81
Songwriting Contests
QUESTION:
I entered a contest from a guitar book in 1998 they responded
back that my song would be published by winter of 1999
I have not heard from them. The contest was Association
of Songwriters and Lyricists from Los Angeles,CA. Can
you tell me anything about this association or what I
should do? The anthology is supposed to be called On The
Road.
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
I'm not familiar with that anthology. I would do a little
detective work and trace your steps backward. Try contacting
the association in LA where you entered the contest in
the first place. Ask them what is going on and where the
anthology is. If you can't get an answer from them, go
back to the guitar book where you originally saw the information
on the contest. Call the book publisher and ask them what
they know about the association. If all else fails, call
the Better Business Bureau in LA and give them what information
you have. They will check into the matter for you and
get you some sort of answer. Did you pay to enter the
contest? If so, be sure you tell the BBB that when you
report the association to them. There are, unfortunately,
many disreputable "contests" and organizations that cheat
aspiring musicians out of hundreds of thousands of dollars
each year. It is always easier to check up on a contest
or an association BEFORE you pay money to enter a contest,
than to try to get justice after the fact. If you have
been ripped off, chalk it up to the cost of a degree in
the School of Hard Knocks. We all have such expenses in
our history!
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82
Overseas co-writing
QUESTION:
I am a lyricist. I have seen musicians offering their
composing services online. What legal protection do I
have over my own work when someone else writes the music
but they are in the USA and I live in South Africa?
How do I know they are not publishing and recording the
song under their own name?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
I would be very careful about "collaborating" with someone
online. Do lots of research first. Find out who this musician
is, get references etc. Since you live in South Africa,
I am not quite sure what legal protections you have. It
would be good to seek some legal advice "before the fact"
rather than after you get into some sort of collaboration
relationship. I would definitely copyright my lyrics and
register the copyrights before you start sending them
to people you don't know.
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83
Professional Demos
QUESTION:
How effective can a pre-demo be if you by chance took
it to a pro recording studio to do a pro demo? Will it
help you save money and time to get your demo done?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
I'm not sure what you mean by a "pre-demo." If you mean
a rough demo that you make at home with a box recorder.....yes,
it definitely will help a producer in a recording studio
to do a professional demo. He needs something to let him
know what your song sounds like. From your question, I'm
not sure if you plan to be playing and singing on the
demo or if you want the producer to produce the whole
song -- find singers, players and produce the song. Either
way...anything you can do to prepare BEFORE you get to
the studio, will save time and money. If you are playing
on the demo, practice before you get to the studio. If
you have other musicians in a band, make sure they have
the charts and have practiced before you arrive for the
recording session. Remember, the time clock starts running
when you show up at the studio, so good preparation will
definitely save time which will also save money.
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84
Acapella Demo's. NO!
QUESTION:
I have written a Southern Gospel song. I have recorded
my song acapella on tape. Recently I attended a concert
and asked one of the artists what to do. He said to sing
it acapella or have someone back it with a piano or guitar.
Also to make sure the words were typed out and clear to
understand separate from the instrument. He said to send
it to as many individual groups as possible. He didn't
say anything about their publishers. You have said not
to sing acapella and send that to publishers.
I am soooooo confused! :) Please help.... thanks!
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
Normally, it is NOT advisable to sing a song acapella
on a demo -- especially if you plan to pitch it to publishers
or artists. Songs are made up of four elements -- lyrics,
melody, harmony, and rhythm. An acapella rendition of
the song presents the lyrics and the melody -- but the
harmony and rhythm are not there. The song will seem incomplete
and unprofessional to most music industry people who are
used to hearing VERY nicely produced music. To give your
song the chance it deserves, take the time to get a nice
demo done. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it does
need to be clear and to present the song with all the
elements as you composed them. Typed lyric sheets are
a "must," and be sure to put your contact information
and copyright symbol on both the cassette and the lyric
sheet.
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85
My songs and others' on my CD.
QUESTION:
I am preparing to record a CD. The majority of the songs
I'm recording are my own. But I don't have enough original
material, so I am using two or three songs from other
artists. What do I need to know about copyright laws?
This is my first recording, but I don't want lawyers knocking
at my door.
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
You must request a mechanical license from each of the
publishers of the songs you wish to record. They will
send you an agreement and instruct you as to the procedure
to follow.
The standard rate for mechanical royalties is now .071
cents per song per unit. So if you manufacture 1000 CD's,
the mechanical license would require that you pay the
publishers $71 for each song that is not your own. If
a song is not your own and it has never been recorded
before, you must get permission from the publisher to
be the first to record it. However, if it has been recorded
and released previously, you will not need permission,
but you will still need to apply for the mechanical license
and pay the required royalties.
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86
Hiring a songwriter or finding a collaborator.
QUESTION:
If I need help in writing a marketable song, what is the
difference between hiring a songwriter or finding a collaborator?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
If you hire a musician to compose a piece for you, it
is called a 'work for hire' arrangement. You pay the musician
a set fee for his services and then he surrenders all
rights to the song. The only money he/she will receive
will be the fee that was paid for the service. However,
if you yourself are also involved in writing the song,
you will most likely need to find a "collaborator." If
you both work together to compose the song, then you both
will own the song. If the collaboration was a 50-50 arrangement
(which most collaborations are), then each of you would
own half the song. Most good musicians would not just
do a 'work for hire' in such a case -- and if they did,
they would charge a very pricey fee, since they would
not be receiving any possible future royalties from the
song. If, however, you have a collaborator, you don't
have to pay them anything until and unless the song is
published and starts to earn money.
