Was Kurt Cobain the John Lennon of Generation X?

John Lennon

Kurt Cobain

By Lori Spencer

Featured Contributor, Yahoo! Music

 

The many comparisons between John Lennon and Kurt Cobain generally tend to focus on the celebrity aspect of their lives and their controversial marriages to Yoko Ono and Courtney Love, respectively. But very seldom does the media bother to analyze the many similarities in their music. It is the music, after all, that mattered most to both men, and it was through their music they allowed the public to see what really made them tick.

The Beatles were undoubtedly one of Kurt Cobain’s earliest musical influences. His aunt…

 

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Working With Drum Tracks

By Lori Spencer

 

A drum track is the portion of any sound recording devoted exclusively to the drums. In multitrack recording, what is called the “drum track” in fact usually will comprise several different tracks. Each part of the drum kit is be recorded with a separate microphone, and each microphone assigned a track on the mixing board. For example, one track may be just the snare drum, another may be the crash cymbal, and an overhead microphone captures ambient sound in the room. Mixed together, all of these various elements represent the drum tracks.

Many songwriters will use a drum track to help them create songs. Instead of programming a drum machine for a demo or trying to draw inspiration from prerecorded drum loops, songwriters often find …

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Musician Marketing 101

By Lori Spencer

 

In the music industry, artists and record companies are marketing a product: themselves. They market physical products as well, a band’s latest CD, a DVD, or other official merchandise, and items simply will not sell by mere virtue of their release. A savvy music marketer knows that promotion, publicity, advertising, and branding are absolutely essential to generating sales. Without a creative and aggressive marketing campaign, a truly amazing album or artist might never find a sizable audience. Musician marketing involves employing all of these methods to get the music heard by as many potential buyers as possible.

The Internet has revolutionized the way music reaches listeners, for better or worse. Prior to the mid-1990s, musician marketing was chiefly…(cont’d)

 

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Negotiating A Record Contract

By Lori Spencer

 

Recording contracts are legally binding agreements between an artist and the record label defining the rights, obligations and remedies for each party. A recording deal may just be for a single project, or on a “per album” basis, but most are long term commitments of three to seven years with periodic options to renew. As the record company is making a considerable financial investment in the costs of making and producing albums, they naturally expect a substantial return.

This tutorial covers many of the key points to negotiate in a record deal, but is not intended as legal advice. Always have an experienced entertainment law attorney review any record contracts before signing.

Step 1

Negotiate the most important thing first: who retains creative control – artist or record company? Artists will of course try to retain as much control over their own work as possible, but most major record label contracts reserve the right for the company to veto the artist’s choice of studio, producer, songs, musicians, cover art and the like.

Step 2

Discuss the length of the proposed contract. As record contracts generally sign artists for a certain number of records (not years), it could be a one-record deal or a six record deal. There is an option to renew after each album or period of time, usually at the record company’s option. “Options” are explained further in Reference 2.

Step 3

Have your contract clearly define the extent of exclusivity. While every recording contract engages the exclusive services of the performer or group (meaning you can’t make records for any other companies during the contract term), some labels will try to push this exclusivity clause too far and unfairly bind artists from doing other projects.

Step 4

Estimate a recording budget for each album under the recording contract and negotiate an appropriate advance. It’s important not to ask for too much upfront, because these advance monies are fully recoupable from the artist’s future royalties. Think of it like a loan, and never borrow more than you can realistically pay back in a reasonable amount of time (based on sales expectations).

Step 5

Have your manager or attorney negotiate the best possible royalty rate they can get in the contract. Most new artists receive a royalty rate of between 9-14%. Many record contracts increase the artist’s royalty rate by degrees with each subsequent album based on performance and sales figures. Advances and production budgets generally will also increase with each album under the contract.

Step 6

Hammer out the details of a song publishing arrangement if the artist writes their own material. Most record labels will want a piece of the publishing pie, as this generates a significant amount of revenue for the company. Sometimes the split is as much as 50/50 between the songwriter and record label.

Step 7

Make certain your contract clearly defines both parties’ rights and obligations in regard to artist merchandising, publicity, marketing, promotion, public performances, touring, tour support, control/maintenance of artist’s official website, and other fine points involved in a standard recording contract.

Tips

As all things must eventually come to an end, make sure the recording contract sets a clear procedure for termination of the deal. It should also spell out the legal remedies available if one or the other party defaults. Labels sometimes go bankrupt or out of business and sell the artist’s contract to another record label; your contract needs to cover all of these “what if” scenarios that could happen down the road.

You may also want to insert a “key man” clause that states if your A&R rep, producer, or a key person within the record label or band should leave, the contract may be terminated.

Warnings

A “sideman’s clause” is recommended if the artist wants to be free to do studio work with other artists, appear on benefit or compilation albums, movie soundtracks, etc. Even with such a clause the artist will still need permission from the record company before recording elsewhere, but without a sideman’s clause, the artist (or members of the band) would not be allowed to appear as a guest on any other albums.

Key Concepts

• record contract negotiation
• record contract deal
• recording artist contracts
• entertainment law contracts
• record deals contract
• artist record company

References

• Music Biz Academy: What’s A Record Deal All About? [http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/recorddeal.htm]
• YouTube: What to Expect in a Recording Contract [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v7GMpA5sVI&feature=related]
• YouTube: Record Deals and the Future of Music [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eg5JKPwLqI&feature=related]

User Bio

Lori Spencer has written professionally since 1986. She is the author of three nonfiction books, is writing her fourth and provides content for eHow and LIVESTRONG.COM. She also produces and hosts a weekly radio show. Her subjects of expertise include history, media, music, film and the performing arts.

