|
CURRENT ISSUES (read these things)
1. SAC 2007 Proposal of $5/mth fee - A PROPOSAL FOR THE MONETIZATION OF THE FILE SHARING OF MUSIC FROM THE SONGWRITERS AND RECORDING ARTISTS OF CANADA http://www.songwriters.ca/studio/proposal.php
2. 2008 Copyright Board Royalties CMRRA/SOCRAC/NRCC
- 2007 Copyright Board Streaming Radio fees
3. ARTICLES about DRM, changing music industry etc http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_views/index.html ON THIS PAGE
This page online sales (DPD (digital) and physical CDs), radio etc. as it relates to Canadian independent musicians.
Including these topics:
1. selling both CDs and DPDs
2. the licensing issues around online selling, paying and getting paid.
3. rights associations (including neighbouring rights) and what they do.
4. radio distribution (and licensing)
5. retail (digital) distribution
I will also provide as much info I know about the service and I will give you my opinion.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT and QUESTIONS (I'll change this regularly)
Things to think about while reading this page:
Focus= economics
Q: What are my potential sources of income?
Q: How can I insure that I will get paid for the use of my music?
Q: What's available for free?
Q: What am I giving away for free?
Q: Is it cheaper to pay setup fees or use "pay as you go" plans?
Q: How much can you make back? Is all of this worth it?
Q: But really, what choice do I have? If I want to stay in the game.
Q: How can the tracking systems be improved in order to make sure I get paid?
...more questions later
--> Like the guy on the panel said: "It's a great time to be in the music business". My reply "Ya, it's a great time for *you* to be in the music business". All of the new services available to musicians are getting dollars from every one of us, but the independent musicians just keeps paying. With a statistic like this "of the music downloaded online 98% is free, 2% is paid for", the question remains, how much more can we give away?
--> The key phrase here is "diminishing returns". The idea is to make money, at least to make a living. By finding out where the leeks are hopefully we can help the system to work itself out, and encourage the flow of dollars (and cents) into the hands of music creators. I am a firm believer that even if your song is sold once or played on the radio once, you deserve your 9 cents (or whatever) for that and given today's technology there is no reason why you shouldn't have it. 9 cents times 10,000 is $900, that could be part of your income. The banks have figured out this scheme, everyone collecting a buck from a musician for an online service knows this scheme. The trick it to have it apply to us.
--> BIG PROBLEM The *new* radio tracking system still favors major artists and commercial radio. Indie airplays remains the same, unchanged, tracking about 14 days per year, or less. Commercial radio can now track 100% of every hour of every day. Yet non-CBC, non commercial radio is tracked little to none. Getting campus, internet and other radio to submit 100% is not a stretch. It is required that playlists be created, so why not submitted? The state of database technology should make this a no-brainer.
MORE QUESTIONS
Q: I got played 20 times on the radio last year. Shouldn't I get some money?
Q: Who gets royalties from sales? Do I get royalties from my own recordings of my songs, or only if someone else records (and sells) my song?
Q: If itunes is selling my recording of a cover song, and taking 30 cents from the sale, how do I know that the songwriter will get the royalties? Where is my 30 cents going? What exactly are the licensing fees for online stores and how are they monitored, collected and dispursed?
Q: I am a non-commercial radio station. I pay money to SOCAN but none of the artists I play get any of that money. How come?
READ BELOW for an Overview of things you should know before browsing the various services websites.
1. Licensing bits and pieces NK
Selling "cover" tunes - back to the top
Basic licensing info: if you are selling CDs
The question is "how is the artist getting paid, and who is collecting/distributing the royalties? There are coyright holders, artists (who record their work), and publishers. Both copyright owner and performing artists must get a royalty from every sale. How is this all happening? The answer is that it is happening but by no stretch of the imagination is everyone getting their due. Online retailers like iTunes are paying licensing fees, but to whom do they remit these fees and what is it based on? The dollars are very vague. Ostensibly the fees are distributed through some central agency to worldwide to associations like CMRRA, who write cheques to it's members. How do you actually know how much has made it back into the hands of the copyright owner? This figure seems to be impossible to come across however it is a timely issue. Note: if you are a copyright owner then it could be to your advantage to be represented by a collective like CMRRA. If someone from Finland records your song, they will remit mechanical licensing fees which will make their way to CMRRA who will give the money to you (minus a cut). But if you and your works are not cataloged at CMRRA, it could be very difficult for the licensee (or other global collective ) to track you down and pay you. By the same token, you are responsible for licensing (and submitting the dollars) for every cover tune you record. You can cover yourself for physical CDs within Canada by paying through CMRRA. But for digital sales, sold through US servers?....you must track this down on your own. No one will help you. In the US, the Harry Fox agency will license digital tracks for artists residing in the US, but not Canadians. If you record a cover song and are selling it on itunes then you must track down the publisher and remit quarterly statements as well as the money (whatever you work out). This can be a long laborious process with little return. If you have trouble finding/getting in touch with or making any headway with a publisher (many (most?) don't know how to handle this kind of situation), the best you can do is to keep track of your digital sales for each tune and pay up if someone comes knocking at your door. Be prepared to submit quarterly reports if/when you find them or they find you.
