Where to Find The Best EDM Vocals

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Are you making your own music? Are you trying to find vocals to add to your remix? There are many amazing resources for vocals, especially edm vocals. Most of these vocals cater specifically for original music or remixes.

In this blog, we will go over where to find the best vocal samples for your music.      

 

Where to get the best EDM vocals - Original Music  

There are many amazing places to find EDM vocals, that you can use for your tracks and we're here to help! 

Here is our list for the best places to find edm vocals:

 

Looperman.com is a good resource for vocals. On this website you are able to find many vocals uploaded by artists from all over the world. But one downside is everyone is able to upload on the website so vocal quality is not the best. So in order to find good vocals you're going to need to do some digging. Additionally, the singers who upload acapella keep all rights over their creation. So you are able to use acapellas for non commercial projects but if you're creating something else you have to contact the artist. This means the vocals can  be downloaded for free, but they could not be free.     

 
 
 

 On this website you are able to license edm vocals right from the artist, it is also the only website when you can do this. Artists create and upload toplines, acapellas and vocals that they can license to you for your own use. The amazing thing about volclio is creators are able to brown and purchase edm vocals non-exclusively and exclusively.

Being able to buy vocals exclusively is a huge advantage over other edm vocal websites because other websites focus mostly on providing vocal samples - which can be bought by thousands of producers. With voclio, one can ensure they get an unique and original vocal.

Additionally, you are able to find vocals from real artists- like mickey shiloh (who has written for Britney Spears, Jason Derulo, Janet Jackson and many more).      

 

If you are someone who has been producing music for a while now you most likely know of Splice. This is a monthly subscription, that gives you thousands of samples and free loops. You can also find thousands of royalty free vocals, in their samples.

But there are not many full acapellas on Splice. This means the majority of the vocals are one shots, vocal chops, or phrases that can make it difficult to piece together the vocals into a song. But, that being said you can still find high quality edm vocals on Splice.  

 

If you use Splice then you most likely have used some Producerloop samples. They provide many contrasting sample packs for different edm genres. Additionally, they have a wide selection of sample packs that can be purchased, these sample packs have amazing vocals in them.      

 
 
 

Function loop has some breathtaking vocal sample packs. Most of them have amazing one shots, acapella and vocal chops to choose from. The acapellas are of great quality and even include some talented vocalists.  

 

Where to get the best EDM vocals - Remixes  

Looking for edm vocals for remixes? Check out our list below. 

 

Wavo is also a great place for remix competitions. They don’t offer as many competitions but do offer more famous songs for remixing. Recently they have had competitions with songs from artists like Seeb, Tritional, Galantis and many more!   

 

Spinnin’ Records competitions are known as one of the most desired remix competitions especially for producers. Many people say a release on Spinnin’ Records can kick start your career. Because of this reputation, they have very strict competitions. Even if you're not trying to win, they have a great selection of tracks that are available for remixing.

That being said there aren’t many tracks available at once, but the patience is definitely worth it as you will find some great tracks for remixing. Also, if your remix is good enough you could even get signed by Spinnin’ Records!  

 

Skio Music is a great place for vocal stems specifically for remixes. They tend to have a variety of remix competitions that anyone can enter, also vocals are available for purchase through credit. The songs they have to use for remixing are usually high quality but lesser known.   

 
 
 

This website is an amazing resource for dj’s. They have a section where one can buy vocals and also stems from a wide selection of tracks. Additionally, you can buy stems and that too for only a couple of dollars. But many of the stems accessible are not “famous” songs, but the tracks available are amazing!   

 
 
 

Kreasound.com is a website where it really depends on your luck. You could either find some great tracks for remixing or not find anything at all. But, you should check out the website every so often because they do have some great vocals.

 

Conclusion

This blog provides you with the best places to find vocals for remixes and original music. There is a wide range of options to help enhance your music.

If you’re still unsure of which vocals suit you best or if you’d like to create some, contact Jony Studios to get our expert opinion/use our professional skills.

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If you need further help creating your own music, we offer audio production services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

Contact us here to get started.

