baseware distribution (for example) and labels

[ShadowRaz]

Ok so, as i am working on several EP's already and other new music all the time and am not in a label or anything, i searched how to add music to beatport for sell and this came up:

http://www.basewaredistribution.com/

But it also says (when i got the email from them) that i would have to be on a label or something to get them distributed in the first place (and also have 3 EP's ready for distribution which i don't have.. YET). So is being in a label the only way to be heard and get my music distributed for if i were to want to get paid from music or get fans or something?

Actually i have no idea whatsoever, how to proceed and i would already seriously want to fund my productions better, and well life as well (living is too expensive, especially trying to be happy with delicious foods and owning a freaking car), and it seems some of those songs in top charts are so simple that i could easily try to make something similar house music, and if people would want to buy those productions of mine, i would get even greater purpose for music productions than own fun while doing it. As in if i could even earn living from it. Is it possible though?

Of course i would have to make good enough, really fine tuned music, and more and more of it, first, in order for people to want more and to be willing to pay for my work, but do i really need to start contacting labels? Or can i just basically try to go on my own? How?

[ShadowRaz]

No one has any advice on this? 

[Skrypnyk]

On 4/25/2016 at 6:29 AM, ShadowRaz said:

So is being in a label the only way to be heard and get my music distributed for if i were to want to get paid from music or get fans or something?

Pretty sure this started off as a complete sentence and then started to self destruct the more words you added to it.

Being on a label is a good way to associate your music with similar acts, and be a rather central location for people to go to to hear that type of music.  It's not the only way to be heard, it's not the only way to get your stuff distributed.

On 4/25/2016 at 6:29 AM, ShadowRaz said:

Actually i have no idea whatsoever, how to proceed and i would already seriously want to fund my productions better, and well life as well (living is too expensive, especially trying to be happy with delicious foods and owning a freaking car), and it seems some of those songs in top charts are so simple that i could easily try to make something similar house music, and if people would want to buy those productions of mine, i would get even greater purpose for music productions than own fun while doing it. As in if i could even earn living from it. Is it possible though?

Yes it's possible, people can and are doing it all the time, but you have to solve the bold statement.  You can write unimaginably beautiful scores or put googly eyes on a rock it doesn't really matter, if people don't want to buy those productions you won't be earning a living from it.

On 4/25/2016 at 6:29 AM, ShadowRaz said:

Of course i would have to make good enough, really fine tuned music, and more and more of it, first, in order for people to want more and to be willing to pay for my work, but do i really need to start contacting labels? Or can i just basically try to go on my own? How?

loudr.fm will distribute your stuff without being associated with a label, you can price your stuff however you want.  Your music has to be good (or acceptable) enough though that stores like iTunes or sites like Pandora would take the songs.

[ShadowRaz]

Thank you for the reply. I shall look into this loudr.fm and also consider other stuff

[ShadowRaz]

21 hours ago, Skrypnyk said:

loudr.fm will distribute your stuff without being associated with a label, you can price your stuff however you want.

Ok rushed maybe too early to write last message about the site being only for covers as i now read further so this is a edit and it seems to be legit

It only said so in the licensing tab on the first page

[ShadowRaz]

Decided to just go ahead and distribute my last EP as it is finished already as a test although it is already for free at Bandcamp and Artists Union

[ShadowRaz]

Man i have been working on Photoshop half a day to make a logo with my name on it as loudr.fm implied the album cover art should have also artist name, not just the album name. At least had good practice on 3-D stuff and text effects and otherwise combining several pictures together (made a "standard" youtube video background for my random creative moment clips so i can upload them as my SoundCloud upload limit was full), and a really helpful and nice guy at Youtube DJ-TheShadowz also gave advice to a site in which i could download really awesome new text fonts, which i also want to share with you guys:

dafont.com

Anyways, now finally got the Orchestral Madness EP cover picture with my name on it and uploaded all the tracks into there and now it's waiting for approval anymore.

I wasn't entirely clear about the tax form thing even though i tried to fill it out the best i could, it wasn't rocket science, but it had several terms and filling fields of which i did not have a clue what to fill in. And the difference between US tax and Finnish tax might be kind of big, so i wonder how it goes if i were so lucky that someone would want to buy my music..

[timaeus222]

You know you can edit your posts, right?

