1. Change your drum heads. The heads you've been bashing away at for months in rehearsal will not sound as good in the studio as
new heads. Take the time to tune your drums properly. Bring extra sticks.

2. Same thing goes for guitar and bass strings. Old, oxidized strings will not provide you with the same clarity and bite as new
strings will. Break your strings in before your session  Bring extra strings.

3. Check the intonation of your guitars and bass. This often-overlooked step can be the difference between a good sound and a
great one.

4. Figure out the arrangement of the songs beforehand. Everyone in the band should know each of their parts.

5. Run all your effects pedals off of fresh 9v batteries, not adapters.

6. Exercise your vocal chords. Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption, avoid smoking. Drink plenty of room-temperature water.


Generally, we'll track each instrument separately to provide the greatest separation and control over each element of the mix.
Drums will likely be the first instrument we track, and bass tends to be the next instrument After the drums and bass are down we'll
work with guitars and keyboards Lead and backing vocals would fill out the recording process.

Record your songs on a boom box or multi track tape machine, and bring a copy with you. Bring lyric sheets.

Hints and tips:

How to Legally Sell Cover Songs:


Please note that the below is not official legal advice. There is a lot of information here, the links to .pdf files will open in a new window,
you can copy or print them as needed. The links to web sites will provide more, detailed information, forms, or documentation. If you
are recording original material only, the link to the copyright office, http://www.copyright.gov, may be all you need. I cannot stress
enough the importance of copyrighting your original material, and respecting the copyrights of other artists.

If you have recorded a cover version of someone else's song, and you plan to sell it, either on CD, or over the internet you must follow
these steps BEFORE you make your recording available for distribution to the public!

If you record a cover version of a song, (meaning your performance of a song that has been released in the U.S. with consent of the
copyright owner), you are entitled by law to release your recording commercially, and the owner of the copyright to the song cannot
prevent you from doing so.

The Copyright Act provides for what is called a “Compulsory License” for download sales, which means that if you follow the steps set
forth by statute, you can distribute your recording of that song over the internet. This Compulsory License is only available for sales in
the United States. Other uses of masters, such as streaming, conditional downloads, and the like, are not subject to a Compulsory
License. A separate license from the publisher is needed in those cases.

The following details the procedure for individuals to obtain a compulsory license to digitally distribute cover songs over the Internet to
end users in the United States.

1.  The first step is to identify the owner(s) of the copyright to the song, usually the publisher. The easiest way to do this is to search the
song writer/publisher databases, here:

BMI (http://www.bmi.com)
ASCAP (http://www.ascap.com)
SESAC (http:www.sesac.com)
Harry Fox (http://www.songfile.com)
U.S. Copyright Office (http://www.copyright.gov)

Keep in mind that the owner of these rights is typically a publisher, and that the owner of the rights of the song is not the same as the
owner of the rights to any particular recording of the song. In other words, Record Labels are almost never the owners of the copyright
to the musical composition - they typically own only sound recordings. You should be looking for the name of a publisher (or in some
cases an individual).

Be careful to identify the exact song you want, as there are many songs with the same names. If you cannot find the owner through these
websites, search the records of the Copyright Office online.

If you cannot find the copyright holder(s) after a thorough search, you can send a letter to the Copyright Office, along with a small filing
fee, currently $12.00. See the Copyright Office website for the proper address and current filing fees if you are going to be sending the
letter of intent to them.

Instructions on how to do that are on “Circular 73” from the U.S. Copyright Office. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND READING
THIS FILE, because it carries the essence of this entire article.

2.  Send a Letter of Intent - EXACTLY like this:
You must send one letter for each song for which you seek a compulsory license 30 days before you begin distribution of your cover.
The letter must be sent by registered or certified mail and contain the following:

a)  a clear subject line/title that says “Notice of Intention to Obtain a Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords”
b)  your full legal name
c)  all fictitious/assumed names (stage name, band name) used the names of each individual owning a 25% interest or more in the
distribution of the song (band members, if you split your sales income)
d)  your fiscal year (usually January 1st - December 31st)
e)  your full physical address - P.O. boxes are unacceptable, unless that is the only option for addresses in your geographic region
f)  the title of the song
g)  name(s) of the author(s) of that song
h)  the type of configuration expected to be made (a music file distributed over the Internet is called a “Digital Phonorecord Delivery”
(DPD))
i)  the expected first date of distribution
j)  the name of the performer/band doing the cover
k)  your signature.

