If you don’t find an answer here, click the form at the top of any page to send us your questions. Maybe it’ll turn up in this list.

1. I am a little bit leery about trusting online business’s with so many scams going on. How do I know your company is legit?

ThreeGuitarz Publishing is a registered music publishing company with ASCAP, check us out at www.ascap.com with the ACE title search - here you can search their song database for titles, writers and publishers. Halfway House Studios Live is a registered business with the state of North Carolina - you can verify business details by calling the Secretary of State or searching their online database. All of our proceeds go to Foster Enterprise Foundation which is currently waiting for IRS classification as a nonprofit. We will update this information as soon as possible (it takes a long time though).

2. I placed some songs online, but nothing happened so far. Any suggestions?

The world wide web is enormous and filled with countless musicians and bands.  Take a look at some of the top Indie artist that are touring and compare. Are your songs up to par?  Do your web sites make the grade? Do you get enough web traffic? Do you cover enough territory on the Web?

Placing your songs online is the easy part.  Good things don’t come to those who wait, they come from hard work - not waiting for something to come to you.  For starters, your band needs a marketing plan to include a press release and relevant advertising and promotion. Press Kits should be sent out to verified contacts in college/web Radio, TV and Film, promoters, etc. Be proactive and call before sending; and E-mail one at a time to avoid SPAM blockers. This is usually the job of a music publishing company; it takes time, energy, and the more the merrier. For a wealth of ideas to get started see our free resource - Music Marketing Empire.

3. What do you offer that I couldn’t do myself?

You could do all this yourself if you have the expertise, money, and time, a lot of time.  We cover everything a musician doesn’t know they need.  A unique distribution network.  An ‘Internet web’ of promotion..  We have programs to develop killer web sites, graphics, videos, and more. We keep up to date on the latest web sites. We have e-mail lists of TV and Film supervisors, radio promoters, etc..., that we will send electronic press kits to. Accounts to promote and sell your music world wide are all paid for.  Also, we have distributers in big cities set up to distribute physical copies to targeted stores.

4. I’m no legal wiz, what am I getting into if I sign with your company?

Our contracts are kept fairly simple, straightforward and readable, however, you can always have them looked over by an attorney. For our CD compilations, we have a compilation Album Agreement.  We also offer publishing agreements and recording contracts. We can not publish, promote and advertise your songs with out a contract.

5. What sets you apart from Big Time production/publishing/record companies?

Simply put, these big corporations are not looking for unknown bands, they’re looking for the bottom line, and they don’t like waiting for their profits. They are looking for bands that have already established a decent level of sales, and a large enough following. They want to jump on the bandwagon, or bet on a sure thing. Our company wants to help your band reach that level or just help you make an honest living in the music industry.

6. What sets Halfway House Studios Live, apart from other Web services?

We don’t just place your music online, we develop a well rounded marketing plan to get your music into peoples hands.  There’s just too much too list here - check out What We Do, or Marketing and Promotion.

The Internet is changing the way we do things. There are so many other possibilities for a musician to make a living without becoming a national star.  There are many web sites out there that cater to Independent musicians, but beware, they may only be catering to their own wallets.  These web sites will only store your music, profile, pictures, etc., - they are not going to do anything else. Some have “opportunities” that cost you a small fortune.   Beware of web sites that charge hundreds of dollars for their services, or large submission fees for submissions to song contests, etc. You should not have to pay money to submit songs to Music Supervisors, (TV and Film), Radio, Clubs, Promoters, etc., (we’ll do it for you - free). 

7. What are you looking for when you listen to a demo CD to promote?

We are looking for quality lyrics and instrumentation(including vocals); however, we’ll work with you if you need help in any area.  Demos don’t need to be perfect to record labels, because they will redo them in their studio of choice; but Music Supervisors, Radio Programmers, etc. are looking for music to use right now. With our compilation CD’s, we are looking for a finished product and we use this to help promote your band, especially if you don’t have a full album. While working on the finished product, we will start designing web pages, graphics, videos, etc.

8. I am a musician, but don’t have a band to make a complete song. Can you work with that?

Definitely!  We have the perfect solution. You (or we) can upload tracks or lyrics to E-sessions and then hire (some collaborators are free) band members to complete the song online. You can even hire a producer, or engineer to mix your tracks, and they have a roster of professional session musicians to choose from, as well as free talent.

9. Our band has made a CD in a professional music studio, but I don’t have the master tracks.  What are my possibilities?

If you could acquire the unmixed tracks, there are many possibilities. The studio will have to give you the master tracks though - unless you owe them money. With the master tracks we can make some adjustments to the sound, and could add additional tracks to the stereo file and remix. We could also remove some sound with a careful EQ. Of course, we can’t change lyrics or flat notes/incorrect notes from masters. Songs need to be perfect for TV and Film placement, but otherwise your CD may be just fine the way it is.

10. I have some songs that I recorded on some old/cheap gear, where do I start?

Well, for starters, some bands prefer the sound of cheap gear. We’ll have to here what they sound like. What’s more important is the song itself: the quality of the lyrics, the song structure, the quality of instrumentation, and the commercial appeal.  We can come up with a decent mix from any gear as long as the sound files for your tracks are not clipped (recorded too loud, or too much compression and limiting). Send us a sample, or upload them to a service like www.sonicbids.com where you can get some input.

11. I like my songs the way they are. How will I be sure that your company will not change the sound or song?

Our bands maintain the final say in all matters, under advisement. However, if your songs hurt our ears, we may not release it, it will not get top spots on web sites and marketing plans, etc.

12. Didn’t find an answer here? Click the form at the top of any page to send us your questions. Maybe it’ll turn up in this list.

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