[ShadowRaz]

Yeah  I even found out not so long ago that the topic title can be edited by editing the first message. Could have basically just put my 3 last messages into one as they were all after each other

 

Ok so my EP went through otherwise in loudr.fm but with only one exception, i labeled the tracks with track numbers on the files even though it wasn't necessary. Modified them and send it in for second time

[ShadowRaz]

Well now that i have though about it, labels would most likely provide people to hear my music and maybe even get fans or something, but as i tend to be extremely weird and too offensive of some other peoples shit, most likely i am just incredibly annoying to all people or even possible fans of my music as i am basically rambling on about things on my social accounts that do not concern them at all most likely so it's like i'm trying to give advice or sometimes just tell some boring stories about myself to people whom i would want please with music, which is basically why i wanted to start up on full house EP also as so many people like house nowadays and a lot. But i have made several house tracks in the past, no one liked them, at the best 10 or something. So there has to be something more in it than making the music and posting it on my soundcloud or youtube and adding couple of tags for people to find them. Although still my music has had its flaws.

Also the thing is, since i'm extremely uncomfortable personality most likely? would even labels accept my music.when there must be some sort of standards on being a human properly also and normally social or something, not just being able to produce what people would want to hear? As in the other thread, people like what someone does if they like the person itself sometimes. So even if i was able to make even at least slightly good music, it doesn't matter at all when no one likes me?

I don't know, i feel like shit about myself, for example opening up on twitter or getting annoyed by some simple house music being praised and being on top charts and complaining about it, what use is it? Won't i just make myself look bad when i say that a "child could produce simple techno house with a shitty laptop" when i'm not producing it myself in large quantities as it is still popular, people like it and the big names do it and therefore they are big names aren't they now? Or is it just the image they have and how gorgeous or normal they are and stuff and they have made the music style so popular perhaps? or is it the festival clubby party thing that truly is the only thing of interest to people anymore?

[ShadowRaz]

Also i have a question about the loudr.fm

On 5/3/2016 at 7:39 PM, Skrypnyk said:

loudr.fm will distribute your stuff without being associated with a label, you can price your stuff however you want.  Your music has to be good (or acceptable) enough though that stores like iTunes or sites like Pandora would take the songs.

Will it also get me a copyright on my songs?

For example if i go straight there to upload my new music first, does it get it copyrighted to me, or does youtube for example do it automatically or something? For example as i have made music for years already and uploaded them one by one to my youtube and soundcloud accounts but haven't done anything else for them, therefore i have had these certain moments when i have felt like that someone were stealing my productions through those youtube converters or whatever and claiming them as their own, and that is one of those feelings that makes me feel disgusted about humanity if it were true. Am i just being paranoid about it? Or can it be true as people with the anonymity of internet can be cruel

I have witnessed first hand people downloading my music and uploading them for free download into some sites and actually at that moment i felt kind of proud as they still said my artist name on them so gave me credit and wanted to share my productions to others. BUT if some were to download them first and then just label it as their own productions.. that makes me angry.

And also now that i'm unemployed and am trying to fund myself being a electronic musician (does not mean that i would make only EDM as virtual instruments are ridiculously awesome nowadays as long as could get enough of them to produce really awesome music for example the Vienna library or the Native Instruments Brass Ensemble first or the East West composer cloud, not actually sure what would be the best fit for me, and also wouldn't mind Shreddage for cool metal guitars etc as soon as i could actually get them, now i'm basically struggling to afford to live) for living as i love it, i would not mind finally getting something out of some productions also so i could buy new stuff for better production possibilities and.. yes live also by doing new music constantly. Or do Djs and other Live performance bands only get something out of their compositions?

[Skrypnyk]

My impression with copyrights (and someone else can chime in if I'm wrong), is that when you create the project file and the song, you've created the copyright, all rights reserved, and it's yours.  It's only when you start using a label or service that you can lend copyright control to the party in question (i.e using soundcloud you can give the song a creative common licence, etc.)

16 minutes ago, ShadowRaz said:

 i have had these certain moments when i have felt like that someone were stealing my productions through those youtube converters or whatever and claiming them as their own, and that is one of those feelings that makes me feel disgusted about humanity if it were true. Am i just being paranoid about it? Or can it be true as people with the anonymity of internet can be cruel

No, people do this, there is very little you can do about it other than e-mailing them directly saying 'hey cut that out', or e-mailing the service hosting the stolen productions claiming it's your work and you never gave permission.

