[QUOTE=KKKKKocaine]I can play,
Drums
Clarinet
Recorder
Piano
Glockenspiel
Vibraphone
Vocals

I cannot however, even begin to understand the basic concept of guitars or other string instruments, I have amazing respect for anyone who can listen to a piece of music and work out what string the guitarist is playing, with what finger on what fret e.t.c.

However, in the band I just do vocals. :)[/QUOTE]

wow, u'r so cook! :cool: :thumb:
i wanna learn a few things too, like the glockenspie, drums, piano and clarinetl! too bad i play only the guitar. and bass, if i use pick, which is kinda like cheating... heh.

but how can u not understand the finger on what fret? i mean, that's the same as which finger on which hole (on the clarinet, not... u knmow) or on which key of the piano.

I think he means more along the lines of figuring out something by listening to the music.

[QUOTE=doggonit]
but how can u not understand the finger on what fret? i mean, that's the same as which finger on which hole (on the clarinet, not... u knmow) or on which key of the piano.[/QUOTE]

Well look at it this way, you are listening to a piece of music, and tabbing the drums, each drum has a specific noise, snare, bass drum, floor tom, mid tom, high tom, hi-hats, crash, splash, china, ride.
Now when listening to a beat, you can easily tell when the snare is being played rather than the bassdrum.
However most of the sounds created on the guitar are not from purely individual strings, but from finger placement on certain frets, which when combined with different tunings, creates a vast multitude of potential sounds, thus in my opinion, listening to someone play the guitar and working out what string and where is harder than listening to someone play the drums and saying which drum where.

[QUOTE]Just a quick question..What songs are bands expected to know when playing a party? Kkkkkocain said somewhere (at least I think its him) that having a band at a party is kind of like having a live jukebox..So what should this jukebox have in it?[/QUOTE]

That would depend entirely on the type of party, the age group and your band.
If you are playing a school or college party, you will probably want punky things like Blink 182 which can appeal across the board to people, the good old anthemns and such, the ones that have you humming on your way home.

At a wedding, you want things you can dance to more, but a little bit upbeat, not some depressing slow emo songs, something happy that everyone from little Susy to Aunty Jenniffer can get up and get their groove on to.

Those are the only two parties I can think of :p As for specific songs, Someone else will be better with that, I'm not very in touch with the more popular considered forms of music, I've heard about 3 metallica songs, 2 guns and roses, no iron maiden, No jimi hendrix and so forth :)
As a general rule though, if it sounds appropriate then it probably is :)

A little Mini Edition to make up for my massive lateness.

Do you need a demo?

Yes, You do.
In fact, if you don't have any aspirations of getting a 2-3 track demo done, you may as well not be in a band.
When you start out, every gig and other band you want to play with, will ask the same question.
Do you have anything we can listen to?
You can beg and try and reassure them that you are good all you like, it may work and it may not, but put yourself in their shoes.

I come to your house, with an order form, talk to you for a while, then announce what I am trying to sell,

"Well you see Mrs.Smith, I have made a new product, called smackowipes, they will wipe off anything from a surface, so how many can I put you down for?"

Mrs Smith "Well can I see a demonstration?"

"Oh erm... I don't have one"

Now, as silly as it is, you wouldn't buy the guys wipes, you don't know what your paying for, This is the way the venue feels, they only want you to play to bring more punters in, for their profit, if you can't show them you are professional, they will be aprehensive unless you manage to slip into a gig with some big guns under their wing.

Whilst a demo doesn't make you a great live band, or mean you have many fans, It's just an assumption, they assume that if you have a demo, then you must be committed e.t.c.
It's just a good thing to have with you, it opens up so many more possibilities for you.

Expense can be an issue, but look at it this way, Studios that are cheap and mainly used for demos will exist, they have to.
You have thousands of bands needing demo's, but not wanting to spend alot, this is a niche market, business will exist.

A demo is a great investment anyhow, once you get it, you can use it for so much.

1. Sending to venues with a presskit for gigs.
2. Sending it to local radio stations for promotion and even sometimes even playlists (be sure to include your webaddy for listeners to chase you up afterwards)
3. Other bands to convince them to let you play at their shows
4. Independant record labels
5. For handing out to fans after gigs to increase publicity

The list goes on, just take your 3 best, most catchy, and diverse songs, if you play general rock, make sure to include at least one slow ballad as well.
The point of the demo is to let people see what you can do, thus you really need your catchiest stuff on their, you need to grab the attention of the listener and make them want more.