If there is more than one publisher listed, sending a letter to one of them is sufficient for the compulsory mechanical license; however, if
one or more of the copyright holders is not from the United States, it is best to send the notice to all copyright holders.

3.  Once you begin distributing the song over the Internet, you must send monthly statements of royalties on or before the 20th of each
month, and pay the royalties. The monthly statement must be sent by registered or certified mail and include:

a)  a clear title that says “Monthly Statement of Account Under Compulsory License for Making and Distributing Phonorecords”
b)  the period (month and year) covered by the statement
c)  your full legal name
d)  all fictitious/assumed names (stage name, band name) used, the names of each individual owning a 25% interest or more in the
distribution of the song (band members, if you split your sales income)
e)  your full physical address - P.O. boxes are unacceptable, unless that is the only  option for addresses in your geographic region
f)  the title of the song
g)  name(s) of the author(s) of that song
h)  the name of the performer/band doing the cover
i)  the playing time (length) of your recording of the song (minutes:seconds)
j)  the number of DPDs made, i.e. how many times your recording was downloaded
k)  the number of DPDs that were never delivered due to a failed transmission
l)  the number of DPDs that were retransmitted in order to complete/replace an incomplete/failed delivery
m)  the total royalty payable (number of total DPDs or CDs, not counting ones never delivered multiplied by the statutory royalty rate
(see below)
n)  the following statement: “I certify that I have examined this Monthly Statement of  Account and that all statements of fact contained
herein are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, and are made in good faith”
o)  your signature

You must also send an Annual Statement of Account at the end of each calendar year, which is virtually identical in content to the
Monthly Statements, but must be certified by a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Statutory Royalty Rates:

The current (2006) statutory rate for royalties is 9.1¢ for every copy sold if the playing time for the song is under five minutes.
If the playing time for the song is longer than five minutes, the rate is 1.75¢ per minute, rounding up to the next minute.

under 5 minutes   = 9.1¢ per copy
5 to 5:59 minutes = 10.5¢ per copy (6 minutes x 1.75¢)
6 to 6:59 minutes = 12.25¢ per copy (7 minutes x 1.75¢)
7 to 7:59 minutes = 14¢ per copy (8 minutes x 1.75¢)

IMPORTANT Notes:
The publisher may tell you to that they don't deal with compulsories, and that you should contact the Harry Fox Agency. Though the
Harry Fox Agency can handle mechanical licenses for DPDs for most publishers, you still have right to obtain a compulsory license by
following the directions above.

Remember the law is on your side. You are entitled to a compulsory license by law. You have permission - (a compulsory license) - as
soon as you send the notice, described above, to the proper publisher.

As long as your notice complies with Copyright Section 115, (described above), the publisher need do nothing other than receive the
royalty payments. You don't even need to wait for their reply.

You may be able to negotiate a better deal for yourself, either with lower royalty rates or less frequent statements of account. If terms
are negotiated which deviate from the standard Section 115 then a mechanical license will be issued by the publisher or HFA.

If you wish to distribute physical copies (e.g., CDs) of a cover song, you must obtain a similar compulsory license, available for most
popular songs through the Harry Fox Agency at harryfox.com. If you plan on distributing between 500 and 2500 physical copies, you
can obtain a compulsory license through the Harry Fox Agency online at songfile.com.

For more information on compulsory licenses for all forms of distribution, please refer to the Copyright Office's web site, at http://www.
copyright.gov, and contact your attorney.

Helpful publications available through the Copyright Office include Circular 73 (Compulsory License for Making and Distributing
Phonographs), Circular 22 (The Licensing Division of the Copyright Office), and M-200 (Checklists under Section 115 of Title 17).

If you have been distributing a cover song without a compulsory license or an agreement with the copyright owner, you are ineligible to
obtain a compulsory license for that recording (!), and you may be subject to civil and/or criminal penalties for copyright infringement.

Be careful to follow the steps exactly as described above, in order to be legal.

Download and print/save these files:

How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work
Compulsory License For Making and Distributing Phonorecords
Notice of intention to obtain a compulsory license
Royalties and statements of account under compulsory license
Checklists of Required Information
Mechanical Copyright Royalty Rates

These and more available at the U.S. Copyright Office website http://www.copyright.gov