Hawaii Guitar

Digital Distribution for Independent Artists

2007-07-30T01:50:00.000-05:00

Finished an album? Got the cd in your hand? Want to get the music up and selling in iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody and other internet outlets that sell digital downloads? Want to manage your digital distribution yourself? You need a digital aggregator.

One of the great benefits for independent artists in recent years has been the ability for artists to reach across the internet and offer music to fans directly. That's where digital aggregators come in. Basically, a digital aggregator will take the artist's music, distribute it to outlets like iTunes and Napster, and funnel the income back to the artist.

Let me mention a couple of them. TuneCore (www.tunecore.com) will place music into each of the international iTunes Stores, Napster and Rhapsody. There's a modest startup fee, about $30 at the moment, and a yearly maintenance fee. They take music from all artists, and funnel full royalties back to the artists. For iTunes, that means $7 an album and 70 cents per individual track sold.

CDBaby (www.cdbaby.net) sells hard copy cds for independent artists, and also provides digital distribution in iTunes and the like. In other words, they sell cds and digital downloads for artists.

Here's an interesting website with a few more digital aggregators to add to the list: http://www.bemuso.com/musicbiz/digitaldistribution.html#independentaggregators

I hope all your digital distribution dreams come true!

http://www.hawaiiguitar.com

Album Update

2007-05-17T14:23:00.000-05:00

The recording, mixing, mastering are done! Final touch-ups on the artwork are in progress, then it's off to the manufacturer.

The album is called, "Five Years and Many Miles." The title is a tribute to the time my wife and I spent in New York City. We moved to NYC just a couple weeks prior to 9/11, and moved away from the city a couple months after the five year anniversary of that history-defining tragedy. One of the pieces on this album is called "Five Years," because it was written on 9/11/06, the five year anniversary of the terrorist attack.

It is an incredibly rewarding, time consuming and educational process to produce, record and manufacture your own music. The music industry is changing, and for independent musicians like myself, the change is for the better. Distribution is more accessible. Manufacturing is more accessible. Recording tools are more accessible. But, the goal of capturing emotion through music is still constant. The music is still the focus, the magic and the energy that keeps everything moving forward.

It will be an interesting adventure to have this album with a home base of Hawaii, rather than NYC, but so far everyone has been more than welcoming as I'm making the musical adjustment to being in Hawaii.

Thanks for supporting!

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Music and Passion

2007-04-13T13:08:00.000-05:00

Composer Mike Post is the "Tiger Woods" of television music production. His resume includes Law and Order, Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue and Magnum PI just to name a few. He's produced for the likes of Van Halen, and has two pieces of music playing somewhere in the world every second of every day. His interview on Greater Good Radio is nothing short of inspiring, and in my opinion, a must listen for musicians and music fans alike. Mike has a single-minded passion for music, and his enthusiasm is contagious. You can listen to the interview here.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Hawaiian Music Conference

2007-01-04T14:55:00.000-05:00

To all you Hawaii-based musicians, the Hawaiian Music Conference is happening January 27, 2007 on Maui. This is a great opportunity to hear from industry greats like songwriters Keli`i Tau`a, Keali`i Reichel, Kawaikapuokalani Hewett and Pu`ueo Pata, industry legend and keynote speaker Kenneth Makuakane, recording engineers Gaylord Holomalia, Dave Russell and Jake Rohrer the Barefoot Natives, marketing gurus Aunty Maria, Keola Donaghy and Karey Oura, music attorneys Bill Meyer and myself and a Grammy update from Alan Yamamoto. See you there!

Details here: http://www.hiedb.org/Conference.htm

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Performing Rights Organizations

2006-12-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

If you're a songwriter and your songs are being played on the radio or internet, there may be income waiting for you.

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) collect royalty payments on behalf of publishers and songwriters for public performances of their songs. Here's how PROs work.

If you're a songwriter, you have the exclusive right to publicly perform your song under Section 106 of the Copyright Act. However, it's virtually impossible to know when your songs are being played and by whom. PROs were set up to remedy this problem. Songwriters (and publishers) sign up with a PRO, giving the PRO authority to collect public performance royalties on behalf of the songwriter. It turn, the PROs have licenses all across the country (and even beyond) with radio stations, internet radio providers, shopping malls, restaurants and anyone else who plays music in their establishment. The PROs collect money on behalf of the songwriter, take a small fee, and distribute the money to the songwriter.

The major PROs are ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Each PRO provides lots of information on their websites about how to sign up and how they work.

