FACEBOOK SIGNS GLOBAL LICENSING DEAL WITH UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

Facebook and Universal Music Group (UMG) today announced an ‘unprecedented global, multi-year agreement’ under which UMG licenses both its recorded music and publishing catalogs for video and other social experiences across Facebook, Instagram and VR platform Oculus.

According to a press release: ‘The partnership will facilitate deeper engagement between artists and fans, empowering users to express themselves through music, share the songs they love and build communities around music-fueled culture. Enabling a variety of features across face book platforms, the agreement is intended to serve as a foundation for a strategic partnership road map that will deliver new music-based experiences online.’

Under the partnership, users will be able to upload videos that contain licensed music and ‘personalize their music experiences’ on Facebook, Instagram and Oculus, while sharing videos with friends and family.

Functionality will expand in future to ‘enable access to a vast library of music across a series of social features’.

Tamara Hrivnak, Head of Music Business Development and Partnerships, Facebook, said, “There is a magnetic relationship between music and community building.

“We are excited to bring that to life on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and Messenger in partnership with UMG. Music lovers, artists and writers will all be right at home as we open up creativity, connection and innovation through music and video.”

“WE ARE EXCITED TO BRING THAT TO LIFE ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, OCULUS AND MESSENGER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UMG.”

TAMARA HRIVNAK, FACEBOOK

Michael Nash, Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy, Universal Music Group, said, “Together, Facebook and UMG are creating a dynamic new model for collaboration between music companies and social platforms to advance the interests of recording artists and songwriters while enhancing the social experience of music for their fans.

“This partnership is an important first step demonstrating that innovation and fair compensation for music creators are mutually reinforcing – they thrive together. We look forward to Facebook becoming a significant contributor to a healthy ecosystem for music that will benefit artists, fans and all those who invest in bringing great music to the world.”

Going forward, the companies say they will ‘experiment hand-in-hand to introduce new music-based products to these Facebook platforms, including Messenger, with the goal of catalyzing innovation to develop the next generation of music products that best engage social consumers’.

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In an internal message to staff obtained by MBW, Sir Lucian Grainge told his UMG workforce:

“I’m proud to announce this morning the first partnership between a major music company and Facebook, the largest social media company in the world.  We’ve entered into a global multi-year agreement which licenses UMG’s recorded music and music publishing catalogs for use in video content created by users across Facebook, Instagram and Oculus.

“As our new relationship with Facebook demonstrates: by continually re-evaluating how to bring our artists’ music and videos to global audiences, by developing new and increasingly progressive business models and by spurring competition among both established tech players and startups alike, UMG has been and will continue to be the most significant catalyst for our industry’s growth.

“AS WITH OUR DEAL WITH SPOTIFY EARLIER THIS YEAR AND OUR LICENSE RENEWAL WITH YOUTUBE, OUR DEAL WITH FACEBOOK LEVERAGES THE EXPERIENCE WE’VE GAINED AND THE WEALTH OF DATA WE’VE AMASSED TO WIN BOTH GREATER FLEXIBILITY AS TO HOW OUR MUSIC IS OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS FAIRER COMPENSATION FOR OUR ARTISTS.”

SIR LUCIAN GRAINGE, UMG

“As with our deal with Spotify earlier this year and our license renewal with YouTube, our deal with Facebook leverages the experience we’ve gained and the wealth of data we’ve amassed to win both greater flexibility as to how our music is offered to the public as well as fairer compensation for our artists—as we continually refine the balance between direct promotion and monetization.

“Of course, in an environment this dynamic, our work is never done.  Nor would we want it to be.  Innovation and imagination are critical — in both music and the music business.  As technology keeps evolving, we’ll keep fighting for our artists to ensure that their music earns for them what it so richly deserves.

“I’d like to thank the invaluable contributions from every member of our team in making this agreement a reality.  Thanks to all your work we’ll remain the world’s leading music company for many years to come.”