[ShadowRaz]

Actually i did not understand the first part of your reply fully, but mostly maybe? As in did you mean that as i have created it and have the project file safe, i have the copyrights of it, but can't affect someone still using it copyright free on youtube uploads of their own for example until i'm in a label? What is common license from soundcloud?

And i did ask in the original message does uploading to loudr.fm do the copyright on youtube for example or do labels do it only? You said

1 hour ago, Skrypnyk said:

 It's only when you start using a label or service that you can lend copyright control to the party in question

 is loudr.fm such service? or.. i don't know..

I'm really out of the loop on these copyright things. I like to just create and compose my music and upload it and even the composing and designing part i sometimes do way too fast as i don't usually have any greater purpose for it other than own fun and possibly someone else enjoying it maybe when i upload it? So fine tuning properly with time and making a lot more music is the key to go further in being a "famous" musician? That might be one part of it of course, but no matter how much i spent time and effort on making them it doesn't matter if i only upload it to my account and if no one knows about it, it's useless to even upload is it not?

Or for example especially as not being well known name, someone just listening to my song and then ripping off the composition / design idea by making a better one out of the basic original idea and then claiming it also as their own and maybe even getting further with it as they know their ways around being social and getting their brand out or something? Having some profit still from all the hours and effort spent would give greater purpose also as living costs like hell and good software and hardware to produce with better stuff cost even more, and soon enough i would be forced back into a job in which i would not enjoy being in.

Also about the image thing, you know how those famous musicians (not only limited to musicians on this one but also famous people in general) get their name out there somehow? and then just keep their name up on peoples minds also and when people think about them, they usually support them more easily as they are the ones they remember with their great image and people remembering them and their names and face and stuff. And how much that image does affect how much people like them and talk about them.. i could actually think and write about this matter a lot more, but i am getting seriously off topic already and i am writing this particular image part after the ending words on this novel message and at this part of this message it seems kind of misplaced but whatever

Actually having inspiration versus copying also has many sides now that i thought about it for example, i of course also have had some inspiration out of some existing artists, but haven't we all? On some dubstep sound designs i have listened to Panda Eyes and Virtual Riot for example to get basic ideas how some dubstep music sound designs sound like, on house music some already existing stuff from several producers, on Orchestral music i have listened to several artists also such as Audiomachine and Two Steps From Hell and Hans Zimmer etc, and for example the basic idea to compose solo violin leads combined with modern EDM originated from adorable Lindsey Stirling but still usually i'm trying to avoid direct copying and have new own ideas, even on the basic "genre" and especially on the composing part fully (just hitting some chords and notes on MIDI or clicking and dragging notes on piano roll with mouse until it sounds about right) unless i'm making a remake.. actually now this is starting to go into other topic  How do you guys avoid accidental plagiarism when composing? But you probably get what i mean. Actually i would kind of be proud if someone had some inspiration or motivation from me also but if i were to want to proceed as a musician, i should be successful first on it myself and have a "live-able" happy life situation. Think about it, if instrumental composers were to get people to start changing their music style back into instrumental and orchestral music from repetitive vocal heavy, party house music... well.. anyways..

Haven't stumbled upon my tracks still anywhere else under someone else's name so that i should contact anyone about them and as my earlier shit have been shit, who would even want to steal them  Should i start limiting out my old shit? as in just delete them all to get better skill image for myself? And focus on making new better music, orchestral as a standalone or hybrid with something, modern EDM as standalone or combined with orchestral and stuff, and then only upload them as fine tuned and not hurried?

----

Don't know if you have patience to read all that but basically in a nutshell i asked couple of questions i would want to know an answer to at the start, and then started rambling on about inspiration, copyright, image and motivation and about my other personal shit.

[ShadowRaz]

@Skrypnyk

If you aren't interested to read that all, at all, mostly i would want to know does uploading my music directly into loudr.fm give me the copyright so that people would not actually be able to steal my music directly in certain amounts at least and call it their own? Or should i make music and not even upload them and try to send them to some labels until something goes through and is worthy to listen?

And by the way, SoundCloud as a controversial matter to your "common creative license" has proven me entirely different thing evem though i did not quite get what you mean: I once made a remix of Adele - Hello, and i was able to upload it to soundcloud but i got madly declined in youtube and then deleted the whole thing from SC as well. I actually trust youtube more than soundcloud BUT soundcloud only provides easier way to upload audio files compared to the fact that i have to make a video for youtube. Although i actually like it also.now that i made an "standard background" in photoshop and i can add the audio waveform for visual greatness. More effort though but i don't mind

[Skrypnyk]

 

1 hour ago, ShadowRaz said:

As in did you mean that as i have created it and have the project file safe, i have the copyrights of it, but can't affect someone still using it copyright free on youtube uploads of their own for example until i'm in a label?

Uhh...  lol hopefully this answers whatever you're asking.  Assuming you aren't using uncleared samples/synths/vocals/etc (using something you don't have permission to use), any projects and song you create are your property and thus you have the date and time in which the project/song/copyright is created, and all rights are reserved to you.  Once you've released your work online, nothing is stopping anyone from taking what you've done and doing whatever they want with it, whether it's using it in their let's play video, putting their name on it and calling it their own, selling it for billions of dollars, remixing it, etc. etc.  and no label is going to prevent those kinds of maliciousness to occur.  Site's like soundcloud and bandcamp have the option to have your work listed under the creative commons license should you choose to release work under that.  I'm assuming loudr lets you keep all (or most) of the rights to your work, but have yourself a read if you want to make sure.

1 hour ago, ShadowRaz said:

I like to just create and compose my music and upload it

So keep doing this and don't worry about the other stuff

 

1 hour ago, ShadowRaz said:

So fine tuning properly with time and making a lot more music is the key to go further in being a "famous" musician?

No guarantees

 

1 hour ago, ShadowRaz said:

if i only upload it to my account and if no one knows about it, it's useless to even upload is it not?

If a tree falls in the wood and no one is around, does it make a sound?

 

1 hour ago, ShadowRaz said:

Should i start limiting out my old shit? as in just delete them all to get better skill image for myself? And focus on making new better music, orchestral as a standalone or hybrid with something, modern EDM as standalone or combined with orchestral and stuff, and then only upload them as fine tuned and not hurried?

Do whatever you want, you're the commander and chief of your work

[ShadowRaz]

Well i do like to still practice and have my own fun and try to put some emotion into it while making the music and then just get it out there for the people that would enjoy them even if there aren't but few. BUT still i have countless ideas, basically endless when improvising fully that i haven't done yet and on which i haven't had the opportunity to make either considering the amount of virtual instruments for example.

And starting to get too strict as in something like "i will sue you" serious feels dumb even if someone took the audio file and used it in their stuff (i would not mind it at all, actually that also would be good thing if they aren't claiming it to be their own composition though), and also if i were able to help someone in their own productions with direct lessons or as i have had inspiration from other artists also just by listening, that would still bring one type of of happiness. Although directly stealing the music instead of having inspiration/motivation from it or making still something different out of the basic idea, and then if someone were to call it as their own, that would be still really awkward and worthy of proper actions to prevent it. That's my main point mostly.

[ShadowRaz]

Ok, just read that Loudr is in contact with CD Baby directly so what's the point of publishing my music through some other site when i could send it straight to CD Baby?

And also seems like Loudr still focuses heavily on cover licensing, and as my compositions are my own it's rather pointless to upload through Loudr isn't it? Or are there any other factors in it compared to uploading directly to CD Baby?

http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/musician-tips/how-to-copyright-your-music/

"It saves you few HUNDRED bucks..."

Man prices of everything are ridiculous as if someone even in middle-class had even one hundred of currency (euro and dollar value ain't hugely different although still are 12 cents apart) laying around waiting to be used for some copyright and don't even get me started on getting better equipment and software (libraries) and how much they cost. Luckily that article also states the time stamp feature, when i post my music online it was posted through my account first, everything else (possibly) from it came after that, and even better, i have the project file(s) (sometimes i do save several progressions of the track as a backup and even as a progress reminder sometimes for myself and they might come in handy also if someone were to try to truly claim my composition as theirs)

So it is not necessarily necessary to get the legal copyright thingy i guess? But if someone were to post it still into their things and if they were to get something big by using it while i get nothing, it would be kind of awkward though but still at least it would help them which would of course be good and would not hurt one bit for me and them, except if they didn't give credit at all to me, the original composer. Actually there are many sides to this also. Credit, profit.. i don't know. Life is hard. Maybe i should not publish anything at all to anywhere until some label would accept it for example? And I could get my shit upright finally...?