 
 

How to Copyright a Song

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So you’ve got a great sound, you’ve done all the online promotion you can think of and your songs are really getting some traction! You might want to just sit back and watch the play count rise, but unfortunately, there’s still more work to do. The music industry has been notorious for alleged intellectual property theft right back to 1963 and with the rise of the internet, it isbe that much easier to get away with.

While I still believe that most people, in this industry or otherwise, are good, that does not mean you shouldn’t take the necessary precautions to ensure you are not one of those people left in the dust. 

 

Why you should care about music licensing and copyright

Especially as an independent musician, it is paramount that you understand and use the legal system to protect you and your work. Regardless of if you plan on making this a career or not, getting money for something you’ve spent time creating is an incredible feeling, but all of that is gone if it's going to another pocket. 

The word copyright is likely familiar to you, it is used for most forms of artistic expression, or any time there is an author/artist. This first legal term consists of two parts, 1. The Moral right, or recognition of ownership and integrity of the work (important to note that the USA does not recognize the moral right) and 2. The Economic Right, the exclusive right to exploit the work through reproduction or performance for economic gain. 

Music licensing comes in once you have the copyright, and essentially allows certain entities to perform the work on your behalf. Every time a recording or performance is made of a work a license must be obtained from the songwriter or publisher (whoever owns the copyright). Furthermore, this agreement is not exclusive (usually) therefore as the owner you still have the right to reproduce, or perform the work yourself and the right to decline a licensing agreement with anyone in the future. Finally, depending on the nature of the reproduction a different license is required. 

As you might imagine, for large artists, selling an individual license every time someone wants a reproduction would be an incredibly large task in and of itself. For this reason, Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) and Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) have been set up that offer blanket licenses for each reproduction method. Allowing for blanket licenses saves a lot of time for the owner of the copyright itself but does introduce yet another middle man in the whole process. The expertise and specialization of these organizations can be invaluable to the upcoming artist, especially when it comes to understanding the nuances of mechanical, and performing rights, and sync licenses (yeah, of course there is even more to it), which we will go into more detail on later. 

 

How to copyright your songs

One interesting piece of trivia regarding these legal terms is when a copyright is actually obtained. In reality, all you need is to have recorded your song on paper or digitally and bam, copyright gained! The problem is, of course, that no one else knows what you own and when it was created! This can cause some very tricky legal situations of: he said she said, so the real test is the copyright registration. Once you register your copyright with the United States Copyright Office (or your national copyright organization ex. Canada) for example, you’ll have undisputable “prima facie” (another fancy legal term basically stating the other party has to prove the work is not yours, as opposed to the other way around) evidence you created it and on what date.

Registering for a copyright can usually be done directly on the organizations website however there are now more middleman organizations willing to copyright it for a fee, in case the very unfriendly user interface scares you too much. 

 

Metadata

Making sure your work and it’s corresponding owner can be identified is the whole point of this whole exercise, and today, that relies on accurate metadata. Metadata is essentially all the background information on a piece of work including the sound recording data (International Sound Recording Codes), and publishing data (International Standard Work Codes) however coordinating all of this information is still extremely difficult. Combine that with the thousands of new copyrights register every day and some songs never get properly identified. As an artist, you must register your song with as much transparency, consistency and volume of information as soon as you can to avoid identification problems down the line. 

 

Getting licenses

On the other hand, getting the license to cover, remix, or sample a song depends entirely on how you are going to use it but it will comprise 2 categories. Mechanical license, Master licenses, and performing rights. 

Mechanical licenses cover the right to distribute, record, or manufacture a musical work or sheet music therefore they are mostly for download stores. 

Master Licenses are similar to mechanical licenses however they focus on the actual recording of the song as opposed to the elements (composition, melody, lyrics) that make up the whole. 

And finally Performing rights, you guessed it, are the right to perform a song in a public place. These rights are only important for venues, radio stations and for playing the song on TV, so as independent musicians, you shouldn’t have to worry about it. 

 

Cover Songs

Rerecording a song with your own unique performance without altering the melody or arrangement of the original allows you to avoid the Master license and Mechanical License in all streaming platforms however you still require the Mechanical license in some select countries download stores like the USA and Canada.  

