Tag: marketing
Respond-Dont React
by Randy Davis on Mar.09, 2010, under Video Production
This will be a six-part blog post that discusses the six most common mistakes that companies often make.
The economy today is a turbulent and uncertain one and many companies choose to react, rather than respond. Looking from a different angle, if we react to a certain medication…it’s bad, but if we respond-that’s good. The decisions that are made during a slow economy will impact your business for years to come, so take some time to ensure your actions are a response, not a reaction. Some of the items listed below are areas where organizations often react, instead of respond.
1. Capitalize on Market Opportunities
Thanks should be given to the small business owner, because it’s those companies who continue to reinvent the economy on a regular basis. Many new Brands are launched during a slow economy and many of those Brands continue to perform successfully. A good way to capitalize on market opportunities is to analyze trends, perform market analysis, and spend considerable time with nothing more than your imagination. Einstein said, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Does Your Video Have Mainstream Music?
by Randy Davis on Dec.22, 2009, under Video Production
First appearing in VideoMaker Magazine, this following article explains the law concerning Fair Use Vs Copyright Infringement. Although this article talks specifically about YouTube, laws across application vary little.
In May 2008, Viacom brought a $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube for allegedly failing to protect the rights of copyright owners. The most common cases of copyright infringement involve using songs in a film or video without permission of the copyright holder, or placing segments of movies or music videos on websites where it is easy for the public to download them. Such actions have cost studios millions of dollars in royalties. Therefore, the giants of the entertainment industry have begun cracking down on websites such as YouTube.
YouTube, in response to these accusations, started to remove videos that may use segments of music or film without the copyright owner’s permission. Accounts posting such videos have also been suspended. Fan videos that incorporate a celebrity picture slideshow using a song as the primary audio track and videos of musicians playing covers of famous songs are common examples of videos that have been deleted from YouTube as a result of alleged copyright infringement.
Besides the removal of the video and suspension of the account, penalties for such actions can be extreme. If a music company believes that posting such videos is music piracy, it can file suit and be awarded up to $150, 000 per song. On the criminal side, jail time in federal prison is also a possibility for anyone convicted. Because of these harsh penalties – even though only a remote possibility – it is extremely important to protect yourself from any allegations of copyright infringement. Copyright violations are equivalent to theft, both legally and morally. Proving there is no infringement can take time and effort. Why risk the penalties?
If your work is for educational purposes, then use of copyrighted material falls under the “Fair Use” provision, which allows reasonable use of copyrighted work, without permission, for research, criticism, or education. A notice at the beginning or end of your production giving credit to copyright owners for their work is usually sufficient. Be aware, however, that not citing sources, or attempting to pass off copyrighted material as your own work, is not considered “fair use.” It is plagiarism and can result in harsh penalties.
Works with expired copyrights are considered to be in the “public domain” and can be used without fear of liability of infringement. The major catch in this provision is that copyrights have very long terms before expiry. For example, any sound recording published in the United States after March 1989 will not be available to the public until March 2049 at the earliest. As of January 2009, the only sound recordings that are automatically available in the public domain are those published before 1923, and those published between February 15, 1972 and March 1989 without a copyright. All other recordings may be in the public domain, but further investigation would be required.
Both “fair use” and “public domain” are gray areas, making it difficult to ensure that you are not infringing the rights of others. The safest action to take is to get permission (usually a written contract, known as a license) from the copyright owner of any material being used in your video production.
The music labels commonly hold the copyrights for sound recordings. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a major blanket organization that works with many major labels and is an excellent resource for you to obtain a license to use music as part of your production. Licensing agencies can aid in procuring a license. Examples of licensing agencies include The Harry Fox Agency, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and Sound Exchange. Most licensing agencies are blanket agencies that cover many labels. To get licenses for just one or two songs, however, it is usually easiest to contact the individual label.
Licenses can be requested using a simple letter to the copyright owner asking for authority to use the copyrighted material. The letter should incorporate a complete explanation of the work to be used and how you will use it. Include a place in the letter for the owner to sign and send back a response.
Contributing editor Attorney Mark Levy specializes in intellectual property law. Saba Siddiqui is a senior in high school and a legal intern for Mark Levy. She plans to attend law school after university.
Since Mr. Levy’s story was first posted, as of late September 2009, Google (owner of YouTube) has now changed its rules regarding copyright. Google will begin to allow copyright content to remain up unless the copyright owner objects. This new decision comes in most part from a popular viral wedding dance video that has become Sony Music’s 8th most popular song.
http://www.videomaker.com/article/14261/
Drive Your Competition Insane With Video Marketing
by Randy Davis on Jun.12, 2009, under Charlotte Video Production, Video Production, Video Production Charlotte
You could compare video marketing to a television commercial but that would be a fatal mistake. Firstly, it’s more effective. It also costs less to deliver since you’re not paying television stations for air time. You can take as long as you like as often as you like to show the world your products, services and ideas and give out all your contact details or just the bare essentials which is great for offline businesses and better for ideas with nowhere to live. Suddenly, everyone can reach an audience if the audience is willing to listen.
Many argue that television commercials capture audiences even if it’s only as they move past it into the kitchen to make coffee, put on the dryer or change channels. The same people staunchly believe in the subliminal ’something must stick’ syndrome. But even this theory is toppling over as technologies skip or take out television ads making the impossible possible; no boring ads and killing advertising revenues with it.
Video marketing has an equal hit and miss element because people are always searching for good quality information and content delivered in interesting ways. The rest is up to you. Master and deliver and before you know it you will have an uncontrollable marketing virus on your hands and an audience that will look, listen and salivate for more.
Video marketing has been around for a while but some scoff at its claims for effectiveness citing search engine optimization or article writing as a better use of resources. Wrong! Everything is effective but videos connect like television or film; movement and emotion. Hard to compete with that.
And compared to creating thirty second television commercials videos are simpler to construct and less expensive, in fact, you can make a video in just a few minutes or a few hours. There’s a warmed up global audience on the ready to speed through content and sink their teeth into the next big thing; the quirkier the better and it’s all so convenient because it comes out of the same box as a lot of your other content.
Online video marketing gives you a world wide screen to either bore your prospects or excite them into laughter, shock or action. The choice is yours. High level visibility of video marketing should not be ignored. It can change your bottom line in an instant and it’s legal. You can show your videos in one place like your blog or website or upload them to as many video sharing sites or get them bookmarked on social sites for backlinks to your site with more free traffic.
About the Author
Christine McVeigh is author of ‘Web 2.0 Traffic Demolisher – How to Dominate Your Niche Using Web 2.0′. Go now to get free access to an information packed strictly limited 5 part course on how to get traffic, dominate and make money using Web 2.0 and other free stuff on marketing Web 2.0 by going now to http://www.Web20TrafficDemolisher.comSee you on the other side!