WHEN SENDING A DEMO

The more accurate your mailing is, the more interest it garners, when it comes to labels and things, who get thousands of demo's, the most important thing is to make sure you know where you are sending it.
It sounds silly but addressing it to a specific member of their demo team will get you a better chance of being opened.

Look at it from their point of view, you wake up with 100 letters on your floor, you have 10 minutes before work, 90 of these are addressed to your house, 10 are addressed specificly to you, in your short time, which would you guess are more important?
The senders who took the time to find out your name will most likely get their way into your hands before any others.

The music industry is hard, you need to take every single effort you can to be part of that lucky 5% who make it, it's not good enough to be a good runner in the sprint, you need to take every little thing you can to make you faster than the others, even if its just shaving your head to make yourself more aerodynamic, being specific with your address makes yourself more aerodynamic, and you need that, everytime you send something to an A&R department, ask yourself this "There will be thousands of other people sending things to them, What reason do they have to open my parcel before theirs?"

In short, a demo is a wonderful thing when used correctly, It is like a guitar that can turn into a bass and then a drumkit, it serves many purposes and will definately help you if you learn to use it correctly.

I am working on the special copyright issue, should be with you soon, Sorry it's been so late coming.

Thats a good read. Thanks

....smackowipes.... good one! :lol:

Another excellent issue. :thumb:

This may have been asked/said, but on estimate....how much do recording studios usually rent out to?

[QUOTE=XemoXmoshXpitX]This may have been asked/said, but on estimate....how much do recording studios usually rent out to?[/QUOTE]

It depends really, the best thing to do, if your just recording a demo or an e.p. and you are a small band, try to avoid going to studios that have worked with bigger artists, try to stick with the smaller studios.

In the UK, A smaller studio should cost around £11 an hour.

any chance of somebody having a directory of uk studios? Might be worth setting one up.

[QUOTE=moaner]any chance of somebody having a directory of uk studios? Might be worth setting one up.[/QUOTE]

I think there are directories, but nothing definitive.

I shall try and track a few down tommorrow.

thanks

[QUOTE=KKKKKocaine]It depends really, the best thing to do, if your just recording a demo or an e.p. and you are a small band, try to avoid going to studios that have worked with bigger artists, try to stick with the smaller studios.

In the UK, A smaller studio should cost around £11 an hour.[/QUOTE]


What is the currency conversion rate thing for US? I have no idea how much that is.


EDIT: KKKKKocaine deserves some rep points for this thread.

$26.78 Australian dollars
$20.43 American dollars

I presume these are right anyway... they might not be. Sorry if they aren't. I got them off [url]http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi[/url].

Thanks again KKKKKocaine! :thumb:

[QUOTE=Trigger_003]$26.78 Australian dollars
$20.43 American dollars

I presume these are right anyway... they might not be. Sorry if they aren't. I got them off [url]http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi[/url].

Thanks again KKKKKocaine! :thumb:[/QUOTE]

I'm thinking of moving to America, I'd hate dealing in dollars though, As an Englishman you feel like your spending more than you really are.

UK Recording Studio Directories that I found
[url]http://www.aprs.co.uk/directory/apps.asp[/url]
[url]http://uk.dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/Entertainment_and_Media_Production/Audio_and_Sound/Studios/[/url]
[url]http://www.realukmusic.co.uk/realukmusic/studio/studioSeastengwebs.htm[/url]
[url]http://www.allthingsmusic.co.uk/search.php?txtCategoryID=11[/url]
[url]http://www.ukdirectory.co.uk/Entertainment/Category706860.html[/url]

Not many studios I am afraid, It's funny how you could name a minor fetish and I could probably find you reams of great sites on it, but when you want a good listing of recording studios, the intraweb falls apart.

aww, don't go to america!

You'll be back...

[QUOTE=moaner]aww, don't go to america!

You'll be back...[/QUOTE]

Don't worry, You still have at least 2 years of Band 101 left. :p

how about how to make a really good, useful website worth going to?

Sorry if you already have, I was reading throught o check and gave up at the end of page 3...

