BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING

Have you received a letter from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) regarding music copyright infringement? Not sure what it means and what next steps to take? The following are some of the most frequently asked questions and answers regarding these legal notices. We hope you find this information useful and that it helps you to make an informed decision about what to do next and where to find legal music online.

1. I received a communication that says my Internet account was identified as having been used to illegally copy and/or distribute copyrighted material over the Internet. What does this mean?
   Music is protected by copyright. The unauthorized downloading or uploading of music is actionable as copyright infringement, even if not done for profit.
   
   Illegal copying and distribution of copyrighted music is often accomplished using “peer-to-peer” (P2P) software installed on individual computers, which allows your computer to exchange files with other computers that are running similar software. P2P services usually configure their software so that any files you download (and any other files in your “shared folder”) are automatically made accessible to anyone else on the P2P network that requests them.
   
   When you use such services to download and upload files, you are not anonymous. Whenever you connect to the Internet, your computer is assigned a unique “Internet protocol (IP) address” from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This unique IP address is used to identify your computer as the source of available files to all other computers on a P2P network. The infringement notice you received is the result of your computer having been identified as engaged in an illegal transfer of copyrighted music. A notice was sent to your ISP identifying the particular infringement and the associated IP address. Your ISP determined from its records that the IP address was assigned to your account when the infringement was committed. Your ISP then sent you the infringement notice you received.
   
2. What If I didn't realize I was uploading copyrighted files?
   If you have P2P software installed on one or more of your computers connected to the Internet, it enables computers with similar P2P software to communicate with each other and transfer files. If you have P2P software on your computer delete it or, if you have a legal reason to use the software, delete any unauthorized files in your "shared folder."
   
3. What if my IP address does not match the one listed on the notice?
   That doesn’t mean that the notice is mistaken. IP addresses are not permanent; they change from time to time. Your ISP keeps records listing the IP address assigned to your account at any given time. According to your ISP’s records, when the IP address in question was identified illegally downloading and/or distributing the music in question, the IP address was assigned to your account. So, even if your account has a different IP address now, according to your ISP’s records it was assigned the IP address in question when the infringement occurred.
   
4. But I bought LimeWire Pro, or paid for another version of my P2P file sharing software?
   Paying for your P2P software, or paying for technical support for your P2P software, does not include a license or authorization to download or share any music you desire. In fact the companies that take your money often go out of their way to tell you in the fine print that the software or service you just bought does not authorize the sharing of copyrighted materials and that using it to share copyrighted material could result in the buyer being sued and subjected to substantial damages. They gladly take your money but make it clear that as far as they are concerned, the buyer will be the one left holding the bag if caught.
   
   However, there are a multitude of legal, affordable and hassle free places where you can find your favorite music in high quality formats. Please click here for a list of a number of legal and safe sites where content is available for downloading.
   
5. What do I do now to resolve this?
   First, you should look carefully at the notice you received from your ISP. That will tell you whether there are specific ISP - or educational institution – imposed penalties associated with receiving the notice and whether you need to contact your ISP or school administration about this incident.
   
   Additionally, as indicated in the notice, you should immediately take the following steps in order to prevent further infringing activity and to prevent serious legal and other consequences:
   • Discontinue downloading and uploading unauthorized copies of music.
   • Permanently delete from your computer all infringing music from all computers linked to the account (for instructions, see #7). If you downloaded the file from a P2P service or a website that seems too good to be legal, then it’s safer to assume it is not legal.
   • If you do not use P2P software for lawful purposes, delete it.
   • If you use P2P for lawful purposes (to upload or download files that you are legally authorized to reproduce or distribute), make sure the only files in your P2P "shared folder" are ones you are authorized to distribute in this way.
   • Secure your internet connection to ensure it is not being used in ways you have not authorized. For example, secure your home Wi-Fi network to ensure others are not accessing the Internet through your connection to download or distribute unauthorized copies of music, and use virus and spyware protection software. Visit the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team website at http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/ to obtain information on how to secure your computer in these and other ways.
   • Talk with family members or guests who may have used your Internet connection in ways you are not aware of.
   
   Remember, distributing files illegally puts you at risk for sanctions imposed for violating your ISP's terms of service as well as substantial civil and, in some cases, criminal penalties.
   
6. I've heard that P2P services can be risky. How are they risky?
   Many P2P services are used overwhelmingly to infringe copyright. P2P services are unlike most websites in that they enable files to be downloaded directly from any computer (“peer”) on the network, rather than from a single, centralized computer “server” or website. With many of these P2P services, when you download a file from another user, your computer automatically becomes a distributor of that file to others. When you use such services to download infringing files, you are not anonymous and you subject yourself to serious potential legal penalties and other sanctions.
   
   In addition, malicious users utilize some P2P networks to spread viruses, worms and Trojan horses (programs enabling hackers to gain control of your computer). Illegal file transfers can also expose your private computer files to strangers, increasing the risk of identity theft. To learn more about these risks, see the U.S. Federal Trade Commission webpage athttp://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt128.shtm.
   
7. I want to delete the copies of the unauthorized music on my computer. How do I do this?
   If you know the name of the title you are looking for, you can use the “search” function on most computer systems to search for your files by name. If you don’t find a title at first, try searching for one particular word of the title, or by entering the filename indicated on the notice. You may also use this same function to search by file types commonly associated with music (i.e., .mp3, .mp4, .wav, .wma, .aac, and .ogg files). Check your user manual or the “help” feature on your computer to find out how to use this function.
   
8. I've never downloaded an illegal music file? Why did I receive this notice?
   If you checked for illegal files and found none, and if you are sure that no one illegally downloaded any music using your computer, then contact the technical support staff at your Internet service provider.
   
9. What’s the big deal?
   Intellectual property industries - such as music, film, television and computer software - are central to the health and stability of the U.S. economy. For example, in 2007, the core copyright industries contributed $889.1 billion to the U.S. GDP, equal to approximately 6.4% of the U.S. economy.
   
   Who pays when music is stolen? Singers, songwriters, musicians, album producers, audio engineers, sound technicians, recording studio managers, and many others that contribute to creating the music we love, and who depend on a healthy industry for their jobs and their families’ income.
   
   Music theft also has an enormous impact on music fans around the world. It is estimated that 8 out of 10 albums never break even and fail to recover the costs of making and marketing the album. If music is routinely stolen and distributed over the Internet or on illegal CDs, then it becomes less likely that people will invest in the high quality music we love.
   
   Infringing copyright is against the law and increasingly easy to detect. These violations can affect your Internet account in accordance with your ISP’s terms of service, and can result in lawsuits against you by copyright owners, and under some circumstances even constitute violations of Federal criminal law. In short, it’s not worth it.
   
10. So am I being sued?
    No. The notice you received from your ISP about a copyright infringement complaint from us does not mean you are being sued. It is a warning that we have detected unlawful downloading or distribution from your computer and it is meant to put you on notice that this activity should stop. If you fail to heed this warning and continue to illegally download and share copyrighted material then you do expose yourself to being sued for damages arising from copyright infringement.
    
11. Where can I get the music that I want online legally?
    There are a multitude of legal, affordable and hassle free places where you can find your favorite music in high quality formats. Please click here for a list of a number of legal and safe sites where content is available for downloading. 

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WHO MUSIC THEFT HURTS

                                                       WHO MUSIC THEFT HURTS

 It’s commonly known as “piracy,” but that’s too benign of a term to adequately describe the toll that music theft takes on the enormous cast of industry players working behind the scenes to bring music to your ears. That cast includes songwriters, recording artists, audio engineers, computer technicians, talent scouts and marketing specialists, producers, publishers and countless others. While downloading one song may not feel that serious of a crime, the accumulative impact of millions of songs downloaded illegally – and without any compensation to all the people who helped to create that song and bring it to fans – is devastating. One credible study by the Institute for Policy Innovation pegs the annual harm at $12.5 billion dollars in losses to the U.S. economy as well as more than 70,000 lost jobs and $2 billion in lost wages to American workers.

Downloaded music free! Wow, that's harmless. I'm sure that's what most people thought, or maybe they didn't think, when this run away train started to get momentum. This train must stop and the personal property rights must be restored. The propagators of this fraud must be dealt with, legally. If I had my choice I would hit them where it hurts. In their wallet.

Please comment, and join us at AMP in this fight. We want you to have what you deserve. Don't be the "I wonder what happened" type! We need your support. If saving the snails is a worth while cause, Don't you think saving the songwriters is also?

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FUNNY AND WEIRD FACTS

WEIRD FACTS

Longest Recorded Song

• The longest recorded piece of music is by a band called Bull of Heaven. The play time of the song, "The Chosen Priest and Apostle of Infinite Space," is in excess of two months. A current project called "Longplayer" is attempting to create the world's longest song. The song is set to last almost 1,000 years; plans are that it will come to its conclusion just before the year 3000. 
  
