Can I See Your License, Please?
Before you get pulled over – what you need to know about music licensing

Confused about music licensing? Don't blame yourself. Sudoku's a Sunday walk in the park compared to the maze music licensing presents to most DJs. Even club owners don't always get it right.

Here's what you need to know...

Music licensing come in two flavors: public play and performance royalties. They are two very different things...

The music you receive from Promo Only is licensed for public play. Unlike iTunes, Amazon and other similar sites that offer music for personal use only, our content is licensed by the artists and labels we represent for public performance. You have, in effect, the artist's permission to play our content in pursuit of your profession.

Promo Only does not, however, cover performance royalties (those fees ASCAP, BMI and SESAC collect for the public play of the artists' work they represent) for the simple reason that 99.9% of DJs will never have to pay them. Weddings, birthday parties, corporate parties – any of a number of events you might book that is not open to the general public -- are not considered public play. They are regarded as private events and are, therefore, exempt from performance royalties.

Nor are DJs working clubs, skating rinks and other entertainment venues responsible for performance royalties. Many people mistakenly assume that DJs must obtain a license to perform copyrighted music or that businesses where music is performed can shift their responsibility to DJs. Not so: The law expressly states that since it is the venue owner who obtains the ultimate benefit from the performance of copyrighted works, it is the venue owner who must pay the performance fees.

The single exception? If you're producing a public event yourself, a 4th of July celebration, for example, even though you're the DJ, you're also the promoter and you'll need to contact ASCAP, BMI and SESAC for a one-time special events license.

Performance royalty fees are one of the many costs of doing business.

For more info on performance royalties our recommended reading list includes the ASCAP FAQ, BMI FAQ, and SESAC FAQ.

Short of retrofitting a DeLorean with a flux capacitor and harnessing 1.21 gigawatts of power, the new VMS4 Velocity MIDI Station is about as close to time travel as you're going to get. So futuristic is the VMS4, in fact, that the folks at American Audio have had to trademark a new word just to describe it...

MID·I·LOG™.
1 a : of, relating to, or being a groundbreaking unit that allows for use as a MIDI-controller or a stand-alone analog mixer b : or any combination of both

The VMS4's adaptability extends to software, too. The unit comes bundled with the popular and easy to use Virtual DJ LE software. But if you're using another software program, no worries -- you'll find downloads of MIDI drivers for all the most popular DJ software titles available on American Audio's VMS4 website (www.vms4dj.com) free of charge, allowing the VMS4 to dovetail with most any DJ program out there.

The VMS4 is not only versatile -- it's affordable. Packed with features, it has a street price of under $500. Not bad for a 4-channel unit that comes fully equipped with software,  2 jog wheels, a built-in mouse pad, Innofader cross-fader option, and 2 microphone channels with gain/treble/mid/bass EQs.

Other features include: 50 LED illuminated buttons (including 18 with dual blue/red LEDs), 34 assignable rotary controllers, 5 assignable linear fader controllers, 4 assignable rotary encoders, long-life MIDI-assignable touch strips, two 10-bit resolution pitch sliders, 62 assignable MIDI buttons and switches, dual MIDI controls on all buttons and switches, and dual 2000 point resolution touch-sensitive turntable search controllers.

Our fave feature? When the worst happens and your computer crashes the VMS4 kicks automatically into analog mode, giving instant preference to your standby CD player or turntable and you a seamless transition with no dead air.

The VMS4 Velocity MIDI Station. Express yourself.
Coming July 2010.

For more information, contact American Audio at 1-800-322-6337, or visit the company's website at www.americanaudio.us

We're catching up this month with Houston-based DJ/producer DJ Red (aka Ryan McKay) as his newest release, Zombies On The Dancefloor, sits comfortably at # 15 on Beatport's electro-house chart.

PO: Beatport's Top 20. Not a bad place to park a track, Ryan.  How'd you manage that?
DJ Red:  Well, DJing kind of fell in my lap. I had spent the mid-90s playing in punk/ska bands when I saw a DJ documentary called Scratch and got invited to the after-party where I saw Mix Master Mike, Qbert, and Z-Trip perform. I bought turntables the next day.

PO: And that led you to house?
DJ Red: I had always enjoyed electronic music; I was always into the Dallas rave scene.  I was supposed to go into the aviation industry but I graduated the year of 9/11, so I said screw it, made the move to Houston and tried to make the DJ thing work.

PO: Seems like it's working pretty well. You were voted Houston's best DJ three years running; you're currently nominated for a best producer award by the Houston Press; and you've certainly had no lack of top 20 releases on iTunes and Beatport. What was the turning point?
DJ Red: What put me ahead in the Houston market was putting a lot of time and effort in making a really good CD. Because I came from a band background, I wouldn't play around in my room for an hour, put a bunch of tracks together and hand it out to people. I'd spend months collecting the right tracks and put a lot of money into the production -- cover, insert jacket, the whole deal -- and then market it within my entire fan base. That's how I won those Best titles.

PO: Which led to your first big gig...
DJ Red: Yeah, back in 2003 I got to open up here in Houston for DJ Tiesto.  And that was because I'd been a big supporter of the guy who was running the Houston scene at the time. He had an open slot and he gave me the nod. 2000 people. That was all I needed.

PO: What's keeping you busy these days?
DJ Red: The past two years I've switched gears. I'm still DJing, obviously, but my focus is on production. And that's like starting all over.  It's just like going into a new city as a new DJ -- you've got to climb that social ladder.

PO: You're working with DJ Scotty Boy...
DJ Red:  Yeah. It's a lot of concept-driven stuff.  I'm very concept oriented; you give me a concept and I'll run with it. So I work on what he's got in his head and send it back to him; he'll change this or that – he's got a great ear for what he wants and what the final product should be. He's a promotional monster.

PO: And where is production taking you?
DJ Red:  It's opened up a lot of gigs outside of Houston for me. Pretty much every gig I've got now is a result of producing. Used to be I'd have to hustle to get anything outside of Houston. Now the production is getting me more and more contacts. Once I get my name out there a little more, I'd like to jump on a bigger agency roster. Playing internationally is a goal, for sure.

PO: So going from DJ to producer has been key.
DJ Red:  It really is. Plus there's nothing like a crowd rocking out to your own stuff.  I get massive joy when I get a video or a tracklist sent to me of a DJ playing my track. I love people playing my tracks...

DJ Red at a glance…

Specialty:  Electronic House
Known whereabouts: Houston
Current track: Zombies On The Dancefloor, Movement Music, available now on Beatport. Pick up DJ Red & DJ Scotty Boy's 4am In Vegas on July 2010 Alternative Club.
Website: http://www.therealdjred.net/mediakit/

For more info on our House and Club selections…
www.promoonly.com 407-331-3600