Or, was thinking about uploading my next house heavy EP straight to CD Baby and ask even a prize for the music (or not, because who would want to pay for my music anyways when i'm basically practicing and have only few people who wanted to download them for free?) because i really need to consider getting my wanted musical career ongoing as i got bills hella lot and i still would want to live humane enough to be happy and not get into some soul sucking factory job again which would cause me to become an alcoholic most likely as i would feel extremely uncomfortable working there although not sure still, have to consider the options but still i would die mentally in a similar job as last one.

[ShadowRaz]

Ok, so i would like to ask a question about labels then, let's say it's utterly useless to publish music on my own as not many are there to listen to them except some loyal fans that have stumbled upon my stuff.

So should i not publish my music online on my own, but rather send them directly into a label as demos? Do you guys have any suggestions where to i should send my music as in what label would want / accept my productions?

I need help seriously, i have no idea how to proceed

 

For example I posted a release date of my next EP in the form of my today's photoshop picture work, ( This )

You can also hear some short unfinished clips, if you want, of the three songs on the EP HERE or one of them in this VIDEO BUT note they are all in much better condition already and different especially the youtube video one 'Daylight'

So anyways, either you checked those or not, should i not release them at all on my own? i just continued Daylight and got it in much better condition basically than i had the original design even already and was thinking that maybe even some label would like it as house music and EDM are quite popular. Although i will still most likely upload the music into bandcamp for example and CD Baby, but i don't know..

edit.

Well now that i've listened to them tracks several times on the EP, they aren't that good anyways even though are unfinished even still so.. i will just post them, if people like them, good, if not, too bad. Got like 11 days to finish them, can handle it and still i am making other stuff as well everyday. I prefer making orchestral music though

 

Also:

On 5/9/2016 at 7:39 PM, Skrypnyk said:

No, people do this, there is very little you can do about it other than e-mailing them directly saying 'hey cut that out', or e-mailing the service hosting the stolen productions claiming it's your work and you never gave permission.

There i was, just trying to sleep but as i couldn't, for some reason this reply popped into my head out of nowhere, and then felt the urge to tell how i would most likely react if i ever stumbled upon my composition being used under a different name as in if someone claimed they composed and produced it themselves (for clarification not just re-posted or re-uploaded as those would be good if my name popped up a.k.a. credit is given or it wouldn't be still serious if they used the music in some video as background or something but didn't remember or see point to mention my name, still the second one would be kind of.. well whatever):

First up i would contact them directly see if it helps, but if it doesn't work, i would freaking ruin that claimers reputation by spamming how disgusting that person is everywhere all angry and stuff (although some like to be infamous so have to take that in account to not succumb into that kind of will), and i mean everywhere, i would haunt him/her until he would take down my stuff or give the credit to me. Find out who he/she really is and well maybe sue depending on the seriousness of the situation but most likely it will never come to that point.. or yeah.. just getting into contact with the service hosting to take it down as the other ways would be over-reacting and waste of time.. Much more peaceful way anyways rather than starting a internet war or getting involved into some law suits. But most likely (i hope) it won't even come to that, as in no one will try to steal my compositions anyways, even when i have my music in better shape somewhere in the future.

[ShadowRaz]

Tried to go upload my music directly to CD Baby, but it said (when read some stuff) that they wouldn't distribute them anywhere else except their own site UNLESS i paid ridiculously huge amount of money, like 50€ for a pro account. SO went ahead and started uploading my new EP to Loudr again as they are free. The amount of things that cost in this world.. seriously though.. even soundcloud pro account be like 8€ a month or something like that, what the fuck.

 

edit. decided to upload my music still first to CD Baby, because Loudr focuses on cover songs and my stuff are original even if they do not distribute my music to the other usual places (Spotify, iTunes, Amazon etc). Maybe if i can afford soon enough, i will buy the Pro account because it's a one time payment and then i can upload through CD Baby directly always.