forum posts), so in order to
view the linked contracts and sites, you may want
to read the article here:
http://www.sanctuarylane.com/content/10things.htm
Following are, in no particular order, 10
important things you need to do before you
release your album:
1.) If you are hiring musicians (background
singers, instrumentalists, etc.) to play on your
album, you will need to make sure they fill out a
Musician Release Agreement or talent release
form. This agreement is not necessary for
musicians that own their own record label, are
performing on their own album, and will pay for
and release the album themselves. It is used more
for the "hired guns" than group members.
2.) All writers and publishers involved should
fill out a Songwriter / Publisher Share Agreement
that spells out their writer and publisher
shares. This agreement is a document that all
writers and publishers should sign and keep for
their records. Any money made from the songs
(except for money paid to the writers and
publishers by their respective Performing Rights
Organizations) should be split up according to
what is spelled out in this agreement.
3.) All involved songwriters should fill out a
Form PA and register their work (the songs) with
the U.S. Copyright Office.
4.) The artists / performers or the record
producer (or both), unless Musician Release
Agreements have been signed, should fill out a
Form SR and register the album (sound recording)
with the U.S. Copyright Office. If you are the
writer and performer / producer on the album, you
can fill out just one Form SR instead of both
forms.
5.) Register for an International Standard
Recording Code (ISRC) for your songs. The ISRC is
a unique international identifier for songs
(tracks) on sound recordings. The ISRC functions
as a digital "fingerprint" for each track. Unlike
a Universal Product Code (UPC), the ISRC is tied
to the track and not the carrier of the track
(CD, cassette, etc). In addition, the ISRC
remains allocated to a track regardless of
changes in ownership. It is an extremely powerful
tool for royalty collection, administration, and
anti-piracy safeguards in the digital arena. The
ISRC is usually inserted onto the CD master
during the mastering session.
6.) If you include songs on your album that you
have not written yourself (i.e. covers), you will
need to obtain a Mechanical License from the
Harry Fox Agency (via Songfile) that will allow
you to manufacture and distribute up to 2,500
copies to the public. If you happen to know the
songwriter(s) yourself, you can negotiate a fee
directly with them or just write up a Notice of
Intention to obtain a Compulsory License and
issue it to them.
7.) If you wish to have your own UPC Bar Code,
you should become a member of the Uniform Code
Council. Several companies, for example CD
manufacturers, will offer you a UPC Bar Code free
with their services. Keep in mind that in these
cases the UPC Bar Code will belong to the CD
manufacturer. If you produce another album, it
will not have a UPC Bar Code unless you get
another free one from them or someone else.
Having your own Uniform Code Council account will
allow you to assign all your music-related
products a unique UPC Bar Code in your company's
name.
8.) As a songwriter and/or publisher, in order to
get paid for the performances of your songs on
radio, TV, nightclubs, in airlines, elevators,
jukeboxes, etc., you should join a Performing
Rights Organization (PRO). In the United States,
you can join ASCAP or BMI. Another U.S. PRO is
SESAC, but affiliation with SESAC is by
invitation only (subject to review by their
writer / publisher relations staff).
9.) As a Sound Recording Copyright Owner (SRCO –
e.g. artist, producer, record label), in order to
get paid for non-interactive digital
transmissions on cable, satellite and web cast
services, you should join SoundExchange. They are
designated to collect and distribute royalty
payments to member Sound Recording Copyright
Owners.
10.) Add your songs to the Gracenote Media
Database. When correctly updated, song titles and
artist names will be displayed on media players
(e.g. home stereos, computer media players,
satellite and terrestrial radio, mp3 players,
cell phones and other wireless devices, etc.)
that take advantage of the Gracenote Media
Database data. Alternatively, you could use a
freedb-aware program to upload your songs into
the database.
PLEASE NOTE: The contracts displayed above are
for educational purposes only. As with all
contractual situations, you should have your
contracts drafted and/or negotiated by an
experienced music business attorney who is
well-versed in drafting and negotiating these
types of contracts. If you need help finding an
attorney, you can start by going here. Also
please note that all references to copyright are
US Copyright Office forms, US PRO's. Please use
your own country's copyright office forms, and
join your local PRO if you are not in the USA.
azhazhellfire
Date:
March 27, 2006 @ 4:25 AM
detailed instructions for linking can be found by
clicking "linking" above any reply box in DM.
PrincessTast...
Date:
March 30, 2006 @ 3:40 PM
I gotta show this to the guys right away!
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