How To Become A Songwriter?

[LilOrange]

What exactly must a person do to get a job as a songwriter?

[itsGoodness]

Write music, submit music to bands/labels, hope they like it. Repeat.

Songwriting is totally freelance and only the most established songwriters get contacted about writing music. So work on establishing yourself by connecting with bands and offering your services as a writer.

[LilOrange]

Thanks for the answer! So networking, basically? Interesting blog you have

[itsGoodness]

Networking absolutely. The glamour of it is based on what you want to get out of it. If you're expecting to be a world-famous songwriter then you should also expect your chances of succeeding are very, very slim. If you enjoy writing music simply because it is a passion, and it just so happens that you can make money by doing it, then you're on the right track.

[LilOrange]

It doesn't have to be glamorous....at least not for me.....I personally just enjoy writing

[ElizabethHannah]

Writing songs are interesting one. Normaly see the people they dont know any thing but they wrote a few lyrics.If someones encourages after that they have to think of my self. Song wrting is a gods gift every one has a talent but they will not use that. Some song writers are sit and watch the particular location at the time they thing of some thing about that place and write the songs.

[dukepayen]

Re: How To Become A Songwriter?

1 Learn how to copyright your songs. (You can do a web search to find out how)

#2 Copyright all songs immediately after writing.

#3 Find someone to perform one of your songs. (Don't try and get them to do a lot of them)

#4 Find a lot of someones to perform one of your songs.

#5 Record every performance of your song.

#6 Get permission from the performers to allow you to send the demo to publishers and recording studios.

Repeat over and over.

[jmeadows]

So, if I have a "great" song (don't we all?) and I get an artist to record it, can we skip the publisher?

[TapperMike]

When you document your content you are the publisher. If you don't publish the material and then send off to a publisher you lose that. But you also lose any advantage of having a publishing house behind you. A publisher's job is to get the song in the hands of people who will turn it into money. Money for you and money for them. A publisher is also someone who is going to track the money trail and make sure you get your cut. (at least an honest one)

Let's say you write this great song. You get someone to perform it on youtube. Youtube makes money on advertising. If youtube is getting money why aren't you? You should. A publisher acts as an advocate on your behalf (and theirs) to make sure that you are not jipped out of the money. Same goes with Amazon and iTunes and any distribution network. Someone is making money. Now try to play internet police by yourself. You'll quickly find you don't have the time, resources or clout to manage your material.

Sure there are some really shady characters in the publishing biz who will want to rob you blind. There are also well established publishers who built their reputations on working for the artist rather then against them. If you want to manage the promotion of your material and don't trust publishers for that yet you don't want to manage the unwarranted, illegal or even undocumented revenue stream of your content then http://harryfox.com might be the way to go.

Taxi is a different route.http://www.taxi.com/about.html

Basically it's a head hunter A&R company. If your stuff is not up to snuff they won't pass it along but do review your material and send it back to you.

[Kel]

I just checked out Harry Fox Agency as suggested by TapperMike. However, it seems to me, they don't do what a non-performing songwriter is after, namely placing our songs with people who'll play them. Sure, they'll somehow find the cents that are generated from somebody playing the songs... what they do is further down the road.

 

A lot of advice I see in a lot of places, and I must say, also here on Songstuff is very much like Steve Martin's (the banjo player and comedian) two step plan to be a millionaire and avoid paying taxes...

 

Step 1. Get a million dollars...

 

Full of what to do, but no how to do it.

 

That's where organisations like Taxi and Musicxray come in I guess. But is there any other way?

 

Getting splinters from so much head-scratching,

Kel

Edited May 17, 2013 by Kel

[amiyafoster]

Hello,

 

Actually people writing their emotion in songs.

[LilOrange]

Is Soundcloud a good way?

[deepsesh]

I've been talking to a few publishers myself and most of them will want a fully produced demo of your songs. That goes with even sites like MusicXray etc.

 

So personally I think by just writing / composing the song it doesn't end there. At the beginning for people to actually enjoy the song and want to buy it / use it etc - it has to be almost like a good song on the radio (mixed/mastered/produced) etc. Once people have confidence in your sense and style, maybe it might get easier later on (i'm not sure though!!)

 

SoundCloud just makes it convenient to upload your songs and send them to labels/publishers etc. And if you've promoted your link well, you may get some feedback thru comments and likes to know where your song stands.