Recording Music, The Internet & Getting Paid

I became a member of NARAS, The Recording Academy (the organization that awards the Grammy) this year and attended my very first Grammy Party. It was in San Francisco and I had a great time. I love hanging out with other musicians, especially the ones who are out there making it happen. There are so many talented and beautiful people in the music business. I always feel at home when I am in a room with people who are passionate at the deepest level of their soul about songwriting, recording and creating music.

As you may or may not know the recording industry has been in flux over the past decade due to the massive paradigm shift called the Internet. The Internet and digital technology has changed how we listen, buy, create, record and write music. It has also changed how music creators get paid (or not) for what we do. But what remains true and what remains strong is the passion for the song, the passion to play, the love and dedication musicians have for their art.

There are currently laws being decided upon in Congress regarding digital rights, royalties and many other related topics. There is still much to be settled. It is hard to compete with "free" and the mentality of “free” that permeates the Internet, no doubt this has hurt this industry. At the same time the Internet provides enormous opportunities for musicians, it truly is a double edge sword. It is hard to say if the internet has created more problems than it has solved for musicians but one thing I can say for sure is that there has never been a time in history where there was more opportunities for a musician to create music and get it out to millions of people.

I would love to hear from you especially if you are a musician. Are you just getting started or are you selling a ton of music online? Are you giving it way to promote your performances? Are you using the Internet to get sync licensing agreements? Are you hooking up with other players are you web-casting performances? What’s working, what’s not working?

People love music, musicians love to create and play music and recording engineers love to capture and record great songs and performances. Music is the soundtrack of life. I am always interested in hearing from anyone with great ideas on the subject of using the Internet to promote music. I hope to hear from you soon.

Elizabeth

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To visit my website go to www.lizesong.com