How Vinyl Records Are Made
What is a Vinyl Record? Vinyl records are flat discs made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a type of plastic known for its durability. Unlike early records made of shellac or wax, modern vinyl records use this material for its strength and sound quality. These records are engraved with grooves that store sound waves, allowing music to be reproduced when played with a stylus (needle). Vinyl’s evolution from early materials to modern PVC has made it the preferred format for music lovers today. Vinyl records are as much a work of art as they are a music format. From mastering to pressing, every step in the process reflects a blend of craftsmanship and technology, making each record a unique piece of music history.
SESAC Music Group Acquires Rights Management Company HAAWK
SESAC Music Group has acquired HAAWK, a media software and services company that specializes in copyright management and monetization for independent music, film, TV, and video catalogs. HAAWK, founded in 2017 by Ryan Born, provides comprehensive administration for YouTube’s Content ID and Facebook’s Rights Manager platforms and serves a variety of record labels, publishers, and rights holders. The company also operates Diistro, a distribution service, and Keyframe Audio, a micro-sync music licensing platform. The acquisition of HAAWK is the latest in a series of deals for SESAC. In recent years, the company acquired organizations such as Music Services, AudioSalad, Audiam, and the Harry Fox Agency, continuing its growth and expansion within the music rights and administration sector.
Music publishers and streaming services: ‘We need to work together…’
With Spotify at loggerheads with the NMPA in the US again, 2024 is a sensitive moment for the relationships between music publishers and streaming services. A panel at this month’s inaugural Music Ally Publishing Summit, moderated by Laffittes founder Jane Dyball, considered the landscape.
“In the early days of conversations, you almost felt that your role was one of translator between the services and the rightsholders. They were almost speaking different languages,” said Ben McEwen, CCO at licensing hub ICE. “I think we’ve moved on considerably beyond that. The challenges in the conversations have evolved… Both sides are talking the same language, and there’s much more of an understanding of the issues. It doesn’t mean you necessarily agree on the issues!”
One challenge cited by McEwen was that with a slowdown in growth for streaming some services are “even more focused on issues around margin than they’ve ever been” – potentially leading to a more hawkish stance in licensing negotiations. He also noted that most of the big music services are part of much larger tech companies.
U.S. CD Sales Are Down 19.1% Year Over Year, Billboard’s Luminate Data Breakdown Shows — A Stark Contrast to the RIAA’s H1 2024 Sales Stats
It’s a tale of two CD sales stats: Luminate is pointing to a 19.1% year-over-year falloff in the format’s stateside units moved – a stark contrast to the 3.3% YoY units-sold growth attached to the same category for H1 2024 by the
RIAA. The data discrepancy has entered the media spotlight on the heels of Billboard’s removal of Luminate-powered vinyl sales figures. And that step arrived against the backdrop of a DMN Pro investigation into vinyl’s 33.3% year-over-year commercial slip in the States as (previously) displayed on Billboard. Now, with the vinyl debate far from settled, additional questions are being raised on the CD side – in part because of Billboard’s present breakdown of the format’s U.S. sales.
According to the appropriate Luminate-based resource’s “Album Consumption Units By Format” section, CD sales in the category have numbered 22.2 million during 2024, down 19.1% year over year from 2023’s 27.4 million. Consequently, it’ll be interesting to see whether the relevant stats join their vinyl counterparts in being removed, perhaps temporarily, from Billboard’s “Market Watch” data.
Primary Wave Music Partners with the Estate of Jerry Jeff Walker
Primary Wave Music announces a partnership with the estate of legendary country and folk singer-songwriter, Jerry Jeff Walker.
Leading independent publisher Primary Wave Music has announced a new partnership with the estate of legendary country and folk singer-songwriter, Jerry Jeff Walker. Terms of the deal include partnering with the estate on Walker’s music publishing catalog, as well as his recording copyrights and artist royalties. The new relationship will also provide access to the estate to Primary Wave’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, working closely on new marketing, branding, digital, and synch opportunities, as well as film and television projects.The deal also includes an agreement for Jerry Jeff Walker’s recorded masters, in partnership with his label Tried & True Music, to be released and distributed through the legendary Sun Records. For future releases, Sun Records will provide overall catalog marketing strategy, including streaming, social media marketing, and physical releases.
