Making it with The Unsatisfied
- lysabella
- Mar 1
- 10 min read
Updated: Mar 3
The Unsatisfied often gets asked what making it meant to them and how they did it. This question always spurs great feedback from the band, in particular, from Eric, who never feels like he's made it big enough. If you ask him, he will say, "I can show you how not to do it," and he legit has stories like these to tell. But ultimately, The Unsatisfied has made its mark in ways most only dream of, and through that mixed path of hi's and lo's, they can tell quite a tale. This band has been offered the world a few times, but rejected many of those offers because the caveat meant sacrificing something they weren't willing to negotiate away, or required changes they weren't willing to make. Instead, they did it their way. Eric might say, "the hard way," and it wasn't always easy, but after forty years of rocking and ruling, they learned things, a lot of things, doing it their way. So, I thought it might be interesting to share a few of the band's insights on how they have navigated the music business -the useful info, the missteps, the perfect decisions, and the current strategies -music management in general. But I'm going to divide it into bits and scatter it across many Blogs instead of force-feeding it all at once. Otherwise, it'll be like reading an owner's manual! If you're in a band and looking for tips, or just curious about the technical history of The Unsatisfied, you may get something useful from what we share in these segments. You can let me know if you're enjoying this type of thing, or not, and we'll go from there. And since this type of material can read a bit dry, I'll try to sprinkle in some historical Unsatisfied anecdotals to moisten it. We're also going to dig into some what's news and what's novelty in this one. So, read it through, folks, it's not a long one, and there's a lot of goodies to unpack!
How We Did It - Suggestion One - CR, TM, & PROs
We'll start with something obvious -how to protect your music. This is your intellectual property, your art, your creation, and ensuring you copyright it properly is crucial. Once you start composing music and even more so after you record it, you should begin thinking about copyrighting it. There are many ways to do this legally, some with the assistance of an IP Attorney, and some less expensive options you can do on your own. The first thing to know is that once a song is recorded in its final form, it is automatically copyrighted to you. It is your intellectual property. You, and sometimes the band you recorded with (there are a few distinctions), own the rights to it.
The Unsatisfied used to complete copyright by mailing a copy of completed albums, demos, or songs to themselves. At this time, they were touring in a hearse, often loading a drunken Eric into the back with the equipment, and selling copies of their cassette tapes out of a vintage suitcase. This was the protection they could afford. It is called the poor man's copyright, and only loosely protects your works. The U.S. Copyright Office advises against it. While it might serve as evidence of the date of existence, authorship is easily challenged in court. Also, without formal registration, you cannot sue for statutory damages or attorney's fees in a copyright infringement lawsuit. The Unsatisfied learned this early on, luckily without incident, and started simply citing their copyright on physical media upon publication -this is a legal and valid form of protection. Always label your physical media with the proper symbol and date format (example: All works 1986 - In Perpetuity ©℗ The Unsatisfied™) to proclaim your copyright credit in commerce and, for best measure, file properly with the U.S. Copyright Office.
One of the best ways to secure your rights as a composer is to consider registration of your tunes with BMI or ASCAP. These two megoliths of the music world not only protect your works and create a public library of all your music, but also track and ensure you get paid proper royalties for any radio play or licensing you successfully achieve. They are called PROs (Performance Rights Organizations), and their job is to track the music ownership, performance rights, and licensing essential for collecting royalties. ASCAP and BMI operate inclusively and globally. They are the primary sources for this service, and, more importantly, they are the most universally recognized of these organizations; accepted by all major labels and entertainment sources. The Unsatisfied's entire catalogue has been registered with BMI for decades.
The band also recently uploaded their music on DISCO as part of their agreement with AMG/Universal. Platforms like DISCO are widely used for demos and managing music catalogs in professional sync licensing. The registry enables music supervisors to review song lyrics, tone, voice, mood, and other distinguishing artifacts for placement in movie, TV, and video gaming projects. Studios solicit the licensing agency when they need a song for a specific scene, and by reviewing the metadata provided in DISCO, agents can discover and license your music to sync to that particular soundtrack. An entertainment lawyer can effectively handle the registration of your music for you, but these agencies are geared toward supporting independent artists, and their platforms are user-friendly. Registering your music is 100% something you can do yourself. As Admin, I have been regularly tasked with doing this for The Unsatisfied for some time, and I can vouch for the user-friendly format of BMI and DISCO's registries. Your music career is a business -it is your privilege and your right to understand how every cog works. You need to be involved in every aspect of it. So, go ahead, get your hands dirty!
The Unsatisfied's name is personal for Eric. It represents the band's origins and Eric's life, theology, and perseverance; more than that, it is a testimony of his life's work, his legacy. It's hard to trademark a lifestyle, but it can be encapsulated in a title. Eric has bled all over the dirty south. He has invested his soul along with his blood, sweat, and tears in The Unsatisfied. Having that officially cemented in history through a trademark ensures it will be branded in music culture forever. Trademarking your band name or logos is a personal choice, not a necessary legal decision. It's one Eric is glad he chose to make. There have been a couple of times we discovered other bands attempting to use this name; they weren't aware they were infringing till we put them on notice, and we promptly sent them "cease & desist" letters. But without the Trademark in place, it could have been much harder to enforce and might have required legal action to stop.
