Album and Mixtape Question!

[KJ Beatz]

hey everyone,new here,just a question im confused as hell over.

If I Make myself 13 instrumentals right now and made 13 songs over these,and im not signed, is this an Album or a Mixtape, hip-hop heads should know this,everyone i ask has no clue, since i wouldent be using any copyrighted music on my project,this cant be called a mixtape right?

I wana make sure before i release my cd. Thanks.

 

[Nightfire]

Call it whatever you want to if its your music. Dont worry about labels, theyre only there to put things in a box.
If I was you Id call it a piece of my soul. Either that or an album


Mike

 

[knightfly]

The minute you write a song or record it (assuming it's original) it IS copyrighted - and YOU own the copyright. All the other crap people go through is just to make it easier to sue people for stealing it. And your (copyrighted) collection can be called anything you like, but it's at least long enough to be called an album.

A "mix tape" is technically a collection of OTHER people's music that you may own, but prefer to listen to in a particular order. Sometimes even a CD-R you've done this with is still referred to as a mix "tape", even though it's a disk. Old habits die hard... Steve

 

[cusebassman]

The minute you write a song or record it (assuming it's original) it IS copyrighted - and YOU own the copyright. All the other crap people go through is just to make it easier to sue people for stealing it. And your (copyrighted) collection can be called anything you like, but it's at least long enough to be called an album.

A "mix tape" is technically a collection of OTHER people's music that you may own, but prefer to listen to in a particular order. Sometimes even a CD-R you've done this with is still referred to as a mix "tape", even though it's a disk. Old habits die hard... Steve

Sounds like you've got yourself an album you created. A mix tape, as mentioned, is a collection of other peoples' material that you haul around to listen to.

And if a collection of songs on a CD is still a "mix tape", is a collection of wax cylinders containing various artists also a mix "tape":

I'd like to see a hip-hop artist spin and scratch those bad boys. Sure, you'd have to write raps that fit over a 1902 recording of "Blue Danube", but whatever!

"I can't hear you, nineteenth century!"

 

[northern cali]

...like the other dude said, make it whatever you want, its your art, you make it what you want to be...


as for the mixtape thing, the definition of a mixtape technically is a tape with a collection of songs


but now and for some time now in the hip hop world the mixtape has taken on the "street album" definiton, that usually has you rapping over other peoples beats, a couple guest features maybey, and some exclusive material and/or freestyles thrown in for good measure...

rappers usually put their own "street album" mixtapes out before their albums come out to build some buzz n get out there...

 

[cusebassman]

Gotta love sharin the beats. Or downloading the beats. Or rapping over music that was never intended for rap in the first place.

Gotta love them MC's...

I hope there's just one nerdy white kid in a basement with a computer and some turntables who generates all the beats - every last beat in the world... and it all just flows from there. I prefer my beats fresh, but if I have to order them expressmail and have them shipped to my house on ice, they are still fresh enough for my taste.

Foolin aside, good to know what the term "mix tape" has evolved into. When someone gives me a CD with a collection of previously scattered material on it, they usually just call it a "Mix CD". Fancy that.

 

[northern cali]

yeah mixtapes are the new and improved demo cd...

 

[PenguinKiller]

Then the word Mixtape now, has become a more "urban and cool way" to say you just have a mere Demo-cd?
Sorry, but a CD with 13 copyrighted songs/not mixed is still just a Demo in my opinion.
And in this case it's a "Demo-CD" and not a "Mixtape" or even a "Demo-Tape"

In my personal opinion there are distinct features about a "Mixtape" wich makes it a "Mixtape"..

*Cassette or DAT
*All Tracks are mixed together.
*The creator gives it's own spin to the blend and is usually to show of his/her skills
(with Vinyl or CD's)
*Good ones even remix known tracks wich can become real gems later on
and is usually to get the attention.

Then again I dont know if the word Mixtape was used back in the day by Pop-Rock artists.
I still think Mixtape belongs to the Urban and Hiphop-community.
Or any other genre later on that put out a "Mixtape" wich "mixed" tracks to a blend/or megamix,
May it be Hiphop, breakbeat, House or Rock.
A CD with 13 Demo-tracks is still a Demo-CD unless you mix the tracks,
when it will become a "Mix-CD"...


But call it whatever you want.
Im a white dude and in this age of good for nothing half a dime rappers.
You can do and name it whatever you want. Its all crazyhouse nowadays anyway.

 

[rayc]

Sounds like a mix(ed) metaphor now.