Would you folks help me out and check out a song of mine? (One man band).

Oh hey, and Robbo - I didn't know what onus meant. You're post is more clear to me now.

Thank you.

reply to post by impaired

What Im trying to tell you is Major labels who would sign you, make you $$$ and distribute you as an artist wont touch a mail-it-to-yourself-time-stamp-original-track piece.

In a court of law..3 things are pretty absolute in the industry. PATENTS. TRADEMARKS and COPYRIGHTS. They do serve a purpose.

The 1st thing you'd be asked if you own it...is it copyrighted so it can be protected worldwide in distribution and protect them, the Label.

The 2nd thing they'd say is legally registered ...and when thats done...get back to them...otherwise they wont even touch unregistered material whether its a book, video or musical piece, poem, novel or lyrics.

Copyrights, Patents and Trademarks are the professional standard and applies in International markets...unless of course you dont expect to make any $$...dont want any Label offers..and dont care to protect yourself against theft.

And the staement of yours saying "Ill see you in court"?...The last issue over rights we fought (and won) cost me $11,000 US to fight.

Have you at least got $11,000 and a copyright to prove legal ownership?

Im just trying to help...good luck again

Originally posted by mysterioustranger
reply to post by impaired

 

What Im trying to tell you is Major labels who would sign you, make you $$$ and distribute you as an artist wont touch a mail-it-to-yourself-time-stamp-original-track piece.

In a court of law..3 things are pretty absolute in the industry. PATENTS. TRADEMARKS and COPYRIGHTS. They do serve a purpose.

The 1st thing you'd be asked if you own it...is it copyrighted so it can be protected worldwide in distribution and protect them, the Label.

The 2nd thing they'd say is legally registered ...and when thats done...get back to them...otherwise they wont even touch unregistered material whether its a book, video or musical piece, poem, novel or lyrics.

Copyrights, Patents and Trademarks are the professional standard and applies in International markets...unless of course you dont expect to make any $$...dont want any Label offers..and dont care to protect yourself against theft.

And the staement of yours saying "Ill see you in court"?...The last issue over rights we fought (and won) cost me $11,000 US to fight.

Have you at least got $11,000 and a copyright to prove legal ownership?

Im just trying to help...good luck again

Thank you for sharing your experience.

That's really good info right there. Oh - and the post about me asking if the music industry was grimy was totally rhetorical, hehe.

And I don't have $11,000, but people in my family have money and would help me out in a millisecond. Plus 3 cousins on my mom's side are lawyers in NYC. So if I ever need anything, I'm covered.

Thanks again for the info. Sorry to hear about your incident.

Originally posted by impaired

Originally posted by mysterioustranger
I took it, put my name on it..said I wrote it not you...and I put it up this morning on 50 sites around the world. Im selling it for me..as written BY me not you...so thanks a lot for giving it away for nothing! Im gonna make a lot of $$$ on it as MY new song!**

**(Dont freak out..Im kidding. But there are a few 100,000 crooks around the world you just exposed it to. Next time..dont. Register your work or at least only release SOME words and SOME of the music, until its copyrighted)

Good luck.

Disregard that post. I talked to the gentleman on the phone and he is indeed legit. He knows a lot of things. We were talking mixing and effects and compression like it was nothing, and he had many things to correct me on.

I am going to give him my tracks in .OMF so he can re-mix it and put it on the radio station. I'm more interested in hearing the new mix!
I get a post like this, and then a U2U from someone asking if they could re-mix (change levels, EQ, effects, etc.) my song for free.

He said he wants the raw tracks.

Am I just being too paranoid here? Something tells me I'm not. You don't just give raw tracks of your songs out to strangers.

I told him nicely, "no thanks". If I am met with hostility, I will know that something was up.

If that's the case, people can be scumbags. IF that's the case.

But asking a stranger for their raw tracks is like me asking a stranger if I can hold onto their wallet with all of their personal info in it.

What do you folks have to say about that?

reply to post by impaired


Thanks for listening. If I didnt have experience in this very issue I wouldnt care WHAT happened to your material. But, you did say it was important to you and took a long time to write so...Heres is a thought. (and this is a very REAL reality)

I can get the form, fill it out right now (I have a bunch of them) and register your song to me before the end of today. Whats that mean to you? It means I can steal your ownership 1st...because you didnt care enough to register it to yourself as yours.

