Tuesday, May 22

{ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: INTERVIEW} RJ Griffith | @rjgmusic

Artist Spotlight: Interview

RJ Griffith


May 22nd marked the very first of many Artist Spotlight interviews on the Rise and Shine with Rae radio show on Platinum Radio. I've been doing interviews on The Underground Artistry for a while now; ever since I accepted the position on Platinum Radio as their morning show host, I've been anxious to start incorporating interviews on my very own show.
Artist Spotlight Interview RJ Griffith

And everyone who knows me knows I love good music & good vibes. And when the music encompasses the latter, it's even better. Well, below you'll find the interview I had with RJ Griffith, an inspirational R&B artist coming out of Chicago, IL! I was so excited for this interview because his music is so different. It's on another level from what's on the radio nowadays.

I wanted to make this interview available to my readers who may not have had the luxury of tuning into the show to catch the interview. I will allow you guys to listen to it yourself below. The interview is followed by his single, Good Day. I hope you guys enjoy this artist as much as I did because he was so candid; it was like talking to a friend.
Artist Spotlight Interview RJ Griffith

You can find his song Good Day on iTunes, Amazon & other streaming sites like Spotify. And now you can call 616.841.5253 to request his song on Platinum Radio! [And be sure to tune into the Rise and Shine with Rae morning show every Monday through Friday from 8am to 12pm EST.]

Press play below & let me know what you think about the song in the comments.



RJ Griffith on Social Media:


Until next time...

Enjoy the music?
Support the artist.

xoxo,
Rachel Marie
Entertainment Blogger, The Underground Artistry 
Senior Publicist, Platinum Sound Promotions

Want more from this author? You can find The Underground Artistry site on FaceBook here; and you can also follow her on Twitter & make sure you show your support by following her writer's page on FaceBook here.




*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS*

Monday, May 21

Cover Songs: How to Properly License a Cover Song for Distribution

Cover Songs: How to Properly License a Cover Song for Distribution

Licensing a Cover Song for Distribution

Music rights are complex. There are a lot of factors that go into play when it comes to licensing music and other creative works, such as covers of songs.

Covering a song is actually not as complex as it seems, yet it's not as clear cut as you may think, either. The legality behind creating or authorizing one, is often convoluted. However, in this post, I'll break down exactly what it means to cover a song & what you would need to do to legally release a cover of a song on platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube.

What is a cover song?

Simply put, when you cover any song that doesn't originally belong to you: you didn't write it or originally record it, you are creating a 'cover song'. You are 'covering' someone else's creative work & you need to get permission to do so.

What is needed before releasing a cover song?

Short answer? Get the proper licenses. The type of license you will need to release the cover song will depend upon how you release it: just an audio release through platforms such as iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify? Then a mechanical license will suffice. However, if you plan on adding YouTube videos to the mix, you'll need, both, the mechanical & the synchronization license.
Cover Songs Mechanical Licenses
Mechanical Licenses

Mechanical licenses grant you the rights to reproduce and distribute copyrighted musical compositions. They allow you to distribute through platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, Tidal, SoundCloud, and others. You can secure a mechanical license through the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) and Loudr, or go directly to the song’s publisher and simply ask about securing a mechanical license for your cover.

You can either secure the licenses yourself, or you can let HFA or Loudr do that for you. Yes, you can also register your own compositions with the HFA or Loudr so they can manage issuing mechanical licenses and collecting royalties for covers of your original compositions.

But what about music videos?...you ask.



Synchronization Licenses

This license grants you rights to sync (see where it got its name from?) unoriginal music to a visual output. Simply put, you have the right to use the cover song in a video you create & enables you to upload the video to platforms like YouTube or Vimeo.

These licenses don't have a concrete fee structure and depend upon many factors, such as song popularity, length of the song & how it will be used among many other factors.

Synchronization licenses can be secured directly from the publisher.

Still don't get it?

Copyright infringement is a serious infraction and can land you some pretty hefty fines and even jail in habitual circumstances. More times than not, indie artists aren't equipped with the legal defense to assist them in navigating the waters of rights management.

My advice?

