Tragic Music

It is a great extra income if you can license your music into films as an independent artist. But, as with any other aspect of the music business, you have to go through the learning curve and networking process. My experience with film licensing, just like everything else, revolves around whom you know.

Your first (or tenth) licensing deal probably won’t be the next Hollywood blockbuster, but that’s ok. There are a zillion independent films that need and want your music. No, you won’t be immediately rich and famous from having a song in an indie film, but you will probably get paid, and you’ll get some good exposure. Remember, a good ling music career is not built on one big hit. It’s built on a series of small projects and successes building to bigger ones, and, of course, multiple streams of income.

With that in mind, independent films are a great place to start. So where do
you begin? Well, listing sites like Versus Media, Film Music Network, and Taxi are a good place to start, but it’s hard to rely on a steady income from people you’ve never met. Also, something I’ve learned recently from a couple of music supervisors, is that follow up on your package is not required, nor particularly appreciated. So you really are relying on your package and your music being picked out of the pile. However, the listing services will give you access to projects you may not have known about otherwise. They are, therefore, a good investment.

An even better way to hook into independent films is to go out and meet film
people. As musicians we tend to get stuck in our own little world. Hanging out with musicians, going to music workshops and events, etc. You must take your product to the people who need it instead of waiting for them to come to you.

A great place to start is Indie Club. This is a worldwide organization of independent filmmakers, actors, crew, and everyone else. Find your local chapter through the IndieClub.com website. It’s free to join. Where I am, San Francisco, we have the country’s largest chapter. Join their discussion list and introduce yourself as a music artist. Go to their meetings and get-togethers.

When I went to my first Indie Club meeting, I was one of two music artists in the room. The cries of “We need you!” were not just the voices in my head (this time). That room full of independent filmmakers was looking for good music that they could license and still stay within their budget.

I scored my first licensing deal within an hour. Two songs in the same film,
one I’d already written, the other to be written specifically for the movie.
My tactic was simple. Ask them about their latest project. They’ll be happy
to tell you about it, I assure you. They’ll ask what you do. Tell them, but
don’t exaggerate. I explained that I had not yet written for films, but just
came to see where I fit in.

This particular filmmaker then explained to me that he couldn’t find a particular song for this one scene he was working on. I told him I’d be happy to custom write it for him. And there it was. I was being paid up front to write a song. How much? I received $100 for the new song, $50 for the previously written and recorded one. Like I said, you won’t get rich off
of these. But hey, $50 to let him use a song that I’d paid for long ago is free
money to me.

For the new song, the director arranged for recording time at the local recording arts school where his sound editor was studying. This was fortuitous, and not necessarily normal. Most other project I have to record myself. Because I kept the copyright for the song (which you should always try to do), I was able to release the new song on one of my future CDs, which put more money in my pocket.

There’s that multiple streams of income again. And, as a topper, I was able
to perform at the premier and sell more CDs there as well. I got all that just
for showing up to a meeting and talking to people. I made a few other deals
at that meeting too.

So the moral of the story is to just go where filmmakers are and talk to them.
Besides Indie Club, I’m sure there are other film clubs and organizations in
your area. Find them and make yourself a part of them. Get to know everyone, and you have your tunes in the movies in no time!

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Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter’s are successful movies worldwide. The books have all been best-sellers, the movies top the charts, and Harry Potter merchandise is always in hot demand. With such high popularity and such a devout following of Harry Potter fanatics, high expectations result. Thus far, the movies have, for the most part, delivered in their task of bringing the books to life through glamorous special effects, excellent sets and environments, and solid acting.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was, in the eyes of most critics, the most
successful movie thus far in the Harry Potter series and the DVD follows through with only some minor problems. Although some of the performances in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie were a bit lackluster, to say the least, the movie held true to the novel and delivered exactly what fans wanted to see.
It took the series on a darker path, similar to its paperbound counterpart,
and movie-goers enjoyed the experience. Although the high budget of the films can probably be accredited for the fact that some of the acting is overlooked, the quality of the movie was still spot-on in most regards.

The DVD also delivers in most respects. The audio is delivered beautifully in
high quality with plenty of options. The movie transferred well to the small
screen in all but one area. The main problem with the DVD lies simply with the night scenes. The scenes are much too dark and the problem should have been noticed and resolved prior to the release of the DVD. This problem isn’t major and won’t even be noticed by many, but it still does exist and that knocks the DVD down a couple points. The extras offered on the DVD are simply spectacular.