^^^^
Have a good layout, be straight to the point, don't worry if your not a html nut, just as long as it has the essential information on it. have at least 3 640X480 picutres of yourselves. A good and low quality mp3 of a song that you've done so people know what you sound like. a concise description of hte band/bio, don't go into how many dogs and cats you own and why there such an influence for your music. contact details (just to state the obivous). probably most important a good url. not something like www.yahoo.com/6g4th/(insert a long strain of numbers and letters here)/your site. they can cost a bit but if you can get a straight forward [url]www.moanersband.com[/url]

Make sure when you have your website up and running ot put the web address everywhere, cd's, stickers, band shirts, bill posters, flyerswhereever you can stick it. get the word out that your online and people will check it out

kocaine could probably doa much better job answering your question but i thought I'd just lay some basic stuff down

on the subject of getting a straghtforward domain, [url]www.cjb.net[/url] offers "URL Routing" or something, basically, you use geocities or w/e to host it, and they simply, I think, mirror your site onto whatver name you request (for instance, and nto to let a plug opportunity go to waste, my band's site is [url]http://www.tormentedreality.cjb.net[/url] which is a lot better than [url]http://www.geocities.com/tormentedrealityband[/url] don't you think? Also, excuse me for the shotty layout, I"m almost done with a new one tha'ts about 1000 times better(and by that I mean visually stimulating, way more informative, and just, better)).

[-Draz-]

[QUOTE=Drazinus]on the subject of getting a straghtforward domain, [url]www.cjb.net[/url] offers "URL Routing" or something, basically, you use geocities or w/e to host it, and they simply, I think, mirror your site onto whatver name you request (for instance, and nto to let a plug opportunity go to waste, my band's site is [url]http://www.tormentedreality.cjb.net[/url] which is a lot better than [url]http://www.geocities.com/tormentedrealityband[/url] don't you think? Also, excuse me for the shotty layout, I"m almost done with a new one tha'ts about 1000 times better(and by that I mean visually stimulating, way more informative, and just, better)).

[-Draz-][/QUOTE]


That is nice, but I've heard of people who've had problems with the CJB people being assholes and screwing them over. This is not common though, out of the thousands of people who use CJB.

But, CJB almost always cause problems with sites that use dynamic content (noted by scripts that generate URLS like http://www.yoursite.com/page/script.php(or cgi sometimes)?r208f38ru203f2309f). Examples are forum scripts like this one, some news scripts, etc. These should not be a problem if you're just going to put up a simple site, but if you're a computer loser like me or you like making fancy ****, don't use CJB.

EDIT: Oh yeah, Draz, you guys should probably work on making a more professional looking site. Looking professional is always a good thing, as I'm sure you already know. It isn't too hard, use a program like Microsoft Frontpage to help you, and if no one in your band is good with graphics, I'm sure you have a friend somewhere who'd be willing to help you out, seeing as its a fairly basic job.

A better URL router IMO is [url]www.dot.tk[/url]

my bands site is made on that: [url]www.thewithdrawals.tk[/url]

the actual site is all hosted at [url]www.50megs.com[/url], and the dot tk just redirects it to that.

[QUOTE=Itwasthatwas]EDIT: Oh yeah, Draz, you guys should probably work on making a more professional looking site. Looking professional is always a good thing, as I'm sure you already know. It isn't too hard, use a program like Microsoft Frontpage to help you, and if no one in your band is good with graphics, I'm sure you have a friend somewhere who'd be willing to help you out, seeing as its a fairly basic job.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the completely new layout that I've been working on for two weeks just got finished tonight(well, almost, I have two small things left, which should be done about 10 minutes after this post) and it's pretty much up...though geocities, as usual, is being very unrelialble as far as bandwidth goes, so it might be down by the time you read this...

As far as Frontpage goes, my mother uses Frontpage, and I criticize her for it, I use Dreamweaver, though the version you saw was used with dreamweaver, it was trhown together in about 5 minutes, and not much thought went into it, I spent countless hours before starting this layout learning different techniques, and drawing up on paper what I wanted, etc using photoshop, dreamweaver, and such, though, the visitor counter may be out of place if: you are using a browser that ISN'T Internet Explorer, or don't have the explorer window maximized, though you may experience no problems at all, I haven't had time to test it in browsers other than IE...anyways,, enough about my website...

I haven't really had any problems with, or heard of many with CJB, so those hta you have heard must indeed be rare...

Licketysplit: that site looks pretty good ,what did you use to make it?

[-Draz-]

I said frontpage in case you were a beginner, because it is a simple program. I don't use it myself, I use Dreamweaver occasionally myself, because it integrates so well with the other Macromedia products. I try not to use programs too much myself, however. Geocities irritates the **** out of me too, maybe you should try to find a better host, if you want to go to that bother. The forums at [url]www.freewebspace.net[/url] are a good place to check. Sorry if I sound like a dick in some way, its not intentional.

