BLOG - Flipside

HOW SONGWRITERS GET PAID

6/14/2019

I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked this question literary from everyone, family and friends to fellow musicians! And, the answer is ever changing. More and more writers and artists are finding creative ways to get paid for their music. I’ll start off with the simple answers and move on to some of the more creative ways people are finding.

HUSTLING TO RELEASE AS AN INDIE ARTIST

6/11/2019

You've spent a lot of time songwriting, brainstorming production ideas and many hours in the studio recording your babies (aka your songs). You think the work is finally over, but you're far from the finish line. It has just begun, and now it's time to prepare for your successful release. You've worked hard on the creative side of your music, but the only way to make music your career is to have a strategy and business plan in place. I'm going to give a few tips that will help with a successful release as an indie artist. These are all the things I've learned from mentors along my journey to releasing my albums and EPs. We'll start with promotion and the truth is, it begins months before a single hit the airwaves or internet. This is a long thought out process that goes past the isolation rooms and mixing boards.

HOW BIG IS YOUR EGO?

6/7/2019

It seems like so many songwriters and in general a huge number of people in music industry have egos that are out of whack in one direction or the other. I personally take these egos as syndromes some people have and treat them as if they are sick. Not only me but I think most people in professional music industry do the same, even the same people who have such huge egos. Even they don’t like others to show them their ego and attitude! Run through this list every now and then to make sure you are staying cantered.

BASIC LEGAL TIPS FOR RECORD PRODUCERS

5/29/2019

It is important as a record producer to understand that each situation is unique, and the relationship between the record producer and the artist varies greatly depending on the arrangement between the parties as well as the genre of music. Producers have traditionally been paid for their services as employees or as independent contractors, and their contributions to the creation of the sound recording in the studio are generally deemed to be a work-for-hire under the copyright law. As such, the copyright in the sound recordings is owned by the artist or the record label.

X-Factor

5/15/2019

So, we all had heard about the so called "X-Factors" in entertainment industry. But what are people's concern when they mention this whole x-factor?
Well, first of all we have to see which part of entertainment we're talking about. Are we looking for stardom in music? Or as an actor? Or as a social media influencer? Or maybe anything else? All of this industry have a lot of requirements in common but certain qualities must be emphasized in each of the sub-industries in entertainment in order to make one as "star". Here we are going to have a breakdown of the most common must-have qualities.

WHY YOU NEED PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS?

5/8/2019

In this day of the smart phone, people believe that they can take photographs by simply pointing & clicking. If you want to take pictures of your food, please use your smart phone. A smart phone is great for making phone calls or tracking your daily schedule, but it is horrible for capturing those precious moments in your life for a professional use, especially for the ones in entertainment industry. You may be able to get a good picture with your smart phone, but it will look nothing like a portrait from a professional. Photography is an art form. Don’t trust your smart phone.

GAINING FANS WITHOUT GIVING AWAY THE FARM

5/1/2019

Here are some ideas for gaining fans for your music without giving it away.

Get involved with social media. If you want to sell 500,000 songs, the best way to do it is to have 2,000,000 friends. Your friends won’t always buy your music. Connect with people on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Follow them and ask them for their support for your page and your posts. Investing in other people and their careers will encourage them to do the same for you. Comment back to anyone who comments about you. The more you interact, the more friends you get.

DECIDING WHEN TO RECORD A FULL DEMO OF YOUR SONG

4/17/2019

You have just written your latest best song and you are asking yourself “What’s next? Should I do a full expensive version of this song or a simple piano/vocal demo?” This is often one of the most important questions a songwriter can ask themselves in this game. Getting this step right can often determine whether an artist records or passes on your song. Here are some guidelines I’ve used to help me successfully navigate the song demo waters.

MISTAKES THAT CAN KILL YOUR SONG DEMO

4/10/2019

So, you’ve written a great song and you want to record an amazing demo to present it to the world. But there are certain things you need to know and follow before, during and after writing your demos. Believe it or not, the presentation of the demo sometimes can be even more important the content of the demo itself!! You can have a great demo and a bad presentation can make music supervisors and producers to don’t take it seriously, or opposite, you can have an “okay” demo but a good presentation and attract the attentions towards what you had done. Here are things I have learned in a 15-year career and more than 3,000 demos.

