FAQ
FAQ 1: Before you come to record, make sure your songs are completed and you are happy wth the lyrics, melody, arrangement and tempo. We recommend recording live at home (even on your smartphone is OK). Listen back for any changes or ideas before coming to the studio. Finally, dress in comfortable QUIET clothes! No noisy parachute pants please!
FAQ 2: When you come to the studio bring your instruments. If you're a vocalist bring your lyrics, comfy clothes and your favourite water bottle. And please leave the heavy scents at home (ie, perfume, cologne, lotions, etc...)
FAQ 3: You can certainly produce/mix your own tracks. You can record your songs at Ukee Sound and we will export the session and/or stems to you or your producer.
FAQ 4: A stem is a single (solo) version of the track in a recording session such as a guitar or vocal. Each stem can be isolated and exported for producers and artists upon request.
FAQ 5: A PRO is a Performing Rights Organization. This is where artists will register their songs for royalty collection and publishing. It's free to register. In Canada it is SOCAN, in the US its BMI, ASCAP.
FAQ 6: You should definitely register your song with a PRO. Otherwise your song will not be tracked for royalties and it could be subject to ownership theft.
FAQ 7: Music licensing or 'SYNC' is where your song is used in a visual media such as TV, film, commercial use etc. Typically it is negotiated by a SYNC agent for a fee. Example: $10,000 for a trailer. The agent takes 50% of the fee and $5000 is split between the writers and master audio recording.
FAQ 8: The master audio is the actual audio recording of a song and is separate from publishing and writing.
Typically whomever paid for the production of the song itself owns the master recording. Once a song is recorded, it must be mixed, produced and mastered. This can be paid out as a fee. A producer will sometimes take a share of the master recording to be recouped in perpetuity if the song is licensed.
FAQ 9: You can make money from streaming but to be clear, you will need approximately 315 streams on Spotify to make $1, 128 streams on Apple Music to make $1 and 1250 streams on YouTube Music to make $1. These platforms are mainly used as a promotional tool.
FAQ 10: In order to get your songs on the big platforms (Apple Music/ Spotify etc) you must pay a third party to handle the distribution. There are many options, but we recommend Distro Kid. You must create an account, then pay a yearly fee, upload your tracks and set a release date. You cannot release music to any streaming sites without this step.
FAQ 11: We do not press CD's of your songs or album. We will give you a digital copy of your mastered song(s) ready for streaming or burning CD’s if that is your goal. There are many companies that provide that service, like CD BABY.