Marley Marl v. Snoop Dogg: The Intricacies of Copyright Law

When it comes to writing music and making a career out of it, copyright law is extremely important. For any musician, DJ, producer, engineer, music supervisor or anybody who may sample music for their project they must understand copyright law to ensure they aren't infringing upon other's rights. If someone feels they have a case that you are infringing on their copyrights you can be sued and lose a lot of money.

The following is a great video featuring Coe Ramsey of Raleigh, North Carolina explaining copyright law and how it has effected artists many of us know and love.

6 Reasons Why It's Important For Bands To Tour

For many bands who are reaching their year anniversaries they are beginning to look at getting on the road and playing in new cities. When it comes to touring there seems to be two major factors that hold bands back; Money and Scheduling. While touring can be fun sometimes it's better to start out by doing weekend warriors.

What is a weekend warrior? It is when a band goes on the road for only a few days to to play a handful of shows in new cities. It is a great way to save money and help ease scheduling for the band. Often the scheduling problem is due to the band member's need to work, which ties back into the money problems. As many who are reading this know first hand, most tours for local bands don't really make money.

While there is not a lot of money in hitting the road, even for weekend warriors, there is a lot of good that comes from it.

1. Learn To Handle Each Other - One thing I hear all the time is being in a band is exactly like being in a relationship, which I find to be quite true. In some ways it is even harder because not only are there more people to deal with in a band you also have to click musically with each other. One big step in seeing if your band can handle being a band is by going on the road with each other, just like when a couple moves in together. You are with everyone in a van or car the majority of the day having to drive through areas that aren't familiar and once you get to the venue you have to work together to unload the van and setup any merch. Even on a weekend warrior you will quickly find which members will butt heads and who has a short temper.

2. Musical Development - When bands begin to tour they start to come across a lot more music of varying styles. Not only do musicians hear lots of new music but they often befriend members of the bands making the music. It is very common for musicians to talk about what they do with each other, sometimes they might even teach each other how to play their songs. One of the best ways to learn new styles and techniques is by getting out and about, which is best done by going on the road.

3. Set Development - Just like musical development, set development is very important. By traveling and seeing the different ways bands from across the country develop their sets you may find new things you want to try in your own band. By having a well thought out set bands can draw in the crowd and create a better energy overall. Whether it be how to intro your band, how to transition between songs, ways to have audience interaction and involvement, or just how to end your set, developing a guideline for your set makes it much more interesting.

4. Networking - When it comes to being in a band you want to always be networking because you never know who might have an amazing opportunity for you. Learn how to meet new people and make an impact so they remember you. Just by playing the venue you are already establishing a relationship with the people who are there that night. So even on a weekend warrior where you play two shows in a three day period, that is a lot of new connections. Always be sure to talk to everyone while on tour, and I mean everyone. Cashiers, waiters, fast food employees, or random people on the street…just learn how to start a conversation with a stranger. You never know who can be a new fan or a big help to your musical career.

5. Learn If Being In A Band Is For You- When it comes to being in a professional band the majority of your time will be spent on the road. If you spend a week on the road and don't really enjoy yourself then you might want to rethink whether this is for you. Just imagine then spending 30 days doing that…or even 8 months of every year. On the reverse, after one week on the road you may find yourself dreaming of being back on the road meeting new people and partying in cities you've never heard of before.

6. Expand Your Fan-Base - This is one of the most obvious reasons to go on tour...get new fans. Just like networking you need to learn how to start talking to people and learn how to introduce your music to them, even if you aren't at a show. When on tour always have CD sampler to hand out for free and have something to instantly sample your songs (easy to do with a smart phone). New fans are lurking everywhere, you just need to make a connection 

Will We Ever Run Out of Music?

Is there an infinite amount of music? Will we ever reach a point where you cannot physically make a new original song? 

In this video Michael of Vsauce talks about the mathematics behind the number of possible songs and other factors which may have  bearing on the answer. 