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87
Where do I find A&R reps. contact info?
QUESTION:
I am trying to locate a listing of A&R reps names and
the addresses and phone numbers for the major labels in
NY. It's easy to find Nashville's, but I can not seem
to purchase one for the NY area. Looking for Publishing
companies in NY as well. Can you help?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
There are several very good directories which list A&R
reps, publishers etc. They vary in price, but are essential
if you hope to pursue your songwriting career seriously.
Here are the ones I recommend. You can get ordering info
online.
The Musicians Atlas -- www.musiciansatlas.com
Pollstar Record Company Roster -- www.pollstar.com
A&R Registry -- www.musicregistry.com
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88
Chorus writing tips
QUESTION:
I am 18 years old and have been writing for 2 years. I
can write verse after verse with no problem, but there
always comes a need for a catchy chorus to slip in, something
that can be worked back into the song at the nessesary
intrivels. Mine always seem unrelated or don't seem to
convay the same emotions as the verses. I was wondering
if you could give me some hints on writing good choruses.
I really have this problem will writing a country style
song.
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
The chorus usually contains the hook and is the "thesis
statement" of the song. In other words, the chorus is
the "payoff" of the song both musically and lyrically.
It is the "destination" -- the rest of the song is simply
made up of roads leading to the main point or destination
which is contained in the chorus. If you are having trouble
with the chorus, try writing the chorus first. Be sure
to use your musical and lyrical hook/title at least once
in the chorus -- two or three times is even better. Then
go back and craft the lyrics and music of the verses so
that they lead inevitably to the chorus. Each verse (and
there are usually two verses in a commercial song) should
say something slightly different.....but each verse should
point toward the "punch line" which is in the chorus.
Outline what you want to say in each verse -- and if you
plan to write a bridge, plan the content of that as well.
Remember, a bridge should differ both musically and lyrically
from the verses and the chorus, but it should lead back
one more time to the chorus. Thinkof writing a song like
planning a trip. First decide where you are going and
then get your map and figure out the best ways to get
to your destination (chorus).
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89
Tugging heart strings is the hardest part
QUESTION:
Trying to write a song that will leave an impression on
the hearts of the listeners. To reveal somthing, to try
to use words to strike a persons emotions. It is the hardest
part of writing a great song.
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
You are absolutely right! The main goal of any songwriter
is to express a universal emotion with memorable words
and music that will touch the hearts of millions of people.
Songs come from the emotions of the writer and must speak
to the emotions of the listener. Two ingredients are necessary
to do this successfully: 1) Content 2) Crafting. The first
element -- "Content" -- simply means you have to have
a worthy idea that you are burning to express. Content
comes from living -- being aware of your feelings as they
respond to various circumstances and situations. (As Don
Henley says, "You have to LIVE before you can write."
Try keeping a journal of your thoughts and feelings. When
you hear a news item or watch a movie, write down how
you think the characters in the drama might have felt.
Train your imagination to be sensitized to great ideas
which are floating all around. Once you have a great idea
with some powerful things to say, you must learn how to
present it well -- this is where crafting comes in.You
must learn the tools of the craft and how to use them
to put your thoughts into a lyric -- tools like rhyme,
cadence, alliteration, assonance. You must also learn
the basic principles of composition --melody, harmony,
and rhythm -- so that you can "marry" your great lyric
to compatible and emotional music. It is not easy, but
well worth the effort when you consider that the songwriter
is one of the few people in the world who has the power
to shape values and emotions through the power of music.
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90
Are royalties based on a percentage of sales?
QUESTION:
Are royalties based on a percentage of sales? If so, what
is the percentage? Also, is there an initial sign on bonus?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
There are two basic kinds of royalties -- mechanical royalties
and performance royalties. Mechanical royalties are paid
by the artist or the record company to the publisher at
the time the recording is manufactured. The current statutory
rate is .071 cents per song per unit of manufactured product.
In other words, if an artist or record company manufactures
1000 CD's, they would have to pay mechanical royalties
of $71 to the publisher of each song on the record. The
publisher then splits these monies with the writers of
the songs. Of course, the more units of product manufactured,
the more the writer and publisher earn -- in this sense,
it is based somewhat on percentage of sales.Performance
royalties are paid by performing rights organizations
(P.R.O.'s) to the writers and publishers of songs based
on the number and frequency of perfomances on radio, TV
and in live venues. Every writer and publisher must join
a P.R.O. (ASCAP. BMI or SESAC) in order to receive these
royalties. If a songwriter is signed to a publishing company
as a staff writer, he/she may receive a "draw" on a weekly
or monthly basis from the company. A draw is an advance
against future royalties that will be earned by the song.
It is usually only if you are a VERY successful and established
songwriter that you will receive a sign-on bonus to become
a staff writer -- and if you are that successful, you
probably will have your own publishing company anyway
and will not even need to become a staff writer.
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