RMMGA CD Volume IV FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

The information in this document is provided by multiple contributors. The foundation of this FAQ is heavily based upon the FAQ for CD Vol. II and CD Vol. III, which I also compiled.

If you volunteered to work on a section of the FAQ and have something to contribute now, go for it.
Even if you didn't volunteer but want to add or modify info, tell me. Send me a message: rmmgacdnotes "at" the domain of gmail "dot com".

Last update to the FAQ: 16 July 2006, to reflect changes in sending cover song information and the breadth of the CD set.

News in a nutshell (current CD status): If your submission was accepted, please do not forget to send liner notes (see section 6.2+) and, if applicable, details for cover song licensing (see section 2.5). CD-IV will be a 7-CD set that features 131 songs from 78 contributors.

FYI: This document location may be temporary...the FAQ may move elsewhere as the project progresses. Please bookmark rmmgcd4.wordpress.com and subscribe to the RSS feed there to keep up-to-date with major changes to the FAQ.

Contributors to the FAQ

I attributed chunks of information to the appropriate info-provider. Here's the key to the code names:

[Al]  Al Evans
[Bob]  Bob Alman, head honcho for CD I
[Daniel]  Daniel Nestlerode
[Harold]  Harold Hedberg, licensing guru
[Jan]  Jan Vail, da boss for CD II
[Jim]  Jim McCrain, the mastering master for CD III and CD IV
[John]  John Sorell
[Shirley]  Shirley Worrall

If you don't see an attribution to something, the reason is because I (Jennifer, liner notes and FAQ editor) wrote it myself.


Table of contents

  1. Some basics about the CD project
    1.1 - What is RMMGA CD IV (a.k.a. CDIV, CDiv and CD4)?
    1.2 - Can anyone from RMMGA be on the CD? / What kind of music may I submit?
    1.3 - How many pieces can I submit?
    1.4 - What do I need to do to be on the CD?
    1.5 - When is the deadline?
    1.6 - When can I start submitting music?
    1.7 - What pieces have already been submitted? / Who's aboard?
    1.8 - Who volunteered to work on the CD project?

  2. Copyright issues
    2.1 - What if I am doing music written by someone else?
    2.2 - How is a mechanical license obtained?
    2.3 - What if I am doing an arrangement of a "public domain" work?
    2.4 - How were the appropriate licenses handled for CD I/II/III?
    2.5 - What do I have to do in order to obtain a mechanical license for a song I'm contributing? [updated]
    2.6 - What if I am doing an original piece that I wrote?
    2.7 - How do I copyright my original work (i.e. songs that I wrote)?

  3. Submission formats
    3.1 - What formats are acceptable for submissions?

  4. Recording resources
    4.1 - What are some recording-related resources on the web?
    4.2 - Are there any newsgroups that discuss recording techniques, tips, help?

  5. Recording help/tips from RMMGA-ers
    5.1 - Recording Basics (in 6 steps) [Al]
    5.2 - How do I get rid of extraneous hiss if I'm recording on tape?

  6. I'm done recording and am ready to submit!
    6.1 - Where/How do I send in my submission(s)?
    6.2 - What information do I write for the liner notes?
    6.3 - How/Where do I send the liner notes?
    6.4 - Is there anything else I need to do? [updated]

  7. RMMGA CD Volume IV - The final product
    7.1 - How much is CD IV? / Who & what music is on it? / What do I get if I buy a set? [updated]
    7.2 - How is the price determined? / What does the price cover?
    7.3 - How do I order a set (or multiple sets)?
    7.4 - How do I pay for my order?
    7.5 - How do I check the status of my order?
    7.6 - What if I have more questions about my order?

 


Section 1: Some basics about the CD project

1.1 - What is RMMGA CD IV (a.k.a. CDIV, CDiv and CD4)?

This is the fourth CD project to be put out by RMMGA (the Usenet newsgroup rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic). The first, second and third volumes are sold out. At this point we do not know how many submissions there will be, how many CDs will be in the set, or what the price will be. It will be made up of musical submissions by the members of the RMMGA newsgroup. [Jan]

If you want to learn more about RMMGA CD I, II and III, check out the RMMGA web site, put together by Tim Wampler: http://www.rmmga.org/.