 

Remixes

Remixing a song takes the original elements and spins them to alter the melody or any other song element. To release a remix worldwide, no matter the platform or country, you just need a Master License. 

 

Sampling

Getting the license for a song you’ve sampled is the most complicated of the bunch. Despite its prevalence in modern music today, sampling is not recognized as a completely original art form. Due to the vast differences in sampling techniques and the fact that song elements may still remain, both a master and mechanical license is required for worldwide distribution. 

 

Who to contact

Now that you know what kind of legal right you need to obtain, the next step is finding out who can actually provide that to you. 

As stated previously, registering for a license is usually done through a national Performing Rights Organization or Collective Management Organization. These differ by region but a quick internet search can usually direct you to the right place. 

Registering your song for copyright is also typically done through a national organization therefore, again just a quick search will set you right on your way. 

Getting the licenses for your own reproduction can be a little more difficult though. Although registering is done centrally, those rights are still owned by individuals or publishing companies therefore identifying the original songwriter, owner or label should be the first step. This is actually made much easier through copyright databases like Songfile but again, going back to those copyright offices will help as well. 

The various different licenses can cause some confusion here as well, so reaching out and just asking will save a lot of headache down the line but in general, the label will own copyright to the sound recording but the publisher will own the composition. If you’re trying to recreate the song, not play it in public (like those tv channels, and venues) then the composition license is the only one you’ll need. 

When making contact it is again important to be absolutely clear about what song you are inquiring about and what your intention is for it. Sending an explicit letter of intent is the final step to the whole process, so everyone is clear just what is being recreated and how much everyone owes. Make sure to do this at least 30 days before your release date just in case there is any confusion or problems through the whole process. 

 

Conclusion

Music copyright and licensing is one of those behind the scenes parts of this whole industry that can be extremely daunting to the up-and-coming independent musician. One of the big draws of signing to a label can simply be the wealth of experience they have in this respect, so if you’re really seeing a lot of momentum and are willing to invest in that way, it might be a good idea to see if there’s anyone else out there who wants to support you. For anyone else, this blog should be a great first start to the wide world of music licensing. In all cases, make sure you know what the laws and organizations are for your region and if you’re looking for a license to recreate, just contacting the owner directly will never hurt. 

For plenty of more amazing information on music production and promotion, be sure to keep up with our blog and if you’re interested in what Jony Studios can do for your music career have a look at our services page. 

As always, stay creative!

- By Erik Steiner

 

The Best Poetic Lyrics in Pop Music in 2018

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We all can agree that 2018 was a big year for music lovers and history. This includes record breaking releases and the mammoth rise of young talent like Post Malone, Cardi B, Billie Eilish and the superiority of drake.   

No one can doubt that the world of pop music has given us plenty of musical gum to chew, both analytical and emotion filled - this has primarily come from the lyrics in pop music. So before we focus on what is coming in the near future in the music industry, we want to pause for a second and reopen your mind to those analytical and emotion filled seconds that made the world stop. Here are our picks for the most thought provoking lyrics of 2018.    

 

Billie Eilish – “Bitches Broken Hearts”

Writers: Billie Eilish, Emmit Fenn, Finneas O’Connell

This mellow, dreamlike song is an engaging song of an ex that can’t let go of her. Lines like the ones below are the reason this song was able to gain a spot on our list, with its very emotional vision and lyrics one can’t forget about.   

“Everybody knows,

You and I are suicide and stolen art (oh yeah),

Pretty moments sews,

Stitches into all your bitches’ broken hearts.”

 

Drake – “God’s Plan”

Writers: Daveon Jackson, Matthew Samuels, Noah Shebib, Cardo, Yung Exclusive, Boi-1da, Aubrey Graham, Ronald LaTour

Drake is a very well known artist because of his strong lyrics and equally amazing beats. In 2018 he released the song “God’s Plan” this song spent a whopping 26 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 spot. It's clear that he is dominating in this industry and in the charts, he also broke his own record for the longest time he spent at number one. But, this is all thanks to that one line that defined a generation:    

“She tells me do you love me,

I tell her only partly,

I only love my bed and my mama I'm sorry.