There are quite a few lengthy, interesting features and many intriguing additional scenes that didn’t make the final cut for the theatrical release. However, even more fun and engaging are the demos and interactive games that can be played through this DVD. These games are surprisingly fun and fans of the movie who purchase the DVD will definitely want to try them out. The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DVD turns out to be a solid offering.

Fans of the series and of the movie will undoubtedly want to pick this one up
to add it to their collection and so they can view the movie on demand. The
extras are well worth it and aside from the slight problem with the presentation, the movie make a successful transition to DVD form.

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The following tutorial will guide you in the step by step process for making
your own MP3 ringtones.

Tools you need:

- Cell phone that supports MP3 ringtones.

- Music CD or MP3 Music File

- Any method of transferring the ringtones from computer to phone (USB, Bluetooth, e-mail, instant message, etc.)

- Audacity v1.3 beta

- Lame v3.96.1

- MP3 Converter (to convert audio cd file to mp3 format)

If you plan to create your MP3 ringtones from a CD, rip the song you want
as a WAV (Windows) or an AIFF file (Mac). It’s a good idea to specify a new
ripping location, too, so the ripped song won’t be mixed up with the rest
of your collection. But if you’re creating your ringtones from an MP3 song,
you may want to copy that MP3 song into a new folder so that when we edit the MP3 the audio-editing software won’t messed up your original MP3 song.

Now, if you don’t have any of the above mentioned audio files types you can
use your own Audio CD. But, you will need to use separate software to convert them to MP3, Wave or AIFF. You can also download MP3 songs the Internet.

Once you have chosen the song to edit and converted it to our desired digital music format (whether WAV, AIFF or MP3), run your audio-editing software. In this case we will be using Audacity, it is free, open source and runs on both Mac and PC. If you don’t have Audacity you can download a copy of the file here http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Also Audacity needs another separate program (actually its called library)
for MP3 compression. We will be using Lame, LAME is an MPEG Audio Layer III (MP3) encoder, you can download Lame Library here http://lame.sourceforge.net/index.php.
Once your download is complete you need to decompress the file. Please take note where you decompressed the file.

So once you have all the tools we need, let’s start!

Run Audacity, go to Edit/Preferences/File Format menu, and click the “Find
Library” button near the bottom of the screen. Navigate to the folder where
you decompressed the Lame Library File, and select it. Also set your bit rate
to 128 Kbps. You can choose a lower bit rate to save space on your phone, but you’ll get lower-quality sound.

Now continue with Audacity, in Audacity’s File menu, select Open and find the music you want to create for your MP3 ringtone. It might take some time for Audacity to import your music depending on its size, the location and the speed of your computer. Just be patient!

Once the importing is done, you will see your music laid out from left to right. Click and drag your mouse around until you find the section you want for your MP3 ringtone. You can listen to your selection by pressing the spacebar, just play around until you find the part that you want to make as your MP3 ringtone.
You’re looking for a phrase of 10 to 15 seconds or so. Once you found what you want for your MP3 ringtone you now go to “File” Menu and click on
“Export selection as MP3″.

Audacity comes with several effects; to try them out, leave the ringtone selected in the Audacity window, and then select anything in the Effect menu. Adding these effects is a matter of taste, but I figure it adds a bit of spice to the ringtone and makes it more of an individual statement.

So once all is set and you’ve finalize your mp3 ringtone, it’s time to transfer
the ringtone onto your phone. The easiest way to do this is with Bluetooth,
assuming you have already paired your computer and cell phone.

If your phone came with a USB connection, use that; otherwise, try e-mailing or testing it as an attachment. If you need some info about data cables please go here http://realringtones.awardspace.com/datacables.html.
Put the mp3 ringtone file into the Audio folder if your phone has one, and then select the new ringtone in your Tools or Options menu. Each brand of phones has a separate way of adding or selecting new ringtones, but this tutorial does not cover that.

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You just bought you first guitar, congratulation! Now that you’ve met the love of your life and made that big commitment, you’re probably excited about building a good relationship with your new partner. But where do you begin? You’ve just come home from the music store with this beautiful, mysterious stranger, or perhaps even rescued an abandoned orphan from the flee market or pawn shop.