Notice and Disclaimer: This posting is not legal advice and not intended as legal advice. It is intended only to provide non-specific legal information. This post does not cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to you may make the outcome different than you anticipate. This posting is based on United States law. You should consult with an attorney familiar with the laws of your country. This posting does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Darin Leong. This posting is not a solicitation.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Ray Sowders - Beautiful Music

2006-11-09T17:05:00.000-05:00

Ray Sowders is an O`ahu based slack key musician with a sweet and lilting guitar style and a rich baritone voice. His recent album, Ho`omalie just won a first place "Just Plain Folks" Music Award among 2400 album entries. Check out his music. You'll be glad you did.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Mechanical Licenses for Song "Covers"

2006-11-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

When a band or musician records and releases a "cover" of someone else's published song, that band/musician generally falls under the the "Compulsory License" provisions in Section 115 of the Copyright Act. This is often referred to as a mechanical license. The mechanical license requires that the band/musician must pay the copyright owner of the song for each copy of the song that is distributed (e.g. CDs, digital downloads). The current rate is 9.1 cents per song, for each song under 5 minutes long.

Here are the steps for acquiring a mechanical license:

1) Decide whether the song you are covering requires a mechanical license. For example, some songs are no longer covered by copyright (i.e. they are in the "public domain"). A copyright attorney can help you determine whether your "cover" requires a mechanical license.

2) Determine who owns the rights to the song you are covering. The Harry Fox Agency is often a good place to start when attempting to locate the copyright owner of a song. You might also find contact information for the copyright owner on the liner notes of the CD containing the song you intend to "cover."

3) Give notice to the copyright owner of your intention to "cover" his/her song. The notice requirements are also found in Section 115(b). You must give notice within 30 days after making your CD, and before you distribute it. You can also attempt to negotiate a rate that is lower than the 9.1 cents per song rate.

4) Pay for the copies that you make and distribute.

Notice and Disclaimer: This posting is not legal advice and not intended as legal advice. It is intended only to provide non-specific legal information. This post does not cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to you may make the outcome different than you anticipate. This posting is based on United States law. You should consult with an attorney familiar with the laws of your country. This posting does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Darin Leong. This posting is not a solicitation.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Ukulele At Its Best

2006-10-25T19:48:00.000-05:00

"Step 2: Ukuleles in Paradise 2" is an album that deserves recognition for ukulele accomplishment. Herb Ohta, Jr. and Daniel Ho create a musical soundscape that I can listen to over and over. The palette of sounds on this album is completely beautiful. There's nothing fancy on this album, and I love it. But, the simplicity is deceiving. The level of composition, arranging, timing and musicianship is as good as it gets. These guys remind me of classical guitarists on ukuleles.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Slack Key, Ukulele, and a Shaker: Album 2

2006-10-19T16:30:00.000-05:00

I've begun work on my second album, which is due out in early 2007. The new album features ukulele, guitar, bass (and a shaker. . .) so far. Hopefully, I'll be adding some trumpet and a steel guitar with the help of some friends. The expanded instrumentation is very exciting, especially since the first album was exclusively guitar.

The recording process has been challenging at times. I'm recording in my New York apartment, which comes complete with car horns, slamming doors, people talking in the hallways, refrigerator noise and every other possible city sound. But, I'm reminded that it's the music that counts, and the creative process has been very fun thus far.

I've recorded a few slack key songs, some ukulele music, and some guitar-centered pieces. I hope this project adds some joy to people's lives.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Slack Key Guitar Gear

2006-10-11T09:57:00.000-05:00

The search is over. For 12 years I've been looking for a stompbox that keeps the natural tone of the acoustic guitar, offers great EQ (equalization), delay and reverb. There is such a stompbox, and it's the Yamaha MagicStomp Acoustic. Mark Nelson, a fine Hawaiian slack key guitar player, first introduced me to the MagicStomp. Then, Herb Ohta, Jr. and Daniel Ho, top flight ukulele players, both attested to its greatness. I had to try one.

Pros:
-The mic modeling is excellent, and improves the pickup (often piezo) sound of an acoustic guitar
-The parametric EQ is great, and provides very deep and clear bass
-The delays and reverbs are transparent

Cons:
-The MagicStomp is very difficult to program, which probably explains its lack of popularity. You can edit patches on a software program, but the software only works on PC's or older Macs.

Conclusion:
If you're willing to spend a significant amount of time learning how to use the MagicStomp, it's the best stompbox for acoustic guitar on the market. Street price for a MagicStomp Acoustic is about $150.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

