I have a seriouse problem, need help.

[andreas]

Hello all.
I have a predicament I don't know how I should deal with.
I have been contacted by this girl to do beats for her CD, and it's gonna (hopelly) be dropped by Sony BMG in new york. So it's a big brake for me, a chance seldom seen.

Now for the predicament. The studiofucks making her album won't be apart of it if they can't re-record the whole thing.. This because they'll get money as musicians from the cd in that case. So if I agree that they can do this It won't be my beats the way I want em. And if I say now, they won't do the CD with her. You see my problem.

They have said that they'r recording the beats the same way I did. But hey, it'll never sound the same. It'll be beats with my melodies and with the same instruments.

I will still have tho copyright and the right for my beats. But dudes, do you see my seat?

I really wanna do stuff my way. And the girl singin wants the beats my way aswell... It's just these studio muckerfuckers messing it up.


Help and consultation plz.

Thanks
Andreas courtesy of www.andreasbeats.com Euphonic Productions

 

[Cleverwon]

Ask God. He'll have the best advice than anyone in here. (God is a member of IllMuzik, i'm not saying to pray. lol. Since youre new, you probly dont know about him yet.)

 

[andreas]

No I don't.. who is he?

 

[dahkter]

Hey Andreas,
First of all, really liked your beats in the showcase last week, nice stuff.

Next, regarding your issue above, sounds awesome, be thankful to be in demand and in the right place at the right time. After being thankful and humble, make sure you get full publishing for all of the music on these songs. If you're not already registered with ASCAP or BMI (or the Swedish equivalent) take care of that immediately.

You may want to speak to an entertainment lawyer and get as much from the Sony/BMG in writing. When working with a big label, better to have your lawyer sign off on all of the paperwork from beginning to end (in case they try to write you off late in the game).

FYI, this situation of you're doing the rough mixes, and the label bringing in session players to replay your music is fairly common. It should turn out pretty nice.

Best of luck and congratulations.
EZ
Dahkter

Oh yeah, goes without saying, seek out as much help and info as possible from the internet, these boards, other musicians, lawyers, books, etc. These are my opinions above, just be sure to be cool and approachable, if you're good to these people, less chance of being screwed over.

 

[Cleverwon]

I think he is some kind of A&R or something. Nobody knows for sure, but he is actively working in the music business and has a good understanding of alot of things. I would PM him.

 

[StressWon]

andreas,,,peep this,,,PM the dude, he's good to talk too and will help you out.


https://www.illmuzik.com/forums/member.php?u=726

Good Luck!

 

[Paul_Caruso]

The thing is, it's best to be a part of something big than 100% of jack shit!

With that said, get the best advice you can and try to minimise how much you get ripped off.

 

[Formant024]

ask big money and leave if they want to use you like that, no credit for you then mo money... Dont take shit like" if not we cant do the cd...". You probably a nice guy but this is business and they aint acting nice.

 

[ron herman]

Ive seen this done before, especially if your using samples. I know its expensive but you really need to get a lawyer, since it seems you dont have a relationship with these people.
Interesting thing is if they get musicians to come in and replay the songs and there is someone else supervising the project, technically you are no longer the producer. They should pay you something. The main point is that they are feeling the way you did the songs. Although you may not get big dollars off of this project it is a chance to get in and build relationships, rub elbows and make contacts. This could be a greater pay off in the long run. Dont lose a war over one battle.

 

[bigdmakintrax]

I would be very careful man, did you know that only a certain % of your song has to be altered for it to be deemed a whole new work if someone copyrights it and you sent them the CD and they build or steal elements..(and permission to use it might be implied from you giving them the cd or some communication you gave them)...from what you are telling me it sounds like they want to take your idea and build new songs....I would be very leary man.....like I said if you get into copyright litigation and you are without a good deal of cash and lawyer........it might take years to win and also if it becomes a hit by they time whoever stole your shidd most of the time the major players will have gotten their checks and made their money while you still standing their with your hand out for you part....from what I understand litigation concerning music and whether someone stole your idea is a legal nightmare and a lot of times its not as easy to prove you were jacked as you might think....just be careful in this situation....because you would be surprised at what some musicians that play live might come up with from your original ideas......no dis to God but he is not the only one with good advice, the site has a wealth of knowledge...(any lawyers here?)LOL and I have claimed no affiliations with some major record label or any of that....just research, spending lots of money on conferences, reading and educating myself.....and also being a member of ascap for 5 years now....I would advise anyone even getting into any dealings with your music to look at increasing your knowledge by getting involved in organizations and networking....advice from other people are good but nothing beats a good lawyer, credible legal advice in the area of music, finding out for yourself or being a member of a publishing company or society of people that know how that sort of thing works.....

