The RESOURCES page is the place to find articles on music and How To's on everything related to music. Want to know how to promote your band? Want to know how to make a good recording? Need to pick up a recall sheet, or maybe find the best places on the web to get reviews? Here's where you can find it all!

Songwriters : Gear Resources : Technical Resources : Organizations : How To : Trade Associations Trade Shows : Workshops : Informational Sites

Songwriters:

::Local::
West Coast Songwriters
Formerly Northern California Songwriters Association. WCS Is an Industry Leader Dedicated to Providing the Environment, Opportunities, and Tools to Nurture, Educate and Promote Songwriters.

Winger's Songwriter Party

Downloads for Songwriters: (Courtesy of Gravelsauce Music) First, make sure your work is properly copyrighted. You own the copyright on a work as soon as you create it. It is still important to protect yourself legally. There are two distinct entities here. Copyrighting the song and copyrighting the sound recording. In general you use form PA to register a copyright on the song and form SR to register a copyright on the sound recording. If you are a solo artist it is possible to use a single form SR for both purposes. Listed below are links to the forms and instructions.

A couple of notes, in general the short form PA can be used. Also, you do not have to pay the $30.00 fee for each song. As long as the songwriters are allthe same for each work, register it as a collection for a single fee.
Form PA.pdf
Short Form PA.pdf
How to information for form PA
Form SR.pdf

How to information for form SR
Second, register yourself as a writer with a performance rights organization. Gravelsauce is affiliated with ASCAP but you do not necessarily have to be. Below are the instructions on how to join ASCAP, BMI or SESAC. Registration is free. Why is this important? Because this is where songwriters will make the majority of their money over the course of a career. These organizations collect money for every use of your song. This includes radio play, television and movie usage and even live performances.
How to join ASCAP
How to join BMI
How To Join SESAC

::National::
ASCAP
ASCAP is a membership association of over 200,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization created and controlled by composers, songwriters and music publishers, with a Board of Directors elected by and from the membership. ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. ASCAP's licensees encompass all who want to perform copyrighted music publicly. ASCAP makes giving and obtaining permission to perform music simple for both creators and users of music.

BMI
BMI is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music. The non-profit-making company, founded in 1939, collects license fees on behalf of those American creators it represents, as well as thousands of creators from around the world who chose BMI for representation in the United States. The license fees BMI collects for the "public performances" of its repertoire of more than 6.5 million compositions - including radio airplay, broadcast and cable television carriage, Internet and live and recorded performances by all other users of music - are then distributed as royalties to the writers, composers and copyright holders it represents.

Performing Songwriter
Songwriters write, perform, and record their music-which makes them among the most technologically savvy of anyone in the music business. Performing Songwriter is the only magazine that speaks directly to this exclusive and untapped market, finally providing a single publication that covers the needs of previously segmented consumers. The editorial covers everything from finding inspiration to the tools necessary for songwriters to get their music on stage, in the studio, and into the hands of listeners. Established in 1993, Performing Songwriter is published 8 times a year, distributed internationally, and each issue has an additional targeted circulation to consumers who will spend $51 million this year on writing, performing, and recording products.

SongwriterUniverse
Empowering the Songwriter

Gear Related:

::Tape::
Emtec
blank optical and magnetic media manufacturer

General Levels and Info - by Justin Lieberman

2 Track Alignement - By Justin Lieberman

Quantegy
blank optical and magnetic media manufacturer (well, it was) ::Recall Sheets::
Barry Rudolph
General purpose sheet - by Mike Wells
Cranesong Hedd - by Mike Wells
GML 9500 - by Mike Wells
Tube Tech SMC-2B - by Mike Wells
SPL Tube Vitalizer - by Mike Wells
Manley Vari-Mu template
Millennia Media TCL-2 template

::Technical Information::
dB Voltage Value
Flux Chart
Harmonic Series
Tape Bias

Technical Resources:

