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JimBruno

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  1. Hello Folks, I think Internet Radio will change our industry for the better especially when we're able to access it in our cars, where most folks listen to radio! The primary gate keepers, the labels and their partners, big radio, have done a poor job of allowing great music to be heard. I recently got Satellite Radio and I'm now discovering how much great music is out there! While I'm enjoying Satellite I think that it's only a stop gap for Internet radio and what it will bring to the table for all of us! The future looks bright to me! How do you feel about it? Regards, Jim Bruno www.SongClasses.com
  2. I'll post one soon! Thanks for the interest, Lazz!
  3. Lazz, Unfortunately there's no easy answer. I recommend to my students to treat it like a job search because that's what it is! Here's a couple of strategies I talk about in my online class. Start with networking, make sure everyone you know knows that you're a songwriter. You'll be surprised at how folks you know may know folks who can help. Join songwriting organizations, we have one here called the "West Coast Songwriters Association". They hold a conference every year and guarantee at least two 'one-on-one' meeting with at least two publishers. Song Stuff is a great place to network. There are more suggestion I have in my online class. Jim
  4. Check out my posting about publishers with a 'No Unsolicited Material' policy in the Music Business Forum and let me know what you think!

  5. Strategies for Submissions to Music Publishers Now you’ve gotten the green light to submit some music to a music publisher either through networking, an organization event, a reference book, an online listing or whatever, the question is, “Which songs out of my catalog do I submit?” You need to put yourself in the music publisher’s place to fully understand what they’re looking for. This is not an easy question to answer, but here are some rules of thumb to guide you: 1. Research the music publisher you are submitting to! Be sure to submit appropriate material. If it’s a publishing company that focuses on country music, you’re going to naturally want to send in the most country style songs you have. Try to find out about the other songs and songwriters they represent. Be ready to discuss those you like. The quicker you can move from strangers to partners, the better. 2. Submit your most ‘commercial’ songs! How do you determine which of your songs is the most commercial? Ask yourself these questions: “Does it have a killer hook?” “Can I easily picture hearing this song on today’s radio?” “Does it have a universal theme?” “Is this song unique, and different from other songs about the same subject?” The answer to all or most of these questions should be a confident “Yes!” 3. Put your best songs first. Publishers usually ask for around three songs for submissions. After determining which of your songs are the most commercial, put the strongest one first. If the first one isn’t strong, they often won’t listen to the second song. 4. Get to the hook asap! Often the person listening to your song is swamped with material to plow through. If you don’t catch their attention in the first twenty to thirty seconds, the war is over and you lost. Always put the best verse first and get to the hook quickly. Some songs even start with the hook like “She Love You” by the Beatles. 5. Submit the most polished demo you can afford! I used to hear music publishers say “Just submit the song as simply as you like. If the song’s great, I’ll be able to hear it.” What a bunch of bunk! Some of these guys have tin ears and wouldn’t know a hit if it bit them! So make it easy on them. Submit a demo that already sounds like a hit! Do the best demo you can afford. Make it so nobody can deny its commercial appeal. They’ll also like the fact that they won’t have to invest time and money into a demo. Jim Bruno Foothill College Songwriting Instructor www.SongClasses.com
  6. Strategies for Submissions to Music Publishers Now you’ve gotten the green light to submit some music to a music publisher either through networking, an organization event, a reference book, an online listing or whatever, the question is, “Which songs out of my catalog do I submit?” You need to put yourself in the music publisher’s place to fully understand what they’re looking for. This is not an easy question to answer, but here are some rules of thumb to guide you: 1. Research the music publisher you are submitting to! Be sure to submit appropriate material. If it’s a publishing company that focuses on country music, you’re going to naturally want to send in the most country style songs you have. Try to find out about the other songs and songwriters they represent. Be ready to discuss those you like. The quicker you can move from strangers to partners, the better. 2. Submit your most ‘commercial’ songs! How do you determine which of your songs is the most commercial? Ask yourself these questions: “Does it have a killer hook?” “Can I easily picture hearing this song on today’s radio?” “Does it have a universal theme?” “Is this song unique, and different from other songs about the same subject?” The answer to all or most of these questions should be a confident “Yes!” 3. Put your best songs first. Publishers usually ask for around three songs for submissions. After determining which of your songs are the most commercial, put the strongest one first. If the first one isn’t strong, they often won’t listen to the second song. 4. Get to the hook asap! Often the person listening to your song is swamped with material to plow through. If you don’t catch their attention in the first twenty to thirty seconds, the war is over and you lost. Always put the best verse first and get to the hook quickly. Some songs even start with the hook like “She Love You” by the Beatles. 5. Submit the most polished demo you can afford! I used to hear music publishers say “Just submit the song as simply as you like. If the song’s great, I’ll be able to hear it.” What a bunch of bunk! Some of these guys have tin ears and wouldn’t know a hit if it bit them! So make it easy on them. Submit a demo that already sounds like a hit! Do the best demo you can afford. Make it so nobody can deny its commercial appeal. They’ll also like the fact that they won’t have to invest time and money into a demo. Jim Bruno Foothill College Songwriting Instructor www.SongClasses.com
  7. The Dreaded “No Unsolicited Material” Policy I teach an online and 'live' Music Publishing for Songwriters (MUS 18) at Foothill College (www.SongClasses.com) and this question often comes up, "How do I handle publishers who have an unsolicited submission policy?" Here's my response: You’re going to see this phrase, ‘No Unsolicited Material’, on the websites of most music publishers. If they won’t listen to new music, how do they find it? What the policy means is that they won’t listen to any songs that aren’t submitted by an entertainment attorney, a manager, an A&R Rep or some other entertainment professional. Music Publishers who don’t have this policy are often overwhelmed with the number of submissions they receive. It ends up being a full time job for someone, usually way down the corporate food chain, to listen them. In addition to the extra manpower they need to do an evaluation of all the music, they also leave themselves wide open for potential litigation. Let’s say you wrote a song about a lighthouse and coincidentally one of their writer’s was working on a similar song about a lighthouse. You can see where this can lead. Most publishers avoid the twin issues of increased manpower and exposure to potential litigation by having a “No Unsolicited Material” policy. So is there a polite way of submitting to these music publishers? Without the endorsement of an entertainment professional, I’m afraid there isn’t. If you have some song credits or something else that may legitimize you, it would not be out of line to introduce yourself via a short email, (I emphasis the word ‘short’,) making a quick case for why they might be interested in you and your music. Some folks have tried having friends pose as Managers to varying degrees of success. I wouldn’t recommend it. Regards, Jim www.SongClasses.com
  8. Hello Folks,