TRYING TO GET ANSWERS FROM HELPFUL ORGANIZATIONS
--> Realization: no one seems to know the answers to the questions to many important questions. My experience tell me that:
1. They pass the question on to someone else.
2. Even though you ask a clearly and directly, no one seems to actually answer your question.
3. They give you an answer that tells you that they don't know what they're talking about. e.g. when asked "what is the difference between BDS and DMDS" the response was "..."DMDS is a great way to listen to radio on the internet." . I know the answer to this question, and it's not that.
EXAMPLE OF #1. above(passing the question to someone else)
FLIPTECH.COM is a company that makes digital jukeboxes. Before I consider giving my music away to fliptech to sell, I am interesting in knowing how I will be paid and what the licensing deal is. So I asked the question.
Question? Who licenses the music for fliptech.com digital jukeboxes (and similar devices) and what are the details of the licensing? Where does the 2 cent licensing fee paid by fliptech go? (flptech says on its website that it is "unfortunate" that they have to pay at all for music). I first contacted cdbaby.
1. cdbaby (my digital distributor and receiver of the 2 cents) - after a series of emails I never got a direct answer to these questions despite asking clearly and directly twice. Most of the content of the emails was telling me that I should be willing to give compromise so that these businesses (like fliptech) don't go out of business and I should be grateful to have the chance of getting all of that exposure. However, this is cdbaby's party line (*bless them*)....anyway I next got in touch with Soundscan, the tracking people.
2. Soundscan told me to call RIAA (Recording Industry of America Association)..............
3. RIAA told me to call ASCAP.................
4. ASCAP told me to call the Copyright board..........
5. Copyright board told me to call Harry Fox
6. Harry Fox told me to send email to their New Media division newmedia@harryfox.com
7. sent email to New Media division newmedia@harryfox.com one month ago, still no reply.
Answer: No one knows.
Fact: If you opted for fliptech.com, or similar service, in your digital distribution (whichever one you use) and didn't realize what you were doing, other people are making money from your music and you aren't! Yet no one seems to know or care. Be aware of what, and how much, you are giving away!
Canadian selling DPDs on iTunes or other US-based retailer server.
If you are a Canadian and you want to sell tunes on iTunes or anyother server in the US, you must have US digital license. Retailers like iTunes pay licensing fees that cover international (non-US) territories so you are not required to purchase separate license for Canada and the rest of the world. However iTunes doesn't cover the US license. In the US, the Harry Fox Agency takes care of most of this business for major and indie alike, however this service is not available outside of the US. Canadians must obtain a license directly from the publisher. As someone who has just been through this process I can vouch that this is a near impossible task as publishers don't know how to issue licenses. And no helpful organization is helping us reach these publishers. So if you are currently selling "cover" tracks on iTunes or other US based server and do not have US licensing then if your *cover* tune is written by a US resident then they will not receive a royalty for that song, you are violating coyright laws, and you are responsibly for paying that royalty one way or another. It's basically a mess. The more indie artists demand that proper licensing be in place then the sooner it will get whipped into shape. My last conversation with Harry Fox Agency told me me they would "try to work something out" but after more than a year, I haven't heard anything back. You can cover your ass by faxing or mailing a letter of intent to purchase a license to the publisher (it you can find the publisher). You may be required to pay at some point for any tracks that have been recorded as sales. If you are using an online store or itunes, it is easy to find out how many tracks you've sold. Just keep track.
How much are Canadians paying?
Note: As a Canadian we are paying more than once for licensing. I would make way more sense to have one licensing fee and then work out the payment and dispursement based on usage. The licensing you purchase from CMRRA should cover me everywhere in the world, including the US. Right now we are paying three times, once for CMRRA, once for iTunes (who takes their licensing fee out of your sale..you sell 99 you get 65-70), PLUS you are (or should be) paying for US sales. Canadians pay 3 times. Talk about diminishing returns. US residents pay twice, once to Harry Fox Agency, once through iTunes (for international which also includes Canada). Canadian independents are getting the rough end of this deal.
CONCLUSION: due to the untogetherness of the licensing system, a huge amount of royalty income is not getting to copyright owners, period.
WHAT I HAVE SEEN HELPFUL ORGANIZATIONS DO TO HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM: (if any of them ever does anything I'll put it here)
DIGITAL LICENSING (section incomplete)
Q: Is the tune written by a US author, Canadian author. or International author? Does it matter?
Q: If I sell a cover tune from my own website, do I need a license?
Q: Why do I have to pay licensing through iTunes for my original music? If I sell my own tune shouldn't I get all of the money?
Q: I am a Canadian and I have one or more cover tunes (written by US citizens) on my CD. What kind of license do I need to sell?:
|
| To sell physical CDs in Canada through self or a US CD retailer (ie CDBaby)?: |
| To sell physical CDs in the US through self or a Canadian CD retailer (ie Indiepool)?: artist get license from publisher directly |
|
To sell physical CDs Internationally (non-US) through self or a Canadian retailer (ie Indiepool)?: |
| To sell physical CDs in Canada through a US CD retailer (ie CDBaby)?: |
| To sell physical CDs in the US through a US CD retailer (ie CDBaby)?: |
| To sell physical CDs Internationally (non-US) through a US CD retailer (ie CDBaby)?: |
| To sell DPDs (digital files) in Canada, server resides in Canada (ie Puretracks.com)?: |
| To sell DPDs (digital files) in US, server resides in Canada (ie Puretracks.com)?: |
To sell DPDs (digital files) Internationally (non-US), server resides in Canada (ie Puretracks.com, your own website)?:
To sell DPDs (digital files) in Canada, server resides in the US (ie iTunes)?: retailer (itunes) apparently pays licensing ...but how does it work? |
| To sell DPDs (digital files) in US, server resides in the US (ie iTunes)?: US mech/dig license artist get license from publisher directly, or thru Orchard |
| To sell DPDs (digital files) Internationally, server resides in the US (ie iTunes)?: retailer (itunes) pays ...but to whom? |
How Royalties Are disbursed
* place answer here *
2. SELLING PHYSICAL CDs ONLINE NK
Selling physical CDs online - back to the top
There are a lot of places to sell CDs online. I'm not going through all of them. I'll add some info about each if I think it's important.
