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  • Don’t Buy A Piano Until You Read This

    Don’t Buy A Piano Until You Read This

    Generally speaking, when looking for a new piano, buy the best piano you can afford. The first thing is to decide how much you can afford to spend on a piano without breaking your budget. Remember, a piano is an investment. A good quality new piano will cost upwards of $2,000-$3,000 (easily several thousand dollars more if you want to spend that much), but that piano will also last you a long time. If it’s well-taken care of, a good piano will last about 50 years before needing to be rebuilt.

    If your budget is tight, consider purchasing a used piano. They can be a good value. The best bet when purchasing a used piano is to buy from a reputable dealer so that you don’t end up with a piano that needs a lot of work to make it play and sound good. If you’re buying from a private party consider having a piano technician check it out before you purchase it. The small investment to have it checked out can save you serious dollars down the road. Remember that a piano may look good on the outside but need a lot of work on the inside (strings may need to be replaced, pins may need to be fixed or replaced, etc.) so it’s best to have a professional look at it before you purchase.

    If you’re purchasing a piano for a child who is just learning how to play and you’re not ready to invest a lot of money into a piano, an older used piano in good condition may work just fine. When I first started playing piano I played on an older piano. My parents didn’t invest in a new piano for a few years because they wanted to first be sure I was interested in learning how to play and was going to use a piano. They didn’t want a big object sitting in their living room that was only collecting dust. But they did make sure the older piano we had was in good working order and was kept in tune.

    If your budget is tight, my suggestion is that you opt for sound quality over the look of the piano – especially if the piano is going to be used by someone who is learning how to play it. A beautiful piano case can add major dollars to the cost of the piano and can have the same sound quality as a lower-cost piano that doesn’t have a case made with expensive wood.

    If you find you truly can’t afford a new or good used piano right away, then consider renting rather than purchasing a poor-quality piano. An option is to see if you can arrange to use a piano at a friend or relative’s house, or possibly at school or church. But, if the piano is for a child who is taking lessons, renting may be the better choice unless the piano you’re using is easily accessible nearly every day. A child may quickly lose interest in learning how to play the piano if the piano isn’t easily accessible for him or her to practice on.
    When you look at pianos, keep in mind that longer strings in a piano generally produce a better sound. If you’re looking at uprights, look for a taller one. If you’re looking at a grand piano, the strings are horizontal so a longer piano will typically produce a better sound but will also take up more space.

    Some of the more expensive pianos such as Steinways, Bosendorfer, Bechstein, and Mason and Hamiln will better retain their value better than a less-expensive piano although most pianos retain their value fairly well (http://www.pianoscentral.com/brands). Some pianos, such as Steinways, typically appreciate in value over time. That’s one of the reasons to consider purchasing the best piano you can afford. You’ll also typically have less repair issues on a better quality piano.

    What are some of the differences between an expensive piano and a less-expensive piano? Yes, sometimes it seems like you’re paying more because of the “name” or “brand” of the piano. While that may be true in some instances, it’s not the norm. Less expensive pianos usually have manufactured wood material underneath the veneer and the veneer itself will be of a less-expensive wood. They also may have synthetic materials in the piano action, and have high tension stringing scales, to name a few particulars. Higher quality pianos will have hardwood underneath the cabinet veneer, lower tension stringing scales, wool cloth in the piano actions, and are typically tuned and regulated before leaving the factory. But, there are instances where fancy beautiful cases are holding interior parts that are of sub-standard quality. To avoid getting “taken,” do research before you shop and use a reputable dealer.

    If you’re not sure how much your new piano is going to be used, you might want to consider a MIDI piano. A MIDI piano is both an acoustic piano and an electronic piano. They are today’s version of the roll player pianos. You can play these pianos if you want but can also have them play music for you whenever you want.

    Space is a big consideration when purchasing a piano. Pianos are approximately five feet wide and two and one-half feet deep. You’ll also need an additional two feet of depth so the piano bench can be moved out to sit on comfortably. Grand pianos usually take up most of a room because people have a tendency to showcase them and not put them against a wall like most vertical pianos are.

