Somit Bandyopadhyay asked:


You play in a Band or are a Music composer or dream of becoming one… Your next big step is going to be making a timeless album…

Despite how far or near this event looks to you these seven steps should be clear to you in your mind. Helps to have a clear picture of the future you are about to embark on…

STEP 1: Ideation

The initial spark can come anywhere. Typically one band member or the composer will come up with a starting point which is typically a guitar riff or a musical piece on the Keyboards or the Piano. It is best to have all band members participate in the ideation stage so that the band is truly greater than the sum of the parts. However typically in many bands there is one person who is the creative director of the entire show.

As an individual composer your initial spark can come from many sources including the songs and musical genres that you are currently listening. This is not the same as being “inspired” or illegally ripping off someone’s musical work. However keep listening to new genres of music to have an open mind and greater exposure.

STEP 2: Background Arrangement

Once you have an initial starting point you will need to arrange other pieces of music around the initial riff. Say for example you have a killer guitar riff (Say a progression of chords) you may want to start the song with it or use it as the verse or chorus or main melody.

The other pieced of music will act to support the rest of the song. For example if you use your initial riff in the chorus you may want to use a lighter version (say an arpeggio version) of the progression or some complementary riff for the verse. Other derived musical pieces could become the bridge or the intro to the song.

Once you have figured out the pieces of music you will have to arrange the entire background of the song from the start to the finish as you want it.

Arranging is mostly done on computers using a very powerful computers say for example a machine with a 4/8 Core Intel/Mac processor. Various software like Logic can be used for arrangements. However if you are recording demo versions at home this can be done on much less powerful machines… even of your laptop!

STEP 3: Recording

Now as a composer or a band you need to bring in other instruments and/or vocals and record them separately.

For example you feel your composition could use a sitar solo in between or a Carnatic vocalist for backing vocals. (This is the stage to let your imagination soar!) The possibilities are limitless.

Once the lead parts of the song are recorded we can move on to the next part.

STEP 4: Music Production:

At this stage you may still want to nail a particular feel and add more instruments and effects. You may add or edit certain effects to the various musical parts you have recorded so far. The amount of processing you can do for each of the tracks you have recorded is again endless.

A word of caution: There is a point of time whereby you will not achieve much by spending sleepless nights tweaking some process into the tracks. Just be aware when to move on to the next stage! There are bands and composers who spend forever trapped in production! Just see where you draw the line between perfectionism and paranoia.

STEP 5: Mixing

This is where you give everything you have produced so far to a mix engineer and give him a basic idea of what you want to achieve in terms of the sound. The Mix Engineer will thereafter mix the song and give it the correct treatment. A mix engineer’s tool is of course the multiple Channel Mixer. In a typical professional setting it could be a 24 channel mixer with the ability to process any number of tracks.

STEP 6: Mastering

Once you are through with each of the above 5 Steps for each song that you want on your album you are ready to move into the penultimate step which is Mastering the Album.

The tracks which are produced so far are sent to a Mastering Facility where the final EQ adjustment including equalising the loudness of all the tracks takes place. The tools for this purpose used are Mastering Boxes.

STEP 7: Replication

The Mastered Tracks that are so produced are then finally sent to (hopefully!) your label company for final replication and distribution into hopefully millions of CDs.

Of course now that you album is ready for distribution you will have to make a huge effort to promote the album. That would require a lot many steps and in case you are an independent artist without the backing of a Music Label these initial steps are going to be a very difficult. Yet there is no need to lose hope if you are a band or composer who has found his sound the audience is out there. Make the effort and reach out to your audience. Use the internet to promote your music.

Adv. Vikram Swaran Singh Chadha asked:


Vijayshri Productions, who are currently producing Hindi film The World Of FASHION have tied up with Khullar Films (USA) for the production of five Hindi Films.

1. BOMBAY HOUSEFULL ( a political humors satire with a love tale)

2. SHRINGAAR (a costume drama of ancient India)

3. EK CHHOTI SI LIFE (a love journey of an NRI)

4. DESH-BHAKT “The Patriot” (a flaming love for the nation in contemporary India)

5. MY MISS-TAKE (an obsession of a teenager for his class teacher – a juvenile crime thriller)

for the first movie the talented music director Vaishnav Devaa has been signed. The film will go on the floor very soon.

Music Teacher asked:


Media and arts influence our society in ways we are often not aware of. Growing up surrounded by television, radio, and movies, we often take the images and information they present for granted. Do you ever stop to think about how your interests have been shaped by what you see and hear through electronic media? Have you ever pondered on how your taste in music or arts developed?