> Here is a comparison charts of several CD stores, including pricing.
CDBaby - US. SETUP FEE: $35 US for one song or a whole album, (cost includes CD retail and digital distribution). CDbaby takes 9%. You send 5 CDs, they keep one, and let you know when to send more. re: digital distribution..here's a list of their online stores (iTunes etc) >> http://cdbaby.net/dd-partners. You get (varies) 60 cents per song downloaded (amount varies per store), $6.50 per full-album download, and 1 cent per listen or stream (when people listen to your song as if on a radio station, but don't download or buy it). They keep a 9% cut of the total income, and pay you 91%. read more about digital below. CD is a great way to sell CDs online.
Amazon.com, Advantage service for physical CDs: http://advantage.amazon.com/gp/vendor/public/join-advantage-music. All you need to enroll in Advantage is North American distribution rights for your CDs, scannable barcodes with the UPC on the back cover, and online access to manage your account. Advantage is nonexclusive and only $29.95 per year plus a 55% standard commission on the sale of your CDs. (*only* 55%!) You'll also pay the Paypal %. - here's how selling works, Advantage music selling option.
Stretch the SKies - http://www.stretchtheskies.com/?goto=fye_retplace§ion=fye
F.Y.E service of Stretch the SKies - sell physical CDs, similar to cdbaby. http://www.stretchtheskies.com/?goto=fye_retplace§ion=fye
(haven't quite figured out these 2 seemingly related services, by the same people. requires more indepth investigation). * Try to make sense who's who in this picture.
Indiepool (also provides digital distribution) Indiepool does not have descriptive visuals for your cd nor do they provide "preview" links. A very lack luster way of presenting and not all that conducive to selling.
Electronic Musician
You can also sell privately on your own website, if you are lucky enough to have enough buyers visit your website.
3. NOTES ABOUT DPD ONLINE SELLING NK
Selling DPD tracks online overview. See specific e-stores with cost details etc. below. - back to the top
iTunes - for all the big digital retailers like iTunes iRhapsody Puretracks etc (US), must go through CDbaby, Indiepool, Tunecore or Songcast. *there may be other facilitators. Some info below but the internal workings of the big guys is merely a factual matter as there is no choice or involvement by artists. Thanks to Indiepool CDbaby and others who have made it possible for us to be there at all. My info below is mainly directly at services that you can actual use, hand-on. Note: some online stores like Great Indie and Songcast will let you create an account yourself.
NOTE: Remember you should only have ONE digital distributor per store. This can get get confusing when it comes to making choices of who to go with. So you can't have 2 distributors for the same tracks on itunes, for example.
Which distributor to use?
You can weight the services (more details below):
which stores and how many? You might think they're all the same but they're not.
> CDbaby will get you all the majors and more..but they take 9% of your take, plus $35 US on time fee per cd.
> Indiepool gets you into the majors plus more european stores than anyone. $100 setup, 10% (that's a lot)
> Tunecore - $9.98 setup. you decide on how many stores. many US store, plus majors.
> Songcast - new service details coming
Here is a comparison chart from several onlines selling websites: http://www.armydiller.com/musichosting.htm
MY TAKE: If you're serious about sales you may have to choose 2 of the above. *Make sure you tell them about any existing digital distrubution you already have*. You may think you're covered with all of the stores but you may not be. Some of the *partner* stores only offer preview presence on their site etc. You have to dig to find all of the documents about this but I've tried to provide links in the individual service profile sections below. * See if your CD manufacture has a free inclusion included with you CD...mine did! I got free CDbaby and even though digital distribution is cheaper through another service like Tunecore, I didn't have to pay the usual $35 setup fee. Remember: everything you spend has to be recouped in sales, and you have to sell about 55 tracks to cover the cost of CDbaby, Tunecore being somewhere around 38 tracks to cover the cost of the service. Keep discounts and perks like this in mind when choosing a manufacturer.
NOTE: you cannot have more than one distributor of your tracks to the same store. This confuses the system. If you are covered by one distributor and you also want to use another distributor you have to *tell them* which stores you are already servicing. This makes it complicated if you have your own accounts at many stores. Most distribution is now non-exclusive but make sure you know what's what. If you're creating your own accounts at online stores make sure your mp3 files have ISRC numbers encoded into them or at least obtain the numbers. You can get them here. Here's the form.
Selling on your own website
pros - another place to sell.
cons - you may have to pay for extra file storage. tracking is unreliable. ok for you...bad for the copyright owner if you happen to sell a "cover" tune. You should try to sell only original music on your website you know you have a license for your cover tune. Keep track of your DPD sales, especially cover tunes. You could be required to pay royalties retroactively. It's not going to bankrupt you, but it is your responsibility to put aside about 9 cents per sale (or thereabouts) to be given to the copyright owner somewhere down the line.