Characteristics of a Fanfare

By Lori Spencer

 

A fanfare is a bold and brief piece of music used to announce the coming of an important person or event. You’ll hear them at sporting competitions like the Olympics, at military and official government ceremonies, and often in movies or TV shows as opening theme music.

Featuring dotted rhythms, repeated patterns and a harmonic series of notes, fanfares are generally brass- and percussion-dominant. This is both to get the listener’s attention and impart a sense of importance to the event…

 

 

Continued at http://www.ehow.com/list_7465874_characteristics-fanfare.html

Origins and Musical Features of Minimalism

By Lori Spencer

 

The term “Minimalism” in music is derived from the experimental, progressive Minimalist art movement of the mid-20th century. This musical form originally began in the 1960s as an underground avant garde scene in small nightclubs and art galleries. Although Minimalist music slowly gained wider critical acceptance over the next few decades, it has never fully entered the popular mainstream.

Features

• Minimalism essentially refers to sparseness; an art form being reduced to essential elements, doing away with excessive notes and orchestration. Repetition of simple, short musical phrases often with a droning, steady pulse are the benchmarks of Minimalist music. This form bears a similarity to ancient sacred music, as it too, uses certain harmonic tones and rhythms to create a hypnotic, often trace-like effect on the listener.

Origins

• Although the origins of modern Minimalist music can be found in late-19th and early-20th century European classical composers such as Richard Wagner, Alexander Mosolov, and Eric Satie, the Minimalist movement took shape in America after WWII. One of the first important Minimalist works in 1958′s “Trio in C” by La Monte Young. In the mid-1960s, artists like Terry Reily and Steve Reich and his Julliard classmate Philip Glass were blazing new trails in Minimalist music. In more recent years, John Adams has emerged as the most popular American Minimalist composer, inching the art form closer to mainstream acceptance with a number of best-selling albums.

Minimalist Composers

• Composers considered to be innovators of the minimalist movement include Philip Glass, Terry Riley, John Adams, Steve Reich, Michael Nyman, Brian Eno, Gavin Bryars, John Tavener, Mike Oldfield, Louis Andriessen, La Monte Young, Karel Goeyvaerts, Steve Martland, Henryk Górecki, and Arvo Pärt.

Minimalism in Popular Music

• The Beatles became quite infatuated with the Minimalist movement in the mid-1960s and the song “Tomorrow Never Knows” (from the 1966 “Revolver” album) is a bluesy drone in the key of C, that features trademark Minimalist tape looping, and John Lennon’s poetic musings on death layered over a repetitive Indian tambura track. The Beatles “White” album featured a strictly white cover with no photographs or artwork–about as Minimalist as an album cover can be.

  Many psychedelic and art rock bands of the late `60s explored Minimalism, most notably the Velvet Underground, who had a close relationship with La Monte Young. English rockers Pink Floyd pushed the boundaries of Neo-Minimalism with their 1968 “Saucerful of Secrets” album. In the `70s, progressive rock artists like The Soft Machine, King Crimson, Mike Oldfield and Brian Eno introduced new audiences to Minimalism. The tradition continues today with alternative and postmodern rock bands such as Sonic Youth, Mogwai, and Explosions in the Sky.

Read more: Origins & Musical Features of Minimalism | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7318030_origins-musical-features-minimalism.html#ixzz1g96NMxL2

Writing Heavy Metal Songs

By Lori Spencer

 

When it comes to writing heavy metal songs, it’s more about the attitude and riff than following any given format. While the basic rules of songwriting still apply, there are times to burn the rulebook and forget everything you’ve been taught in school. Don’t get too caught up in technique–rock and roll is rebellion, above all else.

Read more: How to Write Good Metal Music | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7335893_write-good-metal-music.html#ixzz1g8ybRfSw

Mechanical Licenses and Copyright: What Songwriters Should Know

By Lori Spencer

 

If you are a songwriter and another artist wants to record one of your songs, there are legal issues to consider. Before someone else can legally record your song, they must get a license and pay a fee if you own the copyright. In the recording industry, this is called a mechanical license. U.S. copyright law prohibits the manufacture and distribution of songs written by others without a mechanical license. This rule holds in most countries, although statutory requirements may vary. This license ensures that the music publisher and songwriter get paid for their work.

Read more: How to Put Your Music on Someone Else’s CD | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_8508528_put-music-someone-elses-cd.html#ixzz1O79SZHpd

Getting Your Music to a DJ

By Lori Spencer

 

For musicians, bands and songwriters, radio airplay is a must. Whether terrestrial or on the web, radio can introduce thousands of potential new fans to your original music and help fill seats at your gigs. Unsigned artists often have a difficult time getting airplay on commercial radio stations, which are tightly formatted and generally only play releases from major label acts. Most indie and local music is relegated to non-commercial stations, Internet radio, and “Local Licks” shows on commercial stations.

One way to increase airplay is to cultivate relationships with D.J.’s. If a highly-rated disc jockey likes your music, you’re likely to get more on-air plugs, interviews, and invitations to play at radio station events. All of this adds up to a bigger fan base, concert ticket and record sales…

 

Continued at http://www.ehow.com/how_8212927_music-dj.html