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1.2 - Can anyone from RMMGA be on the CD? / What kind of music may I submit?

Yes. The only requirement to being to be on this CD is that it has to be acoustic guitar based (after all this is an acoustic guitar newsgroup). There can also be other instruments, and/or vocals. It can be an original work or a cover of someone else's work. Even if you submitted a piece or two for CD I/II/III, you can be on this CD. [Jan]

Solo instrumental, band/group arrangements and "vocal" works are considered appropriate for inclusion, as long as the main thrust of the music is acoustic guitar. [Jim]

If you are doing a cover, you will need to provide the required information so that we can obtain the license for it (see section 2: "Copyright issues").

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1.3 - How many pieces can I submit?

Members/readers of RMMGA may submit a maximum of two (2) works, either original or cover for inclusion on the new project. There will be no limit to the number of contributors allowed, but it is urged that people who have already contributed to previous projects to please limit themselves to one (1) submission. Duos, trios and other "arrangements" will be considered as one (1) submission for each listed performer. [Jim]

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1.4 - What do I need to do to be on the CD?

  • You need to get your work recorded, and then send it in. There are many ways to record your piece. It can be recorded into a cassette deck, a multi-track recorder, a Mini Disk recorder, a DAT recorder, into your computer, or even a professional recording studio. Whatever way works for you. [Jan]

    Acceptable final submission formats are discussed in section 3. If you have no experience recording or would like tips, don't worry, that will come later in section 4 and section 5.
  • As a contributor, you will be expected to buy one CD set from the project. [Bob]
     
    This is how it was for CDs I, II and III, as well. This might sound obvious, but this guideline insures that the people who want to be on the CD (which is not for profit, and produced on a volunteer and goodwill basis) help contribute toward CD production costs.
  • When you're done recording/mixing/whatever, you'll need to send in your submission and some liner notes (covered in detail in section 6) and the required copyright information, if necessary (covered in detail in section 2).
  • You should sign up for the RMMGA CD mailing list to keep up with what's going on with the CD... all RMMGA CD news, all the time! (Actually, the activity level of the list varies quite a bit.) Just go to Yahoo Groups (formerly eGroups) (http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/rmmga_cd/) and subscribe to the "rmmga_cd" list. You can choose whether you want individual messages or a digest. Check out the archives! Don't worry, it's all free (but you do have to register if you haven't already).

    [Note: If you hear/read about references to Onelist or eGroups (e.g. "subscribe to the rmmga_cd list on Onelist.com or eGroups.com"), don't worry about this. Explanation: the RMMGA CD list was originally created using Onelist but the service later merged with eGroups, and then Yahoo bought eGroups.]

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1.5 - When is the deadline?

All submissions should have been received before June 4, 2006.

1.6 - When can I start submitting music?

The submissions window is now closed.

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1.7 - What pieces have already been submitted? / Who's aboard?

Since the project is still underway, more on this will be posted later on.

1.8 - Who volunteered to work on the CD project?

Many people have volunteered to help for CD IV. Once the project really gets rolling, the credits will be listed here.

 

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Section 2: Copyright issues

2.1 - What if I am doing music written by someone else?

In order to include material which is copyright controlled, a mechanical license must be obtained. If the work which is desired to be included has been previously recorded (by the composer or by someone else), the publisher/composer/copyright owner is mandated by law to grant the license. "Standard" licensing fees are set by statute. In 1999 these fees were, as I recall, 7.1 cents per copy. Rates have gone up for 2000 to, I believe 7.5 cents. [Editor's note: As of January 2006, the rate is now 9.10 cents (US) per copy of songs that run 5 minutes or less. See the Harry Fox rates page for more details.] Probably, you won't be able to obtain a license for less than 500 copies (which is what we did for CD I). [Harold]

To find out what you need to do to help obtain a mechanical license, read section 2.5.

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2.2 - How is a mechanical license obtained?

===
A license can be obtained directly from the publisher/composer/copyright owner under any terms which you can negotiate. Otherwise, for many many works, a license can be obtained from "The Harry Fox Agency" (http://www.harryfox.com/public/licenseeServicesMechanical.jsp). Publishers and record companies use Harry Fox as sort of a clearance house to funnel licenses and cash back and forth between license grantors and license grantees.

