Dave's Top Eight

1. Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney (reviewed 6/07) (5 Stars)
2. Sounds Like Sunday by Janet Paschal (reviewed 5/07) (5 Stars)
3. True To The Call by Kingdom Heirs (reviewed 3/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
4. Revival by Gold City (reviewed 10/06) (4 1/2 Stars)
5. Get Away Jordan by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (reviewed 2/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
6. Breakin' Chains by Three Bridges (reviewed 5/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
7. Big Sky by The Isaacs (reviewed 4/07)
8. Skywriting by Mercy's Well (reviewed 7/07)

Click title to purchase at CBD.com...click artist name to read Dave's Review. A CD will automatically fall out of the Top Eight after twelve months if no CD surpasses it before then.

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January 8, 2005

Recording a CD

Mr. Murray,
I am writing because you have answered some of my questions before and you seem to know what you are talking about. I am very new not only to this style of music but also to the industry and how things are done. I am wondering how things are done from beginning to end when a group wants a song from a songwriter and how they get a track made for it for performance purposes and/or recording purposes. I assume we pay the songwriter then pay to have studio musicians record the track in whatever key/style we want. How much does all of this cost? Is there other ways to do it? Sorry to bother you but I have alot of questions and you always seem very approachable and willing to help out. Thanks!!

Zachary Olah
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Zachary,

Thanks for the compliments. I do hope most people view me as being approachable. As for being knowledgeable, well, I try. :o) I do know the basics about this particular area, at least.

I'll respond to your question in two parts. (I should first disclaim: I'm not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.)

I. Securing the Songs
A. If the song has been recorded previously, you should submit a written request to the publisher of the song. (Visit BMI.com or ASCAP.com to find the mailing address of a publisher.) This is only required if your intention is to record the song. You can perform a song in the context of a worship service without getting permission or paying a performance royalty.

Tell the publisher how many units you plan to manufacture. Provide your name, group name, and mailing address. There is a flat royalty rate per unit for songs that have been recorded previously. It's currently 8.5 cents per unit (or $8.50 per 100 units) for each song you record. The rate increases every two years, and is due to go to 9.1 cents in 2006.

Most publishers will issue a license for you to sign and return with payment. This is called a "mechanical" or "mech" license. If you don't get a mech license from the publisher after a few weeks, you should send a second request using the words "compulsory license request." I'd go ahead and send payment at that time as well. Some publishers respond quickly, while others take two or more months to get back to you. As long as you inform the publisher in advance of your intention to record and as long as you pay the fee, your right to record and sell the song is secured.

Beware. Some publishers attempt to collect more than the specified rate by tacking on additional "processing" fees. When that happens, I return their mech licenses unsigned along with a polite letter stating that I don't intend to pay any more than the law requires. Of course, I include the proper amount with my letter.

Most mech licenses require payment before you sell any units. That's reasonable on small quantities of 1000 or less, because it gets the paperwork out of the way. However, the law only requires that you pay quarterly based on units sold, and does not stipulate a minimum. The key is in knowing what rights you have under the copyright law. See http://www.copyright.gov/ for a more detailed explanation of the law and a copy of the law itself.

B. If a song has NOT been published previously, you may have to negotiate a fee. Copyright owners (songwriters/publishers) have full control over who records a song for the first time. Once a song has been recorded, anyone else can record it as long as they pay the mechanical royalty.

II. Creating/Obtaining Tracks
Song royalties are relatively inexpensive and fixed to a specific rate. Recording costs are not. Creating a music track can be as simple as recording a piano in someone's living room with a decent microphone. . . ultra cheap, in other words. On the other hand, you can hire a producer who in turn secures an arranger, studio musicians, engineers, etc. making it very expensive . . . professional pop acts typically spend tens of thousands of dollars on this step, but most professional Southern Gospel artists accomplish what they want for a few thousand dollars (some as little as two or three thousand).

Amateur Southern Gospel groups might opt to use just one individual to create their tracks in a home studio. (I offer a service like this at Musicscribe for $80 to $130 per song.) They can get good results with a minimal investment, but don't kid yourself into thinking it's just as good as a top producer using Nashville cats in an outstanding studio. At the amateur level, it's a game of compromises.

There's a number of factors to consider before committing to a recording budget. How often are you singing? What size crowds? How many units can you ultimately move? Do you plan to send singles to radio? In other words, look at the size of your "pond" and estimate how much product you need.

Use this formula: Average retail price per unit minus manufacturing costs minus royalty fees. Multiply this by the units you reasonably expect to sell. This is your maximum recording budget, allowing nothing for profit. Reduce the figure to allow for profit to get a final budget figure. It's guesswork, but it will at least get you in the ballpark of what you should spend to avoid losing a lot of money on a project.

Another factor is style. It's cheap to record minimal accompaniment, but expensive to use elaborate orchestrations. If your music style demands a sound that too expensive to create from scratch given your budget, you should consider licensing existing tracks. Companies that produce soundtracks like Daywind and Homeland have massive libraries they'll allow you to use (with some limitations) for $125 to $175 per song. Another source is church choral music companies. For example, Lillenas and Word Music will license their choral tracks for a fee. Also, you can sometimes license tracks directly from other artists. I've found some who were very generous to the point of allowing me to use a track for free.

In the end, your recording should have a consistent quality level from beginning to end. Otherwise, it will sound haphazard. The key is finding a balance between quality and what you can reasonably afford.
posted by David Bruce Murray @ 10:02:00 AM


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