Now, more than ever, the possibility of finding almost any information we are researching for is in media. Various sources such as newspaper, radio, television, Internet, and many others, are available almost anywhere.

Different forms of media, indeed, have become a part of everyone’s life. They shape and sometimes dictate or dominate our culture and interests. The mass media is undeniably of great impact to the society as it instills information in our minds that we use in our daily living.

Mass media has different roles in the society. One of these is its substantial role in the music industry.

How do people become interested in music? What makes them sing or become interested in playing musical instruments?

The answers to the questions mentioned rely to role the media plays in the music scene. Music is heard through the radio; thus, it triggers the music interests of its listeners.

Have you watched any television programs that involve competitors aiming for a singing title or a television singing program that shows the training of the contenders?

Television programs like what I have mentioned are usual these days. We expect music to be played only in the radio but with media around, proliferation of music through television and the Internet (singing competitions, music videos, etc.) are also possible.

Having said much of the possibilities that the media can bring to people, it largely contributes to the music teaching aspect of the industry. Media instruments, such as those mentioned earlier, are highly considered as music teacher resources for it supplies them information regarding music.

There are television programs that show trainings and rehearsals of the candidates. Through this, they can share to the viewers the different techniques of developing their singing talents. Few of these techniques that I have watched are the ****** exercises done before the proper singing so as to relax the muscles that affect voice belting. Maintaining proper posture and body alignment while singing are also observed. Air supply is very important to reach low and high notes, and many others.

In general, music teacher resources can mostly be found through media in the form of visuals and audios. Other music teacher resources include personal encounters of music teachers during their classes, and those that are not in media forms.

Learn great facts and tips about music teaching; log on to our Music Teachers Blog.

freedoor1 asked:


 What’s imeem?

A social media service with which users interact with each other by watching, posting, and sharing contents of all digital media types, such as blogs, photos, audio, and videos. Now imeem has more than 25 million visitors per month with over 65,000 new users every day.

The key feature of imeem music is that the contents of imeem music playlist, collected from multiple sources, could also be published as comments, tags and ratings. And the playlists consists of videos, music and images.So you can enjoy imeem music with your friends, and also share others’ music by imeem. Do you want to free download imeem music, rip imeem music off imeem playlist? Imeem music downloader can help you.

How to download imeem music with imeem downloader?

Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder is an professional imeem downloader. While enjoying Imeem music online, this imeem music downloader will download imeem music to MP3, WMA, AAC, AC3 in the background to your hard disk.

An detailed User Guide will tell you how to download imeem music with imeem music downloader.

Step1: Install and launch Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder.

Then click “Setting” to set output format.

Before downloading imeem music , you can set the output music format as MP3, WMA, WAV, AC3, M4A, AAC, OGG, APE etc. The default format is MP3.(Only for the users who don’t like mp3 format, or have ignored this step.



Then open imeem.com and login in your account.

In your imeem music playlist or other friends ‘playlist, you can enjoy any song you like.



Step2:Before you to start download imeem music, you should comfirm the imeem downloader has detected imeem music, see as follows:



Step3: Click “Record” and start to download imeem music.

When Imeem music is playing, imeem music downloader will detect the music signal and download imeem music in the background automatically.



After all steps have finished, click “Browse “to check the downloaded Imeem music.

Tips to download imeem music :

1. Automatically Split imeem music one by one

When you recording imeem music, this imeem downloader can automatically split all music melody one by one. For instance, record imeem music for an hour, and you can get nearly 30 mp3 files. Of course, you can manually cut audio files into subsections as you like. What’s more, the embedded timer can free you away when it works on preset recording duration.

2. Edit ID 3 information

After finishing downloading imeem music, you can right click the key to add the imeem music to iTunes, Windows Media Player, or Winawp. It has an option of “Track Info” to edit music’s ID3 information of “title”,”artist”, and “album”. You can customize the output audio effect by adjusting the sample rate, bit rate, and sound channe

Michael Taplin asked:


In 1978 my company was invited to create a management development programme for one of Honda’s overseas subsidiaries, so I set out to learn about the Honda culture. My job was to embed the core culture of Honda into a training and development programme that fitted into the local culture. I found it a fascinating learning experience.

I found I was working in a management structure totally different from anything I had previously experienced. The local Managing Director was an expatriate Japanese, presiding over a group of divisional managers who were all local staff. The divisions were essentially organized around product groups, a mirror image of the structure in Japan. Each division manager had a young Japanese assistant whose role was to provide the communication connection with Japan, and to facilitate access into the Japanese systems. These assistants were essentially high-flying management cadets on their first overseas assignments, and they had no executive roles.