Think of it like this...anyone can take the time RIGHT THIS MINUTE to do the form and its theirs now...because you didnt. At that point you WILL have to go to court (lots and lots of $$$ for Copyright Attorneys today )because the others guys...who DID register...can prove it theirs...because its registered to them, not you.

Good luck with your music

Originally posted by mysterioustranger
reply to post by impaired

 

Thanks for listening. If I didnt have experience in this very issue I wouldnt care WHAT happened to your material. But, you did say it was important to you and took a long time to write so...Heres is a thought. (and this is a very REAL reality)

I can get the form, fill it out right now (I have a bunch of them) and register your song to me before the end of today. Whats that mean to you? It means I can steal your ownership 1st...because you didnt care enough to register it to yourself as yours.

Think of it like this...anyone can take the time RIGHT THIS MINUTE to do the form and its theirs now...because you didnt. At that point you WILL have to go to court (lots and lots of $$$ for Copyright Attorneys today )because the others guys...who DID register...can prove it theirs...because its registered to them, not you.

Good luck with your music

I gotcha, man, but the way you're coming across is suspect, if you don't mind me saying.

Are you planning to do something?

Why would you even post that in a public forum instead of an PM?

This is the place to be paranoid, so here I am - what are you really up to?

reply to post by impaired


I have 45 years of my own copyrights (300 plus) and I have no interest in anyones music...but if I made you paranoid...great. Just take care of your original works and Ill feel I helped you.

A lot of folks just dont realize that theft is a real reality these days...until somethings stolen.

PS I played on the Tonight Show...our song was copyrighted...but I cant upload the video of us playing our registered music...because I dont own the performance on TV: the Tonight Show does. So I could be sued for illegally using a video of THEIRS...even those its US performing OUR very own music.

This could happen to you with someone popping out of the woodwork with a copyright to your own song...and refusing to let you use it, record it or play it...without paying them

I hope I can share the benefits of legally owning ones original works with all of us that work so hard on pouring out our hearts in songs and books. I hope I helped you a bit.

PPS You can as well...copyright a block of songs on one form for one price. Contact the Library of Congress.

I wish you the best my friend!

reply to post by impaired

Wow...

You had me hooked in the first ten seconds.

Yes, you are that good!

I have worked as a semi-pro singer for years (mainly blues and rock) and with some of the top people in my region -- and you are right up there with the best of them. You've got the voice and you put things across, you can play and write and arrange and produce... Man, I seriously wish you the best and hope you can use your talent to take you where you want to go.

Mike

Originally posted by JustMike
reply to post by impaired

 

Wow...

You had me hooked in the first ten seconds.

Yes, you are that good!

I have worked as a semi-pro singer for years (mainly blues and rock) and with some of the top people in my region -- and you are right up there with the best of them. You've got the voice and you put things across, you can play and write and arrange and produce... Man, I seriously wish you the best and hope you can use your talent to take you where you want to go.

Mike

Oh, dude. Thanks. But...

Damn. I don't mean to let you down, but I do use Autotune (pitch correction). I mean, I was never a singer. This last song was different than all my rest, however, because of the feeling I was able to put into it and how I annunciate better, Listen to older songs of mine. Even with pitch correction, the vocals are still weak and missing something.

And I slur when I talk for some strange reason (watch the jam on youtube, hehe and listen to me talk). So I have to try extra hard to sound intelligible while trying to stay on pitch and deal with my limited vocal range. Really, really hard. Singing is the hardest one for me.

Don't get me wrong - I can hold a tune, but I am not on pitch all of the time (well, few people are - except really really good singers, and they're rare). Plus I am a perfectionist. So, I will ALWAYS record with it.

BUT - the one thing I will give myself credit for is, as you said, the composing, the playing (even though I don't practice much so I edit a lot), and the production. The production (recording and mixing) is my favorite, because I can make a piece of crap sound like gold.

Trust me - without effects, It's not all that. But I am doing it all, so perhaps I deserve some credit?

(I'm ultra hard on myself)

I do appreciate the compliments, but just please understand - I'm not good at taking them. Issues I have...