Legalities and Referrals
In this edition, our focus is on legalities and referrals.
Here at The A Cappella Blog, we’ve accumulated our share of experience via over a decade of attending a cappella shows, listening to a cappella recordings, reading books and articles, and interviewing experts from the field. With all of that said, there are certainly limitations to our knowledge, or at least areas in which we’ll happily admit there are parties better suited to address specific topics or to actually work with you on your a cappella recordings. Thus, this edition of Recording Recommendations is far less rooted in our opinions or direct advice, and more oriented toward sending you to the right people to answer your questions.
When it comes to legalities, such as what you need to do to record someone else’s music without entering murky territory when it comes to copyrights, or what information you need to include in your liner notes, I know of no better source for a cappella-specific information than licensed attorney and a cappella aficionado Jonathan Minkoff. You can find his blog here: A Cappella 101. The site may not be updated consistently, but the information archived there is invaluable for dealing with the legal, technical aspects of recording.
When it comes to recording, producing, and mixing services, there are quite a few successful businesses in the field. The following list by no means comprehensive and I don’t mean to snub anyone, so if you know someone great who’s missing, feel free to chime in in the comments.
Bill Hare Productions (Act fast—he’s heading toward retirement!)
In addition, when you have your recording all but ready to go, and are looking for the finishing touches, I know of no more reputable or successful name in a cappella mastering than Dave Sperandio, who you find at Vocal Mastering.