{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.

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.

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:

Twitter

Facebook

SoundCloud

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*

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

Cover Songs: How to Properly License 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.

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.

{ 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*