I'm a dog owner, and with that comes the disgusting task of picking up poop. Poop is messy, smelly, dirty, I just wanna ignore it. But I am a responsible dog owner and I do my "duty". So why am I talking about poop? Well, what else is messy, smelly, dirty that you want to ignore? Um, how about Life? The problems in life, the lost dreams, the painful situations, guilt, shame, death, break ups, the "u done me wrongs", the fears ... These are all things we want to ignore and want to brush under the rug. But if we do that, if we don't face our problems, we end up stuck & unhappy, and things just fester until they are a stinky, stank mess. What situations are going on in your life that need cleaned up? How are you dealing with them, or not? Drinking? Drugs? Binge Eating? Social Media obsessions? Doing Busy work? Ignoring those in your life that hurt you? Taking on too much so that you can't even breathe? Staying in your comfort zone because it is "easier", Watching endless Keeping up with the Kardashians fare?? This is no way to live. No way at all. If you look in the mirror are you really happy? And maybe happiness is not the word, are you content? Do you like who you are? Are you pursuing life with a passion? Are you doing the things that make you really happy? Are you fixing the problems? Are you seeking out those who hurt you or those YOU hurt to find some resolution and path to forgiveness? Is there a hidden fear or self hatred you have? Ignoring these things will just make us hurt more and feel hopeless. Most of us fear facing these things in our lives. It is easier to sit on the sidelines. I have been through it, I still go through it at times and it is hard. Facing these things gives you the feeling that you are falling off a cliff with no bottom. Incredibly scary. But you can come out on the other side feeling sooooo much better! But you can do it! You have to do it if you don't want to live in a life of shallowness and hopelessness. Start by writing down the things in your life that you have always wanted to do. Follow that with all the things that you think may be holding you back. Seek counsel through a church group, or counseling group, or find individual counsel. Read books like The War of Art, 212 the Extra Degree, Own your Dreams, Chasing Daylight, Action Trumps Everything, and The Search for Significance. I have read and re-read all of these. I have attended counseling groups, I have lead counseling groups. I still talk to friends and counselors when I feel like I am backsliding. It is an ongoing process but I can tell you that I feel so much better about who I am as a person and why I am on this earth. I want you to feel the same. So I have written blogs, created vlogs and courses to help other people. I urge you to watch my previous Vlogs that talk about the book The War of Art and how to attack life like a professional, and I created a free lesson on finding your passions and purpose. I urge you to sign up for it: FREE Lesson . In the near future I will have a full course on finding your self worth and facing your fears so you can live a better life with passion and purpose. Sign up Here to learn more: SIGN UP You CAN pick up the poop in your life. Do it now !! There is no better time! - with Peace & Love- Michelle SIGN UP NOW for your FREE LESSON and FREE TIPS and CHECKLIST for tackling your projects!
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17 Tips to Achieve your Goals + Checklist! Episode 15: Resistance No More, The To Do list10/15/2015 In this weeks episode, we get serious. I go over 17 tips on how to turn professional and achieve your goals. WATCH the Episode and SIGN UP to receive your FREEBEE checklist and a list of the 17 Tips. 17 Tips to Achieve your Goals + Check list! Join NOW! HI Everyone! In this episode, I want to discuss PROs and Copyright because the PRO’s get you your money and the copyright entitles you sell your intellectual property. PRO’s PRO’s, as you know, are Performance Royalty Organizations. They perform the following function: o Collect monies from performances of your songs o Pay you at specific rate determined by the PRO and the placement type Each one has their methods for calculating this rate. They come out to about the same, except in vocal placements. BMI pays more if you have a song with vocals placed on a show. Here is a blog talking about the PRO differences: http://blog.songtrust.com/songwriting-tips/pros-whats-the-difference/ When do I register my songs with a PRO? You do not have to register your songs right away. I usually wait to see where I will be signing the songs. Note: All publishers and music libraries will register your song with your info and theirs and a unique identifier so that they will get paid their share of royalties. If I sign a deal that is exclusive in perpetuity (See episode 8 with Guest writer Casey Hurowitz for deal types), then I do not have to register the song at all. The publisher or library will do that since they now own the song. If I sign a non-exclusive deal or co-publishing deal, I will register the songs separately, because I can still pitch that song directly to opportunities and bypass a publisher. If my song is used, then it will ensure I get paid all the royalties the song earns. Once a song is placed in film or TV, the network sends in what are called “Cue sheets” to the PRO’s. A Cue sheet lists the show, type of placement (Instrumental, vocal), length and number of times used. This determines the pay rate. You will usually get a higher rate of pay for the following types of placements: Theme Opening credits Opening scene Ending credits Understanding Copyright I get a lot of questions on whether a song needs to be registered with the Copyright Office. The minute that the song is in a fixed format, written on a fixed media, or even recorded on your iPhone it has been copyrighted. It is now your intellectual property and you own it. But to protect that copyright is another thing. One way to do this is to send a certified letter to yourself and leave it un-opened. This is called the Poor Man’s Copyright and may not hold up in a court of law. The sole purpose in registering your copyright is to have official protection of your intellectual property. While it is a good idea to register your copyright with the Copyright office, you have to have a pretty high amount of damages to file a claim. But in the case that someone does challenge you, having the evidence of the official registration may be enough to prove the song is yours. You can register with the US copyright office here: via http://copyright.gov/eco/ Copyright Registration form types: Form PA: Music and Lyrics only Form SR: Sound recording only Note: Under the form SR, you can also register the copyright for the Music and Lyrics (Form PA). Here is a downloadable pdf by the copyright office explaining the differences in copyrightable material and how you can register your work: http://copyright.gov/circs/circ56a.pdf Warning: There are many services out there that say they will register the copyright for you; however they charge a more exorbitant fee (three or 4 times the actual cost) and this is something you can simply do yourself. Registering a song (or a collection of songs) and the sound recording master (if you own the recording) just costs $35! When should you register the copyright? I register a copyright once I know where the song is going to be signed. Do not register:
Register:
I will also wait until I have a collection of songs with the same writers and then register them (remember $35 bucks per song OR Collection). I typically register about twice a year. Exploit your copyright First, exploit is a negative word, and I learned at the Songwriting and Music Business conference that we should really be saying “ Employ” your copyright. Because that is what it really is, we are looking to sell or license our Intellectual property. So that will actually be next week’s topic. How does employing your copyright for your song make money? Well, that is enough to stuff your brain for now. Stay tuned for next week’s continuation on Show Me the Money where I will discuss the types of ways your song can make money! Have a great weekend! References: Copyright information http://copyright.gov/eco/ http://copyright.gov/circs/circ56a.pdf PRO information http://blog.songtrust.com/songwriting-tips/pros-whats-the-difference/ |
AuthorMichelle Lockey is a multi-award winning singer-songwriter sharing the knowledge she has learned over the years writing for Film & TV. Like what you are reading? Please Sign up to receive a FREE Music Licensing checklist! 10 Steps to Sync Success
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