The local Honda organization had a permanent queue of people who wanted to join Honda, and would take any job that became available. When they proved themselves capable and motivated to take on more responsibility, they would be promoted to a supervisor role.

At this point they had to make a life changing career choice. They needed to choose between a technical career and a management career.

Those who chose a technical career would embark on a lifetime pursuit of excellence in their chosen discipline. They would move between divisions to broaden their experience of Honda technologies before they chose their specialist field. They would be encouraged to pursue academic study and research in Honda’s development and production divisions. They would enjoy a similar status to that of their management counterparts, and exercise great influence over strategic decisions. The greatest accolade for a lifetime of contribution to Honda’s engineering excellence was likely to be the endowment of a personal professorial chair in a prestigious university to ensure them a comfortable retirement and the opportunity to guide the careers of the succeeding generations.

The choice of a management career led to a series of managerial appointments that would last for around 9 years. They could expect to move between divisions, and into functional areas of which they had no knowledge or skill. They could expect to move typically from marketing to accounts, then to retail management or distribution. Their job was to manage. There would be no promotion before they had learned to manage the whole company through this management apprenticeship.

They could not be successful in their management role without the active support of their staff, and depended on the technical skills and experience of the specialists. I believe that this interdependence led to a very different management style based on mutual respect rather than the command and control attitude that was so prevalent in those times. This was management as a set of disciplines; one that required a broad understanding of the inter-relationships between business functions. After 9 years of gaining broad experience, managers had an overview of the whole business, and could manage any function. The best of them were ready for the only promotion available, a divisional manager role.

For the whole nine years, all departmental managers enjoyed equal status and pay rates. Then they were considered ready to do a really important job, with the responsibility for leadership and direction at the highest level available in their own country. They had served a long apprenticeship.

As an outsider, I observed and reflected on the culture that this management system and structure generated. It was distinctively and uniquely Honda. Everyone I met in the company was in love with the product, and took enormous pride in the quality of everything they did. There was only one place to join the company, on the shop floor, and talent was rewarded quickly, but there were only three steps to the top. I have never seen an organization with less tension between divisions, departments and functions. There was no competition between functional silos for resources, because there were no silos. The goal appeared to be optimization rather than maximization. This culture created a breadth and depth of capability that enabled Honda to achieve great things.



Two examples.



In 1988 the whole global company celebrated the achievement of Honda USA when it delivered the first ever shipload of Honda Accord cars from an overseas plant to Japan. After years of striving Honda USA had matched the Japanese quality standard.

The personal rewards for talented staff were good too.

I worked with a marketing manager who had joined Honda just three years earlier. He had worked as a cleaner in the store as a university holiday job, and took his turn on the waiting list. He had progressed from storeman to manager in three years, and was soon to move on to manage the finance division. He knew nothing about accounting, but as he explained to me, the accounting specialists were outstanding. His job would be to help them do their jobs. He fully expected to be appointed to a divisional manager role in 4 or 5 years.

The Honda system was built on trust.

Honda treated trusted suppliers as partners, and judged them to by the way they trusted Honda. The story of how we won the management development contract shows how deep this goes.

At the time my business partner and I had created from scratch a successful boutique training consultancy. We were invited to a meeting with the Honda divisional management team, to discuss a training project. They indicated that we had strong competition. The meeting concluded with an invitation to prepare a presentation to the business that would demonstrate our understanding and approach to supplying what they needed.

I said that the research would take three months and require them to open up the company to us so we could understand their business. It would cost us several thousand dollars and was beyond our ability to fund it. I argued that we would be doing essential preliminary work, and asked that they advance the funds to us. We were met with a flat refusal. I suggested that we would do the work at our risk if they agreed to pay us a fixed fee for the research and programme design as soon as we were awarded the contract. We shook hands on the deal and started work.

The presentation was a roaring success; it was a celebration of Honda product excellence with cars, bikes, pumps and generators and loud music. We showed how we had become personally committed to the Honda way. They loved it. We presented our first invoice and they handed over a cheque.

A week later we were astounded to be asked how much we would discount our first year’s fee if they pre-paid us. All our working capital problems were resolved and we had acquired an obligation to do outstanding work in partnership with Honda.

This was the real meaning of trust in business. We had to trust ourselves to do great work, then trust them to make a good decision. Then they trusted us with hundreds of thousands of prepaid fees for a major project.

It is hardly surprising that, to this day, I have a huge admiration for the late Soichiro Honda, the founder of a great global company, with a unique culture.