11 Essentials for Bands on Tour

Being on tour and living out of a van (and trailer if you're lucky) has a lot of ups and downs. When it comes to living on the road with your band there are some tricks to make the ride much smoother. For those bands who are new to life on the road there are some things they should know before heading out. Here are 11 essentials that every touring band should have…

1. Baby-wipes - When on the road many bands won't have access to a shower for long periods of time.  To combat the rashes, smell, and grimy feeling baby-wipes work absolute wonders. It's actually surprising how good it feels after taking a sponge bath using the wipes. Plus, taking a baby-wipe bath in a grungy bathroom of a venue in some random town is a true testament to life on the road.

2. Ozium - While some people may suggest using febreeze or something similar, I suggest going to your local auto store and picking up a bottle or two of Ozium. This stuff not only gets rid of odors it actually kills the bacteria in the air. If you don't like the scent of Ozium or it's other varieties then just use Ozium to clean the air and spritz after with your favorite scent of febreeze or whatever other brand you like. One thing to note is only spray after getting out of the van and let it air out a bit, do not spray while in the van. 

3. Vitamins - Staying healthy on tour should be one of the number one priorities. One sick band member can cause a tour to get canceled and could also get the other members sick. I always like to have multi-vitamins and a couple others just in case, stuff like vitamin C, vitamin B-12, vitamin E, and Potassium. With the combination of little sleep, lots of energy exerted, lots of partying, and a lot of low-quality food then sitting in a confined space with 3-5 other people the majority of each day there is a high chance someone will get sick. Vitamins will at the very least help keep everyones immune systems working well.

4. Beef Jerky - Cheap food, great source of protein, doesn't need to be refrigerated, and tastes pretty good. Especially awesome for those longs trips between shows where there is little time to stop for food. 

5. Physical Maps - Most bands have at least one member with a smart-phone, tablet, or some other device with gps on it. One thing that is for sure is this stuff doesn't always work. Wether it is a dead battery, bad signal, or just a shitty gps there can be something that goes wrong. Be sure to get old-school fold out maps, which you can find at AAA locations, Wal-mart, and tons of other places. These can be super handy when all the handy-dandy technology cuts-out and you are on the road with no clue how to get anywhere. 

6. Pillow - This one is pretty essential unless you want to sleep uncomfortably or your band has the money to rent a room every night. Although even if you are renting a room every night there is a chance you may want to sleep on one of those long rides in the van.

7. Blanket/Sleeping Bag - Pretty much the same thing as the pillow. Some people would be surprised how some parts of the country are burning hot during the day and then ridiculously cold at night.

8. Appropriate Clothes - Before you head out be sure to check the weather for the areas you will be and have clothes that work. It seems somewhat simple to do this but you'd be surprised at how badly people get caught off guard when the weather isn't what they thought it would be. Especially when you are going through multiple regions in just a few weeks. You may be wearing shorts and a tank top one day only to find yourself freezing while wearing jeans and a hoodie a few days later.

9. Water - I like to get the gallon jugs of water for tour and usually bring a couple plastic cups. This is one of those things that some people don't bring because they think they can just stop anywhere and get some no problem. Well it does become a problem when you're on the highway and the closest stop is 30 miles away. This can be especially important if the car overheats with no extra coolant or if someone cuts them self and need to clean the wound.

10. Roadside Emergency Kit - Just like the boy scouts, always be prepared. These kits can often include a multitude of different things but your kit should always include a first aid kit, hazard lights/triangles/flares, a car jack, a lug wrench, spare fuses, jumper cables, and a flash light. Some other great items you can include in the kit are a tire gauge, tire sealant or a plug kit (not as important if you have a spare tire), gloves, towels, hand cleaner, a fire extinguisher, coolant hose repair kit, necessary fluids (motor oil, coolant, break-stearing, etc.), and about any other item you think you might need in case of a problem with the van.

11. Spare Tire - Pretty self explanatory. Don't have one of these and a tire goes flat or pops? Then you can pretty much expect to cancel whatever show you have scheduled that night.