LEGAL BASICS FOR ARTISTS, MUSICIANS & SONGWRITERS

4/3/2019

Copyright Protection. Under copyright laws, copyright (literally, the right to make and sell copies) automatically vests in the creator the moment the expression of an idea is "fixed in a tangible medium" (in other words, the moment you write it down, type it or record it on tape). With respect to music specifically, a copyright in the musical composition owned by the songwriter and a sound recording copyright in the sound of the recording owned by the recording artist (but usually transferred to the record company when a record deal is signed). It is important to remember that you own the copyright in your work the moment you write it down or record it, and you can only transfer those rights by signing a written agreement to transfer them. Therefore, you must be wary of any agreement you are asked to sign.

WHY WON’T A HIT SONGWRITER WRITE WITH YOU?

3/20/2019

I’ve been asked hundreds of times “Why are staff writers hesitant to write with writers who don’t have a writing deal?”. The short answer is that the people who have gone before you have ruined it for you. Here are the most significant reasons signed writers hesitate to write with unsigned writers.

UNDERSTANDING COPYRIGHT LAW BASICS

3/13/2019

The basics of Copyright law are simple. Armed with some simple principles, you can understand just what is covered and what isn't, and hopefully save yourself potential trouble and money. It’s great for any songwriter or any other art creator to know their rights on copyrights or at least to have a trusted lawyer or publishing company to protect their rights for them.

SUCCESS IN MUSIC WITH TEN TIPS

2/20/2019

Win the battle in your own mind first. Surround yourself with family and friends who share a similar vision and avoid those who have a negative attitude. Before you win the fierce battle with your competitors, make sure you've won battle with your own mind to persist no matter what it takes. When I left Kansas, friends told me I was just a church organist and not a Vegas singer. After nine years, I had sung and played every room in Reno, Tahoe, and most in Vegas. When I left to go to LA to write, musician friends said, "you're just a musician, you'll never make it as a writer." Now, 100 cuts later I don't hear much from them.

HOW OFTEN TO RELEASE SONGS?

2/13/2019

This is a question I've seen many artists; especially new ones are struggling to find the answer. Some love to release a song each few days and some believe only in "perfection" and they don't hesitate to work even a year or two on just one single track before releasing it. But the main question is that how often to release songs and albums to be active enough yet not to be a spammer!
Well, when it comes to such topic, there's no right or wrong and it's really up to the personal mindset for indie artists or the managers of label for signed artists. And here is my personal opinion based on my 15 years of experience.

CONSISTENCY

2/9/2019

Just like most other jobs and careers, making a living from writing songs and being a professional in music industry requires a huge amount of sacrifices and more importantly it requires consistency. If you're anything like me, and the rest of 99.9% percent of other musicians, you'd fail for at least a couple of years! But the key here is not to give up. Not to be stubborn, taking no as an answer is okay here but don't "go home"!

WHAT IS MUSIC PUBLISHING?

2/6/2019

Music publishing deals with the ownership and exploitation of copyrighted music. Through music publishing, copyrighted work is sold for use in areas such as radio, performances, movies, TV, record sales, and streaming. Publishing provides a variety of avenues for an artist to earn a living while working in the music industry.
Live performances, club appearances, autograph sessions, and speaking engagements can get you a one-time check, but publishing your music can result in continuous payment for years — based on the popularity of your music. Ever wondered how some of these older artists are still able to buy homes and cars, and make investments without newly-released music? Then you should learn as much as possible about music publishing.

COLLABORATION AND CO-WRITER AGREEMENTS: WHAT THEY MEAN AND HOW THEY WORK

1/30/2019

Under the copyright law, an author or creator owns a copyright in his or her work the moment it is "fixed in a tangible medium" (i.e., the moment the expression of an idea is written down or recorded in some manner). When it comes to the recorded music business there are two primary copyrights of interest: one in the musical composition or song; another in the sound recording of that song. A copyright extends for the life of an author plus 70 years, and in the case of collaborators on a copyright it extends for the life of the last surviving collaborator plus 70 years.