Stuart Heimdal asked:


The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was the first movie in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, based on the popular fantasy books written by J.R. R. Tolkein. The movie was a blockbuster hit at both the box office and at the Oscars. The story, in and of itself, is creative, captivating and magical. But even a wonderful story can flop when put onto the big screen. Cinematography, special effects, visual effects and the quality of acting all play an important part in making a story “live” for an audience. Music also plays a vital part in making a movie successful. Music can make us feel that we are in another place and time. It captures our emotions by creating an ambiance of happiness, sadness, tension, fear or excitement. Music helps suspend our disbelief about the fantasy of the story. It helps us identify with distinct characters, places and cultures. The music of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, does all of these things. Through music, composer Howard Shore successfully takes us to Middle Earth.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring takes us to another time and place. Howard Shore’s music tells us that we have left our world before we’ve seen even the first frame of the film. As the screen fades from black into the New Line Cinema icon, we hear music. The music has an Eastern sound, using woodwind instruments from Africa and East India. The sound is quaint and mysterious. It gives us the feeling of being in a far away land and contributes to the suspension of disbelief that helps the audience subconsciously consent to be taken to a place with which they are not familiar.

The mystical music that we hear during the first few moments of the film is soon joined by a voice – the voice of the Elf queen Galadriel, of Lothlorien. This music that we hear is the theme of Lothlorien. Every time that we see or hear of Lothlorien or Galadriel, we hear a version of this theme.

Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, understood the importance of a musical score in a movie. He said, “The music score to any film, obviously, is very important because it guides your emotions when you’re watching the film. The actors can do their job, the director can do (his) job in terms of creating a certain mood and emotion, but using music is so strong and evoking of what you should be feeling at any given time.”

Jackson continued, “I wanted the music (of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) to reflect Tolkien. I wanted the music to also bring the world of Middle Earth to life.”

Howard Shore the composer said, “Tolkien spent fourteen years writing The Lord of the Rings. And now you’re writing a musical image, creating a musical mirror, if you will, to his writing. And I mention this so often – even in other discussions – and I feel like Frodo. I did feel like that. Like I have this amazing journey to take, and I had the ring in my vest pocket and ‘You were chosen, now you’re going to write the music to Lord of the Rings. And, you have to do it.”

Peter Jackson added this regarding the huge task that Howard Shore had in composing the music for the The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, “It’s doing two jobs at once. It’s underscoring the film. It’s providing an emotional link – a bridge between the movie and the audience – and it’s drawing the audience in. But it’s doing it in such a way that it’s also telling you a lot about the cultures of this world.”

Therefore, every major place, race and character in this movie has a musical theme attached to it. This film has a large number of characters, cultures and races. The distinct races, geography, trees, nature, and the earth itself were a big part of Tolkein’s story. It would have been very easy for the audience to become confused trying to distinguish between the many peoples and places of Middle Earth. Giving each of these elements a musical theme makes them live as individual characters, all contributing to the essence of Middle Earth.

The Shire, for example, is the place where the Hobbits live. The Hobbits are a peaceful people and they live a quiet life. Any sort of adventure is a scandal. They are an agrarian society and live as part of the land. Even their homes are burrows in the ground. Howard Shore uses music to “describe” Hobbits and the Shire to the audience. Their theme is very light and cheerful. A slide flute accompanied by a full orchestra give a Celtic or Irish feel. This accomplishes the feeling of another time, but brings the audience a little closer to home and gives a feeling of comfort. A solo violin carries the melody for a while until the full string section finishes the theme, but whenever the Shire is mentioned or referred to in the movie the score refers us back to the slide flute.

The Fellowship, made up of people and creatures from different races, has its own distinct theme. “As the two Hobbits leave Hobbiton and set out on their own, you hear the first statement of the Fellowship theme in the corn field, because it’s essentially the first time that the Fellowship is formed,” said Mr. Shore.

When the four Hobbits are on their way to the village of Bree, they are running from the “Nasgul”, or Ring Wraiths. There is very little dialogue during this scene. Our emotions are heightened and we feel the tension of the moment through the musical score. This is accomplished largely through dissonance. Our ears like to hear nice chords. Notes that are close to each other in value sound terrible to us. In the theme of the Ring Wraiths, the chords that clash are used to make us to feel uncomfortable. The movie makers want us to squirm in our seats. They want us to feel fear. The French horns are playing staccato quarter and eighth notes in a building rhythm while the strings are on descending eighth notes that continually clash. Add a men’s choir chanting an Elvish poem and it makes for a very confusing and intense moment.

