Non-Traditional Approach

You are an artist and you want to get your music to your fans. Do you want to choose the more traditional route - the record label and physical distribution of CDs, or perhaps a nontraditional more innovative approach? Although numerous contemporary artists have made a name for themselves through online popularity and social media sites, generally, artists still dream of the traditional record deal. They have many opportunities with a record company. Other artists take a more modern approach with the use of the Internet and social media sites.  One band named Panic! At The Disco never played a live show before they got signed to a record label. They posted songs to their MySpace page. There are different websites available that allow a band to upload the their music and not going through the hassle of signing pages in a contract. One website is called cdBaby. They are an independent music site, that allows bands to upload albums to the site for fans to download. For just a minimum cut, the artist can upload their works and share them with the fans.

The nontraditional approach to distribution is extremely beneficial to artists because they are able to get their music out to more fans for a cheaper cost. The artist can send their album to cdBaby or a similar site. The website will take the album and distribute it on to the online database where more people will be able to access it around the world.

The artists on these sites are not looking for a lot of fame. They just want their music to be heard. If it is picked up along the way then so be it! Many opportunities open up for the artists as their fan base grows. Who knows they could be the next Panic! At The Disco! 

Technology Laws

What is our world coming to? Social media is taking over our everyday lives. More people today are using social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter on a daily basis, now than ever before. Even from a business standpoint, more companies are referring to social media outlets to advertise their products and increase brand awareness. Since more people are using it, there is a greater need for media law. Some companies, however, are stepping over the boundaries and acting illegally. In the next three podcasts we will discuss the latest terms in the media world.

The first podcast talks about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1988, DMCA and how companies are dealing with this act. The act was passed by President Clinton and has five components. The act combines online copyright infringement liability limitation, computer maintenance competition assurance and other miscellaneous provisions including webcasting and sound recording. The panelists discuss various lawsuits that they were involved in or have knowledge of in reference to DMCA issues.

The next podcast talks about how social media can be used as evidence in court cases. One of the examples given is about a sexual harassment case in the work place. In the past, workplace sexual harassment cases typically were based on ‘he said she said’ evidence. With today’s technology, however, conversations can be permanently recorded, and therefore are a possible source of evidence. Consider text messages. Conversations through text message are extremely popular today. These messages though can be viewed by anyone. The iPhone’s messages can actually be photocopied the texts and enlarged to use at trial. This source of concrete, detailed evidence eliminates the ‘he said she said’ and provides the trial with actual facts. Unfortunately, most people are not considering the permanence of electronic writing. Once something is written online or through text message even if it deleted it still sits on some server. It is important to be careful what a person says through text because it can be brought up and used against you in trail.

The last podcast talks about infringement, specifically those involving websites and uploading content to websites without gaining permission. There are many people who do upload content to their websites only to later be asked by the content’s original owner to take the information down. One of the questions asked during the podcast dealt with a website that allowed people to upload their favorite magazines to a website. This was a huge infringement problem that needed to be addressed. These people obviously did not get the permission to upload the content page by page so a number of them are being asked to take the information down.

All three podcast gave great information about dealing with law and digital media. The information is given so that people can learn and grow from the experiences. The concepts discussed in these podcasts, can each be applied to anyone’s business that looks to grow with the new technology of the future as well as the laws that accompany it.

Podcasts:

Standford University. Legal Frontiers in Blogging, Social Networks and the Internet (2010). Retrieved on May 24^th 2011 from http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/legal-frontiers-in-blogging/id385575960?i=85422280

Law in the Information Age. Social Media as Evidence. Retrieved on May 14, 2011 from http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/social-media-as-evidence-new/id389258452?i=86453867

Legal Frontiers in Digital Media (2009). Retrieved on May 14, 2011 from http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/is-medium-more-than-messenger/id384241284?i=85096531

Intellectual Property

In a world that technology is changing faster than the seasons, there are items that are overlooked. Lines are blurred and things become unclear. Some of those items boundaries are tested include intellectual property. There are different types of IP: copyright, trademarks, trade secrets and patents. All of these legal forms have specific laws and the music industry has many cases that deal with them.

