8
votes
Why do artists not release backing tracks, instrumentals, and acapellas in their singles?
I like the way you think. It makes perfect sense on the surface. But the music industry and legalities surrounding it are complex. There are a few reasons why this practice has not become common in ...
- 324
6
votes
Accepted
Making music with cheap programs?
What you want to look for is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software package.
A not-free option is Reaper which is is free fully functional trial that does not lock you out after the trial period. ...
- 284
5
votes
Publishing agreement around Beyoncé's song "Sandcastles"
The typical publishing agreement contract works like this (exact numbers may vary):
The overall benefits of the song are split in two:
50% writer's income
50% publishing income
Most often, the ...
- 7,274
4
votes
Who mixes for Pentatonix songs?
I didn't think Bram did much in the way of mixing, at least not since the earliest days. He gets an "engineering" credit on PTX Volume 2 but not a "mixing" credit, for example.
One of their long-...
- 41
4
votes
Why is it so hard to identify Library music?
It is the library which owns the publishing rights and agrees the any terms with the production. It will be in the library's own interests to gain a production credit as they are competing against ...
- 659
3
votes
Have any rock bands risked their lives or done anything extreme to achieve a tone?
My Bloody Valentine has a song called "You Made Me Realize" which features upwards of 15 minutes of sonic chaos at (purportedly) 125-130dB.
This is actually dangerous.
They give out earplugs ...
- 284
3
votes
Making music with cheap programs?
It depends what kind of music you want to make, but here are 4 free (open source) programs to make electronic music:
LMMS
Select the instruments and make them play, easily.
Mixxx
Mix existing ...
- 554
2
votes
Did Eminem actually compose the song "Stronger Than I was"?
From what I've found, Eminem (or Mathers) is credited on this song as Writer and Producer.
From Discogs and Wikipedia:
Eminem is an American rapper, record producer.
Also, about his own producing ...
- 7,274
2
votes
Does it follow industry practice to use the term "mix" to refer to a different version of a song?
The concept of a mix comes from the days of dub and disco when songs would be edited using mixing boards and tape to change the pace (especially in dub) or to change the length and ideal for mixing (...
- 1,789
2
votes
Making music with cheap programs?
If you have a Macintosh, GarageBand comes bundled with it, and is a pretty high-powered, almost-professional program. Of course, Macs are expensive themselves, but you can get a MacMini for around $...
- 15.3k
2
votes
Why is it so hard to identify Library music?
It seems that there are a misconception from people, that think that every song in a soundtrack (movie, documentary, commercial...) as a real name, a disclosed artist and can be found in an album or ...
- 7,274
2
votes
Why do artists not release backing tracks, instrumentals, and acapellas in their singles?
Actually, in jamaican reggae music, they do release the instrumental!
Tradition, in jamaican reggae music, is mainly backing bands (e.g. Roots Radics, Sly & Robbie, The Skatalites, The ...
- 7,274
1
vote
How did Paul's Boutique (1989) contain sounds which were "not samples"?
As Tetsujin said already, the Beasties were already musicians, starting life as a Punk band. Ad-Rock played guitar and sang, MCA played bass, and Mike D played drums, with an additional guitarist ...
- 7,119
1
vote
How did Paul's Boutique (1989) contain sounds which were "not samples"?
A very broad definition of 'rap' would be - rhythmical speaking, as opposed to singing a tune. The instrumentation is not really a part of the definition.
The Beastie Boys were originally a punk band. ...
- 7,685
1
vote
Accepted
Are posthumously-released songs by XXXTentacion actually sung by him?
Both this review and this one mention that XXXTentacion is the vocalist and that the only guest vocalist is Kanye West.
If the vocals somehow sound different, it could be that the tracks published ...
- 659
1
vote
Why is it so hard to identify Library music?
Just to add to this. Sometimes music in TV commercials are specially recorded for the brands and not commercially available. This ad is a prime example. The music is so professional you would be ...
- 111
1
vote
Royalty reducers and ways in which record labels screw artists
Although it has been more than 10 years I can tell you the ways my label screwed me. 1) Spending a lot of money- they spend money to promote me and my music, but in my opinion it did not always lead ...
1
vote
Why do artists not release backing tracks, instrumentals, and acapellas in their singles?
I'm an intermediate level(aspiring pro) songwriter. I've just released an album of some of my work, which will soon appear online. On that album I decided to include an instrumental version of the ...
- 11
1
vote
Why do artists not release backing tracks, instrumentals, and acapellas in their singles?
Some singles are released with acapellas and/or instrumentals. But that is basically an open invitation for anyone to easily produce unauthorized derivative works. These, in turn, are unlikely to ...
- 15.3k
1
vote
Who mixes for Pentatonix songs?
Ed Boyer is their production engineer. He is probably the most important acappella producer in the business. All you have to do is google him and you can find out about him and the equipment he uses ...
- 11
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible