QUESTION:
How many times can you submit demo tapes to a single publisher?
If they do not accept songs you have submitted the first
time, can you send them a demo with different songs? Will
they remember that they did not like your earlier materials?
(O.K. - I know there are multiple questions here, but
they are on the same topic.) Thanks for considering my
question.
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
Sure, my pleasure. Your question implies that you send
songs off to publishers without calling them on the phone,
or meeting with them personally. Which I do not suggest.
It's better to call them, and to see if they are accepting
material at the time (and if they are not, DON'T cross
them off your list. Call them back in exactly ONE month
and ask again. Some of this has to do with timing , and
sometimes a publisher might just put you off at first)
. If you have already submitted material to this publisher
and got rejected, that is certainly not a reason to not
return to them. Publishers turn down much more than they
accept, and many are quite open to listening to whatever
you have -- if you are professional, etc. -- in hope of
hearing a potential hit.
Many publishers already have staff writers and simply
don't have much if any need for outside writers, so don't
waste your time just sending tapes anywhere. You must
be selective, and the best way to do this is to call them
first. If you can meet them in person, as unpleasant as
that might seem to be, it is always best. It's so much
easier to turn down someone over the phone as opposed
to when you are sitting there. Of course, they will reject
you to your face -- this is a business, after all, and
many publishers will not listen to whole songs -- they
want to hear the chorus -- the "hook" -- and if they hear
a hit, they will be interested. So don't allow your feelings
to be hurt -- it's a cold and ruthless world -- they aren't
looking for artistic merit, they are looking for a hit,
which often means something that sounds like something
currently on the charts. Some of the best hit songwriters
are the best imitators, the ones that know what is hot,
what will be hot, and write for a specific niche or market.
Whether any quality songs are created this way is another
issue -- but one must understand the game if interested
in playing it. Getting publishers interested in your songs
takes a lot of work -- a lot of drive and passion.
It doesn't necessarily have that much to do with songwriting
-- it has to do with marketing your work, which is not
easy. Good luck.
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32
Songwriting in school
QUESTION:
>I
read that you did an independent study project in college
because there were no songwriting courses. I am currently
in college and hold an Associate's degree in music business,
but cannot decide what to major in. I enjoy creative writing
but would like to write lyrics eventually, not poems.
Any suggestions?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
I would suggest that you major in English and read EVERYTHING
you can get your hands on. I know you don't want to be
a poet, but reading poetry from all times is wonderful
for any songwriter. So many great songwriters and lyricists
have been influenced by the great poets: Dylan often writes
in the same time meters as did Lord Byron, and refers
to everything from Shakespeare and Rimbaud and the Bible
in his work. And reading great novels is also very useful
for songwriters, as far as thinking in terms of a narrative,
and the use of metaphor and symbology and imagery.
If you wanted to write music and words, I would suggest
you study music as well as words. But since you want to
be a lyricist, I would take the great advantage of college
to absorb as much great writing as you possibly can. There's
no way you won't be tremendously enriched by it.
At the same time, if there are courses in music appreciation
-- and art appreciation and art history -- all of this
is very useful for a songwriter. All knowledge helps,
of course, but especially that which deals with artistic
process, and knowing how people such as Michaelangelo
or Jackson Pollack created their work is extremely instructive
for a songwriter. And on your own, apart from school,
you can certainly absorb all the songs you can -- from
records -- songs from all times and in every genre --
and pay close attention to the ways in which words are
used in your favorite songs. Pay attention to the use
of symbols and images and rhyme and rhythm. In this way
you can educate yourself a great deal about songwriting,
because it is all available to you. And at the same time,
you can take advantage of this great time in your life
-- being in college -- to read everything you possibly
can read. Later in life it won't be as easy to do, when
you are involved in whatever work you get involved in,
which hopefully will be songwriting. Good luck.
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33
Should I sign a contract and pay them?
QUESTION:
>I
want to know about standard recording contract. I was
offered a contract by East Coast Record productions to
change one of my poems into a song but they wanted me
to sign a contract and for them to produce it would cost
me $200. Is this good or Not?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
This is absolutely NOT GOOD. They are a classic example
of what is referred to as 'song sharks' in that they prey
on beginning songwriters like yourself, take your money,
put out a schlocky record that is very quickly and poorly
recorded, and which is ONLY purchased by those songwriters
included. It will do you no good whatsoever. This is not
a path for professional and/or songwriters -- only for
hobbyists.
Keep this in mind, folks : ANYTIME AT ALL a company asks
you to PAY them to put out one of your songs, this is
BIG trouble. There are many companies that have done this
for years -- they often change their name so it's hard
to keep track of them -- but during my many years working
at the National Academy of Songwriters we used to answer
calls every day from people who got these kind of deals.
And we'd say, 'WATCH OUT!' Spend your money in constructive
ways -- such as making good demos of your songs, and getting
them to publishers.