 Cradling it lovingly in your hands, you admire it’s graceful form and captivating voice. Before you lay several items that you acquired along with your purchase- a case, strap, picks, and of course, that book or video explaining “everything you need to know in 10 easy lessons.” You stare at it blankly, wondering what language it is.

This is often the experience of a new guitar enthusiast. “Love at first
sight” engenders high hopes of playing like a Rock Star overnight. Then
reality begins to sink in and you realize that it’s going to require some effort
and hard work to make this happen! But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. A
positive attitude will go a long way in helping you meet your goals.

 In fact, setting some short-term and long-term goals is one of the first things you should do. Here are a few suggestions:

Know more about your guitar

- Familiarize yourself with its various parts

- memorize the name of each string and how they are numbered

- Understand what type of guitar you have

- Learn how to take proper care of your instrument

Know yourself

- What type of music do you enjoy?

- Do you like to sing?

- Do you want to be in a band or play professionally someday?

- Do you just want to play for your own personal enjoyment?

I often receive calls for help from individuals who are frustrated because they are having trouble understanding the book or video that came with their purchase. If this is the case for you, consider taking some lessons from a private instructor.
It can be a great way to get moving in the right direction. If you set up a
weekly guitar lesson, then you will probably begin to establish a regular practice routine too. This is because you will feel a sense of obligation and accountability to your teacher. A teacher can also watch your progress and offer helpful advice and critique so that you will be able to develop good technique. This is an invaluable asset which you will be unlikely to get from a book or video.

Local music stores often have someone who teaches right out of their store,
or they may be able to provide you with a list of teachers in your area. If
there is a college or university nearby, be sure to check the bulletin boards
and school newspapers. you could also contact the Music Department to see if they know of any instructors who may be offering private or class lessons during after school hours.

Most importantly, be sure to take the time to do a little “personal inventory”
and get to know your instrument by answering the questions in this article.
Then, you will be able to establish a good mental picture of where you are now and where you want to be in the future.

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To start an independent record label is not a big secret. The trick of how to
start a record label definitely involves some cash and most definitely involves some talent.

If you want to know the secret to how to start and run your own label then here it is, talent. You have to have something to sell your business pitch with. It doesn’t matter what your particular genre is, you need to get out there and discover your first million. Yep, I am talking about dollars.

If you are just sitting around trying to figure out how to start you own independent record label then you are wasting your time. Get out there and try to find “the” band or “the” person that is worthy of a record deal. Go to clubs, rummage through MySpace, hang out at bars with live music, there is talent all around you so find it.

Do you have friends or a band already in mind? If you do then you are one step ahead of the “how to start a record label” game. Two or three bands
would really be optimal when beginning your own record label. For those of you who don’t have someone in mind, then you have some work to do.

A good way to search for talent is to have an idea of what you are looking
for. If you are going to learn how to start and run your own record label then
you must be able to find the gap. There is a gap somewhere and you need to find it. Keep in mind, you are searching for someone who is marketable, a true money maker.

If you can’t quite pinpoint a gap, then identify a target market you think
you can penetrate and go for it. Who would have thought that the Backstreet
Boys or 98 Degrees would have made it big? Well, the guys from their record
label were definitely on to something. Teenage girls were where it was at and
boy did those guys stumble on to something big and man did they make a profit! Believe me, that is your first step in how to start a record label.

Just like with any other business, you are going to have to sell your product.
And you can’t sell your product until you have your product. So, this is your
first lesson in how to start your own independent record label. In this business, you are going to have to think outside the box and when you do that, you will be ready to start your own record label.

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Music inside us is not an abstract statement, but scientifically proven fact.
Molecules of DNA “sound” inside us and it is very important if music
from outside is in keeping with music inside us.

Scientists pay great attention to researches concerning music’s influence on
human beings. Attention to such researches has increased recently and their
results are interesting and convincing. For example, after listening classical
music cows have increased their yield of milk and mimosa and petunias have grown faster and burst into bloom 2 weeks earlier. 120 breast-feed mothers took part in an experiment in Japan. Some women listened to classical music; other women listened pop and rock music. In first group the amount of milk increased in 20 per cent, and in second group – reduced twice.

Such researches are the attempt to synthesize science and art (music). But
in ancient India science and art were considered to be the parts of single creative power. All knowledge of ancient India one can find in the Vedas (Holy Indian Scripture) and one of four main Vedas Sama-Veda is entirely dedicated to music. According to the Vedas the creating of the world started from the primordial sound “OM”, which appeared while division of the Almighty (Sadashiva) and his creative energy (Adi Shakti). “OM” was the foundation of the universe and the first musical sound.