If you are questioning it, then ask beforehand. Also, do your research. There is a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips and no one utilizes it because copyright infringement is STILL a thing.

But, nonetheless, have questions for me about releasing a cover song? Or maybe about copyrights in general? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time...

xoxo,
Rachel Marie
The Underground Artistry
Another site...not just another blog.


Want more from me? You can find The Underground Artistry on Facebook here. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And my official writer's page is here.

Monday, May 14

{ NEW ALBUM } @RaeSremmurd Releases SR3MM on May 4th

 SR3MM: Third Studio Album from Rae Sremmurd Dropped May 4th



SR3MM is probably one of the American hip-hop duo's most anticipated album releases, yet. They came onto the scene as two young brothers from Tupelo, Mississippi trying to make it, when P-Nazty, producer & Tupelo, Mississippi native, took notice and then introduced them to multi-platinum producer, Mike Will Made-iT.

Impressed by their sound and their energy, the brothers were signed on the spot & now here we are vibin' to their 3rd studio album from Ear Drummers Records.
Oh...a little insight...in case you didn't know: their name: Rae Sremmurd is their record label spelled backwards --Ear Drummers-- just thought I'd tell you. 
I was like, what! Ha!

See, this is what the industry's been missing: originality. Though their sounds are similar, their style is all their own. And the vibes you get when you hear their music is unmatched.

Striving for a higher pinnacle, their initial debut landed them at number 6 on the Billboard chart with over 7 million streams worldwide. The triple-release is made up of 2 solo albums & one collaborative: Swaecation & Jxmtro & SR3MM.
The two are amazing together.
Are you ready for their solos?

Stream SR3MM on Spotify below & let me know in the comments which song you want them to release as their next single. For which track are you most likely looking forward to the video? Leave all your comments below & if there's any upcoming albums you'd like me to do a review post on, let me know & I'll get it done!



Be sure to follow Rae Sremmurd on Twitter & Instagram & in the meantime, click below to get your own copy of SR3MM!



As always, I hope you enjoyed the content.

Until next time...

Enjoy the music? 
Support the artist. 

xoxo,
Rachel Marie
Entertainment Blogger, The Underground Artistry 
Senior Publicist, Platinum Sound Promotions

Want more from this author? You can find The Underground Artistry site here & on FaceBook here; and you can also follow her on Twitter & make sure you show your support by following her writer's page on FaceBook here.




*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS*

Monday, May 7

{ARTIST TO WATCH Q&A} Sarah Breeding: @sarahbreeding #Twitter

As the host of Rise and Shine with Rae on Platinum Radio, I am constantly searching for new music & candid artists for my listeners to experience & enjoy. Well, as a Jhene Aiko admirer & supporter, I was searching to see if she had any new music available in the dj pool I could add to my show's track line-up. Fortunately, she did...however, I also came across another artist in the midst of my searching for Jhene Aiko music: Sarah Breeding.

Get Ease Your Mind on iTunes
Now, if you look up her single: Ease Your Mind via YouTube, you'll find it listed as a Jhene Aiko track uploaded by Eardope. However, in the description you'll notice the real artist singing is a young singer/songwriter listed as @sarahb via SoundCloud. Then it links you to her SoundCloud account where you can listen to the song via its original artist.

Now, I will admit I was kind of disappointed towards the uploader because it seemed like click bait where someone had uploaded her song under Jhene Aiko's name to get clicks...but when you hear Sarah's voice...and you actually listen to the song...you'll see that it was just a mere promotional tactic because her artistry is worth that connection...because the similarities are there. And, I'll be honest, I actually thought I was listening to Jhene Aiko there for a split second. And I was feelin' it, therefore I wanted to read the description...which led me straight to Sarah.

And I'm not complaining.

Her voice is smooth & sultry...seductively soothing, if I must label. The lyrics just flow like placid lakes. The vibe is mood music.

As a new admirer of her artistry, I--naturally--wanted to include her within the loop of The Underground Artistry. And due to the fact she's somewhat new to the scene, stating she's "un-managed", means she's truly independent and considered underground.

So, I reached out to her via Twitter; you can find Sarah on Twitter here.