Licketysplit: Thats a nice website... but at first look it really doesn't look like a band website. But I guess its a matter of opinion.

Edit: Oh yeah, the problems I mentioned earlier with the dynamic content on CJB, its not just a CJB problem, its a problem with most domain routers. I don't know why it happens, but its fairly common.

[QUOTE=Drazinus]
Licketysplit: that site looks pretty good ,what did you use to make it?[/QUOTE]

thanks, I used Dreamweaver, and flash MX for the flash parts. Its taken about 2 weeks to finish it properly, im pretty much happy with it now though.

[QUOTE]Licketysplit: Thats a nice website... but at first look it really doesn't look like a band website. But I guess its a matter of opinion.[/QUOTE]

hehe I guess i just wanted to make it nice to look at, because our old one was all black and blue, and I wanted a nice background for it.

Also, did anyone see that if you click those little orange and blue buttons in the side menu, it changes the background image??

[QUOTE=Licketysplit]thanks, I used Dreamweaver, and flash MX for the flash parts. Its taken about 2 weeks to finish it properly, im pretty much happy with it now though.



hehe I guess i just wanted to make it nice to look at, because our old one was all black and blue, and I wanted a nice background for it.

Also, did anyone see that if you click those little orange and blue buttons in the side menu, it changes the background image??[/QUOTE]

Tis a fancy dan site, I'll look into the host because geocities vex me intolerably.

I love the rep system, Zakath gets thousands of points for calling people fags, I get -98 for [url]http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5372044#post5372044[/url]
Tis all in good fun though.

I'll try and get something on websites done today for you.

.tk really **** you around- you need 30 hits from different IPs iwhtin a couple of months or they close it. They also put pop-ups on selling condoms.

.. which is fair enough for a free company giving away domain names.

yeah

but I will look into these cjb people

Dreamweaver? Frontpage? Bah. I use Notepad. Our site isn't so bad, considering how I make it.

In an un-related story, could anyone tell me how/ where to get in a vocalist?

On the topic of websites:

I just finished a flash website that I have saved to my computer. Does anyone know of any free websites that will let me upload it online that don't come with banner ads. Pop-ups are okay, I just don't want banners.

[url]www.freewebs.com[/url]

If you put some really small writing saying hosted by freewebs.com it should be ok. They don't have banners either.

EDIT: if its bigger than 500kb i think you have to wait 7 days, then you can upload bigger files.

[QUOTE=KKKKKocaine]Don't worry, You still have at least 2 years of Band 101 left. :p[/QUOTE]

hurraayyy!! :D

ok, i think i'm one of the least helpful here, taking more than i give. when i get boradband(or is it cable?) i'll try to be more helpful. cannot say enough... great thread! :thumb:

[quote]In an un-related story, could anyone tell me how/ where to get in a vocalist?
[/quote]

put up ads at music shops, local stores, public notice boards, wherever you want to. Include how many members you have, what your looking for, what kindamusic you play and some bands that you either like or are influenced by (a contact number would be handy too). I found a really good bit in a mag about audtioning band members, when I get home (at schol right now) i'll type it up if you want.

[QUOTE=Licketysplit][url]www.freewebs.com[/url]

If you put some really small writing saying hosted by freewebs.com it should be ok. They don't have banners either.

EDIT: if its bigger than 500kb i think you have to wait 7 days, then you can upload bigger files.[/QUOTE]

Was it supposed to come out like this when I uploaded it?











&product=site&
&builderversion=1.1&

&bgvar=C:\Program Files\TrendyFlash Site Builder Trial\resources\theme_gallery\neutral\neutral_014.swf&
&designvar=C:\Program Files\TrendyFlash Site Builder Trial\resources\design_gallery\standard\psn001.swf&

&homeimage=smallcolorinvertbassinroom.jpg&
&homeimageposx=-164.5&
&homeimageposy=-116.6&
&homeimagescale=200&
&homeimagealpha=100&

&totalscreens=3&

&namevar=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#000000">The Sky Bleeds <FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Red</FONT>.</FONT></P>&
&sloganvar=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#3366FF">the band who never washes before dinner</FONT></P>&
&welcomevar=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#999999">The Sky Bleeds<FONT COLOR="#FF0000"> Red</FONT>.<FONT COLOR="#FF0000"></FONT></P>&