Though I know it seems appealing to get your song recorded
and on an album, I promise this is no good. It's not professional,
had no industry status, and will simply be a waste of
your money. Now if songwriting is just a fling for you,
and you don't mind spending 200 bucks for a bad recording
of your song, and you have no professional aspirations
whatsoever, then you might want to do this. But if you
are a serious songwriter, and someone who hopes to be
a pro, tell them to FORGET ABOUT IT!
Companies I know who have done this kind of thing are
RAINBOW RECORDS, COLUMBINE RECORDS, HOLLYWOOD RECORDS.
Now we can add this name EAST COAST RECORD PRODUCTIONS
to this list of companies to steer clear from!
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34
Do I have to submit Pro demos for copyright registration?
QUESTION:
With regards to registering a copyright, do you have to
submit a professional demo or can the words/music be submitted?
What if you can not write out the music? Is the melody
line enough?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
GOOD question. Copyright law has evolved a lot in the
past decades. Time was when you had to have a melody written
out and submitted to the Library of Congress to register
a copyright. This is NO LONGER the case. According to
the present copyright law in America, as soon as a song
is complete and put in a 'fixed form,' the copyright is
automatically assigned to the author or authors of the
song. This means that as soon as you tape your song that
you do own the copyright -- the tape is a fixed form.
You can still write out the melody or have that transcribed
for you, and that transcription is also considered a fixed
form. But it is not necessary -- simply tape the song
and you have attained a copyright. You should put your
name, the year and the copyright symbol at the bottom
of every lyric page you have.
HOWEVER -- and this is a big However -- the copyright
must be REGISTERED with the library of congress. ATTAINING
the copyright and REGISTERING a copyright are two different
things. And the ONLY way to do that is to fill out their
form PA (which you can obtain by calling them --- 202-707-3000
for information, and for forms call 202-707-9100.) But
you must get the right form -- the PA form (which stands
for Performing Arts) and not the SR form (which is for
Sound Recordings -- this is to copyright the record, not
the song). Then fill out the form or forms, send in your
tape and/or lyric sheet with it, and wait for your registration
to come back to you. It could take several months.
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35
How much production is necessary
QUESTION:
First, I would like to thank you for unselfishly devoting
your time. I have written about 40 songs that I am able
to perform in my live singles act - they seem to go over
O.K., however I have no money to record a decent demo
- but do have a lousy home recording done on a 4-track,
mostly just guitar and vocals. Is there anyone out there
that you are aware of who give a serious listen to a couple
and critique or steer me to the next step, or am I wasting
time until I get full production. These are copyrighted
but not published. Thanks again and God bless.
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
Thank you.
There are few people in this business who can listen to
a "lousy" home demo and hear the total potential of a
song. UNLESS the demo is done well -- and with the advent
of ADATs and all, people can certainly create absolutely
WONDERFUL demos at home. But the fidelity of a regular
4-track cassette is not usually going to sound too great
in this respect, unless you have other outboard gear to
spruce it up, and don't bounce tracks too much.
Since you say you perform these songs as a singles act
with voice and guitar, I must inquire: Is this folk? If
these are essentially folk songs, they don't require full
pop production. Folk is meant to be heard in a simple
setting -- you don't need drums, etc. If these are pop
or rock songs, however, and do demand fuller production,
I would suggest that you look around -- there are countless
places where you can go these days -- or send your song
-- to have very good professional demos made that don't
cost a fortune. By that I mean in the neighborhood of
between $100- $500 per song, based on how elaborate the
production. There are many great country producers that
provide this -- which is essentially a "demo service"
-- or if you are a musician yourself, you can do it yourself
in a studio that has good rates. And again, because of
ADATs and the advent of home studio recording, there are
many people with tiny home studios who charge very low
rates and provide a very good sound.
That might seem like a lot of money to spend, but a songwriter
must invest if they are serious. I know I have wasted
time trying to cut corners to save money --only to wind
up with a demo that's not good enough to effectively present
my song. Which is worthless, except in terms of education.
There are other ways of getting demos made -- bartering
with studios, or working for them. I have worked -- long
ago -- as an assistant in a recording studio in exchange
for recording time. And more recently while working on
my most recent album, I did some computer work for the
studio in exchange for time. So we songwriters must be
craft in EVERY way -- not only with words and music --
to ensure that our songs get out into the world in good
shape.
BECAUSE publishers are used to hearing such perfectly
produced demos these days, and because the fidelity of
these is so good due to digital recording, anything less
than this sounds extremely amateur to them. So one must
make good demos to have even a decent chance of getting
your songs cut.
And what makes a good demo is an entirely different conversation
-- but suffice to say here that besides simply making
it sound good and clear --NO HISS-- that you want to emphasize
the chorus at all costs. Make sure that when your chorus
comes people KNOW it's the chorus.
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36
How do I get my favorite artist to hear my song?