Then while in the village of Bree, the Hobbits think that they are finally safe. We see images of them sleeping in their beds smiling. The scene then cuts to the Ring Wraiths coming into the village. The dissonant music becomes louder. Cut to the inn keeper’s face in horror as the Wraiths enter his inn. Cut to the peaceful Hobbits in their beds. All the while, dissonant and ancient sounding music is playing loudly. Then silence. As the Wraiths approach the Hobbits in their beds there is silence. This adds to the tension. We hold our breaths. This is a stroke of genius. Knowing when to not have music, or score, is just as important as knowing when to include it.

As soon as the Wraiths discover that they were tricked, however, the angry dissonant Wraith theme returns with a fury to remind us how serious the situation is. Even though the Hobbits are safe for the moment, they will never really be secure or free until they have accomplished their goal. The music reinforces this to the audience, as a version of the Wraith theme plays softer while Frodo watches the Wraiths from across the street from the Inn.

The Ring itself has an interesting theme. The Ring, though an inanimate object, is a character of its own. Its essence is evil and its intent is to deceive and enslave. The theme of the Ring portrays all of that through instrumentation and dissonance. It is appropriate that the main instrument used for the theme of the Ring is the oboe. The oboe is the instrument used to charm a snake out of a basket. It is also often associated with seduction, or allure. The ring certainly personifies that. Frodo, Bilbo, Gollum and many others were seduced, even addicted, to the Ring.

The wizard, Gandalf, goes to visit his superior and mentor, Sauraman, at the tower of Isengard. We believe at first that Sauraman is still a friend to Gandalf.

Once the story reveals that Sauraman has turned to the side of darkness, the musical theme, as well, “tells” us that the tower of Isengard is a place of evil. Howard Shore uses several methods to give that feeling. Dissonance is used to portray a feeling of uneasiness or apprehension.

Also, during the musical theme for the Tower of Isengard, Howard Shore uses an odd way of timing so that we feel off balance. Anytime that we see the tower of Isengard and the forging of weapons, Mr. Shore adds a beat to throw us off and make us feel uncomfortable. We are used to hearing music in common time (or four-four time), with four beats to each measure, and that feels right to us. The industrial sounding theme uses a five-four time which makes us uncomfortable by adding an extra beat to each measure. Also, French horns are used for the main melody, but Howard Shore also relies on the bass drum, tympani and a chime or bell to give the effect of a hammer pounding away down in the depths of the caverns underneath the tower.

Rivendell, a city of the Elves, has a theme of its own. This is a western haven for the Elves. We feel the peace and the beauty of the city, as well as its antiquity, through the music. This is quite different from the theme of Lothlorien. We are made to feel comfortable here at this place.

When the Fellowship leaves Rivendell and sets out on its journey, the theme of the Fellowship is fully revealed. The theme is naturally lyrical, aimed at the brass, but is restrained by a fully mixed and realized string section. The music is heroic and we feel the importance of their quest. We are excited and proud of them for making the decision to destroy the Ring and save Middle Earth.

Later, the Fellowship takes refuge in the Mines of Moria, only to discover that they are trapped inside a Dwarf “tomb”. The theme music of the Mines of Moria features a men’s chorus made up of Polynesian men. Peter Jackson had this to say about the music for the mines of Moria. “We sat around our kitchen table at home talking about the choral arrangement ideas for Moria and I thought it would be really great to weight it fairly heavily toward Polynesian singers. Maury or Pacific Islanders who have again, another worldly quality to their voice.”

“Mines being a Dwarven kingdom would really suit having those male voices. A bit like a Welch mining choir. So, Howard found himself in the town hall with an all-Polynesian male choir.”

At the bridge of Khaza-Dhum, the Fellowship is chased by the Moria Orcs. The Polynesian men’s choir and the tympani drums heighten the tension and excitement of the scene. The members of the Fellowship cross the bridge, but Gandalf stays behind to fight the Balrog. The music crescendos to an all-time forte until Gandalf falls from the bridge. Then very suddenly, the music goes into a very soft and melodic hum with just a single boy singing, lamenting for Gandalf. Under this beautiful theme, the camera shows a montage of the members of the Fellowship reacting to the loss of Gandalf. We see the characters faces and expressions of grief, but it is the music that makes us feel with them. The music “guides” our emotions and we feel as they do.

Later, when the Fellowship enters the forest of Lothlorien, we again hear the theme that was introduced at the beginning of the movie. There is also a twist of tension and mystery to this theme. As the Fellowship creeps through the forest, we sense through the music that they are wary of being in this land of the Elves. We sense that they fear that they will not be welcome.