Selling on 3rd party sites (like isound)
The costs of selling on 3rd party sites, and paying the registration and setup fees may seem like another mounting list of bills, and it is..but unless you can figure out a way to have people hand you a dollar in coins, you are going to pay fees, it's inevitable. Without the banking intermediaries (regardless of their immoral greed capitalist attitudes) we wouldn't be doing these transactions at all. Left to your own devices, if someone sent you 99 cents using an internet bank transfer, it would cost them 1.50 and depending on your bank you may also pay a transaction fee as well. It's impossible. So you have to choose a service that will likely charge you money. Some seem like better deals than others. I will be providing some kind of comparison document shortly. You have to offer as many *free* (free to you) selling options as you can, then progress to the ones that require no start up fees, pay as you go (etc tunecore, payloadz). You pay more per transaction but you don't have a large startup outflow. Because I have seen so much variance in pricing, I am still in the process of trying to decide which way to go myself, but in the meantime, I am using every *free* option I can find. I'm given a breakdown of my own system below.
How much are you making from an 99 cent sale?
Just about every self initiated online store is going to involve paypal so that you can accept credit card payments. You have to give customers this option. Paypal has a micropayment fee system, 5 cents plus 2.9%. However this option if available only in the US. So Canadians pay 30 cents plus 3 cents= 33 cents per 99 cent transaction. You've already paid for licensing if it's a cover tune (or at least you should have, or at least made an attempt). That's 9.1 cents (I believe that's the current rate) you've already submitted (if you made a CD then you will also have paid 9.1 cents for mechanical lisencing). So you could be down as low as 79 cents...and that's if you get your full 99 cents (like Tunecore). If you're selling your own music all the better, however, you may generate more volume of sales by offering a cover tune. Food for thought. The e-retailers vary in the amount they remit to the artist but is approx. 65 cents. You won't incur paypal fees using the big e-retailers, which is good, so you'll get you 65 cents minus cdbaby's 9% take. You'll get 59 cents. Other transaction fees to actually get the money into your bank account may also incur, depending on your method. Subtract how much you've paid for licensing and that's how much you're making from your tracks. Note: itunes (and all online retailers) are required to pay royalty fees, ostensibly out of the 30-ish cents they take off the top. But where that goes and how that gets dispursed remains a mystery.
File Encoding etc
(lots more on this coming)
From what I can gather and from communicating with the service people, there doesn't seem to be any magic potion for file digitization. It seems that a program like itunes will create a file of the same quality as the ones you will buy at itunes or an digital store. Ripping CDs with itunes, windows media player, Exact Audio Copy, or other software will give you what you need. Just remember to set the extraction settings to at least 128kbps, 192 is better. (you will have to rip at 320 for broadcast applications but do that separately). The files are given ISCR and UPC codes (if your cd doesn't already have one) by cdbaby but you can give a file any code number yourself if you choose to independently sell tracks, under the current system that is. However it is recommended to use ISRC numbers.
If cdbaby is your digital distributor, they will assign the ISRC numbers to each track. You should use these numbers when selling the same files at other locations. In the world on radio, encrytion has been deemed worthly of requirement, as *there is more active tracking going on now in radio than there is in the area of track sales*. Right now if you are selling independently through myspace or your own website, you would be responsible for tracking your own sales of cover songs. If you want your music to be tracked, use ISRC numbers.
If you want to sell tracks in other online locations, get the ISRC numbers already assigned by cdbaby (available in your control panel), get a software program like Jaikoz and encode the file into the ID tags. If you don't have ISRC numbers, apply for a code here or read more below
You'll probably net between 35 and 70 cents per track sold depending on the store and your other selling methods. In the spirit of volume sales, if you sell a million of them, you'll be doing well. Good luck.
4. SELLING DPDs ONLINE - including DPD retailers NK
Selling DPDs (digital files, usually mp3). See specific online stores with cost details etc. below. - back to the top
Here is a comparison chart from several onlines selling websites: http://www.armydiller.com/musichosting.htm
Myspace - tracks can be sold directly from your myspace page, * using their interface SNOCAP. It's available only to US residents. If you're not in the US, you need your own store. You do encoding. If you already available in online stores, some of them offer code that you can copy and paste into your myspace page or website.
pros: excellent promotional tool on a lot of levels. it's another potential place to sell. nicest looking embedded player/store.
cons: if you're canadian you have to get your own store, you guessed it...the myspace store (fronted by Snocap) is only available in the US.
Songcast - http://songcastmusic.com/ - digital distribution. upload your cds and go to amazon, itunes, wal-mart, best buy, etc. $7.98 per month, per account, unlimited number of cds. non-exclusive. Multi-service.
ebay - microsales, *available only to US residents. If you use Payloadz you get instant ebaby listings (ebay listing fees apply). However, beware that you will pay ebay standard transaction fee .33 or thereabouts even your .99 track. US residents only pay a few cent "microfee" for microsales, but alas, this is not available to Canadians.
iSound.com - You can display 4, 7 meg, mp3 files, for listening, for FREE. TO SELL MP3s: For 100, 15 megs, songs, plus feature on their site, artist blog etc. you pay $9.99 every 6 months with a Loud Artist™ account (which costs $9.95/month) or $19.99 every 6 months without. You get 100% of sales. *Artists selling over $400 a month receive 95% of all sales (a 5% bandwidth & customer service fee is charged). "Covers" only with prior written permission from the copyright holders. Change info or update files anytime.
