Sadie

1. Do you sing, play an instrument or instruments? Yes What instruments? I sing and am currently learning to play acoustic guitar When did you start playing? About 3 weeks ago. Did you teach yourself? No. 2. Are you in a band or bands?No. What is the name of the band? What do you play? What other instruments are in the band? Do you have a band website? 3. Do you write songs?Yes. Do you write lyrics, music or both? I write lyrics, hope to be writing music soon. Do you have a writing partner? No 4. Do you record your music? Yes. Do you use a home studio? If so what gear do you use?No. Do you use a recording studio? No. I record on the computer with Music Creator 5. Do you have music available on the web? if so where? Yes, I have demos on facebook, myspace, reverbnation and bebo. 5. What other roles do you perform in the music business?N/A Management? Label owner? Publishing? Promotion? Other? 6. Are you a tech head?No. 7. What country do you live in? USA 8. What are your ambitions? To be successful in playing and making music that people enjoy and to have fun making it! 9. Do you draw/paint/write stories/computer art/dance or other creative pursuit? No. What are your pastimes? Watching movies, spending time with friends, playing and watching sports- esp. Soccer, Olympics, Baseball. 10. What would you like to get out of Songstuff? The opportunity to have friendships with fellow musicians, to develop as a songwriter and to help others develop and share the passion of music.

I do have an eclectic taste in music. Some of the musicians that have inspired me include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Sugarland, Shania Twain, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton are just a few.

I recently have put up a reverbnation account, facebook page and bebo account in the hopes of promoting my songs. I think that reverbnation is a great site that allows you to update one site and will automatically update the other sites. I just don't know how to recruite fans on it. I am not sure if I have all the right sites to promote my songs but I am hoping that with my myspace page and my blog that I will see some success! If you can help me, I would appreciate it! Thanks!

I have fixed the files on my myspace page so now they are mp3 files- they are still voice only. I am currently learning how to play the guitar so I hope to put music to my lyrics soon. I don't know why some of the songs are louder than others, I recorded them on the same recording system and with the same settings. Once I get everything together I hope to perform live.. thanks again!!

Thanks for the comment! I am currently learning how to play guitar so I will be able to put music to my lyrics. I was thinking once I got everything together I would consider doing some performances. I agree from doing talent shows in school that there is an insecurity when you sing without music. In terms of the performance, I would look at it as a test to see if I could do it and be brave enough to perform my own songs. If the audience likes it that would be a nice bonus. I would definitely ask one of my friends to come with me for moral support... [

Thank you very much for the nice comments. For me, it all comes down to confidence and I feel that by putting myself out there vocally, my confidence will increase. I had vocal lessons for about a year and do some vocal exercises regularly. I found it very helpful and it helped to strengthen my lower register. I did have to stop going because it was very expensive and I was a college student at the time. However, my vocal teacher was nice enough to have me record the lessons so I do go over the exercises and some songs that helped to strengthen my voice. If you can afford them, I definitely recommend them! Good Luck!

I was looking at different venues where I could sing around the area where I live. There is a small cafe where I live that has an open mic night. I have performed in public before but I think that this time I will be looking to do some of my own songs with a couple of cover songs mixed in. This would be the next step in the process in terms of finding out what works, what doesn't and getting some feedback in terms of how I interact in front of an audience and how the audience relates to me. Any advice you can give would be great! Thanks!

Thank you both for your input! There is a Cafe that has an open mic night where I live and I am considering that... I figured I would be able to perform my songs and be able to get some immediate feedback (see what works/what does not). I may mix it up with other songs. The key to be able to perform in public and not overthink. I will let you know what I decide to do... thanks!!

Hello Everyone- I am an aspiring singer songwriter who is looking for honest critique of my voice. I did have a vocal lessons a few years ago and love singing. My family and friends say I have a good voice. I would like to know what my fellow colleagues think. Please visit http://www.myspace.com/sadieanne2009 The songs that I am singing are ones that I wrote- there is 30 to 40 second clips of my songs. Unfortunately, the whole song collection that I have is too big and I had to cut them down to clips. I appreciate your advice. Thank you! Sarah

I would have to agree music labels are not exactly looking for songwriters, they are looking for someone who has a good image and can make them a lot of money. However, there are a couple of young artists out there, for example, Colbie Calliat and Taylor Swift, who are writing and singing their own songs. I have always preferred artists who write their own material. It just seems to make them more personable and relateable. I do hope in the future that the business shifts back in favor of the singer songwriter.

John- Thank you for the advice. I will definitely look into registering my work. In the future, I hope that someone establishes an association that recognizes who wrote the songs. I know that once you write a song, you own the copyright but there is always a risk of someone snatching it and making it their own. It will be something I have to really look into and be careful about! Thanks!

This is a very interesting discussion. I have been writing for a couple of years and have only put up some short 30 second clips on myspace to see how my voice sounds and to see what feedback I get about the lyrics. I am afraid to put entire songs out because the risk of someone taking it is so high. I do plan to obtain a copyrighting license in the future to protect myself.

Hello- I am looking for feedback in regards to my singing and my writing. There are 30-40 second clips up and it is just me singing with a microphone. I just want to get a general idea of how my voice sounds and what needs to be improved in terms of my writing. I am currently learning how to play acoustic guitar and hope to have an accompanyment for each of my songs some time in the future. I would appreciate your feedback!! Thanks! My link is http://www.myspace.com/sadieanne2009 Sarah