    Shopping for a piano can be a fun experience. Enjoy the process. Look at and try out several pianos at several dealers before making a purchase decision. Get a feel for the piano. Pay attention to the feel of the keys and the sound of each piano so you can decide which piano is best for you.

  • Overview of how music licensing work

    Overview of how music licensing work

    Getting to know the various types of copyright laws and Creative Commons licensing details will give you full confidence when using background music for video. It’ll also help your brand or business avoid any legal issues down the line.

    Royalty Free

    Royalty free music gives users the right to use copyrighted music without having to pay “royalties” for recurring use of the content. In other words, royalty free music allows the buyer to pay the music license only once and use the music for as long as he or she wants.

    Royalty free often gets mistaken for “free” music, which is not the case in many situations. The author or artist who has composed the music decides what kind of license it will have, and therefore, the costs associated.

    Public Domain

    Public domain refers to all works that are not protected by copyright and can be used without permission or without having to pay the original author/artist. Public domain essentially gives free use of the music in however a user sees fits.

    Essentially, that means that content within the public domain can be copied, distributed, interpreted, and displayed in public for free as if they belong to everyone.

    Creative Commons

    A Creative Commons is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. At the core of the Creative Commons license is the idea that every CC license ensures licensors get the credit for their work they deserve. It’s a standardized way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work.

    In the above websites, you’ll notice that many of the tracks are protected under various Creative Commons licenses. Artists typically upload their work and specify what users would need to provide (attribution-wise) in order to repurpose that work.

    Check out the Creative Commons website for complete details on the various types of licenses.

     

     

  • Buying a Second Hand Guitar.

    Buying a Second Hand Guitar.

    If you are on a budget, but still want to buy a decent guitar, you should look into purchasing a used guitar. For little money you can buy a quality guitar that will be able to suit all of your needs.

    Used Fender basses or used Fender Stratocaster guitars can be had for relatively cheap compared with buying a new one. This is the route that a lot of people go when they are looking for their first guitar. The best place to find a used guitar is at a music store that is specialized in selling second hand equipment. If you can’t find a store like this in your area, you may also want to search the internet. There are hundreds of online stores that sell used instruments.

    Used, cheap electric guitars are also a top seller. Brands like Ibanez, Squier or Epiphone can be found for very little money. Used Gibson guitars or a second hand Fender Stratocaster will cost you probably more, but will still save you a lot of money. In return you will get a top quality guitar which will last you a very, very long time!

    You may also be able to find used guitars at a flea market or garage sale. The best way to go about doing this is find a large flea market in your area, and frequent it as often as possible. You will eventually come across what you are looking for.

    Many people have also turned to eBay in order to find a second hand guitar. EBay offers hundreds of guitars that you can bid on. The best thing about using this service is that you can keep an eye on each listing, and only purchase what you can afford.

    A used guitar can be a great buy for anybody that is just learning, or anybody who simply wants a new guitar. In most cases you can buy a second hand guitar for half the price it would cost you when buying it brand new. Ok it probably will have some scratches on it, but the quality and the sound of the instrument will still remain the same and that’s what counts!

    If you know where to look, and stay persistent you should not have any problems at all finding a guitar that suits your needs. Remember, stay patient until you find the guitar that suits your needs and fits your budget.