Beat Maker Vs. Music Producer: The Real Difference

The music world, like every business, has various moving parts that work together to create art. Behind every component of a song is a person who has a special set of skills. Some of these skills come naturally, such as those who are beat makers, and other skills are learned through extensive education, such as music producers. Some beat makers feel as if they are music producers while music producers recognize the very REAL DIFFERENCE between the two.

 

Education

One distinct difference between a beat maker and a music producer is education level. While both are, no doubt, wonderful artists, the level of education needed to be a beat maker is ZERO, while major record labels prefer music producers with some sort of Bachelor’s Degree, or previous experience interning under a prominent music producer. What does this mean? With the right software, anyone can make beats. However, it takes the right level of education to be a music producer.

Salary

Another distinct difference between a beat maker and a music producer is salary. A beat maker can make an average of $65,000 depending on what music producer the beat maker is aligned with. A music producer can make an average of $100,000 up to approximately $2 million.

The reason for this difference has to do with the amount of work needed to create a finished product, song, or album, which brings us the additional distinct differences.

The Workload

While the beat maker may spend a lot of time creating, it is just one layer of the final product. The music producer has the job of putting those layers together. Also, it is very rare that a beat maker will receive any credit on a particular song, as the beat maker is most likely to sell the beats made, relinquishing all rights to the beat.

The music producer, however, is most likely to receive most of the credit for the song, since they are the ones that put the layers together to create the final product.

 

There Is A Real Difference

While the difference of beat making versus music producing is very evident, there are still beat makers who insist on being called music producers. If the beat maker is the one that creates the beat and the final product, they have the right to be called a music producer.

However, if they are not the ones creating the final product, with all the layers distributed cohesive as is, then they are, simply, the beat maker. The biggest mistake you can make to a legitimate music producer is downgrade them by saying they are only a beat maker.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a beat maker is someone who creates a portion of the layers needed to create a final product. The beat maker will create these layers and then sell them to a music producer. At times, the beat maker will lease their layers to various music producers, but if those layers are purchased, whoever purchases them owns full rights to use those layers for the final product, and the layers no longer belong to the beat maker.

The music producer then takes these layers, and adds more layers (vocals, additional instruments, additional sounds, etc.). Once the music producer finishes adding the additional layers, they produce the final product, or song, to be released to the public.

OFFICIAL RIPPED JEANS NATION BLOG : ASCAP Vs BMI Vs SESAC Vs Sound Exchange: Everythin...

OFFICIAL RIPPED JEANS NATION BLOG : ASCAP Vs BMI Vs SESAC Vs Sound Exchange: Everythin...: Every artist needs to know the pros of organizations like ASCAP and BMI. We have assembled a list that will expand your knowledge on th...

ASCAP Vs BMI Vs SESAC Vs Sound Exchange: Everything You Need To Know

Every artist needs to know the pros of organizations like ASCAP and BMI. We have assembled a list that will expand your knowledge on the pros for ASCAP Vs BMI Vs SESAC Vs Sound Exchange. Check it out here!

Performance Rights Organizations

PROs or Performance rights organizations, are groups that provide intermediary services between copyright holders and public locations that use their works. This only includes venues where music expresses the primary function of the venue. A good example of this are dining shops or radio stations.
The exact amount of royalties is usually negotiated between copyright owners and the establishment. A big aspect of PROs to note is that they don’t benefit performing artists. If you’re a singer, you will not profit from joining a PRO; however, if you’re a songwriter, PROs are a great way to benefit from your work.

Traditional & Digital Royalties

The organization you join will depend on how the music is publicly expressed. If you want to gain royalties from streaming music on digital radios such as Pandora or Sirius XM, consider the Sound Exchange. However, if you’re looking to gain royalties from public performances, consider the ASCAP, BMI and SESAC PROs.

