On the 26th of July I released my track "Take It Back." It hit several big Spotify Editorial Playlists and racked up 100,000 streams in the first two weeks.

Some of my readers who keep up with Robin Thicke will remember that he was sued by the heirs of Marvin Gaye. After all the controversy about “Blurred Lines” similarity to Marvin Gaye's “Got to Give It Up,” the jury in the copyright case between Mr. Gaye's heirs and defendants Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams ruled in the heirs' favor, to the tune of $7,300,000. Indeed, the defendants had to give it up!

In this age of expression we are constantly introduced to new art forms, and there has never been a better time to be a creative. Coupled with the increasing influx of social media usage and its imprint on business and marketing, we are seeing more and more artists get access to the opportunities they need to succeed. In the cutthroat industry of entertainment, getting quality work seen by the masses can be a formidable challenge, a challenge that Vibe Certified has begun to take on.

In a time when the meaning and practices of cherished American rights and freedoms are before us in the news every day, there is a right and freedom in Article 1 of the Constitution that has been consistently overlooked. Since 1790, every person living in the United States of America has had the right and freedom to create property for themselves that he or she can own, control, and make a living from. That property is called intellectual property. If you are a musician, the key intellectual property for you to know about is copyright.

Most of you haven’t a clue who I am or what I’ve been involved in, and I’m ok with that; as DOKTA is the nickname given to me back in 1995 by a very close friend (an amazing musician himself), Graham Sillbigger. So let’s get down to why I’m here writing.

In 2013 Marvin Gaye's family claimed “Blurred Lines” copied “Got to Give It Up,” One of Marvin Gaye’s hit songs in 1977. Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were both sued for pre-emptive copyright protection on Marvin Gaye's song. Unfortunately, both Thicke and Pharrell lost the case, and were made to pay five million pounds each by the court. Now I will have to say this, I remember the lawsuit very well. I listened to both songs over a hundred times, and I do not hear the same song, I hear two separate songs. Both songs are in the same genre, but that doesn't mean that it was copied.

It all began with an accident.

Twenty years ago before Facebook and Twitter drew us all closer together (or further apart), David Bowie sat down with Jeremy Paxman of the the BBC to discuss the future we know now. He recounted Rock ‘n’ Roll, rebellion and how the internet would not only change music, but clue us in on a world that was far more stratified than we had believed.

The 1980s saw an explosion happen in America, raining down on Sunset Strip in a cloud of makeup, spandex, hair spray and loud rock n' roll.

This is a topic that A LOT of musicians talk about. I have been involved in both crowds: Academically trained musicians AND musicians who have just put the time in and do it themselves. Both have their ups and downs, and I am here to settle the score for you.

Recently, Tencent Music, NetEase, Baidu, and Alibaba, the online music "TNBA" market structure, decisively dropped the "NBA" in October. On the 2nd, the company officially submitted a prospectus in the United States, the stock code "TME", and will be officially listed on October 18. According to outside estimates, its valuation will reach about 30 billion US dollars; Tencent Music will also become an online music field, the first listed company.

I can’t give Justin Bieber all the credit for me being hired as a MuchMusic VJ. But when you are dressed in all black, backcombed hair and piercings, facing a table full of pop music TV professionals, it helps to have “Bieber Fever” tattooed on your leg.