 

[Formant024]

hehe, sell it and keep the mechanical rights and give them the credits, if they dont agree on those terms, raise the price. If they keep trying to ride you then I'd back off, not worth it..

 

[andreas]

Thanks for those advises dudes.. Thanks alot. And to ron herman, I don't use samples so It's not a question about them wanting to get around the sampling issue.. They just wanna have all the money as musicians on the cd. That's what it's all about, And I think that the fact the she wanted my beats infront of theirs ticked them off so they wanna assfuck me now.. Trained musicians get second by a homeproducer from sweden.. I think there's what's really bothering them.

But for real. Thanks,. Will take it all into consideration

Peace dudes

 

[ron herman]

Thanks for those advises dudes.. Thanks alot. And to ron herman, I don't use samples so It's not a question about them wanting to get around the sampling issue.. They just wanna have all the money as musicians on the cd. That's what it's all about, And I think that the fact the she wanted my beats infront of theirs ticked them off so they wanna assfuck me now.. Trained musicians get second by a homeproducer from sweden.. I think there's what's really bothering them.

But for real. Thanks,. Will take it all into consideration

Peace dudes

Word I understand. On the real you will see a lot more "home producers", beat makers etc. being able to compose a complete song as apposed to "musicians". Im not sure what it is maybe being caught in the whole obssession with improvisation. Ive been in studios with musicians and they will be damn near snapping there neck to a song I have made. No ego stroking, seriously feeling the beat. But at some point they will tell you something like " all the notes are in A minor",or "It needs a bridge." Im like whatever. Its hot. My uncle is a jazz guitarist I hear this crap all the time. Or the keyboard sounds are cool but its not the real thing. Dont let the situation make you bitter. Get a lawyer. Get your politic on. Make them contacts. If it boils down to a complete no go. Make it a cool no go.

 

[God]

No dis to bigd but litigation will screw this kid over and blacklist him. He has to play both sides like Janus. Smile and backstab the bastards.

First, I don't know what country you're dealing with. Is it Sweden? There are different laws regarding specific markets or the EU. If it's the EU, I don't know specifically what are the laws. Remember:

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT SPECIFIED AT ANYBODY. IF FACT, TAKE IT AS FICTION. DO NOT DO THIS, IT IS NOT ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A LAWYER FOR ANYTHING REGARDING MONEY AND LEGAL ACTION OR RIGHTS OR ANYTHING.

First I'm worried about your "girl" that wants to push your beats. It sounds like she's being cool with you, but she'd jump ship if somebody waves more cash in her face. Have someone that she doesn't know call her, and have them hustle her by telling her that they are from some record company, and that they heard about her and have a great amount of beats for her and good stuff lined up for her, and that they have better contacts than the contacts her current studio idiots have.

Obviously, you don't promise her anything, just see if she 'bites' at this, like a fish. See if she would jump at this. Don't call from your friend's cel number, in fact, call from the lobby of a radio station or record company in your area. Then she'll check the number and see that it looks legit.

What you're trying to see is if SHE is loyal to you. I think she's on their side, and trying to get your beats, which are good, into the studio cats' hands, so that SHE can progress with HER album.

Then, it's obvious with the "re-record" you will be screwed over and never see a dime. The guys know what they are doing. And, honestly, if I was them, I would screw you over too if I had the chance by doing the rerecord. Face it, you don't have enough money to pursue litigation in an after the fact matter should any of the music face the radiowaves.

So how do you defend yourself? Consult a lawyer, and see what they say, but don't tell ANYBODY that you went to see a lawyer. The lawyer will give you the right advice regarding the country you're in.

Give me this info, so I can proceed with knowing more about the situation.

What is the label/distributor she is working with?
What country/market are you in? (Sweden?)
Who are these studio idiots and who is their connection to the higher ups in the label?
What specific rights do you own and who/what country did you register them in?

The screwed up thing is that they are trying to screw you over and will most likely succeed. If you're really interested in pursuing this, first, see a lawyer, and find an agent that can shop your beats.

THE ABOVE WAS NOT ADVICE. DO NOT FOLLOW IT. ALWAYS CONSULT A LAWYER.

peace

 

[andreas]

God thank you for the advice. Since I posted this there's been some updates to the situation.

AS fo twhat you said "find an agent that can shop your beats". We'll that's what I'll do. And this guy, has his own publishing company, is also my best friend so I know he wont fuck me over.

As for the tracks. We jointly decided to put the tracks on hold untill we can make it the way we want it, with my beats and no meddling from stupid studiofolk.
Cus she want's my beats intact and we both decided this is thge best idea. So now it's a matter of doing it ourselves, but my friend the publisher has a studio he can ship us to here in my hometown Linköping Sweden.
Thanks man for the advice. I know they'd fucked me good. They'd fuck her aswell, and that's not so nice of em. So we've as I said put it on hold for the mo.

Thanks all.. / Andreas