Sound Exchange

As previously stated, the Sound Exchange is an organization that collects royalties for non-interactive music service providers. The exact rules for the type of royalties they are limited to collecting from are stated in the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recording Act as well as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Fees are associated with a digital statutory license. Fees are typically paid to copyright owners in the following way:

Copyright Owners	Percentage Paid
Record Label	50%
Featured Artist Non-featured artist  5%	45%
Total	100%

BMI, ASCAP & SESAC

These performance rights organizations generally do the same thing. They collect royalties for public performances of music that can be defined by the U.S Copyright Act. Like the Sound Exchange, they are used to protect the intellectual property of the songwriter and provide a way for songwriters to make money off their work. These PROs collect royalties from any venue that publicly performs music These include: music played in restaurants, radio stations, live music venues, bars, parks, and anywhere the music is played in a public setting.
Most of the time, blanket licenses are given to these organizations to different pieces of music written by the songwriter. Because copyright owners are split between the three organizations, venue owners typically purchase blanket licenses from all three organizations. Membership fees depend on the organization you want to join. License fees paid are generally as follows:

Copyright Owners	Percentage Paid
Publishers	50%
Songwriters	50%
Total	100%

Criticisms

Although PROs provide a great way for songwriters to make money, their ambition to make money tends to go too far. Non-profits have been asked to pay fees to use copyrighted music at their events, despite not making money from its use.
The ASCAP once tried to sue the Girl Scouts of America because they sung campfire songs. In addition, the ASCAP and SESAC have been shamed for attempting to charging non-commercial radio stations run by education institutions (like colleges). Lastly, many PROs have been known to push the line of what counts as a public performance.

OFFICIAL RIPPED JEANS NATION BLOG : Everything You Need To Know About Music Copyright ...

OFFICIAL RIPPED JEANS NATION BLOG : Everything You Need To Know About Music Copyright ...: Navigating the murky waters of music copyright laws on the internet often proves confusing, especially for the average person not invol...

Everything You Need To Know About Music Copyright Laws And YouTube

Navigating the murky waters of music copyright laws on the internet often proves confusing, especially for the average person not involved in the music industry.
If you’re a YouTuber who wants to know about copyright laws for music in videos, you have come to the right place.  We’ll cover categories of music, fair usage, covering songs, copyright length, and the consequences of violating copyright laws on YouTube
.

Categories Of Music

Public Domain

Songs in the public domain are the only music you do not need to obtain special permission to use.  However, copyright laws governing music composed before 1972 are at state discretion, so be absolutely certain a piece of music is in the public domain before using it as such in your YouTube video.

Royalty Free Music

While this music is free to use, you still need to license it.  Permission is usually very easy to get for using these songs, so there’s no point in trying to get around it.  Take music copyright laws and YouTube seriously.

Royalty Music

This is music that you must license from the copyright holder for and pay a fee to use, but it isn’t as involved as it sounds.  There are many agencies that collect and disburse music royalties, making the process easier on everyone.
Beatstars.com is one that we recommend.

Cover Songs

In most cases, making a cover song is simple.  There is a government set rate for use of the song, but unfortunately this doesn’t cover transferring that music to video.  You must obtain permission from the copyright holder to make a video of your cover legally.

Fair Usage

There are two main questions asked when determining if the use of a piece of music falls under fair use protection.  The first is whether you are inhibiting the copyright holder’s ability to make money.  For example, if you include an interrupted track that can easily be ripped from your video, you are hindering the artist’s ability to earn money from the song.

The second question is whether you are making money from the use of the music.  Copyright laws for music in videos don’t allow you to earn money from using something you don’t own.  If you have monetized your YouTube account, be careful about the music you choose for your videos.

Music Copyright Length

Current music copyright length depends on several factors.  Music composed before 1923 is considered public domain, but this a large gray area for reasons mentioned above.  The length of a musical copyright created after 1978 spans the life of the author plus 70 to 120 years.

The copyright length of music written from 1923 to 1978 is 95 years from the original publish date, and all copyrighted music was protected until 2002

Violating Copyright Laws On YouTube

At best, you will get lucky and nothing will happen.  This isn’t very likely, though.  YouTube uses tools like Content ID to check its content for copyright violations.  If caught, you could face being kicked off YouTube, or worse, find yourself in a lawsuit.  Do yourself a favor and don’t take the risk.

Whenever someone places a content ID claim on your video and you know the music isn’t yours, don’t dispute it!

