Eat, Sleep, Write: 5 Useful Apps For Every Musician/Songwriter

Smartphone apps are truly changing the world. Music apps have been used in music education for some time, but most of them only cover the basics. Instead of just teaching you the basics, there are many apps that can help you find inspiration and facilitate your entire recording process.

To help you write and records more songs, we’ve assembled this list of the 5 most useful apps that every musician needs. It might take some time to get used to utilizing apps to boost your creations, but they’re incredibly helpful in the long run. Add them to your daily writing/recording routine and you will see massive improvements.

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Understanding The Benefits Of The Music Modernization Act

The Music Modernization Act (“MMA”) has finally passed both the Senate and the House after the herculean efforts of some individuals and organizations who worked tirelessly to negotiate compromises to accommodate all sides. The MMA will finally move the recorded music industry forward in a way that should facilitate more artists and songwriters being able to make a fair living from making music. The MMA proposes to reform the music licensing landscape in several substantive ways to benefit artists and songwriters.

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Kurt Cobain & Elliott Smith – Seattle & Portland: 2 Songwriters, 2 Cities, 1 Spirit Of DIY

Kurt Cobain and Elliott Smith are two musicians who share more than just a North West residency. Fiercely independent, and committed to doing things their own way, they epitomize the vibes of Seattle and Portland respectively.

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Songwriters Beware Of The Music Modernization Act (H.r. 4706)

The stage is set for a brutal tug-of-war over tens of millions of dollars between individual songwriters and their publishers. H.R. 4706, also known as the Music Modernization Act, provides many benefits and updates to the arcane royalty structure of US copyright law. However, there are some provisions concerning unclaimed and unmatched monies which, as currently drafted, could lead to a myriad of problems for creators.

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Metadata Schemetadata? Here's Why You Should Care

Metadata. Google defines metadata as:  a set of data that describes and

gives information about other data.  So how does this apply to music?  

Well, imagine you have burned this wonderful CD of music that you are

going to hand to music professionals at a music conference.

 The music is your latest and greatest.  You meet some professionals,

publishers& music supervisors and give them your CD.

 They go back to their office, put the CD into their computer and then they see:

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How Music Production Costs Are Impacting Songwriters

Maybe you have written some good song lyrics and believe you’re a good songwriter (or at least have been told so). So now, all you need to make it big is to record the right songs that will get picked up by a major label, artist, or publisher, right?

Well, not exactly. Not according to industry statistics, which have painted a dismal picture for the music creation fraternity; especially songwriters. To begin with, approximately 19 out of every 20 songwriters, who have had their music published, do not earn enough from their craft to live comfortably. That is, according to figures released by several performing rights organizations in the U.S.

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URGENT NOTICE: Department Of Justice Deals Devastating Blow To America's Songwriters

The NMPA and other songwriter and music publisher organizations have come out strongly against the recent decision by the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) which dealt a massive blow to America’s songwriters. After a two year review of the consent decrees that govern ASCAP and BMI, career lawyers who were never elected nor confirmed to their positions, led by a lawyer who previously worked with Google, determined that songwriters should have even fewer rights, less control over their intellectual property and be treated more unfairly than they already are being treated. The DOJ ignored the voices of copyright experts, members of Congress and thousands of songwriters and delivered a huge gift to tech companies who already benefit from egregiously low rates.

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Why It Is Important To Keep Your Songwriting Clean And Basic For Your Listeners

In creating songs, one of the best things you can do is to keep your songwriting as simple as possible. Keeping it simple does not mean lightweight or nonsensical or adding a lot of fluff, it simply means maintaining clarity so that your listeners don’t have to be doing mental gymnastics to keep up.

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How Songwriters Can Emotionally Connect With Their Audience

Dave Grohl, arguably one of the best songwriters of his generation, highlights the importance of being able to connect your songs to your audience. The best songs, and the longest lasting songs are the ones that are able to connect to listeners across generations, and across popular fads. But how can modern songwriters accomplish this? In today’s world, everything is constantly changing, and what people want from their music is constantly changing with it. By following these simple but yet helpful tips, you will find your songs become deeper, and more accessible to your audience.

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