In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that the Internet must be accessible to all, something since dubbed “Net Neutrality.” It is the principle that Internet Service Providers (ISPs), like Comcast and Verizon, should not filter or block what gets shown on the Internet, and implicitly that they should not be able to charge users to have their information, websites, or products online. These rulings paved the way to keep internet going the way of cable television where only the major players with the biggest wallets can get quality air time.
This January, those rules were overturned in a court ruling , and there’s a big fight currently underway from lobbyists to keep it that way and from over 780,000 people who have petitioned the FCC to keep the internet a level playing field. The FCC is receiving feedback from the public in regards to this issue, and has fortunately extended the deadline to this Friday at midnight.
There are some major consequences for the music industry for Net Neutrality, and reasons you should care about this issue:
1. You might get paid less from music services
Music subscription services already don’t pay much to stream musicians’ music. With net neutrality going to the wayside, these services would likely have to pay ISPs to keep their presence online. It’s not beyond reason to assume that those extra costs would be taken out of artists’ profits at least in part.
2. Your online music could lose sound quality
Streaming radio and video services require more bandwidth to deliver their content. It’s possible that rather than paying a surcharge to continue streaming at the same quality, such services might opt to stream at lower quality to save money. The larger the bandwidth, the better quality music and video are available. By charging more for bandwidth, it places economic limitations on streaming quality.
3. You could lose your online presence, unless you’ve got a big label
Like cable television, only the biggest companies can afford access to viewers. If the Verizon, AT&T and Comcast lobbyists win , it’s could happen that only the biggest labels will be able to pay to promote their artists. Indie artists might not be able to compete. The implications of such are obvious: if you can’t afford to get a presence on the Internet, you lose your audience.
Go to the FCC website here to post your concerns for Proceeding Number 14-28, “Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet " and fill out the form to submit your concerns. You’ve got until Friday at midnight and spread the word.
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 7 unique value-points included in your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets of mixing and matches the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video in-depth modern mastering course that dives into every nuance of making professional-sounding masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from budding mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout each course.
- Each SAU course includes Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website and social channels.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
- Unlimited private access to us for advanced mixing feedback, where we provide detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve your skills and create professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is invaluable, and the Sage Audio membership gives you continual direct access to us for real-world feedback so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
4. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
5. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
7. 800+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into categories so you can easily take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your skills at your own pace.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