Use of copyright in public commerce helps your brand immensely, but owning the Trademark is a game-changer for legal matters. Once you establish your band, begin recording and playing shows, the name becomes synonymous with your work. That's when trademarking your name is something you should seriously consider. It is expensive, and it must be carefully maintained, including regular renewals and potentially leaving it in trust in your will. There are differing levels, such as using specific or nonspecific fonts or logos, or deciding to copyright taglines, catchphrases, or titles, but it is money well spent. The USPTO has information for all forms of marks. This platform is not as easy to navigate as the PROs, and for the initial TM, hiring an attorney to file on your behalf is also well worth the money. There is legalese and critical questions within the forms that often require an attorney's trained eye, but it is not an impossible task if you want to save on the legal fees and attempt to tackle it yourself; just be very astute as you work through it.
Unsatisfied drummer Matt Reynolds opened his tattoo parlor (Royal Cobra Tattoo) for the band to put on a free show for their closest Tribe members this past Saturday, February 28th. The show was a reward for all the most hardcore Tribe and P.O. Punks who never miss a show, own all the merch, and show their support without fail. The room was filled with Unsatisfied T-shirts and smiles - it was tremendous fun! Watch for a live video release on YouTube soon.
That show was a Beta test for more shows with a similar format. This one was invite-only and kept private, but future shows may include a few opening bands and be open to all. The Unsatisfied are hoping these pop-up specialty shows will trend. The Unsatisfied crowd is multi-generational. It has not escaped the band's attention that younger Tribe members, typically the 16-21 age group, often cannot gain access to many clubs that host hard rock, heavy metal, and punk rock music due to alcohol-related 21+ age restrictions. As part of a movement to make their shows and punk rock culture more readily accessible to younger punk rock fans, The Unsatisfied will schedule more all-ages shows on their tour roster and host underground shows at private locations whenever possible. One show, slotted for June 27th at Yellow Racket Records with rap 'n rockers IHH, will be an all-ages show. We hope all our new Tribe members will be there!
Now, let's look at some interesting new tidbits happening this year! The Unsatisfied is celebrating its fortieth year in Rock 'N Roll! That is quite a milestone for anything, let alone a punk rock band. The fortitude and perseverance of The Unsatisfied are a large part of their notoriety. If you know anything about them, it's their seemingly immortal presence and warrior sensibilities that translate directly to the stage. There will be many shows this year to celebrate this important moment in their history. The band has already confirmed on a couple of cons and festivals, and the club shows will be shared with many of the bands they share a history with. They will also be sharing a stage with bands they are creating new history with, carefully curated from connections they have made locally and through their travels. Watch the touring schedule as it grows by checking the TOUR tab at theunsatisfied.com. In addition to the tour schedule, the band will finally be releasing their Podcast, which we have mentioned a bit about over the past three months, as well as new live footage and videos on their YouTube channel. Please be sure to check in there regularly and help them leave their mark on Rock 'N Roll by subscribing, liking, commenting, and sharing their exclusive content.
The main takeaway is this: there are many ways to achieve success and protect your interests moving forward. Due to new technology and ever-evolving music platforms, we must constantly unlearn what we have learned. There are always better, newer, faster ways to get there -but remember, the older, simpler ways still work and are in many ways better. Just because it's newer doesn't make it the best. It's all BETA testing until you find what works for you, but maybe sharing what we have learned will save you some steps. Best advice: research thoroughly, always make informed decisions, and when you have the opportunity, learn as much as you can from experienced musicians and industry professionals who are willing to share.
Invest in yourself, believe in your music. Do it for you, just for you, the rest will follow.
There's so much to unpack about music management. I have a long list of useful topics on surviving as an independent recording artist: touring, booking, LLCs, banking, taxes, and more. If you'd like to hear more about these topics, let me know what you think of this content, or if it's just too damn boring and you want to know something else, write to me: theunsatisfied2020@gmail.com or comment on this Blog. If you're nearby where The Unsatisfied are playing, stop by and talk to them. I posted a few opportunities below. They are always happy to meet with their Tribe!
Luv 'N Blood, ghouls and drools, see you soon!
Confirmed Dates:
Private Party - Watch for Live Video release on YouTube!
The Unsatisfied with Tennessee Blues Mob @ Hop Springs - Murfreesboro, TN Sat Mar 7th - Hard 'N Heavy Mix!
The Unsatisfied with TN Blues Mob & The Elcaminos @ Cherry St Tavern - Chattanooga, TN Fri Mar 27th - Classic Punk and Hard Rock Show!
The Unsatisfied - @ntiFEST Fallout Fan Celebration - Sutton/Flatwoods, West VA Sat May 2nd - Multi-Band Festival & Fan Con!
The Unsatisfied with IHH @ Yellow Racket Records - Chattanooga, TN Sat June 27th - Rap & Punk Show!
Links:
The Unsatisfied on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheUnsatisfied
@ntiFEST - https://falloutfancelebration.com/
Tennessee Blues Mob - https://tennesseebluesmob.com/
The Elcaminos - https://www.reverbnation.com/theelcaminos
COMING SOON...
Blogs on just about everything! Help us write what you want to know. Lots of new YouTube content.
We want your feedback on this and all things The Unsatisfied. Please send us suggestions, comment on this Blog, leave a review on your favorite Unsatisfied album, or email us at theunsatisfied2020@gmail.com with whatever is on your mind.
This is for you, Tribe; we always value, want, and will consider your input. Please send us your stories so we can add them to our archives - we want those too! For samples and information on how to do this, visit our EPHEMERA page under the "One Of Us" banner at the bottom.
THE UNSATISFIED THANK YOU, from the bottoms of our black hearts, for believing in us!
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