Q & A
Each month, MusicBizAdvice.com answers your questions about the music industry.
Is my Canadian copyright protected in the US? Plus, advice about dropping
off solicited demos in person
Q.
Hi, I
am making a 3000 mile trip to Nashville for a songwriting convention. When
I'm there, I would like to drop off demos which I will have solicited first.
My question is that I am Canadian and I want to know if I can register my
material in Canada and drop it off in the US? Will it be safe?
A. Since Canada is one of the countries that are part of the Berne
Convention, you should be OK if you properly register it in Canada. But I’m
not a copyright attorney, so check with an intellectual property rights
attorney in Canada to be certain.
There is another matter, however…
I can’t stress to you enough that it’s extremely important to be sure the
companies you’re dealing with actually want you to drop off your
solicited demos in person rather than sending them in, even though you’ll be
in town. For security reasons, most people in the industry prefer demos
not be delivered personally, nor will they see people they don’t have
previous appointments with. It’s an unwritten rule that’s adhered to
throughout the industry—not something someone will actually make a point of
telling you, because they’ll assume you already know. Tightened post-911
security makes it even more important.
If you ask and they ask you to send your solicited demos instead of dropping
them off in person, abide by their request and don’t take it personally.
Although you may feel you’re being friendly and making a personal
connection, there are some really unbalanced people in the world with
grudges against people in the music industry, and everyone who’s been in the
business long enough has had an unsettling incident at some point. They’re
truly not trying to be rude to you; they’re just looking out for their
safety, and that of their employees.
What are they afraid of? Perhaps you’ve seen clips of really angry reactions
of some of the rejected would-be American Idol contestants. Well,
that’s on camera, with millions of witnesses. In person, it can get a
little dicey. At the other end of the spectrum, Charles Manson’s original
intended target was record producer Terry Melcher, whose previous residence
was unfortunately Sharon Tate’s new home. And, John Lennon’s murder by
someone who asked for his autograph is still a painful memory for execs who
have been around a while.
So, if they seem unwelcoming of people they don’t know, kindly excuse them
and send your solicited demo by mail. You never know what unpleasant
experience someone may have had with someone they were nice to in the past.
One last thing to keep in mind, even if it were allowed: Dropping off a
solicited demo in person can’t help you, because your demo won’t be listened
to in your presence. But it can hurt you. If you’re having a bad day
or are a little tired and don’t look your best, or if something about your
personality doesn’t click with the exec, it can subconsciously affect how
the way the person listening to your demo reacts to it. So in most cases,
you really are better off sending it.
Good luck!
Randi Reed
Editor-in-Chief / Founder
MusicBizAdvice.com
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