&keywords=&
&sitedescription=Local PA band&
&title=The Sky Bleeds Red&

&display=full&

&musicvar=03 - my girlfriend's dead.mp3&

&logovar=&
&logoposx=-1.1&
&logoposy=2.4&

&contacttype=info&
&contactscript=contact.asp&
&contactsuccess=Your enquiry has been received. We will get back to you shortly.&

&contacttitle=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#888888">Email at [email]philsbandinfo@yahoo.com[/email]<FONT COLOR="#000000"></FONT></P>&
&contacttext=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Please send us an email at [email]philsbandinfo@yahoo.com[/email]<FONT COLOR="#000000"></FONT></P>&

&contactfieldtitle1=name:&
&contactfieldtitle2=email:&
&contactfieldtitle3=phone:&
&contactfieldtitle4=comments:&

&hometext=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#CC0000" SIZE="20">This is the new website. We will have everything figured out ASAP!! Check the links on the right.</FONT></P>&


&titlevar3=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#003399">Multimedia</FONT></P>&
&titlevar2=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#003399">News</FONT></P>&
&titlevar1=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#003399">The Band</FONT></P>&


&textvar3=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#CC0000" SIZE="20">Buddy icons, music, wallpapers, banners, photos and such will be put up as soon as possible.</FONT></P>&
&textvar2=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#CC0000" SIZE="20">All the latest will be added to this page.<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF"></FONT></P>&
&textvar1=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#CC0000" SIZE="20">Check back later for bios.<FONT COLOR="#33FF66"></FONT></P>&


&imagevar3=&
&imagevar2=C:\Program Files\TrendyFlash Site Builder Trial\resources\image_gallery\business\busi007.jpg&
&imagevar1=C:\Program Files\TrendyFlash Site Builder Trial\resources\image_gallery\nature\nature011.jpg&


&imgposx3=-196.4&
&imgposx2=-196.4&
&imgposx1=-169.8&


&imgposy3=-72.9&
&imgposy2=-72.9&
&imgposy1=-50.75&


&imgscale3=100&
&imgscale2=100&
&imgscale1=100&


&imgalpha3=100&
&imgalpha2=100&
&imgalpha1=100&


&link1txtvar3=&
&link1txtvar2=&
&link1txtvar1=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#000000"></P><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#009900">Drum Kit</FONT></P>&


&link2txtvar3=&
&link2txtvar2=&
&link2txtvar1=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#000000"></P>&


&link1urlvar3=&
&link1urlvar2=&
&link1urlvar1=&


&link2urlvar3=&
&link2urlvar2=&
&link2urlvar1=&
















EDIT: It is a flash project file. (I think .ptr) Do I need to do one of those embedded source things or something?

[QUOTE=XemoXmoshXpitX]Was it supposed to come out like this when I uploaded it?




&product=site&
&builderversion=1.1&

&bgvar=C:\Program Files\TrendyFlash Site Builder Trial\resources\theme_gallery\neutral\neutral_014.swf&
&designvar=C:\Program Files\TrendyFlash Site Builder Trial\resources\design_gallery\standard\psn001.swf&

&homeimage=smallcolorinvertbassinroom.jpg&
&homeimageposx=-164.5&
&homeimageposy=-116.6&
&homeimagescale=200&
&homeimagealpha=100&

&totalscreens=3&

&namevar=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#000000">The Sky Bleeds <FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Red</FONT>.</FONT></P>&
&sloganvar=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#3366FF">the band who never washes before dinner</FONT></P>&
&welcomevar=<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="#999999">The Sky Bleeds<FONT COLOR="#FF0000"> Red</FONT>.<FONT COLOR="#FF0000"></FONT></P>&

[/QUOTE]

Nay.

Hey Draz, your new layout looks pretty nice, but I dunno about how easy to update an image based system of running the site. But if updating it like that is cool with you, then other than that its a really nice layout. You just might want to change the spelling mistake on the main page (under short band bio, you mispelled originally). Just pointing it out to try and help.

:eek:
New Issue!
Finally!!

Copyright, The Preforming Rights Society and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society.

One of the subjects that 90% want to know about, yet they get confused with hundreds of different contradictions.
Part of my course is the music industry, and thus covers this topic.
The organisations I refer to are English, however, They have their corresponding partners in America.

The most common question across the board is this.

"Is sending it to yourself a legal method of copyrighting work?"

In short, Yes, it gets a tiny bit more complicated when we look into what something has to 'be' to class as copyright, but essentialy, Yes, it is a legal and recognised method and is used widely.

