41
Battle of the publishers
QUESTION:
I wrote the words to a piece and someone else wrote the
music. The one responsible for the music was working on
becoming an artist. I signed a publishing contract on
the piece with the composers name also added to allow
him a cut on the song as he deserved. This person was
picked up by a manager and asked to record the piece in
Nashville as a demo for himself, which he did without
my knowledge or my publishers. He will not sign a publishing
contract on this piece with my publisher. Is my publisher
still allowed to pitch this piece? If he were to make
it as an artist it would be to our benefit to have him
use the piece, but he refused to let me or my publisher
know who his manager is and I am somewhat confused about
how to handle the situation.
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
You say that you signed a publishing contract with the
composer's name -- but WITHOUT the composer's consent?
I can't imagine a publisher who would go for that, unless
you assured them that the composer did give his consent,
which is fraud, of course, if you did that. If the composer
(which I will refer to now as 'he' with no sexist intent)
DID give his consent, then you have no problem.
But then you say that he recorded the song without your
consent. There's nothing wrong with that -- to simply
make a demo of the song, and is in your best interest
if that leads to a recording. Of course we hope that collaborators
will work together and get each other's consent. But your
act of signing his name without his consent is more serious
than his act of recording the demo --. Most songwriters
would be happy if their collaborator would record the
song and pay for it. (If they do it well.)
If you never got your composer's consent to sign the publishing
contract, you should inform the publisher of this. In
which case you rip up the contract, or you try your best
to convince the composer to actually sign. But if he feels
that your music publisher is no good, and he can have
better success with the song via some other avenue, he
might not want to sign --and he is rightfully upset with
you for forging his name. The only answer here is for
you and him to come to some understanding about this.
It's not unlike two parents of one child -- you must think
of what is in the song's best interest. Whether or not
the writer-parents get along doesn't really matter if
the song is a hit. You will both be happy. And if your
composer is getting a good manager and recording deal,
you would be well off to have him record the song. So
don't alienate him -- TRY your damnedest to work with
him.
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42
Drawing the line on the cost of demo's
QUESTION:
Where does a songwriter draw the line regarding the cost
of demo production designed for submission to music publishers?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
I'd say you don't want to spend ANY more than $500 on
a demo -- especially if you are just starting out, and
can do many demos for MUCH less than that -- as mentioned
before there are a million tiny ADAT studios now with
great rates. Shop around. You can get good quality for
a good price. But definitely don't spend any more than
that.
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43
I have the copyright certificate but not the song.
QUESTION:
How can I retrieve a song my father had copyright since
12-13-65. I have the copyright certificate in hand. He
passed away in 87. I would like to record the song.
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
Call the Library of Congress and tell them you want to
retrieve the song -- 202-707-3000 --this is the main info
line, they might direct you elsewhere. Good luck.
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44
Do I just sing the words on tape?
QUESTION:
My question is more of a clarification question. When
you answered the first questions "notes on paper", I am
in the same boat as that writer is in. I have a few songs
that I have written the lyrics and have the melody created
for them, but I cannot write the notes on paper. Are you
suggesting that I record the songs without the music (that
is just me singing them) and try to get them heard that
way?? Do I have any sort of a chance doing it that way?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
No, That is not what I was suggesting. What I am suggesting
has to do, first of all, with how you create this song.
A songwriter does not need to know how to write down music
-- notes on paper -- to write songs. (But it doesn't hurt!)
It is entirely valid to conceive of a melody, for example,
by singing it at the piano or guitar or even without any
instrument, Just because you can't notate the music doesn't
mean you didn't create a melody. But the next step is
what to do with it? And in NO way did I mean to imply
that you professionally show off a song in which you sing
it a capella -- meaning with no instruments, just voice.
Absolutely DON'T do this -- a publisher would have no
interest at all in someone who brought in a demo with
no instruments on it. HOWEVER this is a valid way simply
to capture and preserve the melody for yourself -- sing
it into a tape recorder so that you can remember it. And
then bring the tape to someone who plays music -- a collaborator.
And someone who knows how to put together music knows
how to find the right chords to go with your melody. OR
this person might have suggestions about how to change
the melody, while also adding the accompaniment. Once
you get that far -- get your song to the state where there
is a finished melody with a finished lyric and someone
has figured out the music, then you need to make a demo
of it. But of course, WITH instruments.
Another way to go is to record your song a capella --
just you singing it into a tape recorder, and send it
like that to a demo service -- and those guys can certainly
figure out chords and music to go with your melody. (Unless
the melody is just totally out to lunch, or atonal, or
something really weird, but as long as it is a conventional
melody, it will be no problem.) And for a price, they
can construct your demo for you. Then, and only then --
when you have a professionally made demo, should you consider
marketing the song in any way.
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45
Which genre for which song?
QUESTION:
I get stuck knowing what style/genre to demo my songs
in. Writing for a particular artist who may not be in
the genre that I like seems to cut across your advice
to avoid approaching the work as a hack. Yet A&R people
(in Britain at least) seem to be turned off if they're
not grabbed by the arrangement in the first ten seconds.
Should I spend money making three or more versions (country
/dance /rock) before sending it to publishers / management
companies?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
I would spend money making the best demo you can of the
song in the genre that is most appropriate for it. If
it's not really a country song, for example, I wouldn't
try to make it into one simply via production. More effective
would be to write an actual country song -- one with music
and lyrics that are country in orientation -- than to
transform a pop song into a country song. If, however,
your pop song does have that crossover potential -- that
it could work very well as a country song, then this is
something I would mention in a cover letter to the publisher
as I send the original recording.
American publishers often will reject songs if they are
not also grabbed initially by the arrangement . Which
doesn't seem fair, I know. After all, this is meant to
be judgment of a song, not of a song's production. Yet
in this day and age the writing and production of a song
so often go hand in hand that good production --as you
seem to know -- can make all the difference in getting
a demo picked up. But the lesson here is not to make each
song in every genre -- but to write songs in many styles
-- if possible -- and produce them as well as you possibly
can.
I wouldn't attempt, if I were you , to write a song for
an artist who is outside of a genre that you feel comfortable
writing within. Better advice for you would be to write
songs that move you, and THEN try to see which artists
the song might be best to direct it to. But not the other
way around. Write first, then demo it according to the
needs of the song, then market it.
I would also advise you, however, not to work on country
music -- or some other genre -- if that genre is not one
that you genuinely enjoy and/or feel. You MUST write what
moves you. If you do attempt to write something because
you feel it is commercial -- even though you don't like
it yourself -- then this I would consider hack writing.
But time has shown us that the best songs are written
by writers are invested in their material, who believe
it, who are moved by it, etc.
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46
What is your opinion of Songwriting competitions?
QUESTION:
What is your opinion of Songwriting competitions?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
I have a VERY low opinion of all songwriting contests
and competitions. No matter which one of these you might
refer to, in my opinion all of them are in the business
of exploiting songwriters --ESPECIALLY BEGINNING SONGWRITERS--
and offer nothing of value in return. 99% of songwriters
who enter these contests never win anything, yet they
pay dearly for this opportunity to lose, usually about
$30 a song.
Believe me folks, the music business itself affords so
many opportunities for songwriters to get rejected and
made to feel like losers that you certainly don't need
to PAY for this privilege.
Even songwriters who win these contests don't get much
out of it -- occasionally a cash prize or some recording
gear is awarded, but these writers earn no professional
credibility by winning these contests. In fact, quite
the opposite -- I think music industry pros might interpret
that anyone boasting of winning a contest is a beginner,
or, even worse, a hobbyist. An amateur. Not someone to
take seriously. Because the serious songwriters aren't
spending their time entering contests, they are involved
in the BIG CONTEST itself, the contest of being a professional
songwriter -- of trying to get your songs cut. Much more
impressive to a publisher than a song contest award would
be a track record of songwriting success -- a list of
the cuts you've gotten, and how well those songs have
done. Most impressive of all, of course, is a good song.
"A good song is always a good song," as one publisher
told me just the other day.
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47
How do I sell my catalog to a publishing company?
QUESTION:
I have written over 300 songs, how do I sell my catalog
to a publishing company? Also I have been faxing songs
to record companies, hoping some one will see my songs
and pass them on to one of their recording artist is this
a good idea,all my songs are copyrighted
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
First of all, you cannot sell your catalog if you have
yet to sell any single songs. What you need to do is to
establish a track record. Get one song cut -- then another
. If you prove that all your songs are great and all of
them can become hits or get recorded, then your catalog
will actually have some value. But only the recorded songs,
not the unrecorded ones. But when you read about people
selling their catalog, you are reading about established
songwriters selling catalogs of songs that already are
making money, so that the catalog has real value, and
will continue to generate income into the future.