The only information required to apply for a license is the name of the work, the name of the composer, the name of the publisher and information about the recording (who and how long). Most music of interest will be listed in either the BMI (http://repertoire.bmi.com/) or ASCAP (http://www.ascap.com/ace/) on-line data bases where publisher information can be ferreted out. [Harold]
===

If you're doing a cover song for RMMGA CD IV, you do not have to send in the forms to obtain the licensing yourself. See section 2.5 for more on this.

If you want to find out more about licensing in general and how The Harry Fox Agency and BMI and ASCAP fit in, Harry Fox has a helpful FAQ (http://www.nmpa.org/hfa/hfafaq.html).

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2.3 - What if I am doing an arrangement of a "public domain" work?

===
A copyright for an arrangement cannot (as I understand it) be obtained for a work which is not in the public domain. This means, for example, that Charles and Donna cannot copyright their stirring arrangement of "Blowin' in the Wind." A copyright of an arrangement of a public domain tune, though, can be copyrighted and if a copyrighted arrangement of a public domain tune is used, a mechanical license is technically required--the statutory rate for an arrangement is 20% of that for an original work, I have been told. Fortunately, we didn't have any of these for CD I; I'm not sure how to obtain such a license.

Exactly what constitutes an arrangement is not real clear. It can't be the melody (obviously) and you can't copyright a chord progression (thank god). You also can't use the arrangement path to copyright control something which has previously been in the public domain (though it has been suggested that A.P. Carter sure did try).

I think that the solution to the whole arrangement thing is that any public domain tunes that are included should have "original" arrangements. [Harold]
===

Here's something more from Harold -- this was in answer to a question from John BJ, who wanted to know if his performance of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (public domain, but based on a Leo Kottke arrangement) was a copyright issue:

It seems that if you created your adaptation directly from Kottke's arrangement then we need to consider your performance as a use of his arrangement and secure a proper license from his publisher. I think that is the proper thing to do. My understanding is that Harry Fox doesn't handle arrangement licensing, but the good news is that Kottke's publisher is Bug Music and that Bug appears to be quite easy to deal with. [Harold]

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2.4 - How were the appropriate licenses handled for RMMGA CD I/II/III?

Some people secured permission from the writer/publisher to include copyrighted works. These we didn't worry about other than an annotation in the liner notes indicating who composed the work and the fact that it was used by permission. For all the other cover tunes (about 9, as I recall), I secured the license from Harry Fox. Worked well. [Harold]

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2.5 - What do I have to do in order to obtain a mechanical license for a song I'm contributing?

You will have to send the pertinent information Harold Hedberg -- he and Mike Pugh, who have volunteered to handle the mechanical licensing for CD IV. Harold will handle the Harry Fox-related licenses, and new volunteer Mike Pugh will handle the non-Harry Fox licenses. So, if you are contributing some version of a copyrighted song (not copyrighted by yourself), then Harold says:

  • "If the performer has personal contact with the composer/publisher and wants to get individual permission to include a tune, that's fine."
     
  • "For all others, I will fill out the forms and do the leg work so long as I know the tune details (copyright owner, title, publisher)."

The only information required to apply for a license:

  1. Song title
  2. Songwriter(s)/composer(s)
  3. Publishing company of the song (NOT the record label. See the databases listed below.)
  4. Performer's name (a.k.a. your name or your band's name)
  5. Length of your rendition (minutes and seconds)

Most music of interest will be listed in either the BMI (http://repertoire.bmi.com/) or ASCAP (http://www.ascap.com/ace/) on-line data bases where publisher and composer information can be ferreted out. [Harold]

[new] Some songwriters (including Bob Dylan and Robert Johnson) are affiliated with SESAC (http://www.sesac.com/repertory/repertory_main.asp).

As with CD Vols. I, II and III (for the most part), the licensing fees for CD IV will be added to the overall cost of the CD. So, unless you want to take care of the fees yourself (in which case you must make that clear), you don't have to worry about them.

[updated] When you have finished recording your song(s) for CD IV, you'll need to e-mail the necessary information to Harold so that he and Mike can take care of the licensing for you. Also send a copy to or cc Jennifer because she needs the same information for the physical liner notes. Send an e-mail message (include all of your pertinent information above!) to Harold at hhedberg [at] swbell [dot] net and you must cc or send a copy to Jennifer at rmmgacdnotes [at] gmail [dot] com.

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2.6 - What if I'm doing an original piece that I wrote?

If you're submitting an original work written only by you, then that's fine. Since you own the work, you can give RMMGA permission to use it on the CD. There are no forms to fill out for this, and no licensing is required. If copyrights on this issue is a new subject for you, please read section 2.7 below.

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2.7 - How do I copyright my original work (i.e. a song that I wrote)?

I'm not an expert on copyrights -- I'm neither a copyright lawyer nor a professional musician, but from experience here's what I've learned.

Technically, you acquire a copyright on an original work the moment it gets written or recorded in some concrete way, whether onto paper or onto a sound recording.

e.g. Say you're Pat Songwriterperson, and you recorded an original song onto a tape recorder just by singing into it, then technically it's copyrighted as of then.

Let's say you name that little ditty "Song #1" -- then legally, "Song #1" is yours. And you can record it however you want, and submit it to as many compilations as you want. So legally you don't need to have "Song #1" registered with the copyright office (I'll get into this next) to submit a recording of it for the RMMGA CD. As mentioned, it's yours and you can do whatever you want with it. In other words, registering your songs is not required as a step to have them included on this CD or any other compilation. You can also submit the songs now and register them later, if you so choose.

Getting your stuff registered, though (in the United States, with the U.S. Copyright Office (out of the Library of Congress a.k.a. LOC)) is a different thing. Registration with the Copyright Office is just a formal way of getting your copyright documented, and provides proof of your ownership and rights -- in case you're afraid of someone stealing your work or somehow coming up with a song that sounds like yours later on.

To register, you can submit a sound recording or sheet music of your work, along with a fee and the appropriate application to the Copyright Office (tip: I've read that it's a good idea, when submitting a sound recording, to include printed lyrics for whatever's on the recording). If you're really serious about retaining the rights to the song (and are afraid someone may write something similar down the road, or might copy your own song and pass it off as their own), then I'd recommend the registration. IIRC you can record a bunch of original songs onto one recording + register that collection of songs under one fee. Or you can register individual songs, separately, but pay a fee for each one. But be certain and check the current info from the LOC links below.

The U.S. Copyright Office site (http://www.copyright.gov/) has a lot of good info, plus you'll need to visit anyway to get details and forms on registration. For musical composition registration, you'll want to check out the "Performing Arts" section of How to Register a Work. And do not miss Information Circular 50: "Copyright Registration for Musical Compositions (http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ50.html).

For more info (official info! and not my little primer above) on the world of copyrights (what it is, what's protected, what's not protected, how you get it, etc.), check out the Copyright Office's Information Circular 1 (it's #1 for a reason): "Copyright Basics" (http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html).

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Section 3: Submission formats

3.1 - What formats are acceptable for submissions?

Submissions may be made to Jim on the following media, listed in preferred order:

  1. CD/DVD (WAV file)
  2. CD/DVD (audio)
  3. DAT
  4. electronic (WAV file)
  5. electronic (MP3 file) - Please encode your MP3 at the highest bitrate that you can. (256kbps or higher is better!)
  6. minidisk
  7. cassette
  8. vinyl

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Section 4: Recording resources

4.1 - What are some recording-related resources on the web?

Even if you're not a beginner, you might find something helpful in these links. Also see section 4.2.

  • The Recording FAQ (http://go.to/recordingfaq)
    If you haven't already checked this out, please do! This index of recording-related links by Erwin Timmerman used to be regularly updated and posted to the newsgroups rec.audio.pro and alt.music.4-track. It may be old, but It covers a great range of recording topics: gear (including a lot on microphones), tips for beginners, tips for non-beginners, PC recording and more.
     
  • HomeRecording.com: Learn how to record and mix your own music tapes, CDs, MP3s... (http://www.homerecording.com/)
    Lots of helpful info including tutorials and FAQs; recording and mixing tips, reviews.
  • Home Recording Quarterly (http://www.geocities.com/woodenmusic/hrq/hrqintro.html)
    It hasn't been updated in a long while, but this page has a bunch of good tips that cover a broad range of topics. Especially helpful for people on a budget. Also has 4-track tips.

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4.2 - Are there any newsgroups that discuss recording techniques, tips, help?

  • alt.music.4-track. It's pretty receptive to questions from complete beginners, so don't be nervous. It's also more geared for budget or non-professional recordists and musicians. Not only for those who have 4-track cassette machines, either, but also multi-tracking in general. The FAQ for alt.music.4-track is at http://www.homerecording.com/4trackfaq.html.

  • rec.audio.pro. Posts can get pretty technical, since the newsgroup seems to be populated by people familiar with recording. There are also frequent threads helpful for the home or budget user. The activity level is extremely high. The FAQ for rec.audio.pro is at http://www.recaudiopro.net/faq/index.htm.

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Section 5: Recording help/tips from RMMGA-ers

5.1 - Recording Basics (in 6 steps) - by Al Evans

Since I record myself a lot, and other people are trying to do that right now, I thought I'd try to describe a procedure that works for me. Well, it gets me close to what I want right now, anyway.

In another thread, Christopher said, "I would suggest that to learn how to NOT use the punch in and instead for each of us to learn how to play something all the way through 'correctly' and thus to live with one's 'humanity' will make us all the stronger for doing so." I agree with him to a great extent. I'm not particularly interested in making a recording that "sounds like a record" -- I want to put out something that sounds like me, sitting there, playing and singing for you.

  1. Preparation: My main tool is my minidisc recorder. For some days before I'm going to do a "real" recording, I record sets of three of the song I'm planning to record. Record, listen, record, listen, record, live with it until tomorrow. I find that little corrections get made from the first to the third recording. I listen to the third somewhere between three and ten times, played back on my stereo. There's a simple method to this madness: I've heard LOTS of songs on my stereo. Is this one of them? If not, why not? This is a "lather, rinse, repeat" thing. I try to keep doing it until, one day, the song doesn't get any better. Then I'm ready to record it.
     
  2. Setup: All you really need are two good mics, one for voice and one for guitar. I have a pro friend who says, "if you can't get good sound out of any $250 mic, it's probably not the mic's fault." I think he's largely right (except that the price of a good mic is a lot lower now than when he said it, probably more like $100). There's no way to find the "best" sound except to look for it. But you should be able to get a very reasonable sound out of almost any guitar in at least two places. The first is 8-12 inches from the 12th-14th fret, pointed directly toward the guitar and maybe a little toward the soundhole. The second is 4-6 inches from the lower bout below the bridge, pointed straight at the guitar and maybe a little toward the bridge. I set my vocal mic up with the centerline even with my lower lip, 6-8 inches away, and a little off to the left pointed toward my mouth. I use a pop filter. Get your levels set -- if you're recording digitally, you want the absolute peaks somewhere in the range of -4 to -1 dB on your meters.
     
  3. Recording: Push "record" and do three or four takes in a row. Your limit may vary. If you screw up too badly, just start the song over. Generally, my first take sucks, but I'm happy to have gotten through the whole thing. After the fourth, I'm too involved in the recording process to do justice to the song.
     
  4. Assembly: This depends on what you have available to edit with. If the answer is "nothing", then you've got to just accept one of the takes you've got, or go back to step 3. What *I* do is make a little chart, for example:

         intro | v1 | ch1 | v2 | ch2 ...
       1
       2
       3
       4

    for four takes. Then I listen, and make some notation that will guide me in comping together the best recording from these four takes. Sometimes, nothing will work but to erase it all and come back to it another day (for me, tomorrow is one of those days for one song:-). Usually, though, I can put together a nice recording by taking parts from two, maybe three, of the "takes." My recorder (Roland VS880-EX) allows me to do this easily. I do my cuts on the leading edge of a note, right at the beginning of the sound made by the pick contacting the string. If it takes more than three or four edits to assemble a good version, I probably need to work on the song some more.
     
  5. Editing: If I have to edit more than one or two little glitches, I probably need to work on the song some more. But this recording technique gives me enough separation between the voice and the guitar that if I flub a bass note, I can probably copy the same note from another chorus or something, and it'll sound fine. If there's a bad "skreek" of string noise one place, I can often erase it. Important note: an edit you can "barely detect" today will probably be inaudible tomorrow!
     
  6. Finishing Touches: After I've got the song assembled and edited, I'll probably add some compression on the voice and some reverb on both guitar and voice when I'm doing the final mixdown. I try to set up my mics so that I don't need to use any EQ, but if I need it, I use it. It's like dodging and burning in darkroom work: I do it to make it sound MORE realistic, not more "produced." The sound you've got recorded is an abstraction of the real sound, and you've got to "fluff it up" a little so that it will be correctly reconstituted through a stereo and a set of speakers.

So there ya go. You can listen to some of my results on my web site (http://www.alevans.com/). In particular, "Fairy Lullaby" and "Gotta Leave This Town" were recorded using variations of the above procedure.

I agree with Christopher that the best recording is the one that best reflects the performance. On the other hand, as you can see, I don't have a problem with editing the recording so that it reflects the BEST performance, and so that it is adapted to the medium in which it will be released and heard. The audience forgets a mistake in a performance immediately, but a recording gets listened to over and over, and I don't hesitate to fix things that would interfere with the song.

Because the music is the important thing!

(Whew! I sure hope someone finds this helpful! :-) [Al]

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5.2 - How do I get rid of extraneous hiss if I'm recording on tape?

It's a good idea, once having recorded onto tape, to run the tape into the PC (via a simple lead) and save the track as a .wav file in one of several available shareware music editing programmes. It's then possible to use the programme to remove quite a lot of tape hiss. [Shirley]

You can try using the filter in the free audio editor Audacity for this (Audacity is a great recording software for the price, in any case).

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Section 6: I'm done recording and am ready to submit!

6.1 - Where/How do I send my submission?

(The deadline has passed, but most of the info will remain for reference.)

All submissions should be sent to Jim McCrain, who's mastering CD IV. Include your correct e-mail address as well as your name, so that he can clearly identify each submission and confirm that he received your song(s).

If you would like to submit your songs in a physical form, address your package to:

RMMGA CD IV
[Jim's address]

(Thanks Jim!)

Once you mail out your package, e-mail Jim (rmmgacd [at] texianmedia [dot] com) to let him know that your submission is on its way to him. In your message be sure to include:

  • The names and file names of the songs you've sent
  • What format they're in
  • Your name
  • Your e-mail address (important!)

If you would like to submit electronically, you must e-mail Jim first with your song information only -- do NOT send an email attachment with your song before contacting him first. Jim will set up an FTP account that you can use to upload your songs. [Jim]

If you have any questions about submission formats, or the method of getting your submission to Jim, e-mail him or post a message on the Yahoo rmmga_cd group (http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/rmmga_cd/).

If you've sent your stuff to Jim, congrats! But you're not done yet...make sure you read the rest of this section (6.2 - 6.4) and take care of the rest.

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6.2 - What information do I write for the liner notes?

Jennifer is once again taking care of compiling everyone's notes, and editing them for inclusion into the online master liner notes. She'll be sticking with the original template to format the notes (originally created by Daniel Nestlerode, with suggestions from Jan and Peter).

So here are some things you might want to include in your notes:

[Name & Song Title]

Technical info:
- Guitar: make, model & style (if style is not readily apparent in the make or model names)
- Strings: make & gauge (if you can remember)
- Tuning used (if other than standard)
- Sonic capture devices: microphones, transducers/pickups, etc.
- Other goodies like preamps, DI boxes, etc. Any special picks, tools or effects used.
- Sonic recording devices, including any software
- Any credits you might have (if not done on your own): producer, engineer, mixer, etc.
 
Song roots / esoteric stuff:
- If this is a cover song, the names of the songwriters (this should be the same as the licensing info you'll be sending to Harold (see section 6.4))
- What inspired you to choose (or write and choose) this song?
- Is there a story behind it? (check the CD III notes for examples of this)
- Lyrics (if you like -- and if you have permission to reprint them)
- Something about you
- Again, any thanks or credits you have (other than technical)

- URL (if available)
- Your e-mail address, if you are open to people contacting you about your submission(s)

(Basically, if there's anything else you want us to know, go ahead. Don't feel limited by this template -- you can say more (or less) if you want, as long as it's all relevant to your submission.)

Anything you e-mail (to Jennifer) regarding the technical and artistic composition of your cut(s) will be edited into this format and transferred to the person or persons who will be handling the CD's artwork. [Daniel]

Don't worry about spelling or grammar -- I'm editing the notes, but I won't do anything drastic to change your writing character/style. If I have any suggestions that aren't related to spelling, etc., I will contact you. (You'll be able to preview your notes later, to check if I have any typos or errors of my own.)

The full liner notes for CD IV will be published exclusively on the Web -- the CD inserts will only have general info. Printing the full notes in CD booklets just wouldn't be practical... e.g. a paper version of the liner notes for RMMGA CD Vol. II would have been over 30 pages long, on standard letter-sized sheets (even using a variable, 8 pt. size font)!

The complete liner notes for CD III are available: http://www.rmmga.org/CDIII/

For CD II, the liner notes were made available on the web. See them here: http://www.rmmga.org/CDII/cdii_liner_notes_pg1.htm.

For CD I, liner notes were made available with the CD packaging. A "full" version of them was posted on Tim Wampler's site as well. Visit http://www.rmmga.org/CD1/rmmga_linernotes.htm to see it as well as the notes that actually accompanied the CD on the inserts.

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6.3 - How/Where do I send the liner notes?

E-mail your notes to me, Jennifer (rmmgacdnotes [at] gmail [dot] com). Guidelines:

I'd prefer that your notes be in the body of your e-mail message or as a plain text file (however, if you really want to show formatted text, please use HTML formatting in your mail, or attach a file -- I much prefer RTF over Word docs. Please, no other formats).

6.4 - Is there anything else I need to do?

[updated] If you contributed a cover song and/or used someone else's arrangement, you need to send the appropriate info to licensing managers Harold Hedberg and Mike Pugh so that they can take care of the licenses, and cc a copy of the licensing info to me. See all the details in section 2.5.

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Section 7: RMMGA CD IV - The final product

7.1 - How much is CD IV? / Who & what music is on it? / What do I get if I buy a set?

Final pricing will happen once we get all the orders in. (For a point of reference, though, CD III (the last project, which was completed in 2003) consisted of 6 discs with 130 songs from 82 contributors, and at the time, cost US$16 per 6-CD set including delivery within the US (delivery outside the US cost extra).

[new] CD-IV will be a 7-CD set that features 131 songs from 78 contributors.

If past projects are any indication, the music on CD IV will cover a spectrum of styles, all featuring acoustic guitar in some way: solo guitar, guitar with vocals, guitar with other instrumentation; original songs written by RMMGA-ers, covers, multiple music genres and styles.

As Bob Alman said way back for CD I: the range of skill and equipment used is a cross-section of our group and is presented in the spirit of sharing.

A full track listing will be posted once the compilation is complete.

As with Volumes II and III, CD IV will also include credits and artwork, and detailed liner notes written by the contributors will be published on the Web. To get an idea of what Volume IV might be like, you can see a track list of all the music and performers of Volume II, as well as images of the cover art, on the rmmga.org site (http://www.rmmga.org/CDII/cdii_list_artist.htm).

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7.2 - How is the price determined? / What does the price cover?

The RMMGA CD Volume IV sets will be priced to cover all production expenses of the project: professional CD replication and artwork printing, as well as mechanical licensing fees (for cover songs) and packing/shipping costs. No profit will be made.

Any funds received that exceed production expenses will be saved to underwrite the next CD project (Vol. V). If a new project is not started within a period of three years, the excess funds will be donated to a charitable cause. This cause will be selected by the members of the current "project committee" and then submitted to the members of RMMGA for approval (NOT for discussion, but for approval). [Jim]

If you submitted a song or songs, you will be expected to buy one CD set from the project. [Bob]
 
This is how it was for CD I/II/III, as well. This might sound obvious, but this guideline insures that the people who want to be on the CD (which is not for profit, and produced on a volunteer and goodwill basis) help contribute toward CD production costs.

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7.3 - How do I order a set (or multiple sets)?

Details will be posted once applicable.

Pre-orders for the finished set will begin once we have a better idea of how many discs will be included in the final set. [Jim]

Again, if you submitted a song or songs, you will be expected to buy one CD set from the project. [Bob]

 

7.4 - How do I pay for my order?

Payment instructions will be announced after the CDs have been pressed. Watch for these announcements on RMMGA as well as on this FAQ.

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=== End of the road ===

QEF :-)

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