Ghostwriting?

[LilOrange]

Hey, guys!

 

I wanted to ask you what is your stance on ghostwriting? I work as a freelance songwriter and I get a lof of requests to ghostwrite (i.e. give up on my copyright). I really don´t like it and find it unfair and unethical. I don´t understand why would someone want to have all the credit and profit for themselfs if someone else has helped them with it. If I´m working on a song with someone else, it is completely normal to me to name them and give them a percentage they deserve. But, I am suprised how widely spread that is. It seems like it is completely normal to hire a ghostwriter or ghostproducer. It seriously started to make me feel angry, because it seems like you get hired less if you are not willing to do that. Which I find absurd. I mean, all those self-proclaimed "artists" who hire ghostwriters to write for them should really just find something else to do where they are good at, and not do what they do. It´s unfair.

 

Rant over, lol.

 

What do you guys think about this?

 

 

[LilOrange]

No, you do get paid, yes, but you are required to give up on your copyright, meaning you don´t get any further percentages from the sales and they also take the credit for the songwriting. So, they claim to have written the song although they didn´t. This is what bothers me the most, not so much the money thing. 

[Bernd]

Obviously, ghostwriting DOES exist, even in the music business. But it's a rare and rather weird concept and in the context of hobby- or semiprofessional boards it DOES look somewhat incompetent. Songwriters are/should be affiliated with a performing rights organization (and/or meachnical rights organizaton) so their works can be performed and licensed. Without clearance of the rights and without licensing contracts songs can neither be performed publicly nor aired on the radio. What use would it be writing (for) such songs? The first thing I ask potential collab partners is: what is your international creator ID? If they are not registered it makes no sense working with them.

I do make an exception, though: I work with hobby partners for shared non-commercial internet projects, or I just let them use my lyrics. That's fine because their is no money involved, hence no problems ;-)

Bernd