O Where O Where Has My BandPage Gone, O Where O Where Can It Be...?

Ever had something working great on your PC or cellphone one day, and then completely disappear the next for no apparent reason (like emails for example)....hm?

Hi, DeDe here. Here's the NEW LINK to my brand new BandPage which happens to be attached to my same old Facebook Fan Page:  Facebook.com/DeDeWedekind. Now, I know this may not be all that exciting to you, but as one who is universally technically challenged, I’m really, really excited about this!  Okay, so my old BandPage on Facebook was, as my Scottish friend says, just a “wee bit” outdated (since I didn’t really know how to update it for like 2 years)…? A few weeks ago I got this email that my BandPage was expiring, and I needed to pay to renew it, etc. etc., (an email which I chose to ignore and deleted really quick).  Well, I guess I must have let it expire, and then “poof!” It vanished into thin air- (which was probably a good thing in the long run, although short-term I felt completely technically betrayed by Facebook, (apparently BandPage is a separate entity entirely from Facebook, who knew?), and I had zero idea how to get it back... Where to start, and where to look?  (DeDe’s now singing): “O where o where has my BandPage gone, o where o where can it be?”  (Hey, ever been there?!)  And nope, it didn’t sing or talk back to me or anything, which I’m sure you’ll take as a good sign…

So now I’m kinda relieved because I no longer needed to worry about how badly this really old and decrepit page was looking….Or DID I?  So I started to fret about where it went, was I ever going to see it again, and then, who STOLE it? Was it the NSA and their cyber-targeting bullies? Hey, did they think I was some sort of a musical terrorista threat?  Or was I now on some new IRS target list for low-income artists?  Or God forbid, maybe I was also being dropped by my health insurance plan? (Which BTW-I think I’m the ONLY American who admits that it was kinda crappy anyways, so I definitely did NOT want to keep my crummy plan- take THAT Sebelius!)… And did it disappear into the same abyss as the Obamacare website? And were my new Obamacare premiums now going to completely bankrupt me?…But I digress, as I often do with my natural ADD tendencies… So I began to wonder if I was ever going to find my buddy, my pal & my old friend: my Facebook BandPage. I know it MUST have fallen into some slippery cyber wormhole or be trapped in a clogged computing cloud or something….

But no fears! For a mere $19.95 (per year) charged to PayPal, and a measly 18 hours of PC crunch time later, I was (finally!) able to retrieve my password, reset it, and actually create a new, improved and completely updated BandPage to go along with my fabuloso Facebook Fan Page! To be sure there were many happy sighs of relief, (I think I heard actually the heavens open and angels singing at one point!) But this was only AFTER: all the loud rumblings from my empty tummy, completely dry eyes and blurred vision from severe eyestrain, and yawn after yawn from lack of sleep!  Not to mention since my head's been hitting this technical “brick wall” over and over from extreme frustration, now I also have a whopper of a headache…!  Oh well, all's well that ends well. I have a happy new BandPage that looks real snappy, is pretty darned cool, and is now what they call “UP-DATED” with photos, and songs even. AND, it’s working great; at least for the next few hours….right?  But let's not get paranoid here....

So, please visit my New and Improved BandPage and check out a few song clips from my new Album when you get a chance, and get a free download of my song, Deck the Halls for stopping by, okay?  The album's called World of Christmas, and apparently it's actually now live on iTunes (well, at least it was on the FRANCE iTunes, and so it was completely in FRENCH, but we WON’T go there, or let THAT be a concern right now, okay?)  

   Parlez-vous Francais?   

   DeDe :)   www.DeDe-Music.com

Songwriting: Songwriter Rights and Publisher Rights

Hi Musicians and Music Lovers!

I got this interesting question from a songwriter friend of mine today, and I thought I would post it and my response for you, because songwriting and the music industry are a lot more complex than most people would ever dream.  It's just good to know a few songwriting and music industry basics whether you are in a band, write music, thinking of a career in or are in the music industry, or even if you just like to listen to and download music.

Question:

I'm confused.  How does a song get published? I thought by putting it on CD Baby, that's publishing it.  

I am thinking just royalties, but if someone else wanted to sing/record the song, they would publish it.  So, would CD Baby have those rights too?  Thanks so much for your help!!!

