FAQs
- What is Rockus?
- What is Music Production?
- What is recording?
- What is Mixing?
- What is Mastering?
- Where can I send my song(s) to be mixed and/or mastered?
- How long will it take to finish my song?
- Does the studio time include an engineer?
- How many people can I bring to my session?
- Can I be late?
- How far can I cancel my appointment?
- Is there a fee for late cancellation?
- How does your music production work?
- Will I own the song you wrote and produced?
- What are leasing rights?
- What are exclusive rights?
- I still don’t get it. What is the main difference between leasing and exclusive rights?
- What are publishing rights?
- Is there a contract for me to sign?
- How much are exclusive rights?
- Are your song(s) copyrighted?
- Are consultations free?
- When do I pay?
- How do I pay?
- What forms of payment are accepted?
- Do you have discount packages?
- What is the meaning of life?
According to the Urban Dictionary, the word “rockus” means really good, kick‐ass, &
awesome. We wanted to name our company Rockus Music because we just wanted to make some really good music for the world to hear.
Music production is the art of creating music through words, instruments, and lyrics. This
can be created through the modern use of DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), synthesizers, live instruments, harmonies, and microphones just to name a few to create a finished product that one can listen to. A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job it is to oversee and manage the recording (i.e. “production”) of an artist’s music. A producer has many roles that may include, but are not limited to, gathering ideas for the project, selecting songs and/or musicians, coaching the artist and musicians in the studio, controlling the recording sessions, and supervising the entire process
through mixing and mastering. Producers also often take on a wider entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules, and negotiations.
Recording is the process of capturing your vocal performance by means of a physical
medium by using microphones, computer hard disk, and hard wares in the recording studio.
Mixing is the process of blending together all the recorded tracks in a music production
using a mixing console. In order for us to mix your song(s), we would need the following:
‐ Pro Tools Session of the song ‐ Or the WAV or AIFF files of every tracks in the session in 24 bit 44Khz
Mastering is the final stage of the recording process. Your uncompressed mix is balanced,
equalized, and enhanced in order to create the stereo sound that will sound excellent on any playback system. If you want us to master your song(s), here are some guidelines:
‐ An uncompressed WAV or AIFF file format of the whole single track ‐ Volume should peek between ‐6db and ‐3db below 0db. This will allow us for some headroom so don’t panic if you send it to us with the volume a little low
‐ 24bit‐ 44Khz file ‐ No limiters please! This is pretty much the same as compression
Where can I send my song(s) to be mixed and/or mastered?
We recommend emailing the song(s) using http://yousendit.com or
http://www.largefilesasap.com in order to send us large files. You can email the song(s) to info@rockusmusicproduction.com
How long will it take to finish my song?
This depends on how complicated the song is and how many tracks are recorded. We will
let you know.
Does the studio time include an engineer?
Yes. Studio time includes an engineer. We will also guide you to get the best quality of your
session.
How many people can I bring to my session?
We recommend just bringing the people who can help with the recording process. From
our experience, we want to make sure that the artist doesn’t get distracted and lose focus. We don’t mind you bringing your friends or parents, but remember you are paying by the hour.
Our time is just as valuable as yours. Your time starts and ends by what you have
scheduled with us.
How far can I cancel my appointment?
If you are planning to cancel a session, please call us 24hr in advance.
Is there a fee for late cancellation?
Yes. It’s $15 for a late cancellation.
How does your music production work?
We would first call the client for any specifics. Depending on what the artist needs, we can
write, co‐write, and/or produce the song based on their genre. We email you a rough draft of the song and once approved, we can set you up a recording session. If you plan on recording on another studio and finish your song there, we will send you the individual WAV or AIFF files for you to mix, and master your project.
Will I own the song you wrote and produced?
If we write/produce the song for you, you only own the leasing rights of the song(s). If you
co‐write the song, you only still own the leasing rights but will get a writer’s share of the publishing rights.
Leasing rights allows the following:
‐ You can use the song for commercial use (mixtape, online, radio, album etc…) ‐ Sell your song on itunes and other e‐commerce site ‐ Rockus Music still owns the exclusive rights to the song ‐ Basically, we won’t knock until you get signed to a label
Exclusive rights allows to:
‐ Use the song for commercial use (mixtape, online, radio, album etc…) ‐ Sell your song on itunes and other e‐commerce site ‐ You own 100% of the song both copyright and publishing rights
I still don’t get it. What is the main difference between leasing and exclusive rights?
When you leased a song and you get signed to a label, Rockus Music gets a percentage
from your label and we also get all the publishing rights (unless you co‐write which gets you a percentage of it). When you get the exclusive rights to the song and you get signed to a label, you will own 100% of the publishing rights and own the song 100%.
Publishing is tied to royalties for songwriters. If you are a songwriter and you have a
publishing deal, the “publishers” will manage your songs. They will make sure that all of the
royalties to which you are entitled are being collected, and they will usually actively move to
make your songs “work harder” ‐ that is to say they will try and place your music in TV,
films, advertising and so on. Your publisher is also the first port of call for any artist that
wishes to do a cover version of one of your songs. In exchange, the publisher will get a cut of
income generated by your songs. A few things to understand about publishing:
‐ You do not have to have a publishing deal to collect royalties on your songs.
‐ You can have a publishing deal without having a record deal, and you can have a record
deal without having a publishing deal.
Like all things related to royalty collection, publishing can be quite a complex topic ‐ one
that makes the heads spin even of people who have a lot of experience in music.
For more
information, I recommend getting this book “This Business of Music” and “All You Need to
Know About Music Business” at your participating book stores and online.
Is there a contract for me to sign?
Yes. We will provide one for you.
How much are exclusive rights?
Contact us for more information.
Yes.
Where can I apply to copyright my song(s)? Go to http://www.copyright.gov for more information
It’s your lucky day. Yes. Contact us at info@rockusmusicproduction.com
If you are producing, recording, mixing, and/or mastering with us, payments can be made
prior to the appointment. We will send you an invoice.
Payments can be mailed to us once we send you the invoice. You can also pay via Paypal.
What forms of payment are accepted?
We accept Cash, Check, Money Order, PayPal and other credit cards.
Do you have discount packages?
Yes. If you are planning to do an EP or Album, we can make a package deal that would best
fit your budget.
We haven’t figured that yet but we do love this job!
Questions? Send us a message on our Contact page. We will get a hold of you within 24‐48 hours.