zirconst

At our MAGfest panel we announced that it IS coming this year. For sure. Pinky swear :)

How cool is that zircon guy?

Question for Public Knowledge: How does using fan art vs. official art weigh in the determination of Fair Use? For example, if I release a satirical version of a song and make a caricature of Donald Duck vs. using official Donald Duck art?

We know fans love physical albums, but it's rare that we can actually SELL them, since once money starts changing hands it would require us to obtain licensing for the music. The majority of our physicals are distributed as promos, prizes at conventions, or included as a bonus with other purchases. MM25 (For Everlasting Peace) was an exception because we worked directly with Capcom and had their blessing on the licensing end.

With all that being said, keep an eye out on OverClocked Records - we're planning to release more exclusive licensed arrange albums this year!

Former judge here... :-)

Objectivity is certainly the goal. Any judge can tell you about submissions they passed, but didn't actually like. You can respect and appreciate a good arrangement with good production values without being a fan of the genre or some of the subjective musical choices.

Of course, there are often disagreements and splits. I remember some very heated discussions over polarizing submissions. One person might think a choice is brilliant and creative, the other might think it's awful, etc.