Why Dub? Why SoundSystem? (and how the heck I got to it?)

Hi again! I had to take a little break for a couple months but I did not forget about you. I was immersed in work, shows, and rehearsals. Life on the road... got to love it! Ok, this one is long so let's get it started.

For this post, I wanted to make a little stop from defining industry standards, methods, and other things, to make a meaningful post about what is Dub and SoundSystem is to me and how I got to it. Here it goes!

First, I want to give you a brief story of how this post came about. Besides thinking, "I have posted about all things on my blog but what about I got to Dub and SoundSystem! And most importantly, what it means to me and why do I do it?". Well, first and foremost, I should tell you a little bit more about how I got to Dub. It is a lot so get ready.

Since a very young age, I have liked electronic music, I always love the beats, the melodies, and the universe of creativity that came from most of the tracks. I remember loving bands/DJs like Faithless (yes, the ones that have that song called 'God is a DJ'? Heck yeah!!) and Daft Punk, among others (just giving you the commercial ones, ok? And yes, I still love Faithless and Daft Punk, don't hate me for it). But it wasn't all for me. I remember the first time I heard dancehall music (this important as it explains how I got to Dub). It was when my uncle had moved to Connecticut, and my parents and I were just finishing cleaning the house where he and his family used to live in Puerto Rico (my home country). I remember finding a cassette (yes, I said it... a CASSETTE!!! Raise your hand if you used to rewind them with a pencil.). By the way, it was my cousin's tape. Anyway, I remember finding a cassette and playing in my Walkman (again, raise your hand if you had one). For some reason, I can't remember the name of the album(or tape) but I can remember that one song that got me into dancehall for the first time. (Are you ready for this? I'm not, but here it goes) It was Cutty Ranks and the song was Limb by Limb. I won't sit here and lie saying I knew what was said in that song. Now, that I know I can confess that I'm not proud of the content of that song but it was my gateway to dancehall, what can I say?

I remember playing that song over and over. Today, it's funny because when you come from Puerto Rico it is very unlikely that you understand English fully and let alone Jamaican Patois but I used to just "sing it". You would laugh if you would've heard me; I can guarantee you that (Thankfully, there is no recording of such horrible sounds). But at that time I was too young (maybe 9 or 10) and I really didn't have the knowledge of such music and this music just stayed in my head for years to come without knowing how to find it again.  And then, I submitted to the forefather of reggaeton (yes, there is such thing and yes, I did listen to it. I'm from Puerto Rico. What did you expect? LOL). We used to call it "underground" and it was closer to Spanish reggae/dancehall from the 80s and 90s. No, we did not invent Spanish reggae and yes, Puerto Rico was copying Panama (yes, I just said that). Oh, how we used to get in trouble for it! (Those were the days!) For many years until about 1998 when the genre took a twist from which it never came back and all of you know it as Reggaeton (and the dumb 'Gasolina' song). It was then when I got to high school and life would be so different.

Now, let's fast forward to the college years, which is that crazy time that we all have (don't deny it now. You went through it too. Let's just not talk about the details of it, ok?). I remember finding myself fascinated by music. I used to listen to so much different music that my friends used to play. I discovered jewels and trash, but it all shaped my likes to perfection. I remember listening to things like Metallica and Iron Maiden to trance and chill reggae... and everything in between (I even went trough a stage full of The Beatles which I call My Hippie Stage. Not sure I have gotten out of that stage completely. LOL). The point is that college helped develop a more broad appreciation for art, especially music appreciation. But it wasn't until I got to meet new friends that were into what I call a more African conscious vibe, that I really started listening to music that was created by Africans in the diaspora, like reggae and dancehall, among others genres. I had heard lots of Bob Marley and yes I liked it but for some reason, it wasn't my thing. I just loved dancehall. So much, I used to dance it (yes, like real dancehall. That's all I have to say), I used to love to sing it, and I still couldn't understand it much. And then...

I had a life-changing experience that turned me to Rastafari. It was at that moment that all the lyrics from Bob Marley, Midnite, Jacob Miller, Hugh Mundell, and Peter Tosh started to make sense to me. And with that social media came about. I remember MySpace (is that website still running? Has anyone gotten in contact with Tom ever since? Oh, Tom our first social media friend. Does he have a Facebook? *evil laugh*). Anyway, I remember MySpace and I remember how I used to talk to this one guy from London and he sent me a link to his music (I remember his name but I doubt he remembers me. It's cool. I really don't expect him to remember me). It was dub and I loved it but again I get hooked to music I have no idea of how to find and again I just let it go and soon just put it in the back of my mind. I continue to listen to more reggae for years to come and totally forgot about dancehall because I was no longer connecting with it on any level. So, I continue to grow in Rastafari and listen to more reggae and continued to absorb all its teachings. I continue to find more reggae music jewels like Noel Ellis, Linval Thompson, etc. Note that I start liking old school steppers but I didn't know that was even a genre within reggae. So, I start downloading songs with those rhythms and every time falling more in love with it.  But the story continues...

