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Intellectual property’s tentacles are long and strong. Maybe the largest battlefield in IP is the music industry. Composer, producers, interpreters and license owners might get unexpectedly involved in legal battles regarding the misuse or abuse of a song of their property. Sometimes it is just something as little as a sample of the song but are legal frictions can deal with millions and millions of dollars.

Time is not an issue to underestimate when dealing with Intellectual Property. If by any chance, you use a song that was written forty years ago, and one of its owners is still alive, he/she can claim unfair use and suddenly, legal lawsuits can flood your desk. When working with someone else’s work, you should be extremely careful, no matter if you already got permission to use it.

In 1997, the British band The Verve sampled an orchestration in one of their songs, “Bittersweet Symphony”, from the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”. Prior the release of the album, the group did the proper negotiations concerning the license agreement with the Rolling Stones to utilize the sample. When the album came out, the song was a complete hit and reached number 23 on the Billboard Charts. After the sudden success of the song, the Rolling Stones argued that The Verve violated their license agreement because they use too much of the sample in their song. The Rolling Stones ended up collecting 100% of the loyalties of the song. Members of The Verve argued that the Stones got greedy when they noticed the sudden success of “Bittersweet Symphony”.

As a result, the Rolling Stones sold the rights over the “Bittersweet Symphony” and it became part of many commercials and publicities. Allen Klein, Rolling Stones’ manager licensed the song to Nike and to Vauxhall automobiles. Both brands utilize the melody for multi-million dollar television campaigns. Even worse, when the song was nominated for a Grammy, The Verve was not named as a nominee, but Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were. This is just a little example of moral rights dealing with intellectual property. The song hit top of the charts and not one members of The Verve enjoyed a cent of its success.

If these types of situations happen with amazing groups, who supposedly are not interested in more money, anything can happen to regular people who may get exposed to these inconveniences. Get acquainted with the respective regulations and laws so that no economical issues may come up in case you are planning to use someone else’s inspiration!

If you have been affected for an intellectual property abuse, please visit www.hugesettlements.com and submit your case.

Whether you’re a professional or an amateur singer, it’s important to stay fit and healthy. To maintain proper breathing ensuring that you have full use of your lungs, regular exercise should be part of your day. Walking and swimming are particularly good for performers because they don’t add unwanted stress to your muscles and this can help you learn how to sing. There is less chance of injury when you swim or walk, which is important if your aim is to perform professionally. Time out from singing could mean a loss of income. Maintaining a good, balanced diet will help to keep your body fit on the inside. Make sure you eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. Singers should try to avoid eating too much dairy food as it often builds up phlegm which can adversely affect your vocal chords and sinuses. A number of professional singers gargle with and swallow pineapple juice. It can be a natural way of cleaning the gunk off your vocal chords before a performance.

Choose a good singing teacher to help motivate you and keep you practicing on a regular basis. It’s very important that your singing teacher is qualified and experienced. Word-of-mouth is usually the best way to find the right teacher or you can contact the Music Teachers’ Association in your local area for some sound advice. A good singing teacher can help you to get rid of bad singing habits and give you individually tailored vocal and breathing exercises. I recommend that you book in for a half hour or one hour lesson once a week. Regular lessons and regular practice can do wonders. Many professional entertainers that I know continue to have singing lessons. Some even take their teacher with them on tour!

Always warm up before you start singing your songs. I recommend some relaxing breathing exercises then gentle humming first. Don’t sing too loudly at first. Give your muscles time to prepare. If you feel that something is too high then sing it an octave lower. You will need to have a set of exercises that develop different aspects of your voice and musicality – they should include major, minor and chromatic scales and arpeggios in a variety of pitches using different vowel and consonant sounds. Remember that the vowel sounds you use in singing can be quite different from the way you speak. They can also vary considerably from one music style to another, including Country, Rock, Jazz, Musicals and Classical. Keep in mind that the key you are singing in may be too high or low. If so, ask your teacher to transpose the music into a key that suits your individual voice. With the advent of computers and midi backings, it’s easy to change keys these days.