 

Mitski – “Nobody”

Writers: Mitski, Patrick Hyland

Indie Icon Mitski is on our list for her smash hit song “Nobody”. Anyone listening to this song will note how poetic, beautiful and sad the lyrics are. Her lyrics about wanting to change in order for someone to love her hit home with many listeners. To continue, the song speaks about themes that are often ignored like isolation and yearning for things are often taken for granted.        

“I’ve been big and small,

And big and small,

And big and small again,

And still nobody wants me.”

 

The Weeknd – “Call Out My Name”

Writers: Abel Tesfaye, Adam Feeney, Nicolas Jaar, Frank Dukes

“Call Out My Name” only goes on to further prove that Abel is amazing at grouping emotional lyrics about love and heartbreak in his own style, with his amazing vocals. In this song he wrote about a lover who did not feel the same way. The song is filled with lyrics that we were able to relate to but the following lines were the most relatable:   

“I said I didn’t feel nothing, baby, but I lied,

I almost cut a piece of myself for your life,

Guess I was just another pit stop, ’til you made up your mind.”

Ouch.

 

The 1975 – “Love It if We Made It”

Writers: Adam Hann, George Daniel, Matthew Healy, Ross MacDonald

This modern Rock Bank known as The 1975 have always shown us the truth in a very straightforward but lyrically beautiful way and the song “Love It if We Made It” is a great example. The song is able to be very political, emotional and relatable for the listeners with their thought provoking lines such as:     

“Start with misdemeanors and we’ll make a business out of them,

And we can find out the information,

Access all the applications,

That are hardening positions based on miscommunication.

Oh f*^k your feelings,

Truth is only hearsay,

We’re just left to decay,

Modernity has failed us.”

 

Sophie – “Immaterial”

Writers: Sophie, Cecile Believe, Xeon

The artist Sophie has exemplified tremendous growth in the past years. This is because her lyrics are associated with her identity and do not include her material self. She is also great at combining Existentialism in her lyrics in a manner that is very pop-friendly, such as the following:     

“Without my legs or my hair,

Without my genes or my blood,

With no name and with no type of story,

Where do I live?”

 

Kacey Musgraves – “Golden Hour”

Written by: Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves 2018 album Golden Hour contains a wide and beautiful collection of genuine pop music. With gorgeous songs like “High Horse” and “Mother”, it definitely isn’t an album filled with more filler tracks than songs that the listener actually enjoys. But, the song that was chosen for this list is “Golden Hour”:   

“I used to get sad and lonely when the sun went down,

It’s different now ’cause I love the light that I’ve found,

In you.

Baby don’t you know?

That you’re my golden hour,

The color of my sky,

You’ve set my world on fire,

And I know, I know everything’s gonna be alright.”

These lyrics are romantic, beautiful and evocative. When the listener takes note of the lyrics it may bring them back to a very clear memory in their mind.    

 

Ariana Grande – “Thank U, Next”

Writers: Ariana Grande, Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza Vitia, Kimberly Kryiuk, Tommy Brown, Michael Foster, Charles Anderson

This song may shock some of our readers but don’t get us wrong — we love Ariana Grande, she is a queen who slays at everything she puts her mind to, but we wouldn’t say this is a very poetic song. The reason she is on the list is because she is able to convey her emotions and personal message with only three word and this is summarized in a very memorable, singable and just won't get out of your head lyric:     :

“One taught me love,

one taught me patience,

one taught me pain,

now I’m so amazing.”

Yup, alright. Thank U. Next!

 

Chelsea Cutler – “Out Of Focus”

Writer: Chelsea Cutler

Chelsea Cutler's song “Out of Focus” has lyrics filled with statements we don’t say allowed but do say in our head from time to time, but there comes a point where enough is enough and we just have to blurt it out and live with the consequences. The lyrics sound like they were straight out of someones journal giving them a raw feel and that is why they are on our list:    

“I hate the way you smoke cigarettes when you’re drunk,

But you always remember to call me,

And I hate the way you say that you’re right when you’re wrong,

But you always come back home to love me.”