One case that is current is between Viacom and YouTube. Viacom is suing YouTube over copyright policies. It comes down to what type of system is put in place to prevent the violations. Viacom states that YouTube should have prevented this and taken measures to protect the copyright by installing software filters. If these precautions were taken then the lawsuit would not be in dispute. There should have been filter software put in place since copyright infringement started to have negative affect on companies. Emailing the user who uploaded the content is another way that Viacom wants to put an end to the infringement. But that only goes so far and who will check to see if people actually take down the content? While uploading videos of my own, even for some classes, I can’t use the music that I would like to use. No audio will play from the video because it has been disabled. YouTube is taking into consideration the copyright laws. Viacom brings up good points but YouTube may win this argument because they are already in the process of putting in filters for music content, they must be working on video filters as well.

Another case involves the music artist Ke$ha. She is suing a watchstrap company called “TikTok” because the name is too similar to her popular 2009 single, “TiK ToK.” Ke$ha’s lawyers want the company to hand over its entire stock. The artist was not financially stable until the song hit No. 1. If she can prove that consumers associate her and the product then she will most likely win the case. I can see where Ke$ha is coming from when suing the company. The song made her career and defines who she is. I associate “TiKToK” with her. I hope that she wins this case. She deserves a little bit more financial stability.

The last case talks about the future of the music industry. Rethink Music Conference was held a few days ago. Leaders in the music industry from record labels, copyright offices, recording studios, venture capital firms were some of the areas that were represented at the conference. At the event different issues were discussed about the future of the music industry. One of the issues was about the way fans received the music. Some artists are not focusing on how fans receive the music but the music itself. When you work on making good music then the fans will follow. Another issue was the talk about empowered artists and if a record label was necessary. Record labels provide a lot of help to the artists. They have many connections, so they will not be completely going away. However more artists are using social media spread their music and connect with fans. They are turning down label deals to become more authentic and close with fans. Facebook and other media sites are becoming a hubb for fans to share their musical interests with friends. What better way to find out about a band than the recommendation of someone you know? 

This is just the beginning of conferences and discussions about the future of music. As the music world turns digital, there different rights and laws that are emerging from the advances in technology. They will all have a great impact on the entertainment business in a way. 

Concert Photography

Whenever you attend a concert, people always tell you take pictures. Photography and concerts go hand in hand. People enjoy looking at them. It makes them feel like they were there. But sometimes your pictures don’t always turn out right. They can be blurry, out of focus, too dark or just off center. Unless you are up close, front row, you are not getting great pictures. So here are some tips that will help you.

Avoid Using Compact Cameras. They are slow to start up and have shutter-lag. If you want good photographs use a digital SLR camera.

Use High ISO. Concert venues normally have a well-lit stage but the rest of the area is dark. The light is not enough to capture a good exposure so use higher ISO. Avoid ISO 1600 because it can get too grainy.

Use Shutter Priority Mode. You can customize the shutter speed based on your capability to hold the camera still. Using the program mode will capture the best picture.

Use Zoom Lens. Unless you friends with band you are not getting up close and personal. Bring lenses such as an 18-70 and 70-300 to switch on and off.

Don’t Use Matrix Metering. If you don’t understand go back and read the manual! Switch to Spot Metering and meter for the person whom you want to take the picture.

Flash is useless, most of the time. Using a flash just whites out the people and objects in close range and doesn’t even get the artist.

Here are some of my good and bad concert photographs!

Travis & Drew of We The Kings

Brendon of P!ATD

Tom of Plain White T's

Yellowcard

Source: http://www.srajaram.com/2007/07/6-tips-to-take-great-photographs-at.html

Friday is Forever!!!

