A student of mine recently asked a question that many of us consider as we embark on a songwriting career. I’d like to share it with you, and offer some advice from my own experience. The question is:
“Is it common practice for (unknown) writers to contribute some money to the recording costs of a song? More specifically, a company wants to produce one of my songs and they are asking me for $350. I was just curious if you knew if that was something that often happens, or if that’s a bad deal.”
Let me start by saying it is common practice for all writers, known and unknown, to contribute money to the recording costs of a demo. It is not common practice for songwriters to contribute money to the recording costs on a record. There is a distinct difference between the two, so let me outline just a few of those differences.
A demo is a recording we songwriters invest in for the purpose of pitching to various artists. It is a representation of our work, like a portfolio. When I record a demo, I book session players, a day in the studio, an engineer, and each of these people is paid a fee for their work. A demo is not sold for profit, and no royalties are to be gained from my demo. When a writer is backed by a publisher or label, that writer/artist still pays for expenses such as studio time, etc. The caveat is that because it’s written into our contracts as recoupable items, services the label or publisher pays for up front but we pay for as the sale of our music brings in money, we sometimes overlook the fact that we’re still paying for the process. The label or publisher is just the investor, constantly assessing whether you as an artist or writer is a risk they are willing to take.
When you’re faced with a proposition from another company to record your songs, I encourage you to consider what that company is going to do for you. If the company only serves as a demo house, a studio with musician(s) that churn out a demo of your song for you, then that’s essentially the same as having a producer. All you’re doing is hiring out the pesky details of finding and hiring musicians, a place to record, an engineer, etc. If you’ve heard other demos from this company and you feel their sound would be a great match for your songs, then this service may be valuable for you. The trouble is that many companies out there, and individuals in the business of producing music, don’t care whether they can add anything to your music. They are simply out there to lay down some cheap tracks underneath what they view as just another songwriter without the resources to record their own music.
If the individual or company boasts the ability to get your music into the hands of industry professionals, then there are a few questions you should ask. First, ask them to provide you with the contact information of the people they will forward your music to. Without being able to follow up with the folks who supposedly listened to your music, you not only have no way of knowing if they actually did listen, but you also have no way of forming a relationship with these people if they did listen and like your music. Rarely will a music professional such as a producer, publisher, music supervisor, label exec, etc., track you down about your music – even if they liked it. You can imagine the incredible volume of music these people have to listen to each day, and so the key is to keep yourself as visible as possible so that when opportunities do arise, you are there to remind that person your music would be perfect for those opportunities.
Another important consideration when farming your songs out to be produced by others is the ownership of the master. Demand that you own the master. The production house is simply work for hire, and you are paying them to function as a producer, organizing the bits and pieces of the recording process. There should be no lingering fees such as royalties if the song is placed in a film/TV or on someone else’s record.
The bottom line comes down to relationship. If you believe after a continued relationship with a point person at the company who wishes to record your song, that the song will be demoed with care, then go for it. Typical demo costs depend on the process, whether live musicians were used, a facility was rented, etc. You’re paying for the time and resources of those involved, and so you can estimate the value fairly accurately by taking into account the process in which your song is demoed.
In all cases, I encourage you to keep building your network of musical contacts. Find friends who have the equipment to record. Start with a basic guitar/vocal or piano/vocal and get a sense for the areas in which your songs need to improve before sinking serious money into a full-fledged demo. My final advice is, if a point person at a company is not willing to invest more than the 3.5 hrs it may take to record your song, then you may be disappointed in the results. Build relationships that pave the way for your music to evolve and flourish.