  • Dj Equipment-What You Need to Know

    Dj Equipment-What You Need to Know

    If you are planning to become a be a DJ, a disk jockey, one the most difficult things you will come across is to buy your own equipment. It will be difficult not because of anything else, but because DJ equipment is expensive. In order to buy all the equipment you need you will have to spend thousands of dollars. To have what you need to be a DJ you wont have to buy only on piece of equipment but many. A DJ can mix and match components of different qualities and price ranges to make the entire outfit suit a budget. One of the most expensive pieces of equipment that you will need to buy is a mixer. Sound mixers vary from make to make and from model to model and their price depends on their features and their quality. You can buy a DJ mixer for a couple hundered dollars to a few thousand dollars. If you are new to the disk jockey business, it is advised that you only spend only a few hundred dollars. The cheaper mixers can work just as well as the more expensive ones and if you are new to DJ’ing then you should not spend too much money because you don’t know how business will be. The good news is that manufacturers of quality mixers and audio equipment in general, like Numark, Gemini, Aiwa, Akai produce good quality economic DJ mixers.
    After the mixer you will need a turntable as well. There are different kinds of turntables available. If you are in to vinyl then you should get a traditional DJ turntable, or if you are into CD’s and MP3’s there is a wide selection of turntables for the new technologies that resemble the traditional ones. In general, turntables are more expensive than plain players, but there are good ones available for under $400. You can even choose to buy a direct drive turntable, but you will have to spend more money for one of these. Most DJs however prefer them as they play records faster and don’t lag. Players are much cheaper than turntables but have less features. DJs who like to scratch and spin records prefer the turntables because players only provide sound output like any other CD or DVD player. A new DJ should not overspend on equipment. And one item you can save money for is the speakers. Speakers are used for live events and as a DJ if you want to minimize your costs and not have to rent any equipment in the future. In general the price of any speaker depends on the price of its output. There are small woofer speakers that a DH can buy for less than $100. if you are new to the field you might consider buying a DJ pack, a DJ in a box package and save money. These packages contain everything you will need. Using cheap DJ equipment is only recommended for new DJs. If you start getting gigs and start making money then you should consider buying more advanced equipment.

     

     

  • How to Become a Successful Independent Artist or Songwriter

    How to Become a Successful Independent Artist or Songwriter

    By far the most important skill to have if you wish to become successful with anything, is ATTITUDE. An old Chinese proverb once said, “90% of the journey towards success is over once you have stepped outside your front door.” The reason many people fail, is because they’d rather stay in and watch the TV.

    Of course, that first step outside is a philosophical one. As a musician or songwriter, you spend the vast majority of your time being creative. If you think that writing a great song, or playing an instrument well, is the hardest part of being a successful artist, you are wrong.

    Despite all the skills you need to know and perfect in order to make your music shine, these pale into insignificance compared with the hard work and other skills you will need to learn in order to record, market and sell your art successfully.

    Fortunately, most creative people also seem to excel at other things. The term “Jack of all trades” could quite easily apply to most musicians or artists. After all, the first thing most artists have to learn, is how to find time for their art whilst running a home AND holding down a Day Job in order to pay the bills! It is therefore not unusual to find musicians who are also Physicists, Engineers, IT Professionals or Teachers, to name but a few.

    Most of these people are quite content to keep music as a hobby, at least whilst bringing up a family. However, we all get to a stage in our lives (usually once the kids have grown up and left home), where we want to cease working for a “Living”, and instead, work for our own “Satisfaction”.

    There are few things in life more satisfying than being admired for something we created. If our creations also manage to influence others, then it is even more rewarding.

    This “first step outside your front door” is taken when you decide to pause from the creative aspect (the ideas), and take a positive step towards learning new skills, or employing others who can do those things for you.

    There has never been a better time in the history of mankind, to take those steps, either by yourself, or with others who would help you.

    –Where you used to have to pay for tutoring, or buy books, in order to learn the techniques of songwriting, or playing an instrument, you can now find scores of articles on the Internet (like this one!) that will help you for free.

    –Where you used to have to save up a considerable amount of money to pay studio costs and hire session musicians to make a decent demo recording, you can now find all the necessary tools, and even the musicians, on the Internet who would help you for little or no cost at all.

    –Where you needed to sign a record deal in order to be able to afford a producer and a master quality studio, you can now buy your own PC and some music software, and collaborate with a producer online, who will give you the capability to make radio-ready recordings.

    –Where you needed a record company with a huge advertising budget to market and sell your recordings, you can now (with some hard work), market and sell your CDs to the Whole World for next to nothing.

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    The Music Industry doesn’t like the changes that the Internet has brought to the business. Digital media can be freely copied by anyone with a PC, anywhere in the World. No longer do the record companies just have to worry about the CD pirates who manufacture illegal copies to sell on the black market; they also have to now worry about every PC-literate man, woman and child, making their own copies too! This has led the music industry into a perpetual fight against filesharers (making enemies of many consumers in the process), instead of embracing the business advantages that the Internet brings to us.