Well lets start with the basics, What defines copyright?
For something to be copyrightable it needs to meet certain criteria, these are as follows

- The work must be original
- Set down in permament form
- Created using skill and effort

The third critea is a tad debateable, there is a piece of copyrighted music that is about 4 minutes of silence, so things can get a bit iffy on point three.

So what do you need to do to take your original work, that was created with skill and effort in it's permament form (recording, lyrics, arrangement, notation e.t.c.)
Well the entire point of sending it to yourself, is so you can prove when it was 'created', for this, you will need to use registered post (UK), in other countries, you will need to use some form of postal system that date stamps your parcel for you.
Then it is simply a matter of posting it , receiving it, and then slapping a sticker on it, and writing what is inside.
If you don't do this, you will find that if you ever need to prove your copyright, you will have hundreds of parcels and have no idea what is inside each one.

Is this a secure method?
Technicly, no, but actually, yes.
In theory, someone can send an empty parcel to themselves through the registered mail, open it with smoke or however it is you do it, stick your work inside it, then put a wax seal back over it, and claim it belongs to them.

Whilst this may seem scary, for this to occur, someone needs to know that you have done the work e.t.c.

If you are still unsure, there are two more methods of ensuring your copyright.
Stationers hall, or a bank or lawyer.
They will all charge a small fee however but it can be a little more secure, most banks have safes in which they will keep your copyrighted work.

Well, Do you need this extra security?
Probably not, you can get away with sending it to yourself, paying for the copyright is only really needed if you are really scared of theft, and the copyright is really important i.e. you write songs for companies

If you are in a small band, it doesn't matter so much, although don't let this stop you from taking out extra security if you want :)

So who collects your copyright and gives you the money you earned?

Well as a composer, your copyrights are collected by two groups.

1. The MCPS
The Mechanical Copyright Protectoin Society

They collect royalties for any mechanical copies of a work.
- Tv, Films, CD's, Websites e.t.c.
They issue licences to organisations, and then collect the copyright for the composers.
[url]http://www.mcps.co.uk[/url]

2. The PRS
Preforming Rights Society
They represent all composers, of all sorts, from death metal, to tv jingles.
- They collect royalites for members whenever their music is preformed or broadcast
They Issue licences to clubs, radio's e.t.c. and collect the royalties.
Large groups such as the BBC provide accurate lists of what they have played in a year, smaller clubs and pubs are visited by researches who compile data on what songs are played the most often to work out charges.
[url]http://www.prs.co.uk[/url]

That was just a short overview of copyright, by no means indepth, but just enough to watch your back.

[B]
Websites[/B]

If you do not have a website, you have just shot yourself in the foot, twice, with a gun.
In the current age, if you want information on something, you go to the internet 9 times out of ten, if you see a good band you will most likely type their name into google to find out more.
If you do not have a site, you have just lost a potential fan, It doesn't have to be flash, in fact, it doesn't need much on at all, at the very least, it needs contact information and a gig list so people can see you and get in touch with you.
Most sites will have more, but at the very least have a page with the correct contact details on.
Here is a test to do to see how easy you are to get in contact with.
Go onto google, type in your bands name, maybe paired with one of your songs, and see where you are in the result page.
My band is lucky enough to be on hits 1-4, but other sites are not, and if you cannot find your own band, How can a fan from the gig last night hope to find you?

Remedies to this situation?
Well in a live situation calling out your URL will probably bring no new visitors, they probably won't be able to hear you.
However, you can print off the url on tiny strips of paper, cut it up, and simply cellotape it to the tables.
Reading in a loud enviroment is easy than listening in one.
Or if you mark the people at the gig with pen to show they have paid, how about writing part of your url on their hand?
Say your band is robot pledge, your URL is [url]http://www.robot-pledge.tk[/url]
Just write down
"robot-pledge.tk"

Geocities accounts won't work so well with this idea :p

It may also be an idea, once you have sorted out how to find your own site, to create an easy to remember email account purely for the band mail, it removes the possibility of you accidently deleting mail to your band, it will also be easier to remember.

[email]robot_pledge@hotmail.com[/email] Is much easier for a fan/venue/promoter to remember than
[email]mark69footballhero@hotmail.com[/email], the key to all of this, is to make contacting you as easy as possible, the music industry is hard as hell, you need every extra advantage you can get.

Suggest some things for the next Issue, I shall try and get it done in a couple of days rather than months this time :)

Another nice article, awesome work.

Band investments may make a good article.