2006-10-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

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String Squeak

2006-10-10T12:53:00.000-05:00

String squeak occurs when a guitar player slides his or her left hand along a string, or changes left hand positions without fully lifting the left hand off of the string before shifting. String squeak is a sound that has been captured endlessly on guitar albums since the birth of recording. I had to redo a track completely on my last album because the squeaks were too prevalent.
Oddly enough, many guitar players actually find string squeak to be pleasing, or at least tolerable. But a classical guitar friend with dozens of albums under his belt made a good point to me the other night: the average listener hates string squeak.
In today's world of digital recording, where computers capture every nuance and aspect of your guitar playing, string squeak is a big issue. Classical guitarists devote significant amounts of time to developing a left-hand technique that avoids string squeak. They also spend significant amounts of time trying to remove string squeak from their recordings.
A few years ago, I was visiting my grandmother. I thought she would enjoy hearing some music, so I played her a few guitar tunes. After listening politely, she remarked, "Pretty good, but what is that sqeaking sound? Can you get rid of it?" Well, you may not be able to completely remove squeak, but you can greatly reduce it. Here are a few tips I've gathered over the years to reduce that nasty little squeak.
1. Use a coated string. Coated or lightly polished strings simply do not squeak as much as normal strings.
2. When recording, dip your left hand in some water. This technique softens callouses, and reduces squeak.
3. There is no substitute for good technique. Be conscious of lifting the left hand off of the string before shifting positions.

http://hawaiiguitar.com/

Registering Copyrights

2006-10-10T12:52:00.000-05:00

When you put pen to paper and write an original song, you have created and acquired a copyright. Registering that copyright, however, has several added benefits:

1) Registration creates a public record of your claim of copyright.
2) Registration is required before suing someone for copyright infringement in court.
3) If you register the song within five years of publication, that registration will serve as evidence of the validity of your copyright and the facts on your registration certificate.
4) Registration allows the copyright owner to sign up with U.S. Customs for protection against importation of pirated copies of your music.
5) Perhaps most importantly, if you register within three months of publication or prior to infringement of your song(s), statutory damages and attorneys' fees will be available in a court action. If you have a claim of copyright infringement, one of the first questions your lawyer will ask is when you registered your copyright. The answer can have substantial monetary implications.

There are two separate copyrights that generally apply to songwriters, the musical work and the sound recording. A musical work is the song itself, regardless of who performs it. A sound recording results from an actual recording of a song (e.g. cd, mp3). So, in many instances, two copyrights come into play, the musical work and the specific recording of the song (sound recording).

It is important to distinguish between the musical work and the sound recording when registering a copyright. If you record someone else's song, you should register the sound recording, but not the musical work, which belongs to someone else. And you should be sure to pay mechanical royalties (but that discussion is for another day).

How to Register a Copyright:

Registering a copyright in a musical work and/or a sound recording with the U.S. Copyright Office is as simple as filling out a form and paying a relatively small filing fee.
If you are registering just a musical work (the song itself), use form PA.
If you are registering just a sound recording (e.g. you recorded someone else's song), use form SR.
If you are registering both a musical work and a sound recording together (e.g. you recorded an original song to be released on cd), use form SR.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Guitar Picks

2006-10-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

For the past twelve years, I used Dunlop Tortex picks (1.14 mm, the thickest they make). These picks are cheap and durable. The tortex material produces a mellow, thick tone that isn't too bright. Heavy picks are essential to getting a big, fat clear tone.
Then I discovered Tortis. These picks emulate the chemical composition of real tortoise shell, and they sound amazing. Real tortoise shell picks have long been tool of choice for flatpicking bluegrass guitar and mandolin players, but the material is rare and new tortoise is illegal. Tortis picks on the other hand, have the same qualities of tortoise, but without the hassle. They're made by a true picksmith, Dave Skowron, and come in all kinds of shapes and colors. If you're used to $.25 picks, the $20 price tag will shock you, but they're worth every penny. After viewing the endorsements by all kinds of hot flatpickers, I decided to try one, and now I can't use anything else. The improvement in the clarity of the guitar, depth of the bass and speed of the attack is instantly apparent.

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Slack Key Virtuoso

2006-10-10T12:49:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard him yet, please check out Jeff Peterson, an incredible slack key guitar player in Hawaii. Jeff's guitar facility ranges from jazz to classical, but his slack key sensibility is simply astounding. And on top of that, he's a really nice guy. Jeff just released a new album called "The Artistry of Jeff Peterson." Check him out at www.jeffpetersonguitar.com

www.hawaiiguitar.com

Sound Exchange

2006-10-10T11:06:00.000-05:00

To all you slack key (ki ho`alu), independent, fingerstyle, Hawaiian, singer-songwriter folks:
ASCAP and BMI have traditionally collected public performance royalties on behalf of publishing companies and songwriters. With the emergence of a relatively new copyright revenue stream from digital music service providers (e.g. Sirius and XM), an additional performing rights organization called SoundExchange was born. However, unlike ASCAP and BMI, SoundExchange still remains relatively unnoticed.

Here's the short story, if you are a featured performer or sound recording owner of a recording that has been bouncing around the airwaves, there may be royalty money waiting for you at SoundExchange. Here's a link to the list of artists who are owed royalties:

http://63.236.111.137/jsp/unpaidArtistList.jsp

www.hawaiiguitar.com