Always ask permission from people to upload to your channel or send them a message saying that you uploaded some of their work. Also, tag those artists in other social media posts so they’re aware of what’s going on to avoid disputes.

SHARING IS SEXY!

OFFICIAL RIPPED JEANS NATION BLOG : Universal and YouTube agree multi-year global lice...

OFFICIAL RIPPED JEANS NATION BLOG : Universal and YouTube agree multi-year global lice...: Universal and YouTube agree multi-year global licensing deal YouTube and Universal Music Group have jointly confirmed that they have reac...

Universal and YouTube agree multi-year global licensing deal

YouTube and Universal Music Group have jointly confirmed that they have reached a ‘new, global, multi-year agreement’.
The licensing deal comes seven months after the Google/Alphabet-owned video giant struck a worldwide agreement with Warner Music Group.
UPDATE: MBW understands that Sony and YouTube have also concluded a deal. All three agreements with the majors are believed to cover both a renewal of Vevo’s exclusive relationship with YouTube, in addition to licences for the platform’s new paid-for streaming service, due to launch in Q1 next year.
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, said: “We’re thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Universal Music Group. This agreement means we can drive more value to the industry, break and support more artists and deliver an incredible music experience to fans around the world.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, added: “This important step forward provides our recording artists and songwriters improved content flexibility and growing compensation from YouTube’s ad-supported and paid-subscription tiers, while also furthering YouTube’s commitment to manage music rights on its platform.
“I look forward to collaborating with Susan and her team at YouTube on the important work ahead to advance artists’ interests and sustain the music industry’s recent growth.”
The Universal deal has been agreed 15 months after Lyor Cohen joined YouTube as its global Head of Music.
YouTube is expected to launch a Spotify-like streaming service in the first quarter of next year, currently codenamed ‘Remix’.
You would expect that UMG’s deal includes licensing provisions for that new service.

How Music Publishers And Music Royalties Work

Do you want to know how music publishers and royalties work when you get paid in the music business? You probably know that these two things have to do with making money with your music. But do you know exactly how they work?

 Today we are going to look at two important, but often misunderstood areas of the music business - publishing and royalties.

What Does A Music Publisher Do Exactly? Generally speaking, publishing deals with protecting your rights as a songwriter or composer. The three main duties performed by a music publisher are: song registration, licensing and collecting royalties.

Let's take a quick look at these tasks individually.

Song Registration

One of the publisher's primary tasks is protecting your intellectual rights. The publisher will register your songs for copyright and also with the appropriate performance rights organization (such as ASCAP or BMI in the US).

Licensing

Publishers also take care of the licensing for printed sheet music and may promote your music to performers, TV, radio and others who are looking for music for commercial purposes.

Collecting Royalties

This is a very important task, because this is where you get paid! Royalties are payments made to you as a songwriter for permission (a license) to use your music for commercial purposes. The publisher will track the use of your music to ensure that you are being paid the proper royalties due to you. They will also take action against anyone who is using your music without proper licensing.

The Four Types Of Royalties

1. Mechanical Royalties- Mechanical royalties are royalties paid out by record companies based on the number of records sold. The number of sales is determined by data from record sales reporting systems such as Sound Scan. In the US royalties are calculated at a set amount per song, whereas in other countries royalties are calculated as a percentage of sales.

2. Public Performance Royalties - Public performance royalties are royalties that are paid for permission to publicly perform or broadcast your copyrighted music. In the US these are collected via Performance Royalties Organizations (PRO's) such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC. In order to receive payment from these organizations you need to join as a member and you (or your publisher) must register your songs with them.

Outside of the US, performance royalties are collected by government owned PRO's. These foreign organizations pay the American PRO’s which then pays the artist (you).

3. Synchronization Fees - Synchronization fees are paid to you for permission to use your music in an audiovisual format, such as movies, TV shows, commercials, etc.

4. Print Music Income - Print music income is paid to you or your publisher by sheet music producers for a license to print and distribute sheet music or songbooks of your songs.

A Final Note

Many musicians underestimate how valuable their publishing rights are. Be careful not to give yours away in a quest for a record deal!