 

Julia Michaels – “Heaven”

Writers: Julia Michaels, Uzoechi Emenike, Tayla Parx, Morten Ristorp Jensen, Brian Garcia

This song by Julia Michaels was first released on the 50 Shades of Gray: Freed soundtrack. The song is able to capture the drama, fear and overflowing emotions in the film, which is how a good song in a movie should be.     

“No need to imagine,

‘Cause I know it’s true,

They say ‘all good boys go to heaven,’

But bad boys bring heaven to you.”

Can we get an amen to that?

 

Sam Smith – “Too Good At Goodbyes”

Writers: James Napier, Tor Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, Sam Smith

Yes we know, this is a song that everyones heard a billion times. But rightfully so, the soulfulness in the song is immaculate. Sam Smith's voice alone is enough for a song to be poetry. But what he does differently in this song is he speaks on his own flaws, which is a breath of fresh air but also very surprising. Because it is so raw and honest it digs deep into our soles and is better than most love songs that we have heard.      

“But every time you hurt me, the less that I cry,

And every time you leave me, the quicker these tears dry,

And every time you walk out, the less I love you,

Baby, we don’t stand a chance, it’s sad but it’s true,

I’m way too good at goodbyes.”

 

Selena Gomez & Marshmello – “Wolves”

Writers: Selena Gomez, Marshmello, Andrew Watt, Alli Tamposi, Brian Lee, Louis Bell, Carl Ronsen

Selena Gomez and Marshmellow proved to be a good duo and completely destroyed it on the production and instrumentals side of this track. The track continues to shift from romantic and slow to ecstatic and uplifting, the lyrics do a great job aiding the transition. The song is about doing whatever is asked for your partner especially in times of darkness.       

“I’ve looked for love in every stranger,

Took too much to ease the anger,

All for you, yeah, all for you,

I’ve been running through the jungle,

I’ve been crying with the wolves,

To get to you, to get to you (oh, to get to you).”

 

Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “All the Stars”

Writers: Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Spears, Al Shuckburgh, Soiána Rowe, Anthony Tiffith

The song “All the Stars” was featured in the smash hit movie Black Panther, and it is safe to say it was one of the most raved-about songs of 2018. The track does a great job of combining themes like identity, ancestry, hope, power and resilience  — all of these themes are heavily relevant in the movie thus creating a wonderful bridge between music and the world of Wakanda.    

“Love, let’s talk about love

Is it anything and everything you hoped for?

Or do the feeling haunt you?

I know the feeling haunt you.”

 

Logic ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid – “1-800-273-8255”

Writers: Bobby Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Alessia Caracciolo, Khalid Robinson, Drew Taggart

Although this song came out in 2017, it took to storm in the beginning of 2018. The message is extremely meaningful and much needed. The music video does a great job showing some light in the darkest of moments, and the most confusing moments in life  — moments where our faith and foundations of who we are, are questioned. But what is really important is the song uses the real suicide prevention hotline in the title name, so if you are feeling at your lowest and contemplating sucide please call  “1-800-273-8255.”    

“All this other sh^# I’m talkin’ ’bout they think they know it,

I’ve been praying for somebody to save me, no one’s heroic,

And my life don’t even matter,

I know it, I know it, I know I’m hurting deep down but can’t show it.”

 

Childish Gambino - “This is America”

Writers: Donald Glover, Ludwig Göransson, and Jeffery Lamar Williams 

This may come as a shock for many people as rap music is not seen as being very poetic. But that being said, this song about the anger and anxiety that comes along with the police in America was one that hit home for many people, especially those who have been marginalized by the police since the beginning. Nevertheless whats poetry if not words that make one feel. 

“This is America (skrrt, skrrt, woo)

Don't catch you slippin' now (ayy)

Look at how I'm livin' now

Police be trippin' now (woo)

Yeah, this is America (woo, ayy)

Guns in my area (word, my area)”

 

Conclusion

These are some of our favourite poetic lyrics of 2018 in pop here at Jony Studios.

Because of all the great music that was released in 2018, we definitely forgot a few lyrics, if you think there's one we missed please let us know in the comment section below. Here’s to many years of musical poetry.

If you need further help creating your own music, we offer audio production services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

Contact us here to get started.