An international independent recording label

Music, Recording Industry & Informational Links

A&R Companies

Taxi

Taxi is the world's leading independent A&R company that helps bands, artists, composers, and songwriters get record deals, publishing deals, and placements in film and TV. Record companies, publishers, and music supervisors call Taxi directly to find new artists and bands to sign. They also call Taxi to find hit songs, instrumentals, and tracks for TV and film placements. Taxi gets the request, then gives the Artist the exact details about what type of music they're shopping for.

Barcodes

Uniform Code Council

A barcode is required by most retailers. An Artist can join the Uniform Code Council (UCC) for $750 to generate numerous barcodes for the Artist’s own use. Alternatively, most professional CD replicators provide this service free of charge at the time the Artist orders its CDs.

CD Replication

Oasis CD Replication

CDs should be replicated (pressed), not burned. A profession CD replication company will take the Artist’s final, sequenced input master and transfer it to a glass master and stamper, from which the CDs will be replicated. Burned CDs are too unreliable for commercial radio stations.

CD Sales

CD Baby

CD Baby is an ad-free online online music store that is a favorite of independent artists due to its excellent service, independent vibe, and the tens of thousands of dollars it pays independent musicians every week. Also sound clips on CD Baby are long (2 minutes instead of the usual 30 seconds) so customers can do some serious listening before they buy.

Copyrights

Copyrights

A handful of federal, state, and international laws govern copyright practice. In general, they are designed to protect the rights of Artists while preserving the public's right to benefit from the works of those same Artists. The various laws provide for civil and criminal penalties for those found guilty of violations. An Artist’s creative work is protected by copyright as soon as it is created and "fixed" in a tangible form such as a sound recording, film, etc. However, to fully protect the Artist’s rights in a court of law it is vitally important to register the Artist’s work with the U.S. Copyright Office, which is part of the Library of Congress. The Artist receives a certificate of registration and its work is a matter of public record. Then, if it becomes necessary to sue to protect the Artist’s rights, it has proof of the originality and authenticity of its work.

Electronic Press Kits

Sonicbids

Sonicbids members submit their Sonibids EPK (Electronic Press Kit) directly to music industry professionals. EPKs help musicians connect with music industry professionals in a faster, cheaper, and more immediately effective way than mailing out expensive hard-copy press kits. EPKs contain MP3 files, pictures, press reviews, bios, and calendars--and they can be emailed to anyone, anywhere.

Internet Download Tracking

Soundscan

SoundScan is an information system that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada. Sales data from point-of-sale cash registers is collected weekly from over 14,000 retail, mass merchant, and non-traditional (on-line stores, venues, etc.) outlets. Weekly data is compiled and made available every Wednesday. SoundScan is the sales source for the Billboard music charts.

ISRC Codes

Recording Industry Association of America

The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is the international identification system for sound and music video recordings. Each ISRC is a unique and permanent identifier for a specific recording and should be permanently encoded into a product at the mastering stage. The encoded ISRC can also be used in automated data processing systems to identify the owners and other participants in sound and music video recordings. This associated metadata is essential for distribution of royalty payments to Artists. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry, and the RIAA administers the ISRC system. The RIAA also certifies Gold®, Platinum®, Multi-Platinum™, and Diamond® sales awards

Mastering

DRT Mastering

Most Artists, after painstakingly recording and mixing their CDs, then look for an extra edge to make the sound of their CDs really stand out. Mastering brings out the best in the recorded material. The impact and life in the music will be enhanced, the volume level and spectral balance (bass, mids, treble) on the CD will compare well with (other) major label product (especially on radio), and the sound will be consistent on different playback systems and will translate well to online formats such as MP3.

Mechanical Licenses

Harry Fox Agency

Mechanical licenses are required under U.S. copyright law if an Artist wants to record or distribute a song that it does not own. By properly licensing cover tunes, the Artist ensures that the publisher that represents the songwriter who wrote the composition gets paid. Reputable CD replicators and online music sites will require Artists to have these licenses before they duplicate the Artist’s rendition of these recordings or offer them online

Music Publishers

ASCAP

BMI

SESAC

Music publishers protect the rights of their members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. Music publishers make giving and obtaining permission to perform music simple for both creators and users of music.

Recording Studios

Spike’d Audio

Spike'd Audio is one of Denver, Colorado's most extensive full-service recording and production studios. It provides the ultimate audio and production experience--advanced technology, top engineering talent, and a superior end product--in an inspired, creative atmosphere. Spike’d Audio only works with the highest quality equipment and records onto the DVD audio ready ProTools HD system, offering the highest resolution available.

Websites

MySpace

MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive network of blogs, user profiles, groups, photos, and an internal e-mail system. MySpace is the most popular English-language social networking website with just over 76 million registered accounts. According to Alexa Internet, as of May 2006 it is the world's 6th most popular English-language website and the 8th most popular in the world