I hope this lesson has helped you to develop a basic understanding of how a music publisher and music royalties work.

OFFICIAL RIPPED JEANS NATION BLOG : The Business Of Music: By A Full-Time Music Busine...

OFFICIAL RIPPED JEANS NATION BLOG : The Business Of Music: By A Full-Time Music Busine...: You may think that music is just a creative venture, but there are so many other aspects of this  music industry  that you really need to...

The Business Of Music: By A Full-Time Music Business consultant

You may think that music is just a creative venture, but there are so many other aspects of this music industry that you really need to consider if you want to make a career out of your passion. The primary thing that you need to think about is the business of music.

You need to focus on music marketing. You need to have a music business plan. These are things that are crucial if you want to success in music. Here are some things you need to know about the business of music to give yourself a better chance of success.

Music Business Plan

One thing that you should do is to make a music business plan. You should write everything down to begin with as a way to collect your thoughts. You need to take this seriously because you want other people to take you seriously. This is your chance to truly capture the essence of who you are as an artist, so really let your passion shine through here.

It can be a very daunting task to create your music business plan, but if you take a few bites out of it at a time you will be able to get it done without getting overwhelmed. You can follow the many templates online, which will help you discover how to properly write your own business plan.

Music Marketing Plan

Another important thing that you need is a music marketing plan. Your marketing strategy can really make or break your music business. One thing that should be a part of your marketing strategy is to leverage influencers in the industry.

If you are able to get a great social media following, you are going to have a much larger base for you to market your music to. Social media influencers are incredibly helpful here, as much as you do not want to utilize this. You could also consider doing things like podcasts. People love podcasts and as a music business owner, this is a great way for you to take control of your music and the marketing of it.

This may not make you a lot of money on its own but it can raise awareness for your brand. At the end of the day, the amount of people that you have in your network is going to determine how successful you are.

Talent Is Never Enough

You do need a great deal of creativity and talent in order to find success in the music business, but you have to remember that it is all just a business. You can only get so far on just your talent. It is so important to have a plan for your business just as you would in any other industry.

Creating a business plan for your music business and developing an amazing music marketing strategy will ultimately determine how well you do in this industry. As long as you show off how passionate you are about your music, you will be able to stick to whatever plan that you may have.

What Are Neighboring Rights And How Do Musicians Collect Them?

If you spend any amount of time in the music world, you will have discovered that the question of royalties and ownership can be a difficult one; it is not as simple as a person writing a song, then selling it to the public and collecting a specific amount of cash for that song. The song will continue to be played, and therefore the artist can continue to benefit from it.

Usually this is done through downloads or CD purchases, but there is another revenue stream as well. Neighboring rights is a term which refers to royalties paid out to musicians and sound recording owners whenever a track is broadcast in public.

Neighboring Rights Collections Agency

For example, when you are in your car and the newest top song comes on the radio, the radio station will usually be paying the artist and the record labelroyalties. This makes sense; they own the music, and the radio station is getting more listeners by playing that popular song, so the artist and owners benefit. However, sometimes it can be difficult for artists to keep track of who is playing their songs, how often, and whether they are owed royalties.

This is where neighboring rights collecting societies come into play; radio stations and other media report a log of their played songs to the society. The society then checks this against the tracks they have registered, and will pay the royalties out to the appropriate party.

It Is Difficult In The U.S.

However, there is an added complexity to this arrangement; the USA does not recognize neighboring rights by law, so collecting them can be more difficult. However, a quick Google search of ‘does soundexchange collect neighboring rights’ will show you that there are organizations working to combat this problem.

Soundexchange neighboring rights collect royalties on streamed songs on behalf of the artists, although they call it ‘digital performance royalties,’ rather than neighboring rights. It can only be collected from digital radios, online streaming, etc., meaning that music being played in bars and cafes is still exempt from paying royalties.

There is a similar arrangement in the UK, with Kobalt neighboring rights being a subsidiary of the overall Kobalt company. Kobalt explain the concept of neighbor rights and why it is important for countries to come to agreements about them; many US artists cannot claim neighboring rights even in countries which pay them, because the USA does not. This makes for a very complicated legal situation, and leaves US artists and record labels unable to benefit from platforms which are using their music to make money.

