MUSIC PRODUCTION FAQ
WHAT IS MUSIC AND SOUND PRODUCTION?
Music and sound production is the process of creating music and/or sounds, recording them, editing and arranging them, and mixing and mastering them to obtain the best quality balance of the components of music or sound as possible.
WHAT CAN MUSIC AND SOUND PRODUCTION BE USED FOR?
Music and sound production are included in a wide variety of media projects including, but not limited to: Films, Music, Video Games, TV Advertisements, Corporate Videos, Podcasts, Social Media Content, and more.
HOW DO COPYRIGHTS WORK IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
There are two copyrights for every song. There is one for the master sound recording and one for the composition.
So, what is a master sound recording? It is the highest quality recording of your song. And whoever owns the master sound recording (a.k.a. master rights) of your song receives the master sound royalties (a.k.a. mechanical royalties) whenever the recording is broadcasted or reproduced in any way (digital downloads, streaming, performances, etc).
What is a composition? A composition is every little part that makes up a song. This includes the vocals, lyrics, arrangement, music, melody, harmonies, etc). Because this tends to be an equal collaborative effort, a 50/50 split between the artist and the producer is the standard when it comes to distributing composition royalties. A little known fact is that producers are also considered a songwriter on the track along with the artist due to the fact that the song is indeed made of up music. To wrap it up, the standard in the music industry is that everyone included in the creative process of a song deserves and receives equal credit and compensation.
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HOW DO YOU PURCHASE A BEAT/INSTRUMENTAL?
When you “purchase” a beat/instrumental, you are actually leasing a license to be able to use the the beat. When you are licensing a beat, the producer still owns 100% of the copyright to their beat that they created.
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WHAT ARE THE LICENSES YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO PURCHASING MUSIC FROM PRODUCERS?
There are two main ways to “purchase” music from producers. You can either lease through a exclusive license or a non-exclusive license.
Being granted an exclusive license means that you are the only artist allowed to use that beat. Often there are time limits on the beat. For example, if the license is only valid for 3 years, the artist would have to renew or renegotiate the license to be able to continue utilizing it. Otherwise the producer will license the beat out again to another artist.
With a non-exclusive license, the producer allows you to license the beat while also licensing out the same beat to other artists. Non-exclusive licenses tend to have a spectrum of different terms and conditions, so be sure to read over it before you lease it.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT FILE FORMATS THAT YOU CAN RECEIVE YOUR BEATS IN?
There are three main file formats in which you can receive your beat. You can get it in MP3 format, WAV format, and as track outs or stems.
Track out files are the individual files for every instrument used in the beat including but not limited to violin, guitar, kick, snare, hi-hat, and bass.
Track stems are the components of the beat grouped up. For example, drums, effects, live instruments, etc.)
Track outs are more specific, while track stems are more general.
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WHY ARE TRACK OUTS SO IMPORTANT?
Receiving track out files from your producer is essential for having a song of professional, radio-ready sounding quality. With track outs you are able to control and adjust every component of the beat and mix it to fit your vocals so that it sounds like they were made for each other as opposed to not having the track outs and just placing the vocals over the beat.
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WHAT ARE ROYALTIES?
Royalties are payments made to the copyright owners for use of their work. There are two types of royalties, Mechanical Royalties and Performance Royalties. When you purchase a license to use a beat, you have to pay royalties, but not how you think. Let’s take a look at when and how they come into play.
When the master recording is sold, the mechanical royalties are paid, the current rate for mechanical royalties coming in at $0.09 per $1.00 paid.
When it comes to performance royalties, those are paid every time the song is broadcasted or performed in any way. They are collected and distributed by Performance Rights Organizations (PROs). The amount of performance royalties the producer receives is negotiated by the artist and producer. There is no set amount for performance royalties.
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America pays the price.” —Arthur Ashe
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FEATURED MUSIC PRODUCERS
WHAT IS A PERFORMANCE RIGHTS ORGANIZATION (PRO)?
Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) helps artists and producers get paid from their musical creations by collecting royalties paid to them by radio stations, venues, and TV channels and then distributing the money to artists and producers. The biggest names in PROs in the US include ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.
WHAT IS MIXING AND MASTERING?
Mixing is the process during which the engineer tweaks and balances every track in the song to make everything flow effortlessly when played altogether.
Mastering is the process of adding the last finishing touches to the sound and consistency of the overall project, readying the songs and the album as a whole for official release and distribution.
HOW MUCH DO MUCH PRODUCERS CHARGE?
The average cost for non-exclusive mp3 licenses is between $20 to $30 with premium tracked out options ranging anywhere from $100 to $1000+. The price for exclusive can range anywhere from $500 to $1000+, taking into account that the producer will not be able to lease the beat out again.
“When bright young minds can’t afford college,
America pays the price.” —Arthur Ashe
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN COLLABORATING WITH PCCS?
When collaborating with Phase Comics Creative Studios’ Music Production team, expect nothing short of a legendary experience. We are passionate about our purpose and what we love to do, so expect that to shine through in all aspects of all that we are and all that we do.
(1) 🌑 | MEET & GREET
First, we begin with a Zoom call to virtually meet. We like to discuss your vision, goals, and deadlines for the project.
(2) 🌒 | LOCK IN
After the first meeting, should you choose to continue on to collaborate with us, we will proceed with the signing of an agreement that will be sent to you via email, as well as the project deposit.
(3) 🌓 | THE FUN BEGINS
Next, the fun begins! We will keep you updated via email every step of the way to make sure that we are headed in the right direction as we move forward with the music creation process. Also, we recommend a weekly meeting via Zoom to keep in touch further and communicate any updates, changes, and suggestions from either side.
(4) 🌔 | REVISIONS
We will go back and forth on perfecting your project until you are completely enraptured with it. Once we make the final revisions, the project will be mixed and mastered.
(5) 🌕 | CELEBRATION
Celebrate a job well done! We will send you your final files for you to use as you please, and with your permission we will also feature and share your project with our audience to help you get the word out!
Please reach out to us if you have any questions about our process! It will be our pleasure to answer any questions that you have! Email us at PhaseComics@gmail.com . Thank you for collaborating with us!
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