Happy 91st Birthday To Les Paul

The name Les Paul has become synonymous with music. As well as being an incredible guitarist himself, he invented and manufactured incredible instruments and recording instruments. Virtually every musician will have had their musical lives touched in some way by this musical genius. Today, June 9th, he turned 91. The first Gibson Les Paul was produced in 1952 that brought an entirely new and unique sound and feel to guitar playing that was unbelievable in it’s day. New models of Les Paul guitars continued to make guitarists salivate for decades to come. The invention and introduction of the first electric guitar, however, was only one of Les Paul’s accolades but an intriguing one nonetheless. The first prototype he created was a hideously heavy piece of solid wood. This was christened the log and while it was unfeasible to use it as an instrument itself, it did give Paul the foundation for his first playable and, more importantly, lighter electric guitar. Inventing the first 8 track recorder also rocketed Paul into the record books and enabled him to record tracks with his wife that were heavily reliant on overdubbing. This had previously been impossible to achieve until Les Paul himself invented multi-track recording. He is also accredited with the discovery of various effects. Despite being 91 years of age and suffering from debilitating arthritis that has rendered almost his entire left hand useless he can still be seen and heard playing at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York. Happy 91st Birthday Les Paul.

Rupert Murdoch And MySpace Vs Billy Bragg

MySpace, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, has hit the headlines again. This time, though, it isn’t for giving independent musicians the chance to have their music heard, or even for dubious content or spamming. No, this time, the British singer and songwriter Billy Bragg who had formerly touted his music on the pages of myspace like so many other artists, has removed all of his material from the pages of their site.

A spokesperson for Billy Bragg stated that a certain term within the MySpace terms and conditions gives MySpace full rights and ownership of the music once it is on the site. The clause in question dictates that artists will give MySpace “a non-exclusive, fully-paid and royalty-free, worldwide license”. This, in effect, means they can do as they like with the content of the site (including songs) without having to pay the artist or even ask their permission.

MySpace claim the clause exists only to ensure that the site can publish it exactly as the artist wishes on the pages of the MySpace website. MySpace are working to alter the terms of their site in order to help clear up what they describe as a “misunderstanding”.

MySpace has quickly found fame and become on of the most popular and most widely used websites in the world. The social networking site allows users to create and update their very own page and allows them to include virtually any content they choose. For this reason, it has become popular with aspiring and discovered artists alike. The news of these worrying terms may be a mistake but MySpace needs to act quickly to avoid being labeled as just another website looking to make money from musicians.

New Tax Laws Are Introduced To Benefit The Songwriter

The disparate rules that govern capital gains and income tax on the sale of a songwriter’s catalog is due to change. New laws have been passed, that mean that any songwriter wishing to sell a catalog of their work can now do so at the same capital gains rate as their publisher.

Currently when a song is included on a CD or other publication, the writer of that song receives a royalty. This attracts the usual income tax rates that can be as high as 39%. The new bill will not change this. The average songwriter only earns around $5,000 per annum so they are unlikely to be faced with the higher rate anyway. However, a songwriter can choose to sell a catalog of their popular creations to a third party. This means that all royalties are then paid to that party instead of the songwriter in exchange for a reasonable fee. Previously, this had attracted capital gains tax for publishers but the higher income tax rates for songwriters.

While this all sounds positive news for the songwriter, there is as ever some debate over how useful it will be for the average songwriter. It will certainly help the popular songwriter that earns large amounts of royalties because it will reduce the tax they pay by about half. However, a lesser-known songwriter is less likely to sell a catalog of their work. Even if they do, this would not always push them to the highest level of tax.

All in all, the movement is a positive one that looks out for songwriters in preference to labels and producers. However, some songwriters are worried that it will have little or no effect on them if they are not already established with a strong royalty claim.

Bob Marley’s Wailers To Reunite

Bob Marley may have passed away in 1981 but his work of spreading Reggae music and the message of Rastafari was far from dead. Still today, millions of people enjoy the ska Jamaican beat that was so pronounced in the Wailer’s music that was so unique in its day. Rita Marley, Bob’s Widow and superb singer in her own rights, will join up with Bunny Wailer who first formed the band as well as the two remaining members of the backing singers the I-Threes. Rita Marley has enjoyed a long life of musical success. As well as singing with the I-Threes she also enjoyed fame with the Soulettes prior to this. Marcia Griffiths gained worldwide recognition with the song “Young, Gifted and Black” while the remaining member of the I-Threes, Judy Mowatt, first sang with the Gaylettes. All of the Wailers will be making the monumental journey to Hunter Mountain outside Woodstock. Fans will be privileged to hear some of the classic tracks as well as modern songs. Both the style and the underlying message still offer a unique and valid point. Rita Marley will be making the journey from her home in Ghana especially to be part of this monumental musical occasion that will make history and please thousands of adoring fans. Bunny Wailer will host the event on June 25th.

 

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