August 15, 2010
I was trying to do a search for artists on myspace, yet its not possible to look for artists by city/ postcode/ country anymore. Most artists have myspace, so its a kind of pain.
I’m not sure why myspace have done this, its probably to have more control over content viewed though. Artist search is available through reverb nation though.
August 12, 2010
Title Design from Anna Jansen on Vimeo.
August 9, 2010
1)- Shadows on rewind
2)- Wanted to fly
3)- High fields
4)- Free this
5)- Strangest dream
6)- Make it on your own
7)- Miss you so much
8)- Beautiful Day
9)- Back alone
10)- Walking
11)- Hard Times
12)- Passanger on a train
13)- Time to Sleep
14)- Island in the sea
15)- Blue Car
16)- Talking Trees
17)- Fades to Grey
18)- Foreign Train
19)- Who am i to judge
20)- Empty House
21)- Now your a stranger
22)- Ghosts around
23)- Crimes of passion
24)- Walking to the moon
25)- Frogs and turtles
26)- Green Ford
27)- Moon and the wind
28)- Bout Time
29)- Your way my way
August 2, 2010
I saw the film inglorious bastards (again) last night as it was playing at biooko.net cinema, downstairs. The subtitles were in Czech, and that film has a lot of different languages going on through the film, so i was watching a lot of the back ground scenes, as i don’t read Czech. Yet i wanted to watch it on the big screen.
An idea came to mind while watching the film, the idea was about the live sheep export business, sheep from Australia are sent to the middle east, and sold at the regular markets, many people buy the sheep and don’t know how to kill them properly, they have no regulation. Its a kind of sad situation for the sheep, they graze in a fenced paddock, sometimes with not enough shade. Off on some ship, then to a market and killed, often in a really bad way. Anyway, the idea was that suddenly one of the sheep would turn into a human, having the power to change other sheep into humans.
Does anyone want to write the screen play?
July 29, 2010
Was thinking how much i have aged in the last 2 years, the last two have been harder than the 4 before that. A festival decided to use this pic in their promo, i looked at it, and it reminded me how much i’ve aged. I spose getting old is a reminder of the impermanence of things though, as things fade, new things arrive. Thats the life.
Over the last weeks i spent 7 days helping at meditation retreat in Germany, working in the kitchen to provide for the people sitting. Was interesting time to reflect on things.
July 17, 2010
July 16, 2010
Im planning house concerts latter on this year through Europe, please contact if your vibed for one in your space.
July 15, 2010
July 10, 2010
July 9, 2010
Its been a while since i thought of something to write here. I don’t normally say much about politics, yet in Australia they changed the prime minister. The reason seems that the government had this idea to introduce a super tax, and this tax was a 40 percent tax on the mining companies profits, i thought the idea was good, as it means that more of the resources would stay in the ground, and a better social infa-structure for the future. Yet the mining industry in Australia is a big lobby, i heard that page adds were taken out in papers, in opposition to the tax, by the big companies.
Anyway, as a result Australia now has its first female prime minister, so that’s not a bad thing. Yet it does “maybe” show how powerful these mining companies are, when it comes to the nuts and bolts of their profits, its not easy to change things.
One of the things i liked about Norway, when i was there for a bit, is that the oil is nationalized, this means that 70 percent of the profits from oil, go to the government. Its weird though, the Norwegians still have a large weapons industry and their public transport system although ok, is not that good. Anyway, always something to complain about.
June 23, 2010
making point of direct license.
Hi,
I called up your newspaper and got this email address, so i hope that the issue i describe is interesting.
This point of law/idea might be interesting to your readers, so here i go with story/issue..
The Gema contract that artists in Germany sign gives Gema a mandate on their rights, this means that every contact point for the artist copyright, a fee needs to be paid to Gema. This situation is not so practical in the current environment, the internet is here, and new technologies make the recording industry no-longer so practical.
The point i would like to make is this. Unlike the Gema contract, the US rights organisation ASCAP is Non-exclusive. This contract gives the artist the ability to license what they create without Gema taking their share, and also collect where its practical.
Under EU laws (as i understand) artists in Germany are now able to join ASCAP. By being a member of ASCAP, if you or your band makes all their songs, its possible to direct license those works to a public performance space or broadcast network, with that network dealing directly with you.
Its not easy to get performances places in Germany (for original music) i feel this is partly a result of the fee’s that need to be paid. Large venues can afford Gema fee’s, yet small spaces can’t, currently music playing through the speakers probably seems a more attractive option than having live performance. If venues don’t provide a setlist of original works to Gema, they are at risk of paying a fee for those works and possible fine.