  "Umbrella"
  Britney Spears was offered Rihanna's chart topper "Umbrella," but her label turned it down. Rihanna went on to take the song to the top spots in Australia, Canada, Germany, France, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It also reached the top 10 in many other countries.

• 
  

  *The video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" took place on board battleship USS Missouri, where Cher sang to a large group of sailors. The video was filmed on July 1st 1989 while the ship was stationed at the former Long Beach Naval Shipyard at Pier D along with the crew. The band played on the foredeck, and the whole vessel is rigged with spotlights, light racks and strobes and the crew is on the deck, waving with the rhythm. Cher's outfit, a fishnet body stocking under a very revealing black one-piece bathing suit, caused some controversy, and many TV networks refused to show the video.  *As well as being lead guitarist of the rock band Queen, Brian May is an animal activist. He formed the group, Save Me (named after the May-written Queen song), which campaigns for the protection of all animals against unnecessary, cruel and degrading treatment. As well as this, he is an astrophysicist and is the co-author of "Bang! – The Complete History of the Universe". Brian also has had a lifelong interest in collecting Victorian stereophotography and in 2009, with co-author Elena Vidal, he published his second book, "A Village Lost and Found", on the work of English stereophotography innovator TR William.*Clark Terry is one of the most prolific jazz musicians in history, having appeared on 905 known recording sessions, which makes him the most recorded trumpet player of all time. In comparison, Louis Armstrong performed on 620 sessions, Harry "Sweets" Edison on 563, and Dizzy Gillespie on 501.*Gene Autry's version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer holds the distinction of being the only No.1 hit to fall completely off the chart after hitting No.1 the week of Christmas, 1949. The official date of its No. 1 status was for the week ending January 7, 1950, making it the first No.1 song of the 1950s. None the less, it sold 2.5 million copies the first year, eventually selling a total of 25 million, and it remained the second best-selling record of all time until the 1980s  *The Doors drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger worked as technical advisers on the 1991 film, The Doors. John also had a cameo role in the film, he played the studio engineer in the booth urging Jim (Val Kilmer) to call it a night in the opening sequence. Although impressed with Val's performance as Morrison, John & Robby were unhappy with the film as a whole.*In 1957 at the age of 13, guitarist Jimmy Page appeared on BBC TV 's "All Your Own" talent quest programme in a skiffle quartet. They played "Mama Don't Want To Skiffle Anymore" and another American-flavoured song, "In Them Ol' Cottonfields Back Home". When asked by the host Huw Wheldon what he wanted to do after schooling, Jimmy said, "I want to do biological research to find a cure for cancer, if it isn't discovered by then"  *Carlos Santana spent several years working as a dishwasher and busking for spare change on the streets of San Francisco before becoming a full-time professional musician. After the band, Santana's first audition, at the Avalon Ball Room in the summer of 1967, promoter Chet Helms told the band that they would never make it in the San Francisco Music Scene playing Latin fusion and suggested that Carlos should keep his day job washing dishes at Tick Tock's Drive-In on 3rd St *U2 album covers: The child on the cover of 'Boy' is Peter Rowan, a nephew of a friend of the band. Then 2 albums later, Peter was used again for the cover of 'War' *"Dueling Banjos" the instrumental composition by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith made famous by the 1972 motion picture Deliverance. The song was composed in 1955 by Smith as a banjo instrumental he called "Feudin' Banjos". Smith recorded it, playing a four-string plectrum banjo and accompanied by five-string bluegrass banjo player Don Reno. The song went to No. 2 for four weeks on the U.S. pop chart in 1973 and topped the adult contemporary chart for two weeks the same year. BUT it also led to a successful lawsuit by the song's composer, since it was used in the film Deliverance without his permission.  *The front cover of E.L.O.s 4th album "Eldorado - A Symphony" officially known as simply Eldorado, was designed by Sharon Arden, later known as Sharon Osbourne (Ozzie's wife). It comprises a still from the popular 1939 film The Wizard of Oz... the ruby slippers. *The Beatles's Help! album cover features the group with their arms positioned to spell out a word in flag semaphore, but it does not read "help", as many believed. On the UK Parlophone release, the letters formed by The Beatles appear to be 'NUJV', whilst the slightly re-arranged US release on Capitol Records appeared to feature the letters 'NVUJ'*While many people believe Eric Clapton is nicknamed "Slow Hand(s)" because of his style of playing or even because his fingers are slow on the guitar; it is actually because once during a concert he played his guitar so hard that one of its strings broke, and he took time out to re-string it. As he did, the fans in attendance began a "slow hand" clap.