The human subtle system consists of 7 main chakras (energetic centers) and
3 channels, which rule mental, emotional and physical life activity of person. 7 chakras of our subtle body revolve with certain frequency and form an octave, which consists of 7 tones of proper altitude. Intervals between them should reflect intervals between chakras. These tones were called musical sounds – notes (’svars’ in Indian music). They sound – sa, re, ga, ma, pa, da, ni and they are in keeping with chakras – from first till seventh. 5 notes can change (fall and rise), creating 5 additional sounds (left and right aspects of chakras). Thus, these notes are built-in subtle body and represent the ideal “repository” of information, the repository of those feelings, emotions, wishes and thoughts, which composer or performer has.

While listening to music a person receives some influence on a subtle level,
which later appears on physical body. Same notes can bring destruction or good, it depends on the inner condition of person. For example, anger, aggression, drug intoxication and so on, which have power over the mind of composer or musician, will find the reflection in his music. There are some styles and forms in music which reflect only such bad qualities. Such music may do harm not only to the musician, but also the person who listens to it. Clear, inspired people, who have a lucid mind will never create such music. They created only folk music with great variety and classical music which has its roots in folk music.

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The following is a style that stays aside all the other music trends. Not aside,
but somewhat deeper. The reason is it is a reflection of the race, the plurality
of people united by roots and origin.

Rap is the culture of Afro-Americans,the continuation of their language and traditions. Rap is a mixture of speech and music, actually it is speech laid on music or beat it’s better to say. And when we claim that people are united through music, meaning every single human being on this planet, rap unites the ones close to blood by music and then everybody else, either welcoming or being hostile to a newcomer.

 What attracts people in rap? Is it catchy? Maybe. Those non-natives to rap often state the flow of speech is too quick and it is difficult to differentiate the words. Sometimes it seems rap music is only for those from the cradle. Foreigners are not invited.

Rap is classified as urban poetry of lyrical resistance. Thus it is not the
music for village like country music. It is the gathering power of those united by music in big cities. The aim is to resist the grieves because misfortunes are more dramatic and numerous in urban areas.

Rap does not only speak to the mind and emotions, but speaks to the society
all around people, for people. If the words or courage to say those words are
not there, the subconscious takes over and the Rap lyrics kick in.

But once captured by the beat, most people – mainly younger ones – begin to
hear the words, and the words may describe just how they are feeling that day. If the boss came to work with an agenda to screw everyone, some people will “feel” the words and the beat, especially when enclosed in a car doing 70 on the freeway. It’s something about riding with the music turned full-blast that has a way of absorbing the mind and supplying a means of temporal escape.

Some songs have innocent words that impress upon the mind to be released later at the water cooler. Some choruses are catchy and when sung by certain artist will stay within the subconscious long after. Various rappers have unique voices that some people find attractive or along the same vocal tone as their own voice, which it makes it easier to sing along.

First goes the beat, and then goes the lyrics! It is not as smooth and tender
as classical music, not as glossy as pop, but it has the scream of pain of real
emotion of the world’s harshness. One may even state that rap is the most pain expressing music style. Those who sing it or it is better to say read it revive their feelings not only concerning love, as most of the other styles do. Their message is about life and the problems, especially the ones of the Afro-American people. The music of pain and oppression, rap is a remedy to the latter.

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The most important things to consider when shopping for an MP3 player are how you personally wish to use the player, its weight/size, and storage capacity. In addition, you will need to become somewhat knowledgeable about file formats and compatibility with your PC.

Hard drive-based MP3 player: 

These offer the most storage; from 10 GB and higher (up to 80GB) allowing
you to put huge amounts of music on one device. They also have larger display screens and are easy to use. For these reasons, they are an excellent choice for use when commuting in your car. A hard drive-based MP3 player is larger and heavier however. They have movable parts which can be jarred during motion which makes them a poor choice for use during fitness activities. A hard drive-based MP3 player usually has rechargeable batteries which can be a cost saver but many are not removable and must be replaced after 4 or 5 years. There are also some “micro” hard drive-based players with a capacity that tops out around 12GB. Although smaller/lighter than a regular hard drive-based player their moving parts still make them a poor choice for activity.