Response: 

You are mixing up song "publishing" with licensing, distribution and other services.  I suggest you do some research online about how songwriting, royalties and publishing work. They are very complex, and I certainly don't know all the ins and outs, and even if I did, I could never go into enough detail here to explain it. There's just not enough time, space, or strength in my fingers to type it all!  Plus there are already some great resources online & books about how the music industry, songwriting and royalties work.  Just do a search on "How the Music Industry Works" or  "How songwriting royalties are paid", or similar.  BTW- this is all just for songs played and written in the US, each country has it's own copyright, songwriting & royalty payment laws, so it gets really fun when you start talking about international rights & royalties for music.

In the US, when anyone writes a song, if it plays on the radio, is performed by someone else, or appears in a movie, etc., then about 9 cents in royalties are supposed to be paid to the songwriter per song every time it's played.  50% of any payments or royalties for use of that song would go to the writer (or Writer's Share as it's called, so that would be about 4.5 cents per song play), and 50% goes to the publisher (or Publisher's Share-the other 4.5 cents).

A warning about performing and recording "cover" songs:  in the US, you are only paid a song royalty for any original songs that you yourself write. Additionally, if you record someone else's song (or you "cover" their song), you don't get a red-cent in royalties.  However, the owner/writer of that song gets paid all song royalties for that song you recorded or performed, not you. Plus, you have to pay them a "licensing fee" to use their song. This is why in the US and generally speaking, it's a LOT more lucrative for performers to write and perform their own music.

For example, you want to sell your music online.  So you choose to pay CD Baby a flat fee, plus a small percentage of each sale (usually 10-20%) for you to be able to post & sell your music on their site (like I do). CD Baby wouldn't really the "publisher", you are merely paying them for the service of helping you sell your music online, which is something different, so they are not entitled to the "publisher share" of your song royalites.  If you posted your music on CD Baby, and then you also wanted to sign an additional distribution and royalty collection contract with CD Baby, then they would be the distributor of your music, not the publisher, and they would collect an additional flat fee such as $49 per song (to help you collect your royalties and get your music out there to all their online outlets like Spotify & Rhapsody in order to help you increase sales and visibility).

In addition to this flat fee per song, a distributor may also take a percentage of any song royalty payments they collect for you as well, so check the fine print.  Since they are not really "publishers", they would not be getting this Publisher's Share royalty of 50%.  Some distributors do charge a percentage of your writer's or publishers royalties (usually 10-20% in the US and Canada), so be careful to read the fine print and consult a lawyer when signing anything that involves giving away part or all of of your royalty payments in exchange for a service.  And NEVER give away or sign away your copyrights to your music, unless you are doing so for some sort of charitable reason.

Most new artist/songwriters, and also what we call "independent artists" are their own publishers too, so that they would receive 100% of any song royalties paid for any song that they wrote. An independent artist is one who is not affiliated or "signed" with any Label or Publisher.  If an artist "signs" a deal with a Record Label, in exchange for a lump sum, usually an "advance payment for future royalties", the Label usually asks you to sign away all your publishing rights.  So then the Label would get all of the 50% publishing royalties for any songs you wrote that were under that contract with them.

Or, as a songwriter, you can also sign a deal directly with a music publisher. In exchange, the publisher may "publish" your song as sheet music, or place it in their "music library" where they would be able to "get your music out there" for lots of industry people to hear your songs. They could: "license", or sell, your song in order for another artist to perform it, or "license" your song for use in a movie, on TV, or in a video game, etc.. This would usually be in exchange for the 50% publishing rights. In any case, if you sign with a publisher, distributor or a Label, you would likely still retain part of or all of your writers share of 50%, but that's negotiable too.

Unfortunately, nowadays, more & more often, songwriters are being asked to give up part of their writer's share because the industry's in a financial downturn.  This is due to a number of factors such as free downloading, sites like Pandora that pay hardly any royalties per song play (only 8 cents per 1000 plays, that's less than 1/1000 of what they should be paying songwriters!), and other factors that have severely cut back the revenues and royalties for artists, labels and publishers.  There's also a related aspect I briefly mentioned above called Music Licensing.  That's a completely different subject that I'll address another time.

I hope this helps, but all artists need to do some research on their own about how songwriting, and the music industry works. You can find out more information on songwriting royalties and other payments here: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-royalties6.htm .
It's extremely complex, and there are a lot of legal aspects and other things that you should know before you record any song for sale or commercial use, whether you own the song or it's someone else's.

DeDe :)
Please visit my website to find out more info. about me and my music, thanks! www.DeDe-Music.com

'World Of Christmas' Album Press Release

For Immediate Release

Houston, Texas

Nov. 1, 2013

Houston area singer/songwriter DeDe, is releasing a very unique Christmas CD, called World of Christmas on Nov. 5, 2013!  This breakthrough CD will feature songs with an international flair:  traditional Christmas favorites like "Silent Night" and "Deck the Halls", as well as some new "re-mixed" songs and original songs composed by DeDe.  Visit www.DeDe-Music.com to hear songs and order your copy today!