*When The Inspiral Carpets headlined Reading Festival in 1990, they brought on a pantomime cow. The band's then guitar roadie, Noel Gallagher - now of Oasis, was one half of that cow.*John Lennon and Paul McCartney both had their first 'Beatles' haircut during a trip to Paris in 1961. The pair hooked up with old friend Jurgen Vollmer who they knew from Germany, who wore his hair brushed forward. Vollmer had copied the style from actor Jean Marais in the 1959 Jean Cocteau movie 'Le Testament d'Orphee' e US. *Johnny Cash was given the name "J.R." because his parents could not agree on a name, only on initials. When he enlisted in the United States Air Force, the military would not accept initials as his name, so he adopted John R. Cash as his legal name. In 1955, when signing with Sun Records, he took Johnny Cash as his stage name *According to the band, the song "Black Sabbath", released February 13th 1970, was inspired by a frightening experience that Geezer Butler had related to Ozzy Osbourne. In the days of Earth, Geezer painted his apartment matte black and placed several inverted crucifixes on the walls. Ozzie gave him a book about witchcraft. He read the book and placed the book on a shelf before going to sleep. When he woke up, he claims he saw a large black figure standing at the end of his bed. The figure disappeared and Geezer rushed to get the book, only to find that the book was gone. He then told Ozzie, who wrote the lyrics to the song*In 1986, David Gilmour purchased the houseboat Astoria which is moored on the River Thames near Hampton Court, and transformed it into a recording studio. The boat was built in 1911 for impresario Fred Karno, who wanted to have the best houseboat on the river. He designed it so that there could be an entire 90-piece orchestra playing on deck. The majority of the two most recent Pink Floyd albums, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell, as well as Dave Gilmour's 2006 solo release On an Island, were recorded there.*Elvis Presley has had the most Hot 100 entries with a total of 151 and Paul McCartney has written the most number-one hits with a total of 32  *Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys died in 1983, he drowned while swimming near his boat in California, US; Ronald Reagan, then President of America gave special permission so Dennis's body could be buried at sea  chart).*As of 2005, according to The Guinness Book of World Records, Queen albums had spent a total of 1,322 weeks or twenty-seven years on the UK album charts; more time than any other musical act. In 2006 the Queens Greatest Hits album was the U K's all-time best selling album, with sales upwards of 5,407,587 copies, over 604,295 more copies than its nearest competitor, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The band has released a total of eighteen number one albums, eighteen number one singles, and ten number one DVDs worldwide making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. Their total album sales have been estimated at over 300 million worldwide including 32.5 million in the United States alone as of 2004..*English rock band, Black Sabbath, formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, was originally formed as a heavy blues-rock band named "Earth", the band began incorporating occult and horror-inspired lyrics with tuned-down guitars, and changed their name to "Black Sabbath". The band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members. *George Harrison originally wrote "All Those Years Ago" for Ringo. Although he recorded it, Ringo thought it too high for his voice. When John Lennon got murdered, George altered the words and made it a tribute to John. Although the band had split up, all 3 remaining Beatles plus Linda McCartney are are featured on the track. *The famous long guitar intro to Led Zep's "Stairway To Heaven" is taken from the track "Taurus", which was composed and played by guitarist, the late Randy California when he was only 16 in 1967. The instrumental was dedicated to his Taurian girlfriend and recorded a year later by his band "Spirit". Led Zepplin heard it while on tour with Spirit in USA. (Randy Wolfe, was named "California" by his great friend of Jimi Hendrix, who tried to bring him to the UK, but Randy was too young at the time).*Elvis Costello worked as a computer operator for a cosmetics company while trying to make it as a musician and in 1977 he was arrested for performing outside a Hilton Hotel where there was a conference of Columbia Records executives. Shortly after he was signed to that label.  *Composer, Tchaikovsky was financed by a wealthy widow for 13 years, and at her request, they never met.*Eric Clapton removed the JJ Cale song, Cocaine from his set list because he felt it gave people the wrong message about cocaine. He started playing it again after he had re-arranged the song so the backup singers repeated the line, "that dirty cocaine." through the chorus *The Beatles song "Dear Prudence" was written about Mia Farrow's sister, Prudence, when she wouldn't come out and play with Mia and the Beatles at a religious retreat in India.*Sonny and Cher were initially known as Caesar and Cleo.  CLICK ON JOIN TO BECOME PART OF THE AMP TEAM.