And I was candid with her; I told her how I came across her music, how much I liked the song and that I'd like to interview her for The Underground Artistry. She obliged. However, she's in the midst of graduating high school--like I stated: she's a young singer/songwriter--so, she's experiencing a few time restraints at this moment, yet she mentioned she'd "love to". So, I typed up & emailed her a list of interview prep questions: a simple Q&A. She answered & emailed them back, which you can find below.

Q&A:

Me: What's your name & email address?
Sarah: Sarah Breeding @ sarahbreedingmusic@gmail.com

M: What is your genre of choice?
S: R&B

M: What prompted you to want to do music? And how long have you been singing/songwriting/recording?
S: I've always had a passion for music since I was a little kid. I always sang along to the radio when I started talking & my parents realized that I actually could sing. They put me in choir in 4th & 5th grade & I began to grow my appreciation for music. In 6th grade, I started band & played sax. I'm about to graduate high school now & I'm still in the band! My middle school conductor, Mr. Divers & my high school conductor, Mr. Caldwell really helped me grow an appreciation for all types of music aside from the genre I sing.

I started recording about a year ago when I did this song called, Front.
Get  Front on iTunes
My friend, Keezy, asked if he could throw a verse on it & put it on his album. The people in my city went crazy over it. In August [2017], I recorded my first single, Ease Your Mind & I didn't release it until Valentine's Day this year [2018] because I felt like people wouldn't like the song. But, I was proven wrong!

I had so much support from people all over my city & different states and even people in different countries. So that definitely motivated me to keep writing and recording.

M: How old were you when you wrote your first song? Do you still remember the title?
S: My first song I ever wrote was called, Take it Back. I was about 14 or 15. I performed it for a Key Club benefit talent show that raised money for families in need in Africa. The second time I performed it was at a Relay for Life Walk-a-thon. Both shows had pretty big crowds; the second one had 1,500 people, so that actually helped me with getting over my little stage fright phase.

M:What are some of the musical greats that inspire your music?
S: Jhene Aiko, H.E.R., Kehlani, Ariana Grande, Khalid, Sza, Rihanna, PartyNextDoor, 6lack, Bryson Tiller. All of their voices are so soothing & they all have a story or meaning behind their music. They make the type of music that hits your soul when you take in the lyrics & that's exactly how I want people to feel when they hear my songs.

M: What would you tell younger generations pursuing music as a career?
S: If you feel like this is your passion, go for it. Figure out what you need to do to start on your career and do it. If music is the only thing you see yourself doing in the future, then go after it...but be patient!

M: If someone needed to contact you for a performance, how can they book you?
S: I'm currently un-managed, since I'm new to this and just turning 18, so if anyone is actually interested then they can contact me through email or any of my social media accounts.
[Twitter/ Facebook/ SoundCloud]

M: What do you feel makes you different from other artists?
S: I put my entire soul into every song I write. When you're listening to my songs, you're actually listening to my heart speak & you're hearing all the emotions that I had to let go of when I was writing the song. Writing songs is the only true way I can vent & let certain things go that weigh on my mind. I never hold back anything I'm feeling because I know there's someone out there who's going through the same situation. I just want people to know that everyone has heartache and trust issues, but I wanna make music that can relate to those people's situations so every time they're going through it, they'll pick up their phone and start playing my song to feel better.

And that concludes the Artist to Watch Q&A; but, stay tuned, because in the upcoming weeks, you'll be able to listen to so much more during the audio for the live interview. So hit that follow button to the side & be sure to follow Sarah on Twitter & SoundCloud. You can enjoy Ease Your Mind, the first single from Sarah Breeding, via SoundCloud below.



As always, if you're feelin' the song, drop your comments below & let me know what you think. Hit that share button. Follow the blog. Also, click the hyperlinks herein to be directed to Sarah's other channels. Thanks for visiting, reading, supporting. I love you guys & I hope you enjoyed the content!

Until next time...

Enjoy the music?
Support the artist.



xoxo,
Rachel Marie
The Underground Artistry...another site, not just another blog.

If you'd like more from this writer, visit her official Facebook page here & The Underground Artistry on Facebook here. You can also follow her on Twitter here.

*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS*