September 26, 2011

What can we do to help the Christian music community?

If  U2 and Chris Tomlin were in concert on the same night, who would have the most Christians at their concert?  Sadly for the Christian community, the answer is U2.  I'm in no way saying not to support your favorite secular group; this is just an example.  There is story after story where concerts are canceled or the turn out was so poor everyone involved lost money.  I'm not attempting to guilt anyone into supporting Christian music!  Hopefully you will be convicted in your heart to support your local groups as well as national ones.

One of  AMP's strong desires is to create awareness and provide venues for all of the talented musicians in the Christian music industry.  We are losing young talented Christians to the secular market place due to the lack of support from the Church.  Remember we are the Church, it must start with us!  Lack of interest = lack of opportunity = lost talent.  So what do we do?  I'm going to give you some suggestions.  Be creative!!!!

  1. Offer a weekly or monthly venue at your Church.  Too many Churches are closed and not being encouraged to use their capacity.  Are we getting lazy?  Complacent?
  2. Support your local musicians by attending their shows and buying their CD's!
  3. Donate to their ministry.  Remember music can minister to people just as much or more than any other ministry in your Church!
  4. Encourage them.  This is a tough business.  We lose many to discouragement.  
  5. Pray for them.

God loves Holy music; Let's show him we do too!!!!!!!!!!

September 24, 2011

How does God play in my music career ???????

  So you think you can do it on your own? Really? No joke? Interesting. So did Amy Winehouse, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Hank Williams, Kurt Cobain,- need I go own? When I hear someone one say they're in control-- what I hear is, their ego is in control and they're headed for a crash. How do I know that? You see, there was a time in my life when I didn't have God in my life and I crashed and burned. My career was going great and I was on the top of the hill. Eventually I rolled down that hill and hit a big rock. That rock was my ego.
 This thing we call the music business is like a 3 headed cyclops waiting to devour your heart and soul and eventually your life if you're not grounded. You can not ground yourself. You must have God. Let me repeat-- you must have God in your life? You only have to look at the history of the music business and see the devastation it has had on the lives of many gifted musicians. The demand on your life in this business is overwhelming if you don't understand the importance between God, Family and Career. Please listen to an old guy who learned the hard way. We at AMP truly want to walk with you on your spiritual journey as well as your music career.
  Here are some of the ways we suggest to get ready and grounded for a prosperous career and a happy and full life as you take this journey.

1.PRAY
2.READ YOUR BIBLE
3. FIND A CHURCH
4.SERVE AT YOUR CHURCH
5.GIVE BACK AND SERVE OTHERS
6. PUT OTHERS BEFORE YOURSELF
7. HELP SOMEONE ELSE ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL
8. STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE IN ALL YOU DO
9. REMEMBER YOU'RE WORKING FOR GOD
10. ALL YOU DO, DO IT TO GLORIFY GOD

  If you strive for these 10 suggestions you will not believe the peace, happiness, fulfullment and success you will achieve. Also your definition of success will change as you begin to build a relationship with God and glorify him in all you do.  My name is J. Grady and I approve this message!!!!!!!!!!

September 16, 2011

AMPTV SEPT 15 REVIEW

  The evening started off with everyone being early. Wow!!!! Co- Host Brian Stephens came in and was loaded for bear with informative answers to questions that anyone interested in the music business could glean something from. His ability to ask questions of the writers was impeccable . We look forward to having Brian back as a Co - Host in the near future. Josh Vickery came in with 2 heart felt country gospel flavored songs that had to be rendered from the heart. With the combination of his incredible voice and his ability to convey this to his audience, we were all touched and blessed to be sitting on the stage with him. Luke James closed out the circle with a very strong and stylistic approach to contemporary Christian music that can not be challenged. His strong vocals and song -writing abilities should propel him to the top of the industry.
  As Josh shared his story of accidentally shooting himself in the temple with his fathers gun when he was nine years old, he had everyone in tears. Josh survived a wound that only seven percent of the people in the world survive from . God is truly with him and has a plan for him. I have a sneaking suspicion it's gonna be ministering to people with his music.
  One of the truly warm moments of the evening was when Luke shared the importance of putting family ahead of his music career. Josh has 5 children and another one on the way. He talked about the balancing act of career and family, always putting family first. A noble man with a talent that will take him as far as he wants to go.
  Thanks to all the guests and for their dedication to God and for supporting AMP and AMPTV. Check us out at myamp.org and view the show at justin.tv/amptv

        Written by J. Grady  Pres. and founder of AMP the  ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC PROFESSIONALS.

September 14, 2011

Copyright myths, truths and maybes

This information is based on the opinion of the Library of Congress. While I can't debunk it, I can give you  an experiential point of view. When I was in Nashville we never had a song copyrighted until  it was going to be cut. We registered our songs with a Performing rights organization, such as SESAC, ASCAP or BMI. While we have never used the poor mans copyright, I have seen 2 cases won by writers using that message along with a paper trail. We will be teaching more on this subject soon at myamp.org
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Copyright protection of your work by mailing a copy of it to yourself, then retaining the sealed, postmarked envelope as proof of the date of your authorship.