Let us fast forward to 2010, when I met my husband. He has been a Rastafarian for like forever and he is an avid reggae listener. No kidding. He probably knows every reggae song from the 60s to the 2000s easy. (Awesome DJ I got me *wink wink*) It was then that he introduce to me the more songs in old steppers style and then, AND THEN, dub. Beautiful combination... let me rephrase that... beautiful and perfect synchronicity of reggae and EDM. Oh, my musical heart has been completed. I had been reintroduced to my long lost musical lover, a digital version of 70s steppers. What?! Since then I couldn't stop listening and finding more of it. It became and obsession for me and something to make us closer as a couple. He also started to introduce to the culture. And coming from Puerto Rico, you can't pass by any speakers without stopping. So he showed me this pictures of Gianormous and powerful speakers. And then the videos came. Oh, my!!! Where have you been all my life?! (I said that to the pictures not to my husband. LOL) It was then... Love at first sight. I am not looking back... EVER!

After two years just listening to this music, and regular reggae, my husband decided to come back to his musical roots (he had done music before but had taken a long hiatus). It was then that for the first time in my life I felt inspired enough to sing and write songs (I had sung before in my school's children's choir but never again after that). I have always been a writer, a poet, but never a recorded singer. Let alone singing in reggae or for that matter, steppers. But it happened and it felt so liberating. To say the things that were in my mind and take it out of the paper into sound recordings. I never felt freer. But with this new experience, also came insecurities (i guess all artists have it). Things like "what if no one likes it?" and "What if they laugh?". I did pass all that and continued to grow and create. I have found myself deep in a scene where it's very difficult to shine, especially if you're a woman (I do not keep that inside. Being a woman in reggae makes you a Ruthless Warrioress, believe me. But nothing stops a heart with a mission and passion.) And that's how I got to Dubwise, Dub, Steppas, or Steppers (the name isn't important but the message is.

Now, I have found myself in a scene that seems to have no direction or idea of how to steer the wheel. It's been very uphill, more like hiking the Everest but the mission must be completed. Why? Because the one thing I did not say is that I truly believe that this music is the music that will free many minds in the future. Because I believe that this is the key to the mysteries of the future. Because I know that what we sing about is mostly prophecy and because the next generations will barely read, they will listen and they will see. It may sound like I'm going overboard here. But I know that this music is by and for Warriors. But most importantly, I know that this music genre is perfection (at least it is to me). And it's appealing to a crowd that already loves all the different elements our music have, just that they only have heard it in separate genres. But like me, if they only listen to it they will fall in love with it and it will be true eternal love (Believe me). And the message will get to them and they will feel it... deeply. But we really have to take a step to truly take it out there. 

The thing now is to really put this baby out there and organize the scene (hopefully some of my peers will read this and get it). If we could only stop "rating" one another as if one were more than other, and all those ego trips perhaps we will be able to complete the mission that has been given to us. I say this because I know this genre is no just something that just came up; there is a deeper and more meaningful part to this. Most of us do this because it is what we truly believe... to break down the walls of Babylon. However, we have let Babylon take over us in the shape of our ego. It is time to focus on the mission and not externalities. It is time to let go the ego and focus on aligning ourselves with the mission and with our brothers and sisters. After all, that is our army and regardless of how they look, act, or whatever the division in your head is this mission shall and will be completed. 

This is my story on how I got to dub. How did you get to dub or whatever music you do? How did you fall in love with it? What's the story? Comment here or send me an inbox.

Until next time!

Industry Liabilities

The music industry like any other industry has a lot of problems. Lawsuits are filed every second with charges, most of them being copyright infringement. In this entry, I will discuss further the different liabilities that happen in the music industry.

Robin Thicke, Pharrell Lose Multi-Million Dollar ‘Blurred Lines’ Lawsuit

Apparently, Robin Thicke ripped off his ‘Blurred Lines’ hit from a Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit called “Got to Give It Up”. When Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I. wrote the song none of them had an idea that they were using someone else’s intellectual property. Unfortunately,  the court rule in favor of the Gaye Estate and Thicke and Williams had to pay $7.3 million dollars in damages. That’s the highest amount ever paid in history over copyright infringement. I supposed that from now on Pharrell and Robin will be more careful. I think that the best thing is to listen to more music and always try to find permission if you’re trying to sample someone else’s music.

Source: Grow, K. (2015, March 10). Robin Thicke, Pharrell Lose Multi-Million Dollar 'Blurred Lines' Lawsuit. Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/robin-thicke-and-pharrell-lose-blurred-lines-lawsuit-20150310

Jay-Z Wins Copyright Trial Over Egyptian “Big Pimpin’” Sample

Who has not heard the song “Big Pimpin’” big mega star Jay-Z? Allegedly he and Timbaland sample the song from an Egyptian hit called “Khosara Khosara” from composer Baligh Hamdi. Hamdi’s nephew Osama Fahmy filed the lawsuit implying that it was violating his moral rights. This is the perfect example of not knowing what you give up when you signed a contract. It is important to know all the implications within and without the contract. Unfortunately, when Fahmy signed the release of the “Khosara Khosara” song he did not understand the implications and now he is left out with no compensation of any sorts. My recommendation, in this case, is to read, read, read, and after reading research and understand what you are reading. We must ask questions and never leave without and answer. As for Jay-Z, he has 99 problems but copyright infringement ain’t one.

Source: Siegemund-Broka, A. (2015, October 21). Jay-Z Wins Copyright Trial Over Egyptian "Big Pimpin' " Sample. Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/jay-z-wins-copyright-trial-833665

Pandora Agrees to $90 Million Deal to End Pre-’72 Lawsuit by Major Labels

Looks like streaming has become more of a burden to major labels than a blessing. In this case, Pandora has been streaming music that is pre-copyright law, meaning before 1972. Unfortunately, there was no compensation when these songs were streamed. This violates a New York law that gives all the rights to the works  done previous to 1982 to the label companies such as Sony, Universal Music, etc. To settle this conflict Pandora had to cut a $90 million deal. This teaches us that no matter how old the art is, we always have to pay its due respect to the authors. The copyright law does work for all even before it was in effect.

Source: Gardner, E. (2015, October 22). Pandora Agrees to $90 Million Deal to End Pre-'72 Lawsuit by Major Labels. Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/pandora-agrees-90-million-deal-833979

Why you should register your works?

For this post, I've decided that I was going to address the problem caused behind the trend of not registering as artists/producers and not registering our works. 

Let’s start simple, what is a copyright? As explained in the MPA website, “copyright protects creative works and enables composers, literary authors, and other creators to be paid for their work.” In other words, when someone registers a song, that person will be receiving the revenue that comes from the sales or plays of that particular song. That person now controls that catalog and he/she should ensure the integrity and value of such works are respected. 

It is a wild and risky ride to be in the entertainment business (in whatever step of it) when you don't know much bout the legal aspect of it. Why? Because when the artist does not register his/her music, it can be available for anyone to claim it and register the catalog as their own.

What does this mean? It means that in the long run you as an artist that has not ownership of the music that you created will bellowing potential money and recognition just because someone got on the race to register your works before you and won.

Protecting my works? What will it cover?  First, copyrighting your works will protect any creative works such as,  literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, sound recordings, films, broadcast (like performances), and typographical arrangements of a published edition. In the music world this includes lyrics, beats, videos, concerts, brands/names, etc.

Another thing that makes registering your works a great thing is the fact that if you wake up in the morning and you hear a “familiar” song n the radio and you had register your original work, you can bring suit against the person for copyright infringement given that you never granted permission to record/perform your work (song). We see this a lot in the music industry nowadays. A great example is the ‘Blurred Lines’ song by Pharrell Williams & Robin Thicke being sample from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up”. Not only they sample but, they technically copied the song. They ended up paying the Estate of Marcus Gaye millions of dollars for that infringement. 

How can I protect my work? There are different ways to register your work. It can be through a publishing company or the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Method, which is registering each work in the Library of Congress. You can do all of them in bulk or you can do each individual, it all depends on your budget and needs. The best explanation and instructions to register your work are from Ari Herstand, a musical guru. He went from working in Starbucks to self managing his music career to having his music on MTV shows, getting tours around the country, creating a super cool blog/website with a lot of information on how to grow your career. Go to his site where you're going to find a lot of useful information.

Registering your work is the most important thing you can do as an artist, producer, painter, etc. Getting your work linked to you is a way to not only get money but to also have the respect and recognition you deserve. This also goes together with registering yourself as an artist. 

For more information on how to register as an artist you can go to ASCAP (this is the one I am part of but there are others) and if you are outside of the United States you can also check ASCAP where they have all the associations affiliated to ASCAP in your home country.

Good luck with your career and feel free to comment or ask more questions! 

Caged in the Walls of Babylon: A Reggae Music Industry Reality

Music is the motor of the soul. It is through music that most of us have found love, in all the concepts of love. When we experience music we record memories and these memories shape the way we see the world. One of the genres that the world associates the most with love and good experiences is Reggae.

Reggae talks about love and unity but also about oppression and tribulations in Babylon. It helps people to cope with difficulties in their daily life. Reggae normally portrays Babylon as an evil city in the physical and spiritual sense from which walls we all must come out. But when we take a deeper look at the reggae we see these walls are actually caging the industry itself.

The First Wall

The first wall rises when reviewing the article by Curtin Campbell, “Music Industry faced with Management Crisis?” on the Jamaican Gleaner, one can come to understand not all is fair game in the industry. This article touched important points about the difficulties of management in reggae. When Campbell interviewed Winston ‘Niney” Holmes, a Jamaican reggae veteran manager, he goes on to explain that the politics to get a hit are not of talent and advertising techniques but to pay radio DJs to play the tune on their shows. This practice costs thousands of dollars to only get the tune played a few times. It may not seem like a big problem and while it does give great exposure, it can cause the artist to not get royalties because the tracks were not in the station’s library. Niney also comments on another reality for managers in Jamaica and the reggae industry is that managers have become lazy due to sour businesses. This is interesting since a manager should know that business can become sour but that should not make the motivation to dim. Right now reggae is international and there's enough people and space to find more business. Managers need to be more diligent and honest in their practices, but also, artists should also be more educated about the administrative aspects of their careers.

The Second Wall

The second wall rises when the global concept is centered in Jamaica. It is sad to say that even though Jamaica is the birthplace of Reggae it is not the future of Reggae. Reggae music is been played in every language and has affected positively many movements globally. Reggae is no longer a Jamaican genre, it is a global genre with its local variations. Unfortunately, when negotiating in the reggae industry we are faced with many challenges, and as Lloyd Stanbury said in an interview with the Jamaican Observer, "I am examining the issues surrounding the challenges faced in developing a global reggae music industry. My main questions focus on whether the roadblocks that I see are presented by the Babylon system, or whether they are self-imposed by the cultural practices and un-professionalism of the Jamaican reggae artistes,”. This is very frustrating since the way most people deal in the reggae industry is a “we’re friends” kind of mentality. Practices as these only end in a waste of time, money, and effort for the most part. It is about time that the reggae industry starts to learn about how to professionally interact with each other in the music industry.

The Third Wall

This is the shaky one and it rises when we speak about race and reggae music. Nowadays, reggae is a global thing. In the most part, it helps people of all parts of the world and all different races to cope with loss or change. But for some reason, reggae artists are still expected to be black and Jamaican. Even though in the early stages of reggae this was the rule, in recent times that is far from reality.
With the recent events where Joss Stone winning Billboard’s “Reggae Album of the Year”, the question about race in reggae music. What really should matter here is not really race, but about what are reggae artists independently of race and nationality doing to have such an award. Why is reggae taken over by artists that are only experimenting with the genre versus experienced reggae artists winning such awards? The problem lies in the lack of representation from the artists because of the limitations that have been present in the core of reggae music. For example, the constant burning of the Babylon system can and will limit ones because they refuse to convey to the general rules by which the music industry abides. If reggae artists were to take the steps to get the representation to get the recognition they want and deserve there will be more opportunities for all.

The Fourth Wall

This is the back wall of Babylon and it rises when the economics are reviewed. As stated in a study conducted by the Victoria University, the lack of appreciation and knowledge for copyrights and the law creates a way for artists and musicians to be exploited. Many will raise their eyebrows at this one, but the truth is that when a release is made and the artist is only paid for voicing a tune, or the producer is paid for making a beat and then both the singer and the producer are not a registered and have not registered their works it becomes like a hype hit song. No one will ever get money from that tune, maybe some recognition. But what happens when that song hits the charts? Or what if someone registers the song under their disguise and even going to court will not give it back? This is why the communications have to be open. Also, the artists and producer must become more educated to preserve their business.

Conclusion

Reggae can and will break the walls that have imprisoned her when the ones with the knowledge take an oath to educate one another and to be honest. As long as we continue to work with unprofessional ethics the genre will not go forward and many people that do not know about the genre, its message, and its history will continue to capitalize it while we the reggae artists of the world will be exploited. Now that our eyes have been open what will we do? Will we take charge of what it is ours or will we continue to suffer inside the walls of Babylon?