How to Know When It’s Time to Remix
If the lead vocal lacks punch, or the whole track feels static rather than energetic, then it’s usually best to go back to the multitrack and do it again Many pros believe that a really good song can withstand a few minor technical glitches, and caution against obsessive retooling of the recorded work. If for instance the whole track seems overly bright (or, conversely, leans bass-heavy), you can often remedy the problem by making a few EQ adjustments using your editing software. Or if there are only a few offending segments, you could conceivably rework just those parts and weave them back into the master mix.
But if the problems aren’t as simple as all that—such as when the lead vocal lacks punch, or the whole track feels static rather than energetic—then it’s usually best to go back to the multitrack and try again.
A2IM,
SAG-AFTRA and More Call Out TikTok Over Abrupt Merlin Split: ‘The Latest Example of the Platform Doing Whatever It Can to Avoid Compensating Artists Fairly’
It’s safe to say the indie music community isn’t a fan of TikTok, which is facing a fresh wave of criticism ahead of its Merlin agreement’s quick-approaching expiration.
The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), the Artist Rights Alliance (ARA), the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), and other organizations today expressed this criticism in a joint statement. As many know, the
popular-but-controversial TikTok has decided not to renew its pact with indie collective Merlin, instead opting to explore direct deals with the appropriate labels. Earlier in October, leaks suggested that the proposed take-it-or-leave-it terms would in several instances pay substantially less than under the Merlin tie-up.
Federal Trade Commission Implements ‘Click to Cancel’ Rule Affecting Music Streaming Services and Many Others
It’s about to get easier to cancel subscriptions in the U.S. – at least according to three of the FTC’s five commissioners, who have voted in favor of a “click to cancel” rule that will purportedly “make it as easy for consumers to cancel their enrollment as it was to sign up.”
Said rule represents one component of a modification to the FTC’s broader negative option rule. The latter dates back to 1973 and, in a nutshell, concerns products and services delivered automatically under a prior agreement in the absence of a proactive cancellation from the consumer.
That was, of course, long before digital subscriptions and even the internet had arrived on the scene – meaning that the measure allegedly stops short of reaching contemporary streaming offerings and other negative option services. It’s a violation of the rule and “an unfair or deceptive act or practice” under the FTC Act for negative option sellers “to fail to provide a simple mechanism for a consumer to cancel,” the regulation spells out. Also prohibited is preventing consumers from
avoiding charges (including for an increased amount) or taking steps to “immediately stop any recurring” charges.
The MLC v. Spotify Legal Battle Keeps Getting Uglier — Bitter Dispute Unfolds Over ‘Extremely Broad’ and ‘Invasive’ Discovery Demands
Just when you thought the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) v. Spotify lawsuit couldn’t get any uglier, the two are now embroiled in a bitter discovery dispute.
Both the MLC and the streaming platform illustrated the scope of this dispute today, in letters to the presiding judge about their respective qualms. For those who’ve been following the underlying courtroom confrontation even casually, these discovery hang-ups won’t come as a surprise. Long story short, Spotify is paying materially less in U.S. mechanicals after abruptly deeming its main subscription packages bundles (and, for royalty-calculation purposes, reclassifying the involved accounts) owing to the addition of audiobook listening. In a nutshell, the Phonorecords IV determination for on-demand streaming treats bundled revenue far differently than it does revenue from standalone music-only packages.
The streaming giant says the move is above board, the MLC is adamant that the packages don’t constitute bundles, and millions in (allegedly unpaid) royalties are hanging in the balance as a result.
Why a good microphone stand is at least as important as any studio essential.
Few studio items see more action than your microphone stands, therefore it pays to invest in a few quality models. Here we consider what to look for, including different sized stands, the importance of a heavy base and counterweight, adjustability, and more Spending money on studio equipment is more fun when it’s something sexy like a new recorder or effects unit, but when it comes to hardware essentials, we’re more likely to drag our feet. Take microphone stands, for instance—a couple of metal poles held together with a few tighteners and a holder on the end for your mic. What’s the big deal? Which is why many of us still make do with the same old creaky stands that have been in service for eons.
In reality, your stands are at least as important as any studio essential. If you want to keep your pricey condenser mic from suddenly falling six feet to its demise or ensure that a boom arm stays in a fixed position, then a well-made mic stand may be in your future.