DeDe would really appreciate you purchasing and then spreading the word about her new Album, World of Christmas, which was produced by Grammy-Winner Jeff Bova (Celine Dion Falling Into You-1996).  All of the production and songs are top-notch in quality, instrumentation and musicianship.  For example, her guitar player on this CD, Tim Pierce, plays for Bruce Springsteen. DeDe's bass player, John Pierce (no relation to Tim!) tours with Huey Lewis and the News.  The drummer, Denny Fongheiser played on Elton John's Lion King soundtrack.  Says DeDe: "All of the folks who made this CD are completely amazing world-class musicians. There's great World Music on this CD. Since it's a Christmas album and timeless music, I had more license to be very creative musically.  So World of Christmas crosses many genres, countries, and styles. From Celtic to French, and from Motown to Latin Cha Cha, there's definitely something for everyone of any age on this CD. It truly is a World Music effort, offering a mix of secular and religious Christmas carols, and classic songs like Silent Night, Deck the Halls and Jolly Old St. Nicholas. You will love these songs!"

DeDe just signed a Worldwide Distribution & Promotional contract with JTV Digital/Dotted Music, and she uses Cyber PR for her updates on Social Media. She may not have a label yet, but she now has over 85K fans, and growing.  DeDe also just found out that she's going to be honored as the December Featured Artist on Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station for talented female artists and groups. Visit them at http://www.wosradio.com.

DeDe says: "I wrote many of these songs over the past few years, and some were performed at my big Christmas show last December. I've been eagerly waiting to make a Christmas CD, because this is my favorite time of the year. And, my favorite music tends to be Christmas music because of the joy, hope and international appeal Christmas has for so many people around the world." She goes on to say, "After my release of Love & Fairy Tales in June 2013, I focused all my attention on this CD, which has 10 songs, all of which are of unique styles, with truly melodic and beautiful melodies. Some like "Rock Those Jingle Bells", "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" as well as "Deck the Halls" have really unique spins and fun, danceable beats.  Some are originals, and others are carols that I’ve put my own original arranging twist on (as I always do!). Many have cool song combinations: new tunes and lyrics sometimes woven into the songs in unexpected, yet pleasing ways." What seems to make DeDe stand out from other singers and songwriters is her ability to arrange and sing music in really new, melodic, and inventive ways.  Her original song, "The Plans I Have for You", from Love & Fairy Tales, won Finalist in the 2013 UK Songwriting Competition in August.  Another of her originals, "Blame It On the Summertime" won Best Summer Song of the Month on Broadjam.com, also in August.  And, DeDe's been honored with a spot in the Top 5 Vocalists (worldwide) from Singer Universe.com three times over the past 18 months.

Take all this, and a lot of world music flair such as: French, English, Celtic, Latin, Classical, Motown, African tribal, Americana, and many others and you get DeDe's "World of Christmas".  DeDe wanted to make something truly memorable, very high quality, and timeless.  She searched all over the US, and finally found producer Jeff Bova.  Jeff says: " DeDe's versatility as a vocalist and songwriter shines brightly on World of Christmas. She brings her beautiful lyrical sensibility combined with her fun, playful side to create a holiday album that not only touches your heart, but your soul".  

So DeDe added an African-tribal backbeat and chant to the chorus of her original, One Child, sort of like "Circle of Life" from Lion King by Elton John. DeDe says: "It came off sounding really great; the song starts out slowly almost like a lullaby, and gradually builds with the addition of a lovely children's chorus.  It finally reaches a glorious peak when the men enter on the chant with the background voices, the kids, instruments, and the beat all harmonizing together, I hope it truly becomes a new Christmas classic!"  "One Child" is about how one tiny child changed the whole world. It was named a finalist in Songs that Save 2013.

You can also hear the piano and chord structure influences of Elton John, (one of DeDe's favorite artists), in another of her original songs, "Joyful Christmas", which combines the piano stylings of Elton with a more Americana country-pop flavor. This song is about giving back, and this CD is DeDe's Christmas gift to all music lovers of all ages!  Besides “One Child”, DeDe has 2 favorites from this CD: her original and new music medley of "Song in the Air/ Il Est Ne", and her all-new "Ave Maria Medley".  DeDe says, "This Ave Maria Medley is truly the most beautiful thing I have ever written, I took the 2 most famous Ave Maria melodies, and combined them into a brand new trio with a cello. I cried the first time my husband and I heard Jeff's production.  I was also very happy, because the cello part I'd written really did sound amazing as it interwove with the 2 soprano voices."  These two soprano voices, (both DeDe), along with the cello comprise, the most classical piece on the CD, along with another original, her new "Canon on the Lord's Prayer".  