Flash-based MP3 players: 

A flash-based MP3 player is an excellent choice for use during exercise/activity. They have no moving parts, are extremely compact, and have a 32 MB-8GB capacity. Due to the lack of moving parts their batteries tend to last longer. With all of this convenience however they actually have a much higher per megabyte cost than the hard drive devices.

MP3 CD Players: 

These devices can play standard CDs and can store up to 650 MB. They are
the least expensive MP3 Player but they are large and can skip when moved thus are not a good choice for use during activity.

Once you have determined which type of MP3 player is best suited to you based on how you wish to use it and how much storage is desire, you will want to consider issues related to downloading music.What format is used? MP3 is the most common but some of the others include .aac, .wma, .wav, and atrac. These are all formats used to compress music files so that they can be downloaded quickly and take up less memory. WMA formats for instance, allow the user to store nearly twice as much per megabyte but are a less common file type that MP3. This is important to consider since any particular file type can not be used if your MP3 player does not support it.

Connecting to your computer and downloading: 

If you want to download music from your PC a USB 2.0 standard interface
is much faster than USB 1.0. A FireWire Port or FireWire PCI card is also fast
but only supported on some computers.

Finally, be sure to check for other features such as the following:

The display:

Can you read it? This is important as it allows you to use the functions on
the device and provides information you want such as the title, artist and other playlist information.

Other functions and features:

FM radio reception, a remote, a clip to attach to your bag or possibly an armband if you’re active, the ability to record music live or from stereo components, voice recording, or advanced playback features. Some flash MP3 players offer a stopwatch function or other fitness related features. Newer MP3 players now offer color screens, photo viewing, and video playback for those who want all the bells and whistles.

There are a large number of MP3 player products on the market, finding the
right one requires buyers to carefully consider which functions and features
are most desirable for them. Using a simple buying guide can get a shopper thinking in the right direction and simplify the selection process.

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Making music is cool, fun and a great way to pass spare time. Creating beats
is hard to do with a real drum kit as you can easily come out of time, hit the
drum the wrong way etc and then ruin your entire track. For the “average Joe”, spending upwards on $500 on software that would take you months to learn how to use is simply not an option. With the Internet and websites such as YouTube you could even find international stardom if enough people like your tracks.

It is equally as easy to make mistakes when recording any additional instruments such as synth pads or keys. If you want to make beats of your own you should definitely invest in software like this. In this article you are going to learn how to make crunk beats with software so you can get making music as quickly and as easily as possible. You want to press a few buttons, move a few sliders, and then have a full track full of beats right? The good news is that if you simply want to learn how to make crunk beats to a good standard and without hassle or difficulty you now can. Developments in the audio world have enabled software to be made that does allow you to click a few buttons, set up synth pads and keys, change the tempo of your track, make some beats, then export them all as an mp3 in a matter of minutes.

Some beat making software is extremely expensive and difficult to use and is
pretty much reserved for those who have actually had prior experience in the world of computer audio editing and mixing.

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When you consider the differences in the costs of going to a studio and recording your music on the whole, using a beat maker software will be much more preferable with the results being almost the same, if not better. You will often come across great pieces these days that are created with this software. If you are a novice, tutorials provided with the package will make you an expert in very little time. Looking at all these points, it is not a wonder to see so many musicians shifting to produce their beats online.

They are quite popular and you can expect to be paid anywhere from $10 to several hundred dollars for just one music beat. Forget the cost of a synthesizer, a mixer, MPC, and the various other instruments. You can produce truly professional and very high quality pieces with this software. Most commercial beat maker software are pretty affordable and some even provide free music beats samples that you can use royalty free. But to produce original and professional beats, you need to spend a small amount.

Instead, all you need is a computer and some good quality speakers, and preferably a laptop. Most beat making software contains a huge number of options regarding instruments, beats, effects, with thousands of samples to choose from. You can buy beat maker software online and some are actually freeware. And if you are just beginning with your career, or if you are trying to experiment with a few beats, it can seem almost impossible considering all the items and their costs. However, it might not be that gloomy anymore with a beat maker software.

You can create your own music beats and sell them online. A beat maker software contains various features built in it that enable you to produce high quality professional music beats at home. These even come with video tutorials that are much more convenient and easy to understand. Even if you are extremely talented, and have great creativity, you might face a challenge when you want to produce your own beats.

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