In Lothlorien, when Boromir speaks of his home in Gondor, we hear a very brief part of the theme of Gondor, offered by a solo French horn, foreshadowing a people that we have not yet seen. The full theme of Gondor, however, is not revealed until the third part of the trilogy.

Critics of the music in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring say that there is just too much music. This simply is not true. This film was successful largely because of the comprehensive score. The extensive music in this film augments what is happening on the screen and enhances the experience for the audience. At every important moment in this film, the music is there to “guide” the audience emotionally. The music also helpes suspend our disbelief in a world that might otherwise seem ridiculous and surreal.

This film has an extensive number of characters, places, cultures and races. It would have been very easy for the audience to become confused. Howard Shore uses music to help the audience distinguish between the different groups and places by giving them their own distinctive themes.

Through the musical score, we know what to feel. We feel fear when the Hobbits are on their way to Bree. We feel sadness when Gandalf falls. We feel tension when Arwen is trying to get Frodo to Rivendell. We celebrate when the Fellowship sets out on their incredible journey. We understand the emotions of the characters and we feel with them. We become part of Middle Earth. And the musical score of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring helps take us there.

Bradbury asked:


In the connected world, where businesses pop up like dandelions and anyone with a computer can upload video, audio and text-based content to be shared across the web, it is of growing importance to understand the potential legal ramifications associated with these technical advancements.

Most internet businesses make use of some sort of rich media on their websites such as video or music. What most don’t realize is that even the smallest S-Corp can find itself in hot water if it doesn’t understand the basics.

The intent of this article is to focus on the use of production music (music on your website) and the ways you can protect your business or yourself from copyright infringement.

What is production music?

Production music is music intended for use in connection with films, corporate videos, Television shows, commercials, Internet video, multimedia and any other form of media that requires music.

If you’ve ever listened to an advertisement on the radio, watched an infomercial, or heard menu music on a video game, then you have probably heard production music.

Production music libraries cover a multitude of genres, providing music for most tastes at varying levels of quality. Traditionally, production music comes in shorter lengths. These lengths are normally 30 seconds, 60 seconds and 90 seconds.

Production music also comes in different variations known as full and reduced versions. Reduced versions are identical to full versions with the exception of one or possibly two of the main instruments having been removed.

Who uses production music?

Production music is most widely used by industry experts like; video editors, producers, music supervisors, videographers, and creative directors. Although increasingly, it is being used by relative amateurs for websites, podcasts, streaming video and more.

How do I Get a License?

Something called a Synchronization License or Sync License must be obtained for the music in question before it can be utilized in any audiovisual production, such as a motion picture, television program, television commercial, video production, or website.

Sync Licenses come in different shapes and sizes. Two of the most popular are a Drop License and Blanket License. They are most commonly made available by production music publishers such as Slynth (www.slynth.com).

How do I get a Sync License?

Production music publishers will usually license music on what is called a needle drop (a.k.a Drop License) or a Blanket License.

A needle drop or Drop License is a license that requires payment for individual songs. The prices for each song vary depending on the type of production in which the song is being used. The rule of thumb when pricing Drop Licenses is – the larger the audience, the higher the price. (Rate cards can be requested with Drop Licenses.)

A Blanket license is a license that affords a user either a set number of music selections or unlimited use of music selections in any given production. The distinction between a blanket and drop license is a drop is issued for one song, a blanket for many. Obtaining a blanket license involves dozens of variables, so it usually requires some negotiation. Venues such as radio stations or night clubs will often require blanket licenses.

Is A Sync License the Same as a Performance License (Permission from the Musician)?

Unfortunately, no it isn’t. Obtaining a Sync License doesn’t absolve you from getting legal permission from the artist. And, seeing as musicians aren’t known for their knowledge of the legal system, you might imagine that obtaining such a license would be rather difficult. In actuality, the opposite is the case.

The reason for the relative ease of obtaining a Performance License is most musicians are represented by one of two agencies or “performance right societies” that handle the legal jargon. These societies manage the right of performers and see to it that artists get paid when you play their songs in a “public” venue.

Performance rights societies such as ASCAP, BMI and SESAC collect monies for composers and publishers. These societies handle Performance Licenses and should be consulted before you publish any finalized work.

Who needs a performance license?

Anyone who uses copyrighted music in a public place including radio and television stations and/or their networks; all new media, like the Internet and mobile technologies such as ringbacks and ringtones; satellite services like XM and Sirius; discos, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, and other venues. This includes digital jukeboxes and live concerts. All should obtain a performance license.

What happens if I don’t have a performance license?