HOW TO PITCH YOUR MUSIC

1/23/2019

There are a lot of people approaching me or respond to my approach for either publishing their music or using their demos for pitching to the bigger names in the industry. I can say about 40% of the demos are receive are okay in sense of professionalism but the other 60% usually have some sort of issue which makes the project to don't move forward. Here I list down some of the common issues and the solutions for them.

Decide what you want. Before sending your track or your demos to a publisher or a producer, make sure at least you know what you want, and it would be even much better if also be open for their suggestions too. When you are sending them a demo, do you something in mind? If you had the power to get the song in whatever direction that you wanted, what would you do with it? All these and things like these are what you need to prepare before sending your demos out. Don't be confusing and don't make people confused. At the end of the day, this is your project and you want it to move forward, right?

SONGWRITERS WHO ARE DREAMERS

1/16/2019

Through years of working at Flipside, I met a vast array of people wanting to become professional songwriters. People of all ages, races, backgrounds and economic situations, most of whom would love to achieve some degree of commercial success with their music. As a student of people and a guy in love with studying psychology, I have studied what causes some people to succeed and others who are equally talented to fail in that quest.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE INCOME SOURCES FOR SONGWRITERS?

1/9/2019

Income sources for songwriters differ from other industries because songwriter incomes come from multiple royalty streams and advances. The major forms of songwriter income include performance royalties, mechanical royalties, sync fees, and advances.

Here is a very brief summery of how these types of payment would work for you as a songwriter.

HOW TO RESOLVE SPLIT DISPUTES IN SONGWRITING

1/5/2019

Today's international music industry is extremely dynamic. Such a large and evolving industry comes with questions of song contribution, so how do you determine who created what? Two words: Split Sheets.
It is extremely common for songwriters to collaborate with other co-writers to create new pieces. Many songwriters are left unpaid as a result of split disputes when co-writers cannot agree on split portions. The performing rights organization and record company involved will withhold royalties for a song if a dispute involving ownership arises.

YOU ARE NOW A STAR

12/19/2018

When I first started out in the music business, I believed that someone was going to walk through a door where I was performing and make me a star! As I grew older, I started to face the reality that a minor percentage of the musicians and artists who have that dream, actually accomplish their goal. So, what is left?
realizing that being a star is secondary to expressing your soul and releasing from your spirit an energy, which is given to a very small percentage of the public. If you hone your craft, then you will draw the public to your front door. I will then guarantee you; the music industry will be standing right behind them trying to figure out how to make a buck off of your talent.

UNWRITTEN RULES TO SUCCESSFUL NETWORKING IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS

12/12/2018

Networking and relationship building is such an important skill for success in any business specially music business, where these relationships can take you to places you wouldn’t even imagine. You can gain value by attending events or loose credibility pretty quick when you meet people at events. Here are some tips to help YOU on YOUR Journey!

Do your homework. Research the people who will be at the event in advance. If it is a #1 party, find out who the songwriters are and research the writers and publishers to learn a little about them before you go.

IS YOUR PAYMENT AND AGREEMENT PROCESS LOSING YOU MONEY?

12/8/2018

Collecting your money is a big "MUST" if you are to survive Nashville music business. If you get paid for playing, producing, managing, and/or promoting, collecting payment is crucial to your operation. And yet, perhaps you've made it an afterthought.

Here are the types of scenarios we are seeing as an agency when asked to review client agreements. Agreements such as the one that follows feel like gigantic turn-offs that manifest themselves before an agreement is even finalized.

TODAY’S MUSIC SUCKS!

12/1/2018

Years ago, in Iran, my publisher convinced two different Hall of Fame writers to write with me, the new kid in the industry. I had been writing for years and written hundreds of songs, but never with writers this big. I was pumped!

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