Question of the week -- What is Americana music?

What is Americana music?

  Some things can not be defined. So in this case, I'm going to attempt to give you a brief definition to the best of my ability. Americana is derived from traditional roots music.  It is colored with everything from country to blues to folk, and a healthy gumbo of heart felt American pain, joy and history.  There's only one way to understand this beautiful diverse creative style and that is to seek it out and listen with your heart.

   Sad as it may be, Americana has been buried under the layers of commercial driven radio. Like a lot of the really great music that does not fit the three minute format, its not heard because it does not fit the perimeter of the dollar bill. Its time has come. Thanks to the disappearing monopolizing giant record labels and soon to be smaller radio stations, and the appearance of the digital age, it's finally got legs



 I was at Pro Audio in Atlanta with Christian recording Artist Luke James yesterday watching him spend his children's milk money. While I was standing there dreaming of owning all the cool gear they have, I met a Americana artist. He was telling me how he was on his way to Europe to do a tour. What an engaging conversation. I asked him how many dates he does in the good old U S of A. Sadly his response was, very few. Is it ironic that our roots music is bigger in the UK than at home?


Here's what the Brits think of our view on our own music:

Raymonde says American audiences focus too much on genres and the perception of being cool. “We think [Midlake] is super cool,” he says. “Because we appreciate that they’re amazing musicians with hearts and souls. Writing such moving songs about our world and how we relate to it is cool.”

The fragmentation and decentralization of culture also plays a part. “I think finding the best new music on the Internet is like looking for a new planet in a cloudy sky,” says Raymonde. He and Ellinghaus both say they’ve mainly discovered American bands from tapes or through other bands. Ellinghaus recently signed two new American bands, Tu Fawning and Wye Oak, and he says the reason was simply because they’d made records that blew him away.

Oh well it is what it is!

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HOT HOT HOT AMP NEWS FLASH RECORD LABELS DROPPING CD'S 2012

AMP NAILED IT

   We predicted two years ago that the CD would go the way of the 8 track, cassette, and vinyl. We were right on target. What does this mean for the Artist? We think it's great! It will lessen cost, and simplify the distribution cycle. Of course we will want to have some CD's on hand for our diehard fans, as well as those who just won't let go of the piece of clumsy plastic. Guys get ready, times are a-changing and it's changing fast! AMP is ahead of the curve. Come join us, don't be left in the dust, wondering what happened.

  Here's a side note: the retail music industry will also go the way of the CD. If you work at a music store or are any way in the CD distribution business; I would be looking for a job. Also, the trend now in recording is to limit cuts to 5 on new projects. This will increase your ROI. Once again, times are a-changin!

 The major labels plan to abandon the CD format by the end of 2012 (or even earlier) and replace it with download/stream only releases via iTunes and related music services. The only CD-formats that will be left over will be the limited edition ones, which will of course not be available for every artist. The distribution model for these remaining CD releases would be primarily Amazon which is already the biggest CD retailer worldwide anyhow.

3 weeks ago we heard it for the first time and since then we have tried getting some feedback from EMI, Universal and Sony. All declined to comment.

The news doesn't come as a surprise to those who have been working in the business. In a piece that was published in a Q&A with the Alfa Matrix people back in June 2011 in the 1st issue of "Matrix Revelations", our chief editor Bernard Van Isacker said the following when asked if a CD would still exist in 5 years:"Yes, but in a different format. Normal CDs will no longer be available because they don't offer enough value, limited editions on the other hand will remain available and in demand for quite a few more years. I for one buy only limited editions because of the added value they offer: a nice design, extra bonus gadgets, etc. The album as we know it now however will be dead within 5 years, if it isn't even sooner. I predict that downloads will have replaced the CD album within the next 2 years. I don't see that as something negative, it just has run its course, let's leave the space to limited editions (including vinyl runs for bigger acts) and downloads instead."

It's a move that makes complete sense. CD's cost money, even when they don't sell because there is stock storage to be paid; a label also pays money to distributors when CDs get returned to the labels when not sold and so on. In short, abandoning the CD-format will make it possible to just focus on the release and the marketing of it and no longer focus on the distribution (since aggregators will do the work as far as dispatching the releases to services worldwide) and - expensive - stock maintenance. In the long run it will most surely mean the end for many music shops worldwide that only stock and sell CD releases. In the UK for instance HMV has problems paying the labels already and more will follow. It makes the distribution of CDs no longer worth it.

Also Amazon will benefit from this as it will surely become the one and only player when it comes to distribution of the remaining CD productions from labels. Packaged next to regular album downloads via its own Amazon MP3 service it will offer as a complimentary service.

The next monument to fall? That will be printed magazines as people will want to consume their information online where they also read most of the news.

What are your feelings? Is it a move that you like or not?

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