Production music users are in danger of copyright infringement without a license from a performing rights organization. If you’re an individual with a small audience and no real money (ie you’re not a business), then you are at lower risk of having suit brought against you for copyright infringement.

However, if you’re an individual with a large audience or you’re a business or organization and you fail to obtain the proper licensing, be prepared to hire a lawyer.

The basic rule of thumb with rich media on your website is this: If you’re going to use audio without a license, make sure no one sees it. This may be a difficult rule for most webmasters to cope with, as the purpose of internet businesses is to be seen. Remember the best choice, if you have a large enough audience, is to be safe and purchase the required licenses.

Flor Ayag asked:


THE origins of traditional Japanese music reach back more than a thousand years. Included are classical or refined music, chamber music, theater, folk and festival music, as well as a host of vocal forms. This treasury of music was passed on from generation to generation without the help of musical scores.

Between the third and fifth centuries C.E., Buddhist missionary priests came to Japan to spread their views. The chants and background music associated with their religion gradually merged with the Shinto traditional music, forming a basis for nearly all native Japanese music.

By the seventh century this music of Japan developed into what became known as Gagaku, the classical (literally, “elegant”) music. From Gagaku, which became the music of the imperial court, the secular use of instrumental music grew, as did theatrical music. Meanwhile, folk and festival music appeared, with its loud drumming and lively rhythm, contrasting sharply with the quiet music of Gagaku.

The Instruments

Today many instruments are employed in traditional Japanese music. The three most commonly heard are the koto, shakuhachi and shamisen.

The koto, imported from China around the ninth century, is a long wooden box-type instrument about six feet (1.8 meters) long and one foot (.3 meter) wide. With the instrument lying before him, the seated player plucks its 13 strings with a plectrum. A skillful player can produce music that pleasantly resembles that of the harp.

The Japanese bamboo flute, measuring about 21 inches (53 centimeters) in length, is called shakuhachi. This instrument has five finger holes, and a mouthpiece at the upper end. The player holds the shakuhachi vertically. By skillfully adjusting his lips to the mouthpiece at varying angles and moving his neck into different positions as he covers the holes with his fingers, the instrumentalist is able to produce three octaves of tones. The plaintive wail produced by this flute may generate feelings of vagueness and melancholy.

The shamisen has no counterpart among Western musical instruments. It came to Japan from China by way of Okinawa around the year 1560 C.E. But only the instrument is an import. The manner in which the shamisen is played, the kind of music produced with it and the construction of the instrument itself are strictly Japanese. It looks somewhat like a banjo, is made of wood covered with cat skin, and has three gut strings. The shamisen is played by striking the strings with a large plectrum.

When music is produced on the shamisen, the most important thing is not the sound of the instrument but the words for which the music provides the background. Without the words, the music has little meaning. It varies according to the meaning of the song. When words fail to express what is to be conveyed, such as the cold of falling snow or the trickling of a brook, the shamisen is used to “imitate” these things, and the story is told without words.

Appreciating the Music

What is the composite effect produced by Japanese instrumentalists? If you are listening for the first time, your reaction may be that you are hearing the same thing over and over again. It may seem that you are listening to a kind of melody, and yet there appear to be conflicting melodies. But there is something delightful about seeing the musicians perform. Their movements, posture and expressions all appear to be choreographed and in perfect harmony. Yes, in Japan, not just the music, but how it is played and how the performance looks to the observer are important.

Japanese music is very different from the music common in Western lands. This difference includes the scale, the rhythm and the sound. In Western orchestral music, sounds from the various instruments blend, producing harmony. But in Japanese music the individual instruments can be heard playing conflicting melodies. Nevertheless, together they create an aesthetic balance.

Western Influence

In the last 100 years, the Western style of music has become the norm in Japan. Under Emperor Meiji’s reform, music began to be taught in the schools, and it was the music of the West. In spite of this, there is no danger that the ancient traditional music will die out. Many Japanese people want to preserve the traditional music. Therefore, the various guilds that perpetuate this music and teach it continue to thrive.

Because music of the Western world has become so much a part of Japanese culture, one can find old Japanese songs written in Western notation and scored for the piano or guitar. Also, in the last century many new Japanese songs have been written according to the Western style. But it cannot be said that these are truly Western songs. Rather, the Japanese simply have used a medium to enrich their own musical heritage. The development is music with a distinct Japanese flavor, though scored and played in the Western style.

maria.walker asked:


This is a brilliant musical that was inspired by the writings of Maria Von Trapp, The Story of The Trapp family singers. The music has been given by Richard Rogers, the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein two and also a book by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay. It opened on Broadway in 1959 and after that has been copied and remade by different people. It also had a film adaptation that won an academy award in 1965 for its brilliant story.