Terms of selling: http://www.isound.com/section/terms/ Services page: www.isound.com/artist_loud.php
Treetunes.com - US. (anyone can register) online digital store (apparently part of cdbaby's digital distribution package).
DigiPie - also on cdbaby's digital distribution list. Use DigiPie to sell on MySpace. $4.99/yr. non-exclusive. Sharing system not fully developed. Looks family oriented, but can sell anything digital.
Great Indie Music - http://greatindiemusic.com/. Also on cdbaby's list. *Note: Great Indie does not use ISRC #s, but their own assigned numbers.
Make $.65 per song or $6.50 per entire CD (10 or more songs). Send them the cd and they'll make the files or use YouSendIt.com to tranfer you MP3 files securely online. Using YouSendIt.com, send MP3 files to info@greatindiemusic.com. In kahoots with sonicbids.
Echospin.com - portable store. Setup fee: $50. They take $1 per 4-5. $2 per album. Don't sell individual files, just digital bundles. Info price sheet.
Payloadz.com - Account level breakdown. No charge for setup or fee of any kind. Sell any file in minutes. Over $100 month sales requires account upgrading to $15/month. Fees come from paypal. Example: .99 minus .30(paypal transaction fee) minus 2.9%. (US residents can use paypal micropayments, .5 charge instead of .30!!..irg for Canadians) I USE PAYLOADZ...it's a fast, user administered system. You can setup an account and have tracks available for sale on your website or myspace the same day! Make sure you have your own ISRC numbers though, they don't provide them.
** Puretracks (CAN). - must go through CDbaby or Indiepool. See info below. Uses only WMA protected files, not compatible with iPod and protected again conversion to mp3 format. Tracks can be converted by first burning the track to CD, then extracting (ripping) the track into iTunes.
pros: accessible to indie artist through distributor (indiepool)
cons: WMA only. limited file usage which, if you are an audiobuff, is a real pain.
** Musicgiants.com - High definition. Window Media Audio (WMA) Lossless format. Lossless downloads reproduce music at up to 1100 kbps versus the 128 to 192 kpbs of other download services. We use Microsoft Windows Media Digital Rights Management software to make sure all the music you have is legal and protected. More information about Microsoft DRM is available on their website.
** EASY BE - http://easybe.com/
** STAGE.FM - http://www.stage.fm/help/sell/
** http://www.lulu.com/en/products/music/
UTILITIES FOR SELLING MP3s (more coming)
MP3 Guard - protect your files against copying, specify only only player, etc. (do you really want to do this?)
Jaikoz - mp3 encoding software that allows for ISRC.
List of a few places to sell
** indie accessible only through broker
5. Digital distribution - getting tracks on iTunes and other DPD retailers NK
Gateway for DPD digital distributrion to digital retailers (iTunes etc) - back to the top
CDBaby - US. SETUP FEE: $35 US for one song or a whole album, (cost includes CD retail and digital distribution). CDbaby takes 9%. Here's a list of their online stores (iTunes etc) >> http://cdbaby.net/dd-partners. You get (varies) 60 cents per song downloaded, $6.50 per full-album download, and 1 cent per listen or stream (when people listen to your song as if on a radio station, but don't download or buy it). They keep a 9% cut of the total income, and pay you 91%.
www.SongCast.com - digital distribution. upload your cds and go to amazon, itunes, wal-mart, best buy, etc. $7.98 per month, per account, unlimited number of cds. non-exclusive.
Indiepool - CAN $50 one song, $100 whole album. one time. Indiepool takes 10%. Retailers include many European online stores. There's a popup window available under Retail Distribution at www.indiepool.com.
Tunecore - US, anyone can use. TuneCore takes none of the money from the sale of your music. You get it all. For the iTunes U.S. store, you receive $0.70 per song sold individually and $7.00 per album with 11 or more songs sold in its entirety. .99 per song (one time charge); .99 per store. $9.98 annual fee. >> SAMPLE COST: http://www.tunecore.com/example.html
The Orchard www.theorchard.com digital distributor that provides US licenses as well. ***
Gateway for DPD digital distributrion to digital retailers (myspace) etc. YOU DO THE WORK.
SNOCAP - US. (available to US residents only). Used for MySpace store (Canadians cannot sell tracks on myspace). US artists and labels can easily promote and sell their music through digital retailers and through the SNOCAP MyStore. Protected files. Self controlled. Looks good if only we could use it. I'm sure it will come. I don't know the cost. You have to register to see the cost.
NOTE: SNOCAP keeps saying they are going to open this up the Canadians but it never seems to happen. (what a surprise). Keep sending SNOCAP emails telling them you want to be included!
6. Info about selling NK
Prepare your music for selling and tracking - back to the top
A UPC ("Universal Product Code") number is a group of numbers that are exclusively associated with your album, EP or single. A BARCODE is a way for a machine to read the UPC numbers. The UPC numbers appear in graphic form as vertical lines: the lines represent the numbers of your UPC in a way that can be scanned and understand by a computer. A UPC/Bar Code allows physical stores to order your CDs easily. It also allows easy tracking of what has sold in both physical and digital form.
For CDs, UPC/Barcodes tend to be between 12 and 15 numbers long. There is a mathematical formula involved in calculating some of the numbers. That is, some numbers are assigned, others appear due to a math formula based on all the other numbers.
Your album, EP or single should have its very own, one-of-a-kind UPC/Barcode. If not, two albums, EPs or singles with the same UPC/Barcode will confuse computers and people: they will not know which album, EP or single they are ordering or tracking.
GETTING A BARCODE
If you are manufacturing CDs you can easily get a barcode from your manufacturer. However, if you are not manufacturing and want a barcode, there are many places to buy a UPC barcode. Cost approx $35-$100. Paying more doesn't get you more. Get the cheapest one you can, preferably free. Many online services, like cdbaby, that you already have an account with offer free barcodes for customers. Here is an example of how it works, using Tonecore as an example.
From Tonecore website:
Your album, EP or single needs a unique UPC. With TuneCore, there are two options:
- You already have a UPC/Barcode and want to use it. No problem, just enter it and it will be used.
- You do not yet have a UPC/Barcode. No problem, we will make one for you free of charge.
If we assign you a UPC/Barcode, your UPC will appear on your My Discography page very shortly after you complete your payment has been received. You are free to use it for your physical CDs as well--also at no extra charge. You can continue using it even if you are no longer a TuneCore customer. TuneCore will never re-use your UPC/Barcode number. If you want it, it's yours forever.
To receive your free barcode, please contact barcode@tunecore.com with your UPC number and we will email you back a barcode. You can find your UPC number on your My Discogrpahy page next to your album. Remember, if you don't have a UPC, TuneCore will auto-generate one for you when you use the TuneCore service, at no extra charge.
GETTING ISRC NUMBERS
For tracking and accounting purposes, each one of your songs needs its own unique ISRC number. An ISRC ("International Standard Recording Code") is assigned to each song. This allows easy tracking of each song, such as keeping track of how many copies of it sold. Each ISRC is associated with only one song. Get IRSC numbers here. Encode your mp3 ID tags using softare like Jaikoz http://www.jthink.net/jaikoz/jsp/download/start.jsp which allows you to add an ISRC field.
Each ISRC number is a total of twelve characters in a combination of letters and numbers. For example: US SB5 0501001.
The structure of the ISRC is shown in the following example (final code does not include hyphens):
| ISRC CA - S23 - 02 - 00212 |
|
ISRC |
CA |
S23 |
02 |
00212 |
| Code identifier |
Country Code
(2 characters)
CA = Canada |
Registrant Code
(3 characters)
S23 - Snake Music |
Year of Reference
(2 digits)
02 = 2002 |
Designation Code
(5 digits) |
Here is the Canadian ISRC agency:
CANADA CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association)
CRIA, 890 Yonge Street, Suite 1200, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3P4
Tel: +1 416 967 7272, Fax: +1 416 967 7272
Point of contact: Jennifer O'Brien
Email: goldplat@cria.ca>
HOW TO GET ISRC NUMBERS FOR EACH OF YOUR TRACKS.
All of these organizations provide what you need:
CRIA provides info here: http://www.cria.ca/isrc.php
IFPI Here is the International ISRC agency: http://www.ifpi.org
RIAA also has info: http://www.riaa.com/whatwedo.php?content_selector=whatwedo_is_r_c_codes
STEP BY STEP
1. download the application form (this is the one at CRIA) and fax, mail, or email it in pdf format to CRIA info@cria.ca.
2. CRIA will send you back an email within a couple of days with your code and instructions on how to construct the code yourself.
3. You will create your own ISRC numbers using the instructions, adding your own 5 digit numbers CA - S23 - 08 -(your numbers)
* scroll up to see the chart just above this on the structure of ISRC codes.
4. You are required to keep track of your numbers.
5. encode the numbers info your files, if possible using software like Jaikoz
6. associate the number with the tune/track in any relevant locations like online stores, radio download services, SOCAN, CMRRA and any other databases containing info about your tune. *also when you upload your tracks to BDS Soundscan tracking system, make sure you include your ISRC number. It's not required but they do ask for it and you have to give yourself every possible opportunity to get tracked. Basically, use the ISRC number whenever you register, upload or do anything else with your files.
7. RADIO DELIVERY SERVICES NK
DPD RADIO digital delivery service - back to the top
NOTE: before so submit your music for airplay it is best to submit your tracks to BDS for fingerprinting. READ MORE BELOW
Some of these services only store files, others offer various levels of radio delivery with a price per station fee. Actually I think you may find the whole radio thing a bit crytic. Good luck.
DMDS - the tracking system used by Yangaroo, which is part of Musicrypt.
Broadjam - http://www.broadjam.com/ - uses Musicrypt DMDS secure delivery plus other services. 3 songs free. $50/yr for 50 songs. $10 per station per track delivery charge. $20 to film/TV.
Airplay Direct (US-Georgia) - http://www.airplaydirect.com/ , upload 3 songs for FREE, $10/song after that. Tracks are available for a year. Also delivers DPKs. Bonified registered DJs can download your music for free for airplay. You solicit the stations.
Radio Direct X - $550 US. lasts for 6 months, or 25 stations. You solicit the stations.
Musicrypt.ca - setup fee. $2.95 per track per station. You choose stations, you solicit stations, you do followup, no tracking. ** uses DMDS. secure digital file distribution by incorporating biometrics, high-value encryption and watermarking. List of Broadcasters and partners: http://musicrypt.ca/customers.asp.
Radio Submit - US (anyone can use) also has online store for selling CDs. Annual fee: $89.95US includes 3 songs. $10/track after that. Includes European radio. Seems quite expensive. You encode or they do it for a $5/song fee.
Stretch The Skies facilitates the distribution, sales and fulfillment of products. This is great because the ALBUMS AND PRODUCTS you choose to sell will automatically be available through all the other stores that Stretch The Skies facilitates, including FYE.com and Coconuts.com. To participate, Stretch The Skies charges an ANNUAL fee of $39.95 US payable here by credit card. Stretch The Skies keeps $4.00 US per sale (see Breakdown). PROACTIVE RADIO DELIVERY/PROMOTION
The royalties go to the copyright holders in Sound Recordings and the performers on those recordings ( the copyright holder is usually the record label. Royalties are split 50/50 – and the artist royalties are further divided 45% to the featured artist and 5% to any background musicians featured on the recording).
CANADIAN COPYRIGHT BOARD
1) 2007-8 NEW RATES SET BY THE COPYRIGHT BOARD FOR STREAMING RADIO back to the top
The rates set by the Board for commercial webcasters, including broadcasters retransmitting their over-the-air signals on the Internet, are as follows:
2006 - $.0008 per performance
2007 - $.0011 per performance
2008 - $.0014 per performance
2009 - $.0018 per performance
2010 - $.0019 per performance
The minimum fee is $500 per channel per year. There is no clear definition of what a "channel" is for services that make up individualized playlists for listeners.
For noncommercial webcasters, the fee will be $500 per channel, for up to 159,140 Aggregate Tuning Hours (one listener listening for an hour) per month. Noncommercial webcasters who exceed that level pay at the commercial rate for all listening in excess of that limit.
2) Canadian Copyright Board 2008 PROPOSED ROYALTIES *IMPORTANT READING* back to the top
-
-
-
-
HISTORY
Copyright Board Oct 07 Decisions regarding Tariff 22.A http://www.cb-cda.gc.ca/decisions/m20071018-b.pdf
READ Tariff No. 22.A (1996-2006) Internet – Online Music Services http://www.cb-cda.gc.ca/tariffs/certified/m20071124-b.pdf
SOCAN RESPONSE FAQ to Tariff 22.A - http://www.socan.ca/pdf/en/Tariff_22A_FAQ-Nov_2007-FINAL.pdf
Statement of Royalties to Be Collected by SOCAN for the Communication to the Public
by Telecommunication, in Canada, of Musical or Dramatico-Musical Works
List of Copyright Collective Societies http://www.cb-cda.gc.ca/societies/index-e.html
If you want to participate in Copyright Board Public Hearings regarding proposed royalties,
see the Canadian Copyright Board website: http://www.cb-cda.gc.ca/new-e.html.
I believe the next one is in April 2008, regarding Private Copying
MORE IMPORTANT READING
SAC 2007 Proposal of $5/mth fee - A PROPOSAL FOR THE MONETIZATION OF THE FILE SHARING OF MUSIC FROM THE SONGWRITERS AND RECORDING ARTISTS OF CANADA
- Info: http://www.songwriters.ca/NWS10.php?news_id=24
- the Proposal: http://www.songwriters.ca/studio/proposal.php
A BIT ABOUT SOUNDSCAN (more coming)
SoundExchange does NOT administer royalties for:Interactive performances of sound recordings (e.g. "on-demand" services that allow the listener to select the tracks they wish to listen to and/or the order in which they wish to hear them)
The reproduction right for sound recordings, e.g. digital downloads. Licenses for interactive performances or reproduction of sound recordings must be obtained directly from the SRCO.
Analog public performances (traditional radio and television)
Broadcast Law Internet Rate increases: http://www.broadcastlawblog.com/archives/internet-radio-copyright-royalty-board-releases-decision-rates-are-going-up-significantly.html
Broadcast Law Internet Radio royalties http://www.broadcastlawblog.com/archives/internet-radio-internet-radio-reminder-no-more-aggregate-tuning-hour-royalty-after-january-1.html
RADIO TRACKING
www.bdsonline.com. Nielsen BDS announces Virtual Encode! Now you can submit your CD's and MP3's, free of charge, electronically through our secure Virtual Encode website. If your songs are not currently "fingerprinted" with BDS encoding, you can do so quickly, easily and free of charge at www.bdsonline.com. Upload your own files. As is the case when you register your works with SOCAN, only one of the songwriters of a given song needs to complete the BDS registration. If you’re releasing your songs to commercial radio in major markets, this is an essential step to maximize your royalties. So don't delay -- ensure that you’re registered today. You should also get an ISRC number for all of your files. I believe BDS wants it.
Note: This doesn't do the independent musician much good as it does not include campus, community or internet radio.
How to upload your music to BDS for radio tracking
1. You can mail your CD to BDS if you like. See their website. But you can also use their "Virtual Encode" online system to upload your files directly. You need to send an email, with "Virtual Encode" in the subject, to Client Services Department at clientservices@bdsonline.com for a username and password. When submitting your request, PLEASE include the following information in the body of your email:
- Your Full Name
- Company or Label Name
- Contact Number
- Primary Email Address
- Any Additional Contact Information
2. Afterwhich, You will receive login information and instructions for the Virtual Encode website, via e-mail.
NOTES: When they send you your login info, they will also include specific instructions on how to prepare and upload your files.
Prepare your files before you login to the upload area. It's going to take a while to upload so it's best tol be prepared. Then sit back and rest assured that if your track is played on any of the 160 tracked stations (and more to come we hope!) your play will be counted.
From SOCAN website: HOW THE DAI WORKS, HOW THE CURRENT TRACKING SYSTEM WORKS:
https://www.socan.ca/pdf/en/BDS-DAI_FAQs_Chart.pdf
Note: Commercial radio tracking has moved to 100%. Non commercial (this affects the hugest number of us) are still on survey system, no change. Why not make it easy for ALL radio djs to submit playlists to Soundscan and let the rest of us be counted! THERE IS NO EXCUSE for this NOT to be in place.
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-royalties7.htm
READ ABOUT RADIO
Lots of info on royalties, radio etc. good reading -http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/top-404.htm
How radio works, what they play - http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/top-404.htm
Peer to Peer (P2P) reading:
Peer to peer, history and how it works today - http://www.howstuffworks.com/file-sharing.htm
An article from 2003, new levi on playback devices, http://www.news.com/2100-1025_3-5121479.html
All about File formats: http://mp3.about.com/od/musicformats/Digital_Music_Formats_101.htm
MORE IMPORTANT READING - SAC 2007 Proposal of $5/mth fee - A PROPOSAL FOR THE MONETIZATION OF THE FILE SHARING OF MUSIC FROM THE SONGWRITERS AND RECORDING ARTISTS OF CANADA http://www.songwriters.ca/studio/proposal.php
8. OTHER HELPFUL ORGANIZATIONS NK
AFM, rights, etc. - back to the top
AFM Related
AFM Home Page Federation Main Site, New York, New York.
AFM-EPW Fund (Canada) Canadian Pension Fund
AFM SSD Direct Link To Symphonic Services Division
American Society of Music Copyists An Organization of AFM Memers
Carl Wilson Foundation Funding of cancer research
FMA Freelance Musicians' Association. An Organization of AFM Members.
GoPro Music International Booking Referral Site For AFM Members
GoPro Hosting NEW! - AFM Freelance Musicians Division's hosting for members starting at $19/yr. Excellent tech support.
Royalties & Licensing
JPRoyalties.org A Joint Project of AFTRA & AFM
MNRR Musicians' Neighbouring Rights Royalties
CMRRA - performance, recording, concert
SOCAN - performance, radio/club licensing and royalty distribution
SODRAC
Harry Fox (US)
Funds
FMSMF Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund
MPF Recording Industries Music Performance Fund
SRSPF Sound Recording Special Payments Fund
Categorizing Database of Info in all areas of the Music Business
TMA Career Resource Centre Check out this great resource!
Soundscan - North America's sales tracking system for the music industry. By receiving data from CD retailers (via bar code scanning), SoundScan provides the music industry with accurate sales statistics and a powerful tracking tool.
9. TODO LIST (underdevelopment) NK
A big list of things you have to do. - back to the top
(under construction - my intention here is to make a checklist, in each area of focus, of things you need to do insure the best results)
CREATING PROMO
career highlights list
gather your press quotes
make a one page presskit including a bit of everything. Make hard copy plus make printable pdfs as well as small pdfs for attaching to emails and providing for your download at your website
make a small version of same to embed in your emails (as opposed to "attaching" to emails). This is something your perspective employer will see when they get your emails. May include just your picture and a couple press quotes or desciption of your music.
REGISTERING YOUR TRACKS
register all of your titles at CMRRA
register all of your titles to SOCAN
pay any licensing for cover tunes (if applicable). This includes CMRRA and publishers if the server resides outside Canada.
fill in and submit application forms for ISRC numbers for any of your tracks that don't have them alreadyget some software that lets you edit the ID tags of mp3s and when you get the numbers, encode them into your files.
send email to bds to receive login info and upload all of your files to BDS for digital fingerprinting, for radio tracking purposes.
RADIO
make a small sheet for radio hosts, that fits into the jewel case, providing details about each tune, the style and meaning to your project...something they can read to intro the tune if required. * Remove the shrink wrap from your cd package before sending out cds!
send 20 cds to CBC
make yourself available to radio. create accounts at places that allow free uploads, create profiles. pay when you need more service.
do research to find some non-commercial radio to direct to your digital radio delivery service
decide on whether to hire a professional (like rdrmusic.com) to distribute your music to commercial radio.
keep track of everyone who plays your music and communicate with them
take advantage of the free tracks offered by Airplay Direct and pay for more if you want
send email to bds to receive login info and upload all of your files to BDS for digital fingerprinting, for radio tracking purposes.
ONLINE PRESENCE
make videos and upload them to youtube so you can embed them or refer to them in promo.
create video playlists and embed them on your website and myspace.
make a website. keep it simple and easily updateable by you, or go nuts with a website, if you have the money, just have one that you can edit yourself.
create a myspace and use is as your main website if you want, many people do that now. * USE myspace as a marketing tool!
update your gigs at your website, myspace, and sonicbids if you have it.
create a Sonicbids account (irg...I can't believe I'm recommending this as it is a redundant money sucker for musicians) but depending on your focus you may NEED to have an account to submit to festivals and conferences
SELLING CDS and TRACKS
package 5 cds and send them to cdbaby.
decide on a digital distributor, or more than one to service different stores. and get the ball rolling. it takes several months or a year before you get on to the digital retailer sites (like itunes)
fill in and submit application forms for ISRC numbers for any of your tracks that don't have them alreadyget some software that lets you edit the ID tags of mp3s and when you get the numbers, encode them into your files. |