You say you are faxing songs to record companies -- more
likely you are faxing lyrics, as faxing music hasn't yet
been developed. A song is lyrics AND music. No record
company is going to be interested in your faxed lyrics
and it will get you nowhere, except established as a nuisance.
Record companies don't want lyrics, -- they don't even
want songs. They are looking for artists -- and if those
artists need songs, their producers and/or managers look
for the songs, not whichever secretary or gopher might
be near the fax machine when your lyric comes in. Try
recording your songs.
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48
I want to be a singer. I know a songwriter...What do I
do?
QUESTION:
I am working on becoming a country music singer, and I
recently got in touch with a songwriter who is going to
send me some demos to sing. I made an appt at the recording
studio, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do after
I finish recording the song? Do I start calling publishers
to ask them if I can submit the material, or do I send
the finished recording straight back to the songwriter
and wait for him to send it in?
And also, is this a good idea to get my foot in the door?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
The songwriter should pay for the demo and produce the
session. As the singer, you should agree to sing the demo
of one song or more -- in exchange for a free copy of
the demo. But only do this if you think there are good
songs and really show off your voice well. As a singer
and performer you should only record that which shows
you off in the best possible way -- recording original
songs won't help if they are not great for you as a singer.
It would be better to do a famous song that you can sing
very well.
If it's not a great song that you won't people to hear
you sing, then you shouldn't use the tape. But it's still
a good idea to do it for the recording studio experience,
which is extremely important for a singer. The more time
you can get in a studio, experimenting with mikes and
how your voices records, the better.
If you do sing the demo, it is totally up to the songwriter
and not the singer to shop the song to people. You will
not benefit in the least if the song gets published, the
songwriter will. You will benefit from getting a record
contract. So a singer submitting a songwriter's songs
for a songwriter is not something that is done.
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49
Does production and/or age influence a publisher's response?
QUESTION:
I am a 40 year old singer/songwriter and have been writing
for sometime but without success realize that it is hard
to get into the industry so this time I am planning to
record 7 songs on CD form with printed cover not on demo
tape as before. I believe the material to be good. Does
production and/or age influence the publisher's response
and how so.
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
Do you want to be the performer or do you want other people
to sing your songs? If the answer is the latter, that
you are happy sitting at home while other people record
your material, then age has nothing to do with it. If
you have a good song, even at the ripe old age of 40,
a publisher will not reject the song simply based on your
age. If you want to get a record contract, it's a whole
different story, of course, as they are in the market
for pop stars -- and most pop stars are young. Or at least
they start off that way.....
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50
How does a person become a publisher or an A&R rep?
QUESTION:
How does a person become a publisher or an A&R rep? Is
it all about who you know in the business?
ANSWER
(by Paul Zollo):
Being a music publisher and an A&R rep are two very different
jobs. Anyone can become a music publisher, and start their
own music publishing company. A songwriter has every right
to serve as his own publisher; there is no obligation
to have one's songs published by an outside publisher,
nor is there any license required to be a music publisher.
The publisher owns and controls the copyright of the song.
Which is essentially worthless unless that song gets recorded,
and that recording generates royalties. If your song is
published by an outside publisher, you relinquish control
over the use of that copyright. But the idea is that the
publisher can exploit that copyright in a good way --
meaning he gets someone to cut the song. Or maybe many
cuts. So there are benefits to self-publishing, in that
you retain all the publishing rights to the song. But
unless you are going to record your songs yourself, or
if you are so well-connected that you yourself can get
your songs to artists and producers and on albums -- at
the same time you continue to work as a songwriter writing
songs -- it might be much better to try to get outside
publishers to publish your songs.
An A&R rep is someone in a record company who works what
is called Artist & Repertoire -- A&R. These are essentially
the people looking for new artists -- and then working
with those artists and their songs while they are recording
for that company. To get an A&R job also requires no license
--nor even any music education, which some people have
felt is a travesty. Of course, some of the greatest A&R
people of the past were not musicians, but they had great
instincts about music and songwriters. How to get one
of these jobs? Who you know certainly would help, if they
can get you a starting position at a company. The best
way to get in is to intern -- work for nothing if you
can afford to. And work very hard, and study, and pay
attention. And in time try to work your way up. People
are impressed by people with a lot of energy and intelligence
and drive. The hard part is to get in -- but once you
do, work very hard, share your ideas, and climb.
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