Comments on: Why Musicians Need To Do More Than Make Music http://www.stevepratt.com/index.php/2008/10/23/why-musicians-need-to-do-more-than-make-music/ The future of media, music, and creativity Thu, 19 Aug 2010 07:44:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Jay Brown http://www.stevepratt.com/index.php/2008/10/23/why-musicians-need-to-do-more-than-make-music/comment-page-1/#comment-245 Jay Brown Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:16:51 +0000 http://www.stevepratt.com/?p=7#comment-245 Pratt you are a wise sage. You're like my media yoda...but with better hair. Pratt you are a wise sage. You’re like my media yoda…but with better hair.

]]> By: Mike http://www.stevepratt.com/index.php/2008/10/23/why-musicians-need-to-do-more-than-make-music/comment-page-1/#comment-79 Mike Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:02:09 +0000 http://www.stevepratt.com/?p=7#comment-79 Thanks for the tip, Steve. I did discover the Songwriter's Association of Canada (or Canadian Songwriter's Association,,,I can't remember which), and they will put a cassette/CD of your songs in a vault and time-stamp them, for a very reasonable price. I'm looking into this, but will also follow up on your advice. I think that a band needs a promo person to take care of maintaining an internet presence, because although DIY is fine in theory, it takes up so much time that could be used in composing, rehearsing, recording, etc., but preferably a promo person would be someone who'd do it for free because they like the band. Thanks for the tip, Steve.

I did discover the Songwriter’s Association of Canada (or Canadian Songwriter’s Association,,,I can’t remember which), and they will put a cassette/CD of your songs in a vault and time-stamp them, for a very reasonable price. I’m looking into this, but will also follow up on your advice.

I think that a band needs a promo person to take care of maintaining an internet presence, because although DIY is fine in theory, it takes up so much time that could be used in composing, rehearsing, recording, etc., but preferably a promo person would be someone who’d do it for free because they like the band.

]]> By: Steve Pratt http://www.stevepratt.com/index.php/2008/10/23/why-musicians-need-to-do-more-than-make-music/comment-page-1/#comment-60 Steve Pratt Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:50:11 +0000 http://www.stevepratt.com/?p=7#comment-60 Hey Mike, The best person I know of in Canada regarding copyright law is Michael Geist. He's got an amazing blog (http://www.michaelgeist.ca) and is a professor of law at the University of Ottawa. I would suggest that you email Michael to see if he might be kind enough to provide you with the answers you're looking for. You might also want to look into Creative Commons. (http://www.creativecommons.ca) for ways to protect and/or license your music in an online environment. My only other piece of advice would be to read the agreements for sites you sign up for carefully and make you're comfortable with the language before uploading your music. I'm afraid I'm not THE best person to answer your question, but hope this helps. Steve Hey Mike,
The best person I know of in Canada regarding copyright law is Michael Geist. He’s got an amazing blog (http://www.michaelgeist.ca) and is a professor of law at the University of Ottawa. I would suggest that you email Michael to see if he might be kind enough to provide you with the answers you’re looking for.
You might also want to look into Creative Commons. (http://www.creativecommons.ca) for ways to protect and/or license your music in an online environment.
My only other piece of advice would be to read the agreements for sites you sign up for carefully and make you’re comfortable with the language before uploading your music.
I’m afraid I’m not THE best person to answer your question, but hope this helps.
Steve

]]> By: Mike http://www.stevepratt.com/index.php/2008/10/23/why-musicians-need-to-do-more-than-make-music/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Mike Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:29:56 +0000 http://www.stevepratt.com/?p=7#comment-59 I haven't been able to find anything about copyright protection for your own new music posted on the internet. With SOCAN here in Canada (and probably with IBM, etc., in the US), you can't register a copyright unless your song has been officially published or officially released on a record label. So it seems to me that if you write and record a song and post it on, say, Myspace, it's not protected. I'm not talking about people who accept that you wrote it, and are just copying it for their listening pleasure or for their friends to hear. I'm talking about people downloading YOUR song, recording their version of it and putting it up on THEIR site as THEIR composition, and perhaps putting it out on a label and getting it copyrighted as THEIR song, and earning royalties. How do you protect against that? I haven’t been able to find anything about copyright protection for your own new music posted on the internet. With SOCAN here in Canada (and probably with IBM, etc., in the US), you can’t register a copyright unless your song has been officially published or officially released on a record label. So it seems to me that if you write and record a song and post it on, say, Myspace, it’s not protected. I’m not talking about people who accept that you wrote it, and are just copying it for their listening pleasure or for their friends to hear. I’m talking about people downloading YOUR song, recording their version of it and putting it up on THEIR site as THEIR composition, and perhaps putting it out on a label and getting it copyrighted as THEIR song, and earning royalties. How do you protect against that?

]]> By: John http://www.stevepratt.com/index.php/2008/10/23/why-musicians-need-to-do-more-than-make-music/comment-page-1/#comment-21 John Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:02:59 +0000 http://www.stevepratt.com/?p=7#comment-21 I guess my dilemma with MySpace is that it in most cases replaces the artist web page. And as you have touched on in a terribly un-unique user experience. Most artists will rely on the MySpace page and create a web site that essentially is a splash page that redirects me to MySpace, which for me as a fan is a huge turnoff. I think why Facebook has it right is, that it taps into the if you like person a and see that they are a fan of thing b, that you've not heard of, then you're apt to check them out based on liking that person, which give you a skipping location that takes you back to their web presence. Where Facebook and Myspace differ is Facebook is a point of interest, whereas MySpace tries to be a one stop shop. It's why I think in the end Facebook will become more of a place people build some presence to draw them back to their own home where they completely control user experience and content. And eventually MySpace will go the way of the dodo. I guess my dilemma with MySpace is that it in most cases replaces the artist web page. And as you have touched on in a terribly un-unique user experience. Most artists will rely on the MySpace page and create a web site that essentially is a splash page that redirects me to MySpace, which for me as a fan is a huge turnoff.

I think why Facebook has it right is, that it taps into the if you like person a and see that they are a fan of thing b, that you’ve not heard of, then you’re apt to check them out based on liking that person, which give you a skipping location that takes you back to their web presence.

Where Facebook and Myspace differ is Facebook is a point of interest, whereas MySpace tries to be a one stop shop.

It’s why I think in the end Facebook will become more of a place people build some presence to draw them back to their own home where they completely control user experience and content. And eventually MySpace will go the way of the dodo.

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