Conclusion

Collecting neighboring rights can be difficult, and they are a surprisingly complicated concept, particularly when looked at on a global level. However, they provide valuable income for the artists and record labels, and should not be dismissed as a revenue stream.

Just as films and other media are protected from being shown in public without permission and without royalties, musicians have a right to protect and profit from their music.

5 Reasons You Should Never Buy Spotify Plays, Listeners, Or Followers

All businesses and artists should grow organically, that means that your followers or your fans have a genuine interest and appreciation of what you are making. However, many artists, especially on Spotify, find themselves more often than not ‘buying plays’ or listeners and followers for that matter.

And there are a few reasons why this should not be what you are doing for your music. First, we do want to make a distinction between music promotion and buying plays

.TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS!

We have rounded up a few of these to give you a bit of guidance if you are either new to the site, or are trying to generate a more active and loyal following for your content.

1. HOW TO SPOT FAKE SPOTTY PLAYS

There are some sure fire ways to tell if a service is fake:

• If they tell you they can deliver a specific amount of plays within a specific amount of time. The best any real Spotify promotion company can do is give you a range of expected plays.
• If they keep saying the plays are 'safe' rather than explaining how the service is done
• If they guarantee a certain amount of 'saves' by listeners (This number should be completely organic because you don't know who will actually like your music when promoted)

The success of a good Spotify promotion depends on the song. Whenever you're getting organic music promotion, not every song is going to get the same amount of plays, and that's how you want it to be!

Fake plays don't bring in real fans.

Be careful with Spotify services that have checkout pages like this

2. FAKE FOLLOWERS DON'T GIVE YOU REAL SUPPORT

It's a good thing if you order music promotion on two different songs and they don't get the same results.

All that means is that people like one song better. Thus, you can plan your promotion budget around that song and release it as a possible single for your album!

Also, fake people can't give you real money. Spotify technology is getting better and better, so it's spotting fake plays more often.

If they notice a dramatic spike in plays then a sudden drop off, it's like a red alert for them. It's different when there's a spike and a gradual drop off.

3. YOUR DISTRIBUTOR COULD SUSPEND YOUR ACCOUNT

Music distributors like Distrokid, Tunecore, Awal, & Ditto want to keep a good relationship with streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, and Deezer.

If they keep sending songs to the streaming services that are using fake plays, that means Spotify has to keep paying profits that are unjustly due.

No company in the world wants to do that!

So they start telling the distributors to hammer down on the bad customers, and eventually this could end in your songs or artist account being banned from the service!

Now ask yourself, is it really worth it to try and order cheap plays for Spotify instead of getting a real playlist placement or organic promotion?

Yes, it may cost a little more to go with the real deal, but the benefits outweigh the costs.

4. REAL SPOTIFY PLAYLIST PLACEMENTS VS. FAKE PLAYS

Like we said earlier, there's a BIG DIFFERENCE in buying fake Spotify plays vs. getting organic music promotion through Spotify playlists.

Essentially it works like this:

• Independent Spotify curators make playlists that they upload and market to their audiences. This could be a music blog, Twitter personality, indie musician, whomever...
• As more and more people follow the playlist, the top spots in these playlists are highly coveted and drive a good amount of natural plays to a song
• Once a blog starts getting so many music submissions, they start putting together playlist promotion packages based on exposure
• If a blog has a Spotify playlist with 30,000 followers, they can trade with other blogs who have similar sized playlists to get you into more and bigger playlists! (e.g. 60,000 followers through 2 playlists or 300,000 followers through 10 playlists)
• Labels, big artists, and musicians use this method to naturally and efficiently grow their Spotify songs!
• 
• f you just skimmed through this article, the main point is, don't buy fake Spotify plays, listeners or followers.
  Instead, invest in organic music promotion through getting playlist placements! The placements lead to getting natural plays and exposure vs. bot plays. 
  We happen to have one of the top ranked Google services! Click the button below to check out our Spotify promotion options 
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