    The Music Industry still believes that 8-16 year-olds buy most of the records, so they are still catering primarily for that market. Recent industry figures are telling a different story, and the secret is the “Baby Boomers”.

    Yes … The same people who created the above market perception in the 70’s by buying the largest proportion of records ever, whilst they were teenagers, have now grown up! The largest age group to buy CDs TODAY, at 26% of the population, are over 45. Not only that, but they still like the same kinds of music as they did then. So there is no need to change your art to fit today’s teenybopper market if you aren’t that way inclined.

    Now that we know the secret, we also know that the next big thing in music, isn’t going to be another form of Hip-hop, Techno, or R’n’B; but a return to real music, such as was made during the 60’s and 70’s. However, we’ll be creating it with modern tools on a Home computer DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) system, instead of in a multimillion pound studio complex!

    So, whilst the Music Industry is still hesitating by trying to shun the new digital era in favour of antiquated business models, hardware in the form of CDs, and markets that still only cover limited territories; we can now jump ahead of them onto a more level playing field, find our own markets, and sell to the Whole World with only a simple website!

    Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
    …     Well, that is the first hurdle you will face. So many musicians think it is easy, that there are millions already doing it! So to be successful you will need, like any other business, a proper business plan.

    CONCLUSION

    The road to being a successful independent musician, begins with ATTITUDE.

    You need to find enough time in your schedule to drop the guitar & scoresheet and use your creative energies towards developing a proper BUSINESS PLAN. This means taking a step back and listening to your music through Joe Public’s ears. You need to think up a business name, logo, and short slogan that encompasses what you are, and what your music is trying to say to people.

    Register your business “name” by buying a domain name that suits you as soon as possible.

    Pages on free MP3 sites and Free domains do not give you a professional image. You MUST have your own site, or at least something that offers you a unique look and features of your own. If you want people to find your music unique & special, then you also need an image that is unique and special. That goes for your email address too. Genuine business people don’t use their Hotmail, AOL, or Yahoo addresses for formal communications.

    Make sure all your paperwork is in order.

    If you are planning on making an eventual living from your art, you will need to be registered as a business or as a self-employed sole trader. You need to make sure your tax and income are all accounted for, so you may have to buy yourself an accounting package, or learn to use Excel Spreadsheets, or employ an accountant. There is also a lot to learn about how copyright systems work and whether you feel you need to form your own publishing company, record company, or register your copyrights with an agency. Much of this will depend on the laws of your home country. Alternatively, you can sign a non-exclusive deal with a small independent label or publisher to handle all the music-related paperwork for you.

    You need to either take the time to develop some basic web design skills, buy ready-made templates, or employ someone to design a site for you.

    Make sure your logo and colour scheme is fluent throughout your site, your stationery, your CD artwork, and any other communications device, such as email. Make sure your site includes some way of gathering a mailing list, such as a response form or a “double opt-in” form of registration.

    Plan a marketing strategy.

    Marketing is all about finding the right market for your product. This may involve a certain amount of consumer research. This can be expensive, so use the Internet as much as possible to find groups of people who like similar music to yours. Try to find out other things about these people so that you can get a clearer picture of who would be interested in your music.

    Plan a promotional strategy.

    Gather contact lists of magazines, local newspapers, TV and radio stations. Plan an 8-week promotional strategy leading up to the release of your CD. Use any press, or airplay you get as a news item on your website. If you have some money to invest, plan a set of concert dates in local venues for dates close to any publication dates. Plan a poster or postcard campaign. Contact local charities, hospitals, schools and shops, in fact anyone who might be prepared to play your CD in a public place. If you want local record stores to stock your CD, you will also need barcodes and counter display boxes. Use the mailing list you have been gathering from your site to promote any news to your fans with a regular newsletter. Offer free tickets to gigs, or run competitions for free CDs. Use your fans as extra leverage to increase the momentum of your promotional campaigns.

    Don’t under-sell yourself.

    Make sure that any music you decide to give away as a promotional MP3 is different in some way to the music you are selling. E.G. It will either be an early un-mastered mix (demo), or a different mix, or a song you are never going to release for sale. Otherwise, make sure all samples you make of your records, are either short clips, or low-fi mono samples. The price you set for your releases should never be too far below that of major record company releases. Your price tells your customer what “stage” you are at in the business. Price yourself too cheap and you are more likely to lose customers because they will automatically assume you are an “amateur”.