DeDe goes on to say, "This piece, the Canon, is one I've been working on for about a year and a half or so.  It was by far the most complex song on the CD to sing, produce, create and play, because there are so many layers vocally and instrumentally, and just choosing which ones to use and which to leave out, was really tough on Jeff and I at times. But Jeff did a great job of tying it all together and it's truly inspiring.

DeDe (aka Deborah DeDe Wedekind) was raised in the Houston area, and lives in Kingwood with husband Larry, and their two adorable dogs, Cookie and Sugar. She also has two older stepsons. DeDe found her passion for music a little later in life, and is now writing and singing "Real Good Music for Real Music Lovers".  She writes timeless multi-genre music that brings inspiration, great melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics, as well as her signature lilting, soaring vocals to listeners of all ages. Please visit www.DeDe-Music.com to hear & purchase DeDe’s music or iTunes.com.

Wildy's World: DeDe - Love & Fairytales

Wildy's World: DeDe - Love & Fairytales

Coffee and Cashmere: The Fairy Tale Song by DeDe- Now Playing!

Coffee and Cashmere: The Fairy Tale Song by DeDe
Please watch... Thanks! DeDe :)

**Exclusive Video Premiere of The Fairy Tale Song 10/4**

Just when you thought the music industry had gone through enough complex and unanticipated changes, well, even more sweeping changes have been happening lately.  Now, it appears that sites such as YouTube and Vevo are not only entertaining visitors and members alike with fun and eclectic videos, but now, having a high quality music video to go along with that hit or potential hit song is not only nice to have, it's regarded by most of the industry as essential.  That's because social media video sites along with other social media sites promote the idea and the reality that having a great and well-made music video is now just as important as having a terrific song to go along with it. This change has had a profound effect on artists, who now often scramble as their CD's and singles release to also have interesting, unusual, captivating and cool imagery and "video stories of their songs" to go along with the songs they have worked so hard to often: write, perform and produce...." It's also given companies and producers of music videos a great new market for their video making services.

With that in mind, I learned at an ASCAP music conference for songwriters in LA this past April that having a great song is really no longer enough. Not enough for the artist, and certainly not enough for fans.  Everyone expects a great and highly entertaining music video for each and every song, but especially for "songs with high hit potential."  Some artists post interesting videos to subscribers weekly and update their fans and subscribers all the time.  These videos often are just the artist talking about their latest project, answering fan questions or just generally entertaining their fans so that fans feel connected to the artist.  Not coincidentally, these are the same artists with the most fans, followers, and views on YouTube and sites like Vevo, artists such as Prince Royce and Lana del Ray, etc.

DeDe says: "In fact this is why I decided to do three music videos this year, the first one being The Fairy Tale Song, which is premiering here on 10/4!  I chose this song, because I think the message is positive and powerful, and the lyrics of the song lent themselves very well to some fun animation and familiar imagery.  This song was written to encourage teens and kids of all ages to "follow their heart", learn from mistakes, make good choices, and "live their dreams" making their "fairy tale come true".  And everyone, no matter what age, will find the fun nursery rhymes and fairy tale themes of this song and video familiar, and hopefully they will smile, tap their toes, and really relate to the lyrics and imagery." 

This video, by Jesse Davy, combines green screen production, along with fantasy drawings and renderings, and photo elements, making it highly unique and very interesting to watch.  DeDe: "It made me think over and over, "how did he do that?"  I like it when I see things that make me think that, because it keeps my mind engaged.  I love the quality of the animation scenes that Jesse incorporates into the "real photos" which makes this video really fun to watch, interesting, and imaginative.  I hope you like it and will share it with your family and friends!" 

Also coming soon, the video of DeDe's original song, One Child, from her upcoming Christmas CD, World of Christmas, premiering in Oct. 2013!  With a mix of familiar, original and blended songs, this very anticipated world music CD, by DeDe & Grammy Winning Producer, Jeff Bova, will release in late October. Visit www.DeDe-Music.com and Sign Up for news so that you can catch all DeDe's latest news, videos and music. Watch all of DeDe's music videos on www.YouTube.com/1dwedekind.