It is possible to innovate (if you only play what you make/create though), organisations like Gema are unable to adapt. Anyway, its taken me quite a while to get a grip around how the regulations are in Germany, on Friday, July 30, 2010 at 8 PM at Café Tasso in Berlin i license what i create directly with the venue. ASCAP will inform Gema of my setlist and i’ll play a show, the venue want have to pay GEMA, and the show is legal. I have also taken care of the administrative procedures rather than the venue, with regard to the license. http://www.cafe-tasso.de/
June 22, 2010
i kind of lost track with writing my blog for all my shows, one thing leads to another and then i’m lost with it all. the last days since i got back from Frankfurt, i have been in relax mode, was quite intense all the travels everywhere over the last month, some ups and downs, yet mostly good.. thanks to all that were at shows.
June 14, 2010
I wrote this for creative commons forum
Hi Forum,
At the moment i’m exploring possibilities of making the tunes i make free in Europe to spaces that don’t have a licensing agreement with local rights organization for “live” performance.
Why did i join ASCAP, when my works were free? a song was used in a major film, rather than joining with an exclusive contract for use of works, i went with ASCAP. ASCAP and BMI contract are non-exclusive.
Anyway: Its possible to license what “you” create freely and be a member of ASCAP, however i don’t see that any creative commons license presented to ASCAP would be recognized (unless backed up in conjunction with the artist) with info ASCAP ask for.
Here is what ASCAP ask for from the artist..
“when performing your songs in an unlicensed venue send myself the following details: the name and address of the venue, the length of the license and the song titles included in the license.”
The problems with ASCAP for artists out of the US, i have found so far are.. ASCAP offer no legal advice.. If you want to collect all your royalties, you have to make a company, as the royalty is divided up 50 to writer and 50 to publisher. This is not the way the system is in Europe or Australia.
When artists make what they create free and don’t join ASCAP/BMI and what they create is used in a commercial context, a fee is being paid. Its a weird situation, sure if your works are not in the system then the rights organizations have no means to collect, yet if they are being used, how does that make the situation?
also: If you have a co-write partners that have made songs under exclusive conditions, it further complicates the situation. As its not just upto those co-writers, its also upto the rights organization, and also any publisher that they might be affiliated with.
Hope this post helps out somehow..
also.. note, when i say free, i mean free in the context as me being able to negotiate my public performance rights with-out a third party such as OSA, APRA, ASCAP, SABAM being involved. In the context of small tea house, a direct license works.
June 7, 2010
Played show a couple of days ago at at tea house in České Budějovice. All the people in the tea houses have been so nice, and although the rooms have not been packed, every show has had a really nice audience. Often i might play a show in a Belgium pub, sure the audience is good, yet the tea house is really the best place for music. Often when i would play a second set of music in bar, people end up just getting more drunk and that’s not so great. Sure its nice to be a part of the atmosphere, yet when songs are competing with a drunken atmosphere, sometimes its not so great.
June 7, 2010
June 5, 2010
Last days weather have been better, played last night in tea house in Hradec Králové, show was good. Interesting city, streets are wider than Prague, things seem relaxed. I like the central station, the station is not similar to any station i know.
Played at Toa čajovna This tea house very relaxed vibe. Nice space to play tunes and good audience.. thanks 
June 3, 2010
Day ONE. left Prague, unfortunately i had to catch a bus, to get a train from Prague to Liberec, takes 2 and a half hours, where as a bus only an hour, was running a bit late, so was on the bus. Last nights show went well, around 40 people turned up to small tea house Cajovna 82, most of the people were friends and family of Jan Ostrova, he is from here and we agreed to do the show together, back a couple of weeks ago. We split the show up, i played a couple of songs Jan played, kind of back and forth. The show worked well. The last Czech folk act that i performed with played for more than an hour, it exhausted things.
Ended up staying at the home of Ondrej, architect from Prague, he was at concert. His house is an open space, anyone is able to come up and have a tea/coffee when the flag is out, the space has free wifi and is right near the center of Liberc, two other Architects live here. He’s keen to have me play a house concert here sometime in the future.
Today it rains here in Liberec and was raining yesterday, someone said that its cause of the Volcano, so i put Volcano and weather change in youtube, nothing much arrived. Yet what did come up was that more emission’s erupted from the Volcano, than Europe has emitted since the policy of emissions control has been put in place. Is this true? Makes sense with all that new stuff in the sky, that the weather might change a bit. It is the longest day of the year in a couple of weeks, been a cold spring.
www.facebook.com/jamtour