    Make yourself and your CD easily accessible to your fans.

    Always answer any emails promptly. Check your emails at least once a day and reply to any new enquiries immediately. The average time expected by most people for a response by email is 12-24 hours. Do not SPAM. Make sure you only send bulk emails to people who have opted into your mailing list, and if anyone wants to opt out, make sure you delete them straight away (not several weeks and 10 disgruntled emails later!). To contact businesses, you will need to write individually and personally to each of them. Always use a business “signature” with your artistic or business name, slogan, web site address, and possibly your telephone number, on every email you send. If you have released a CD, make sure you add the link to that too! If you have had your CDs duplicated professionally and are barcoded, you can also expand from selling them in internet stores such as iTunes, Amazon, and CDbaby, to high street stores. You must also sell them from your own site or at least provide links to the stores where they are available.

    Never stop “Networking”

    Carry your business cards with you at all times. At every conversational opportunity, if someone happens to mention music, or gigs, make sure you advertise yourself as an independent artist. If you have a modern mobile phone or MP3 player, make sure your latest CD is on it! You never know who you’ll bump into in the supermarket. The first thing someone will ask when you mention you are a recording artist is “What kind of music do you play?” If you have your MP3 player with you, you won’t even have to answer! (This is always a difficult question for an artist). You can just play it to them! Also make sure you frequent all the music-related newsgroups, forums, bulletin boards, MP3 sites, chat rooms etc. at every opportunity.

    Finally, my “Promotional Tip of the Week”

    Familiarise yourself with all the P2P filesharing systems that the music business hates so much. You can use them to your advantage. Make ads or lo-fi samples of your music or CD and label them like this…

    Make copies labelled with every well-known artist you think you sound like, and keep all the files in your shared folder. Then, whenever you are logged onto the service and someone searches for music by these well-known artists, your music will be on their list of results!

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  • How Boost Your Chances of Getting Signed With Music Mastering!

    How Boost Your Chances of Getting Signed With Music Mastering!

    Getting signed to an established label isn’t easy. There are thousands of talented acts out there, all fighting for a few open slots.

    This means if you want to be chosen, you can’t hold back. You’ve got to do everything to make the right impression and stand-out from the crowd.

    One of the most vital (yet often overlooked) parts of doing this is professional mastering.

    You can think of mastering as the “Polish” that makes your music sparkle. It’s what gives your music the professional, “Big label” sound by bringing-out the best in it.

    And this is vital. Because when the A & R manager has a big stack of demos to go through, he or she is going to give very few of them a serious listen.

    Some are going to get dumped on the spot based on first impressions. While, others are going to fail to grab his or her full attention.

    Moreover, even if you are the most talented artist on the managers’ desk, that does NOT mean he or she is going to realize it… because your demo just did not stand-out enough when stacked-up against those of better quality.

    You see, mastering communicates that you’re a serious act… and, as a result, encourages those listening to give your music the deep look it deserves.

    It does this by:

    • Making all the sounds cohesive,
    • Increasing the loudness to grab attention,
    • Bringing-out the right instruments or vocals in the best amounts,
    • Helping to eliminate or reduce errors (that can occurr during the recording and mixing),
    • Plus, much more depending on what you and the mastering engineer feel the songs need.

    In other words, mastering gives your music that little extra edge you need to get signed… because it allows you to be pictured as a successful act.

    And this is what the key to getting signed is all about. The label must see you as an investment that is going to pay-off quickly and easily without a lot of effort.

    Mastering paints this picture and helps get you a deal so as many people as possible get to experience your music long into the future.

    With that said, you should also keep in mind that there is a world of difference between a professional mastering engineer and an amateur.

    A professional knows what to listen for, the exact adjustments that need to be made (as the wrong ones can ruin the music), and has the equipment to do a serious job.

    You should not expect a “Big label” sound by doing it yourself on a home computer or by hiring an amateur who doesn’t fully understand the aspects of “real” mastering.