QUESTION:
How do I get my favorite artist to hear my song?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
Establish a career as a music journalist over ten years
or so, arrange to set up an interview, and after doing
a good job, pass them your tape. Well, that's my technique
anyway. This is not an easy one to answer -- The conventional
way to go about this is to send the song to the manager
of the singer. Another way is to find out who is producing
the next album by this artist --and the Internet, folks,
is a great font of fast information, much of it accurate
-- and try to get to that person somehow. The best avenue
would be to find out exactly what kind of song they might
be looking for -- or even if they are looking at all.
Now good music publishers are often linked into this information,
and are looking for songs for specific artists because
they have received word from their producer. But this
info goes mostly to established writers, staff writers,
etc.
So those are the two most normal ways to do this. Get
your tape/song to the manager or the producer. Or you
can try -- though it's a long shot but all of this is
really -- to get it to their lawyer, dentist, brother,
etc. Someone who can give it to the artist for you. Or
you can try something more aggressive and outrageous,
like getting naked, or dressing as a giant pickle, and
delivering the song yourself. As this method can often
lead to arrest, I wouldn't suggest it.
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37
I'm a songwriter - not a performer
QUESTION:
I know this may seem like sort of a strange question,
but I just won a local award for songwriting, and I'm
singing it on front of a crowd Friday. I didn't know I'd
have to perform my song and now I have to do it, but I
don't really have much confidence in my voice ability.
I really want to have a go at this but I'm afraid of making
an idiot out of my self? Any ideas?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
You have to decide if you want to be a performer. If you
don't want to do this, then simply don't. If people want
to hear your song performed live, find yourself a good
singer who can sing it well -- I am sure they wouldn't
mind the exposure. If you decide that you do want to perform,
then take voice lessons, and learn how to develop vocal
control. You should also get aerobic exercise to be a
good singer -- running, swimming, etc. -- to build up
your lung power. Sinatra as a young man used to swim underwater
every day -- and it made a difference.
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38
What are Who are publishers
QUESTION:
I keep seeing the word, "publishers" for songwriters,
what exactly and who are they, are they record companies
also? or is their certain hidden song publishers in which
you must submit too?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
Another good question. Though I am a little reluctant
to constantly plug my own books, but obviously only a
very little, I must direct you to my first book, THE BEGINNING
SONGWRITER’S ANSWER BOOK (By Paul Zollo, Writers Digest
Books) which answers 200 of these very questions. On this
issue, I not only define what a music publisher is, but
quote from six different music publishers about their
definition .
The basic answer is this: A music publisher is a person
in the business of finding songs and attempting to get
these songs recorded by artists. The songwriter is the
creator of the song. He has every right to serve as his
own publisher. There is no obligation to have a song published
by an outside publisher, nor does it require any license
to become a music publisher.
The publisher controls the copyright of the song. The
publisher makes decisions as to who the song is pitched
to and how it can be used.
Unlike a book publisher who publishes a product himself,
the music publisher must find some use for the song that
will generate income, and this is primarily getting it
recorded. So the publisher's main purpose is in the placing
of songs. There used to be a big market for sheet music
-- in the age when people sat around pianos to sing the
songs of the day. As this is no longer the case, the publisher
is mainly concerned with getting songs recorded. He is
also responsible often for the administration of the song
- making sure royalties are collected, and controlling
any other uses of the song. A record company is not a
music publisher. However, a record company might have
their own publishing department, such as at Disney, where
they both record music and put out albums, as well as
serve as music publishers. But this is NOT to say that
you should send songs to record companies if you are a
songwriter trying to get cuts. Record companies are looking
for recording artists, while publishers look for songs.
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39
Is there a market for Xmas songs?
QUESTION:
IS THERE A MARKET FOR ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS SONGS, OR ARE
WE DOOMED TO HEAR THE SAME STUFF OVER AND OVER AGAIN?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
There is a market for Christmas songs and all kinds of
specific holiday songs. Many publishers look specifically
for holiday songs, such as Justin Wilde Music in Los Angeles
( at least he used to.) Check out the Songwriters Market
1998 book by Writers Digest -- look at their music publisher
listings and call and simply ask if they want Christmas
music. I know there are some looking only for that. Good
luck.
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40
Protecting a band name
QUESTION:
How do you go about protecting a band name? I really like
the name of my band and do not want to have to change
it if and when we get signed. Nowhere locally (Phoenix,
AZ) or via the web have I been able to find out information
on the naming of Bands. I have gone to the Secretary of
State and had the Trade name registered but is that enough?
Your response is very much appreciated.
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
That is the right thing to do. A band name, unlike a song
title -- IS considered a business trademark if this is
a professional band that generates income under that name.
So you do require trademark protection on a band name
that you cannot get for a song title. (Nor can you copyright
a title, though you can get a copyright for the song.)
To get that, a name search is done and if someone already
has your name, you will be informed. If you have already
registered this trademark, you are set. Nice going.
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