    1. JimBruno

      I'll be teaching my accredited "Music Publishing for Songwriters" (MUS 18) class this Summer via Foothill College. You can take it 'live' on campus or ONLINE in the comfort of your home! Tuition for California residents is only $59.50! Details are to be found at www.SongClasses.com

    2. JimBruno

      The focus of the class is how songwriters profit from their music! The class includes multiple personalized song evaluations! Please check it out at www.SongClasses.com

  9. Thanks, Cisco! Thank you, Tom! Thanks, Andrew!
  10. Thanks, Lazz! I used to go by 'Jimmy Bruno' but had to switch to Jim because of the confusion.
  11. Thank you for the warm welcome!
  12. Hello Folks, I'm a San Francisco Bay Area based published songwriter and I currently teach two Online or Live Songwriting classes at Foothill College in Los Altos, California. I teach the 'Songwriters Workshop' (MUS 58A) and 'Music Publishing for Songwriters' (MUS 18). You can learn more about my classes at www.songclasses.com. I also teach two classes in Songwriting at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley. I love songwriting! I love the art form itself and I love teaching the subject! I feel very fortunate to be a teacher and look forward to meeting my fellow SongStuff members! Songs I've written have been recorded and released by Shawn Colvin, Mary Lou Lord, Cliff Eberhardt and Laurie MacAlister. Songs I've co-written have been recorded and released by Chuck Prophet and Thad Cockrell As a performing songwriter I've performed with or opened shows for the following artists: Shawn Colvin, John Gorka, Charlie Musselwhite, Joe Ely, Greg Brown, Mary Lou Lord, Steve Forbert, Bill Morrissey, Big Twist, and Cliff Eberhardt. I've performed at the Greenwich Village Folk Festival, the Udine Folk Festival in Udine, Italy and has toured five times in Europe. I also played bass, guitar and sang in the Shawn Colvin Band for a number of years and often performed with Shawn as a duet. I recently released my own album of all original songs called ‘Alright Alright’. I've negotiated and signed numerous song publishing agreements. Among others these publishers include Bug Music and the Welk Music Group in Los Angeles, and Largo Music in New York. In addition I have my own publishing company, Jimmy Bruno Music. As a songwriter I currently have a music publishing agreement with Universal Music Group. I'm an affiliated Publisher and Songwriter with BMI and the Harry Fox Agency. I'm also a voting member of the Recording Academy. You can check out my website at www.jimbrunomusic.com Regards, Jim
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