Previews & File Formats

We had a question about the Previews you listen to at GovAccessMusic.com - and one about the file format we are using for the tracks you purchase.

Previews

Some library sites you visit give you a standard 30 second preview and others let you hear the entire track. We decided there were disadvantages to both approaches - 30 seconds won'tlet you hear the various sections of the track, but our clients probably don't have time to listen to all 3 or 4 or 5 minutes of the full track.

So our previews are an edited version of the full track - each contains snippets from the major sections of the track, so you get a full representation of the track. Previews are created from the full track, and generally run between 1 and 2 minutes long.

File Format

We are using high bitrate mp3s for the downloads - generally 256kbit - 320kbit. As musicians, we are aware that mp3 (no matter how high the bitrate) are sonically lower quality than CDs - but we have found them good enough for these purposes.

If you are interested in CD quality, please accept our compliments for being concerned about your audio......and keep an eye out for the CDs we'll be offering in the near future!

We're open!

The cart has been designed, the Paypal API has been fed and watered, the hamsters in the web server have all been checked out - and GovAccessMusic.com is [finally] open for business!

We've been really busy in the last few months getting the nuts and bolts together - and still have a few to nail down. But for now, you have 30+ tracks to choose from or ORIGINAL music, and most tracks are over 3 minutes long.

We'll be adding new material constantly as the months go by. Everytime we do, we'll be announcing on the blog, AND posting samples on the podcast. So save yourself some time - go ahead and subscribe to the blog (there's a link at the bottom of the left sidebar) and you might as well subscribe to the podcast as well (there's a link to do that up at the top of the blog).

You can subscribe using iTunes, or any of the web-based "podcatchers" like Odeo or Yahoo.

Huh? Royalty-free? What does THAT mean?

I recently had someone ask what the big deal was about "royalty-free" music, and exactly what that meant.

In this post, a bit of background (disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice). This may sound a bit idealistic, but here goes anyway:

Copyright law basically says that the creator of a work owns it - and he can then rent it out, sell it outright, give it away, etc - but only the OWNER of a work can do that. (I know - lots of people out there who believe otherwise, but they are wrong). The advantage is that creators of works (music, art, etc) potentially benefit financially. The more money you make in your art, the more motivated you are to create more - it's the basis of capitalism.

Another right granted by the lawmakers is something called "public performance" - i.e. the writer has the right to be paid everytime there is a public performance of their work. A public performance takes place anytime the work is played at all - whether streamed off the internet, played off a CD, played on the radio or satellite radio, etc. So officially anytime you use a piece of music you owe somebody some money.

There are several types of library music available, in terms of licenses:

• A "needle drop" license means you fill out a form and send some money everytime you use a track. This can obviously be a real hassle when you run a government access or cable access channel and need background music 24x7.


• "Royalty Free" music means that you buy a permanent license to play the music whenever and wherever you need it (depending on the license you agree to when purchasing the music. Some of the licenses restrict what you can do). Note that you can't do absolutely anything with that music - you just don't have to pay a usage fee everytime you use the track. This type of license can about in reaction to the "needle drop" licenses. Traditionally,royalty-free tracks were of a lower quality (in terms of the music and/or the audio quality). This is not as true anymore.


• There are some hybrid licenses out there. For example, some companies make their music royalty free for certain uses, but require a different license if the track will be used in broadcast media. This is not an evil thing - just a business decision. It is something you need to watch for when purchasing library music.

Website news

We are getting closer to launching the site. Behind the scenes a shopping cart has been installed and wea re working on making it fully functional. At the start we'll be using PayPal to process payments, and the files will be available for immediate download.

Later we'll be adding the ability to order CDs with custom designed playlists - the idea being you just pop the CD into your player and you've got a well designed set of music to go behind your cable access/government access cable channel.

More details as they become available.

Also coming "real soon now" - a free demo track of some of the music that will be available.

The music DOES matter.......

I've been perusing government access channels in some of my recent travels, and have noticed quite a few things that pertain to GovAccessMusic.com's target audience. As I flip around the dial, i try to view the channel as if I was a resident of the area instead of just someone traveling through.

1. Having no music at all is boring. I flipped away from a residential area channel that had no audio at all, even though the pictures that were showing of a recent event were nice.



2. Having bad music is even worse. Once educational access channel I watched for a while had music that was VERY badly recorded - and was even distorting on top of that. No one with any ears at all was going to watch their content for very long.



3. The music had a direct affect on my perception of the quality of the information being presented. Bad music meant the station staff either didn't care about the presentation as a whole (so why should I believe or pay attention to the information?), OR they were incompetent and didn't know any better (so why should I believe the information?).


So if you are managing an access channel of some kind, PLEASE pay attention to the music you use. You'll be able to pick up some quality tracks from GovAccessMusic.com before long!

Why Royalty-Free music?

There are several reasons to use royalty-free music from GovAccessMusic.com for your government access channel. Here's just the beginning of the list!

(Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, and I've never played one on TV. Although the opinions expressed in this article are well reasoned, loaded with common sense, and correct, please don't treat them as a legal opinion. That's a whole 'nother arena!)

1.  Using Royalty free music from GovAccessMusic.com lets you use high quality music for your channel without worrying about licensing issues. You don't have to pay a royalty every time you play a tune. You don't even have to track it. You just buy the CD, and you have permission to use the CD on your government access cable channel for a very long time (Check out the agreement terms for details).


2. You'll be getting music DESIGNED for this application - music that is access-channel friendly. This saves you search time!


3. You avoid setting a bad example for the public. If YOU use unlicensed music on your channel, you are in essence saying that the law doesn't matter - neither does right or wrong. By buying music from GovAccessmusic.com you are purchasing a license - staying legal (and in the right) - and setting a good example. in fact, you might want to put a slide up in your program, that the music has been purchased and licensed (If you send us a screenshot, we'll put it up on the website!)


4. You'll support talented musicians that, while not broke, are still hungry! (One of us has teenage boys in the house, so there's never any food in the frig......)

More to come!

What kind of music? (pt.1)

Since we began working on GovAccessMusic.com, I've been paying attention to various government access channels during my travels. It is fascinating the variety of music that I hear, and inevitably I reach some conclusions on whether the channel is useful based solely on the quality of the music and audio.

For example, if I hear music that is extraordinarily cheesy - it sounds like it was picked up at a flea market or is the musical equivalent of a veg-a-matic, I tend to believe that the channel isn't worth my time. On the other hand, if there is quality in the music - it is interesting and recorded well (even if it is a style I don't particularly care for), I'll stop and watch for a while.

So the first point is to make sure you are using quality tracks - and that your audio sounds good. DON'T ASSUME! Make sure!

If you are taking the time to put material up for the public, take the time and make sure your audio is quality - or you will negate the work you put into the visuals.

Next time: Why royalty-free music?