The background about this famous play is that after seeing German movie based Von Trapp family and its sequel, a stage director by the name of Vincent J.Donehue became inspired and thought that the films story was a very good idea for a play. He thought about his friend Mary Martin and how it would be a perfect opportunity for him. Two Broadway producers liked the idea very much. One of those producers Richard Halliday was the husband of Mary Martin.

The first idea was that the play would not have songs but then they thought of including songs from the repertoire of the Trapp family singers. Eventually an idea of including a few original songs popped up and in the end the play was based on all of its own original songs. Some parts of the story had to be changed so that it fit the script nicely. When the play opened to the audience, the critics slammed it as being the low standard play and a very wrong step that Rodgers and Hammerstein should never have taken but the people widely appreciated the play and enjoyed it very much. The musical was also widely recognized and used in times of great distress such as the cold war.BBC broadcast it from radio to calm the nerves of many people that feared for their lives.

Since then songs from the musical have been featured in many current shows such as Friends, The OC and many more. Furthermore it has been used in current music and in advertisements to promote products. Due to these circumstances one can assume the popularity and recognition this play has generated that even after all these years it is still in the minds of so many people and is being used in so many mediums like television and music. It has also been used in films such as The Pacifier in 2005 which was a Walt Disney Film.

It was the last musical that was penned by Rodgers and Hammerstein The latter died of cancer nine months after the premiere on Broadway. But the beautiful musical that he had written will live forever in the minds of countless people. Numerous beautiful songs were featured in the musical such as The Sound Of Music, Do-Re-Mi, My Favorite Things and many more. These songs are still recognized and remembered by many people as being musical masterpieces. This play will go down in history as being one of the very best musicals that was ever penned.

More information about Sound of Music Tickets

Merryl Lentz asked:


A band releases a song with such catchy lyrics and music that they seem destined for greatness.  It’s as though the tune was set on “replay” in your mind, and you can’t get its memorable music and lyrics out of your head.  You anxiously await the band’s next song and then….the group fades away, never to be heard from again.

These bands are called “one-hit wonders.”  They release a song whose music and lyrics are so incredible that it vaults to the top of the charts and gets heavy airplay.  The song’s music and lyrics make it an enduring classic, but the band never follows up with another song that can match it, and disappears from the musical map.

Here are some of the songs whose music and lyrics made their mark on us, and left us hungry for more:

“Sausalito Summer Night” by Diesel, 1981

This bright, bouncy tune and its lighthearted, humorous lyrics about a couple’s drive from LA to San Francisco in a worn-out car captured the essence of summertime.  Its music and lyrics were by the band Diesel, which formed in the Netherlands in the 80s.  It got heavy radio airplay, and reached #68 on the American Billboard charts.  Who could forget this song and its amusing lyrics, “The engine’s stompin’ like a disco/We ought to dump her in the Bay.”

“She Blinded Me with Science” by Thomas Dolby, 1983

Contagious synthpop plus satirical technological lyrics equaled a strong chemical reaction in listeners when Dolby released this song in 1983.  Although it was Dolby’s least favorite tune, its unusual lyrics and electronic music rocketed it to #5 on the US Hot 100 chart.  Those numerous creative lyrics included, “She blinded me with science/And failed me in biology.”  Dolby’s subsequent songs and lyrics never quite made the same mark as this hit, but he remained active behind the scenes, playing keyboards on Def Leppard’s Pyromania, and the albums of many other bands.

“Keep Your Hands to Yourself” by the Georgia Satellites, 1986

With Southern-fried rock music and twangy lyrics, the Georgia Satellites served up a juicy song that satisfied listeners’ appetites.  A winning combination of music and lyrics, the tune conquered the #2 spot on Billboard’s chart in 1986.  The memory of its lyrics, “That’s when she told me a story ‘bout free milk and a cow/And said no hugg-ee, no kiss-ee until I get a weddin’ vow,” still bring smiles to countless faces.

“Afternoon Delight” by the Starland Vocal Band, 1976

This song’s innocent pop melody belied its suggestive lyrics about doing the nasty in broad daylight.  But those lyrics helped make the song a #1 hit.  And those song lyrics earned the band five Grammy nominations, and two Grammy awards.  A sample of those lyrics:  “My motto’s always been, when it’s right, it’s right/Why wait until the middle of a cold, dark night?”  Why wait, indeed!

These and other bands were shooting stars that blazed briefly, and then fell back to earth.  The bands may not have achieved immortality, but one recording of their music and lyrics definitely did.