We The Kings is a band based in Bradenton, FL. They formed in 2003. The band is comprised of singer/guitarist Travis Clark, drummer Danny Duncan, guitarist Hunter Thomsen and bassist Drew Thomsen. King Middle School is where the boys met up and decided to name the band after the school. They went on to be signed to S-Curve records. Their first album was self-titled. It had hit singles such as “Skyway Avenue,” “Check Yes Juliet,” and “Secret Valentine.” The band’s second album was entitled “Smile Kid.” The record had more up beat songs including, “Heaven Can Wait” and a ballad performed with Disney star Demi Lovato, “We’ll Be a Dream.” WTK has toured promoting their music on different tours such as Warped Tour and headliners. They are even performing the festival, Bamboozle in East Rutherford, NJ.  Now the band is preparing to release their third full-length album. The first single is called “Friday is Forever.” It can be found on iTunes!

Through all the success, the band remains very close to the their fan base with the help of Twitter and Facebook.  Travis tweets all the time and is connected to fans through his blog. They also are very connected to their hometown as well. The band has received a key to the city. Also they threw the first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game. Most recently the band performed for “Rock Out For a Cause” at one of the area’s local high schools. Proceeds went to a charity of the fans choice.

We the Kings are just a bunch of regular guys who like to have a good time! They are always cracking jokes and making people laugh. They are excited to release their third album and go on tour to promote it! Below is a recent video that Travis did for buzznet.com. He talks about the new album! Enjoy! 

Travis Clark from We The Kings Talks 'Beachy' New Album from Buzznet on Vimeo.

Buzzworthy Q&A: Panic! At The Disco On Their New Sound, Men's Makeup & More + New Photos!

Buzzworthy Q&A: Panic! At The Disco On Their New Sound, Men's Makeup & More + New Photos!

Check out these videos of Panic! on MTV!!!

Enjoy!!! :)

Sean Porter: Tour Manager

Sean Porter has been in the music business since a very young age. Some of the bands that he has toured with include: This Providence, Sherwood, Mat Kearney, and Kris Allen. I got to ask him a few questions about being on and dealing with negations. Take a look!


How did you get into the music business?
I got into this business when I was still very young. My dad DJ'd parties so I was always around music and when I was 16 I joined a local band from Seattle and from that met a band called This Providence who needed a Merch guy. After my band had broken up I thought why not, so I came on as their Merch person and a few months later got prompted to tour manager.




Do you enjoy touring?
I do enjoy touring a lot. Since I have been touring for so long (6 years) it becomes routine and looses a lot of its flash. As I continue I feel Niels constantly having to tell myself that this is a great opportunity and I am getting paid to travel, see the world, drink beer, and listen to music.


Have you ever had to negotiate with another tour member? How did you deal with the situation?
Especially in my job I am always in contact with other tour manager, managers, agents, clubs, pretty much everyone. I always have to negotiate with people on things and it is something you have to be careful about doing because you can't just be like "my way or the highway" and you have to be very professional about it. There is a lot of compromising that comes with it wither it be about where we are allowed to put our equipment to how much I get paid, etc.


Have you ever gotten into a sticky situation on tour? How did you work through it?
I have gotten on countless sticky situations and you just have to be able to think on your feet and fix whatever the problem is. As you go through more and more situations you start to learn from your mistakes and make sure that they don't keep happening. One example is while I was on tour with Nick 13 we had a hotel room very close to the venue but they randomly choose to give up our reservation so I had to find another hotel last minute for us to use.


Have you ever worked with people who used negative emotions during discussions? How did you turn their frown upside down?
I will be the first to say that a lot of musicians seem like they are bi-polar. One little thing can set them off and make them bummed out or pissed off and the way I try to handle it is calmly try to find the good in the situation and reassure them of that. Sometimes it works and other it doesn't. But if you keep a good attitude then at least they won't bring you down with the ship.


Do you have any advice to give people who want to work in the music industry?
My biggest price of advice is to never give up and always keep trying. Plan on having no money for a while (usually a very long while). This is a very tough business to make it in and you won't ever get anywhere sitting around and thinking things will just come to you. You have to stay motivated and keep your goals within reach, but don't make goals that are unrealistic. Even making really stupid little goals and then once you achibe those move on to another one a little further out of reach until you reach the top of your list.


Anything else you would like to add?
Thanks for letting me do this! I wish I were able to do more of these sort of things.


Thank you for your time Sean!!! 

Photo courtsey of  Sean Porter