AES Standards Committee
developing technical standards, often adopted worldwide
ANSI
American National Standards Institute
CD-Recordable FAQ
useful summary of CD-R technical information
CNET
computer-oriented searchable resource
Codec Central
summarizes data compression formats used for streaming
Dolby Technical Information
white papers, tech notes, production tips and worksheets
DVD jumpstation
links to specifications and articles
DVD+RW
industry home for the DVD+Rewritable format
IEEE Standards Association
within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
ISO
International Organization for Standardization
MPEG Home Page
the ISO committee which gave birth to "MP3"
QDesign
leading low bitrate format
Sonic Control
digital music creation, technical content, magazine format
TechWeb
CMP's searchable news targeted to information technology professionals and computer geeks, provided by a major trade magazine publisher
Usenet Archives
since Google bought Deja.com, the searchable archive of great newsgroups such as rec.audio.pro are still in beta testing
W3C
World Wide Web Consortium develops Internet standards
Yahoo! Newsgroups
list of discussion groups on technical audio topics
Ziff-Davis' ZDNet
more computer-oriented searchable news

Organizations:

::Local::
University of San Francisco Music Dept.

Musicians Union Local 6
The Musicians Union Local 6 is a labor union for professional musicians. Its goal is to improve the economic status, social position and general welfare of its members.

::National::
AES
The Audio Engineering Society now in its fifth decade, is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology.
AFM
The American Federation of Musicians is the largest organization in the world representing the interests of professional musicians. The AFM is committed to raising industry standards and placing the professional musician in the foreground of the cultural landscape.
AGMA
American Guild of Musical Artists is the labor organization that represents the men and women who create America's operatic, choral and dance heritage.
H.E.A.R. (founded by local musicians)
Hearing Education & Awareness for Rockers H.E.A.R.'s mission is the prevention of hearing loss and tinnitus among musicians and music fans (especially teens) through education awareness and grassroots outreach advocacy.
JFA
The Jazz Foundation of America was created in 1989 to help insure that the musicians who have spent their lives bringing jazz to life are taken care of in their later years.
LIFEbeat
LIFEbeat is dedicated to reaching America's youth with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention. LIFEbeat mobilizes the talents and resources of the music industry to raise awareness and to provide support to the AIDS community.
MAP
All efforts of the Musicians' Assistance Program are motivated by the desire to assist the music industry in providing solutions to drug and alcohol addiction within its community, and to impart a message of prevention to the musicians of tomorrow.
Music Maker Relief Foundation
Music Maker Relief Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern musical traditions gain recognition and meet their day to day needs. Today, many such musicians are living in extreme poverty and need food, shelter, medical care, and other assistance. Music Maker's aid and service programs improve the quality of recipients' lives.
MyMusicJob.com
MyMusicJob.com was created to provide assistance to those who make their living in the day to day, not always glamorous but usually fulfilling, music industry. All employers are welcome to post their music related jobs here for free.
The National Music Foundation
The National Music Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and celebrate American music through educational programs.
NARAS
National Academy of Recording Arts &
Sciences
The Rhythm & Blues Foundation
Society of Singers
SPARS
Society of Professional Recording Services

How To:

The Importance of Azimuth
Better Home Recording
Dennis Leeuw's Connectivity Site
Drum Mike Placement
General How To Tape Alignent
How to Bake Tape

How to Mic a Guitar AmpKohn On Music Licensing
music licensing & primer

Mic Usage

Trade Associations:

AES
Audio Engineering Society
ASCAP
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
BMI
Broadcast Music, Inc.
IFPI
RIAA-affiliated international recording industry association
IRMA
International Recording Media Association
NAMM
International Music Products Association
NARM
National Association of Recording Merchandisers
RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
SESAC
performing rights organization
SPARS
Society of Professional Audio Recording Services

Trade Shows:

AES
U.S. and international conferences on many topics
CES
thousands of new consumer technology products debut at the International Consumer Electronics Show
Comdex
incredibly massive computer-related event
EAT'M
Emerging Artists and Talent in Music
MIDEM
Cannes, France music exhibition provides worldwide dealmaking opportunities
NAMM
International Music Market connects gear and instrument manufacturers with music stores and educators
NEMO Boston
talent showcases and industry panels and exhibits
SXSW
Austin's South by Southwest combines music, film and new media in a hip regional happening
TSNN
Trade Show News Network provides information about thousands of trade shows

Workshops, Lessons & More:

Blue Bear School of American Music, SF
Bandworks, Oakland & San Rafael
Red House, Walnut Creek

Information Sites:

CD-info
resource for factual information, including industrial directories
OneOff Media
more than just CD-R (enjoyable History of CD)
Legal Information Institute
United States Code online
U.S. Copyright Office
copyright basics and current topics
Writ at FindLaw
legal commentary including intellectual property issues