Status:   Not in the U.S., but it might be of some assistance in Britain. 

Origins:   Copyright is the exclusive right to copy a creative work or allow someone else to do so. It includes the sole right to publish, produce or reproduce, to perform in public, to communicate a work to the public by telecommunication, to translate a work, and in some cases, to rent the work.

You establish your copyright the moment your work is created and fixed in a tangible form. While you need not register your works with the United States Copyright Office to establish ownership of your intellectual property, you will have to register such items if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. (The fees for such service are laid out on this page.)

As to why to register your works if they are already under copyright from the moment of creation, the United States Copyright Office says:


Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within 5 years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law.
Mailing one's works to oneself and keeping the unopened, postmarked envelope as proof of right of ownership to them (a practice known as the "poor man's copyright") has no substantive legal effect in the U.S. We've yet to locate a case of its use where an author's copyright was established and successfully defended in a court of law by this method. At best, such mailings might serve to establish how long the author has been asserting ownership of the work, but since the postmarked-and-sealed envelope "proof" could be so easily circumvented, it is doubtful courts of law would regard such evidence as reliable.

The United States Copyright Office addresses the "poor man's copyright" thusly:

I’ve heard about a "poor man’s copyright." What is it?


The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a "poor man’s copyright." There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.
However, the U.K. Patent Office has this to say on the subject in its "Claiming and Enforcing Copyright" FAQ:
How can I prove originality in my work?

Ultimately this is a matter for the courts to decide. However, it may help copyright owners to deposit a copy of their work with a bank or solicitor or send a copy of their work to themselves by special delivery (which gives a clear date stamp on the envelope), leaving the envelope unopened on its return; this could establish that the work existed at this time. (Further details of special delivery should be available at Post Offices).
Careful readers will have noted the "may help" and "could establish" in the above entry.

Brad Templeton's page about copyright myths addresses eleven other misapprehensions about copyrights. (Yes, his page is titled "10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained" but there are eleven items listed on it.) Also check out his "Brief Intro" to copyright to further expand your knowledge of the topic. (Trust me; it's painless.)

September 13, 2011

The maze of the record biz money flow.

Here's where the money starts going away for the Artist. It is a complex diagram of the proverbial piece of the pie. Let's begin. In the past it always began in the center with an upper tier of  deep dark money crevices beginning with the record label in the center. Keeping in mind, through this upper tier the record label is eating the largest piece of the pie. From there it goes to the Artist, from the artist to the manager to the biz manager to the attorney back to the label to the producer back to the label to the publisher always back to the label. That's just the top tier. Are you confused yet? Believe it or not this is an over-simplification of the money flow. I am just trying to help you see the money flow.
  The good news is this is changing and changing fast!!!!! I encourage you don't miss the bus. The digital age is here. If you don't get on  it you will be stuck in the same place losing thousands if not millions of dollars. I hope you will come join us as we ride the wave of the digital age. A wave of more profit, more freedom, and as an artist an unlimited creative exploration. There are no excuses now if you have the talent and the willingness to learn and do the work. Remember talent + passion+ hard work = success. Come join us at AMP as we take this journey together.

September 12, 2011

August AMP TV Review!!!!!!

As we enter into a new phase at AMP TV our shows get better and better. We are learning lots of things to-do to improve on the production to make it better for you. We're excited as we grow into a show that more and more viewers are coming to enjoy. This was our third show. The first month we had just over 1000. viewers. As of now we are over sixty seven thousand and growing by the thousands each week. STAY PLUGGED IN IT'S JUST GETTING BETTER!!!!!! 
Our show last month was incredible. It began with Bruce Burch. Bruce has a wealth of experience, far reaching into the depths of the music industry. An accomplished song - writer with several # 1 hits by Reba McIntire and many charted songs by various Artists over his career, he is also on the National Board of Governors for the Grammy's as well as the director for the Joel A Katz music business and entertainment school at Kennesaw State University. He will be Co-Hosting again very soon. Then there was Ashley Harris, a very strong writer, singer and owner of the Ragamuffin music hall in Roswell GA. Back by popular demand was Josh Blevins singer, songwriter, artist. What a talent!!!!!   Then our special guest from Nashville TN, John Starnes. John is a consummate pro who has recorded 40 albums, was the featured tenor for Jimmy Swaggart during his formable years, performed on the Gaither homecoming tour, and much more. John will be back as a Co-host in a couple of months. John also has a prison ministry called Timothy's Gift. timothy'sgift.com
  This was a very entertaining, fun and informative show!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We look forward to seeing you at our Sept 15th show. If you can't make it to the live show; Good listening! Here's a link for info --