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How to Overcome Writer’s Block as a Music Producer

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First things first. It is time for us to admit that all of us go through that creative drought known as writer’s block. There is no shame in admitting this. Even the great writers of this world have gone through that rough point of their life at some point or another.

But writer’s block doesn’t just apply to those putting words to paper (or a screen, in today’s computerized world). Musicians and producers who do not really write are still creating music in the same way writers create their poetry or prose. Unfortunately these artists go through their own version of writer’s block

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Four Ways to Get Your Music Licensed

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It is said by some one isn’t in the artist music business until their work is actually licensed. This may not quite be the popular opinion these days since exposure and plays take more prevalence thanks to Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube, but the importance of music licensing cannot be stressed enough, especially when you look at the revenues a licensed music track can generate.

Just to give an idea, a licensed track can generate as much $3000 for an artist in exchange for its use in an advertisement, $500 for use in an indie film trailer, $60 for use in a wedding video, and $20 for use in a YouTube video. So even if the track does not get a million plays, through music licensing, it still gets exposure to a wider audience while providing some revenue for the artist at the same time.

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A Look Inside Sebastian Mullaert’s Beautiful Studio

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As far as home studios go, Sebastian Mullaert’s home studio is one of the most beautiful studios we’ve seen. It’s the kind of studio every artist dreams to have.

image via FACT

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10 Tips To Succeed in the Music Business: Seth Troxler

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Want to become a better music producer and actually succeed in the music business? Jack of Mastered by Jack has been working in music for the last 20 years, having amassed a great amount of knowledge and experience on what and how music is meant to sound like.

Jack translates this experience into a business by providing mastering and sound engineering services as well as tools and tips for producers to succeed in their production endeavors. As part of this he collects important tips shared by recognized and successful producers/DJs.

First up is Detroit-raised and London-based Seth Troxler, who shares 10 tips on how to succeed in the music business, with emphasis on music production.

Watch the video with Seth below and read on for a bullet-point list of his tips:

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21 Great Free Sample Packs for the Budget-Conscious Producer

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Electronic music producers have long used sampling in the studio, with the practice dating back to some of the early years of house and techno. While there are some contentious issues related to sampling (notably copyright matters) that are still being debated, there has been a growing number of less contentious options made available in recent years that allow for sampling without concern.

Some services such as Beatport, Juno, Irrupt, Sample Magic and Loopmasters provide licensed samples for a fee. But if you are on a limited budget, don’t worry, there are also many great, royalty-free samples that are available for free, ranging from promotional freebies by online services to homemade files from artists and synth enthusiasts.

Fact Magazine recently compiled 21 noteworthy free sample packs that you can find available on the web. Encompassing a variety of genres from house to hip-hop, we hope these sample packs prove useful in your next studio session:

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The Truth About Record Deals (And How To Negotiate Them)

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Signing record deal

The following guest post comes from Budi Voogt, founder of Heroic, a label group and management agency, and author of The SoundCloud Bible, now in its third edition.

Labels come in all shapes and sizes; major labels, larger independents, smaller independents, net labels and online collectives. Whether you’re an electronic music producer or indie band, it is probable that you will be involved in a record deal at some point in your career.

In this article, we’ll talk about the nature of recording agreements, key clauses that you should understand and terms that are reasonable and favorable to negotiate for. If you’re not yet familiar with the basics of music copyright and publishing, I recommend you read my guide before proceeding.

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