Career Songwriter

Last week in While You Are Writing, I suggested two activities – one business, and one craft. They were purchasing a new record, and trying your hand at writing a few simple choruses. This week, I’ve got some other suggestions I hope you enjoy working into your songwriting routine.

Business:
Begin to familiarize yourself with the function of a music publisher. There are many great resources out there to help, but I suggest starting with the performing right organizations such as ASCAP.com and BMI.com, and my very own website www.andreastolpe.com and clicking on ‘Craft and Biz.’ There are some excellent books out there too, such as those by Berkleemusic’s very own, Eric Beall, on how to set up and run your own publishing company. You may also visit your local Borders Bookstore and look for ‘All You Need to Know About the Music Business’ by Donald Passman. It’s an excellent resource for music industry professionals and simple enough to understand for anyone new to the business altogether.
Take a half hour and page through some of the album notes of your favorite artists. Look for the publishing information after the copyright sign. You’ll notice that many artists have their own publishing companies, but you’ll also see some familiar name such as Warner/Chappell Music, or Universal Music.
On ASCAP’s website, you can click on ‘title search’ and search for any popular song that crosses your mind. If ASCAP handles the title you’re looking for, it will be there – and most often along with several other songs of that same title. (If it’s not there it might be handled by BMI or SESAC). You can click on the song, and see the publishing information. Just get an overall lay of the land. It can help you to understand avenues you might pursue in the future for marketing your songs.

Craft:
Here’s a great exercise I learned years ago. Make a list of interesting verbs down the left side of a piece of paper. Then make a list of adjectives on the right side of your paper. At random, try colliding various verbs with various adjectives and see what those ideas spark. I’ve worked up an example below.

Vault shadowed

Pocket colorful

Bend green

Stretch pixilated

Soar passionate

Song Ideas:

Pocket green
Soar passionate
Stretch colorful

Or try them the other way:

Colorful vault
Shadowed stretch
Green bend

Don’t worry about whether they make sense or not. Some collisions will simply serve the purpose of creating interesting visuals in your mind, and sparking song ideas otherwise unimaginable.

Publishing is a huge money making side of the business, with great opportunity for songwriters looking for financial and artistic help. Staff writing, the job title of a writer who works for a publisher writing and recording songs so that publisher can pitch them within the major market, is a highly satisfying job for many creative souls. Below, I will attempt to outline my experience with staff writing, describing some of the typical deal points and what to expect. The contract terms between a publisher and writer vary greatly from writer to writer, and city to city, and so keep in mind that this is simply one example. More information can be found on my website, www.andreastolpe.com.

In short, a publishing deal is a contract between a writer and a publisher in which the publisher owns all songs written by the writer during the contract period. A contract outlines the terms of the deal. The basic terms consist of the length of time in months or years that the writer is affiliated with the publisher, the monetary compensation the writer receives during this period called a “draw”, and details concerning demo costs, royalties, and other small print interesting to a good entertainment lawyer. As a first time signed writer to a publisher, the draw is typically somewhere between $15,000 and $25,000 per year. Along with this draw, the publisher may agree to front half the demo costs up to $600, while the writer recoups (money the writer owes the publisher out of royalties) the other half after royalties are made. For example, if a writer makes $15,000 and spends $4,000 in demos, the total amount that writer cost the publisher is $19,000. Since the publisher agreed to pay for half the demo costs up to $600 (let’s assume any amount above $600 is the writer’s total responsibility), the amount that writer must recoup is half of $4,000, or $2,000. If the publisher gets the writer a cut (the term for when a song is recorded by an artist), then that $2,000 as well as the $15,000 draw is first paid back to the publisher, then everything in excess is paid to the writer. If the publisher doesn’t get any cuts, they don’t get any payback. First publishing deals are typically 3 to 4 years long with 1 to 1 1/2 year “options”, where the publishing company has the option to resign the writer to another term, or drop the writer altogether.

Few careers can boast of a schedule so flexible it allows for a month long hiatus and the option to scrap a whole day to go to lunch. The idea of being your own boss and working in an environment that is so heavily creative is certainly a rare gem. However, there are yins to these yangs. To make things simple, I’ve outlined some pros and cons below.
Pros

1. Flexible Schedule
2. You are your own boss
3. Opportunity to grow faster as a writer
4. Direct link to elusive contacts
5. Increased probability of getting cuts

Cons

1. Must be self-motivated
2. Must be self-motivated
3. Must be self-motivated
4. Locked into a year long contract
5. Publisher owns a share

These are just a few of the most obvious considerations. Some writers dislike the pressures of having a deal, and prefer to hire an independent plugger (a plugger is the person at a publishing company who serves as a liaison between the writer and artist or producer looking for songs). The terms of a deal vary as widely as the publishers who dream them up. For some writers, crafting 12 great songs a year is a comfortable limit, while others prefer to shoot for 200 in the hopes that quantity will expose quality.

In my experience in the Nashville industry, there is nothing to lose in signing a good deal. A good deal is one that allows the writer to grow, expand his/her network of contacts, and eventually get cuts. A publisher’s objective is to minimize risk and make money. Both the writer and publisher’s goal in the end is to get cuts and make money. The difference is that most publishers won’t wait for a writer to develop before seeing big returns. Make sure you have a good lawyer to negotiate the terms of the contract before signing. Consider how long you can afford to be locked into the deal, and your financial needs. A good publisher should at the very least get your songs heard. If you’re not interested in writing songs viable in commercial markets, then a publishing deal may not be for you.

Over the years I’ve met thousands of writers, no two of which got their deal the same way. There are, however, some basic similarities that have led to each success. In the following paragraphs I have outlined seven basic steps to getting a publishing deal. None of them are the answer on their own, but combined with a little common sense, they become a recipe for the good old college try. Take ‘em or leave ‘em, but they could be your north star when the horizon looks bleak.

For concrete steps towards getting a publishing deal, please visit www.andreastolpe.com.
Click on ‘Craft & Biz’, then ‘Publishing Info.’ I hope the information helps you to realize more of your potential as a writer in the commercial market.

Sincerely,
Andrea

I once interviewed my creative manager at Universal Music Publishing for the truth about what publishers look for when signing new writers. I assumed his answers would include ‘talent’, ‘personality’, the ‘ability to write incredible melodies and lyrics’, etc. Though those elements were part of his answer, surprisingly several other factors were significantly more important. Skill and talent were part of the equation, but personality, productivity, and the ability to receive and apply critique were key qualities that came up over and over again.

He went on to explain that every afternoon around 4pm he begins his meetings with new writers. Many are new to Nashville, having moved with a guitar and a dream of writing songs for other artists. Each week he meets anywhere from 5 to 10 new writers and listens to 2 or 3 of their songs. Out of these 10 writers, on average, only 1 calls back or emails him for a follow-up meeting. Months later he runs into the other 9 around town, at a show, in the grocery store, etc, and asks how their writing has been going. They often respond with, “I’ve been working a lot and haven’t had the chance to write much lately,” or “I’ve got some songs but I wanted to wait until I got good demos done.” What this says to a publisher is that you aren’t yet ready for the job of a staff writer. A publisher is in the business of pitching songs to commercial artists. Without product, without songs, the publisher can’t do their job. The more prolific the writer, the more pitching power a publisher has. A publisher wants to be sure that after signing the writer, that writer will continue to produce song material that is viable in the market.
This is why just writing 2 or 3 good songs isn’t enough. If you consider that a company like Universal Music Publishing has 50 staff writers in Nashville alone, each writing and demoing at a minimum 3 songs per month. That translates into 36 songs a year per writer, and 1800 songs per year company-wide. Finishing just a few songs isn’t enough. A publisher wants to know that you can consistently write solid material.

Another factor in deciding whether a writer would be a good addition to the publishing company is personality. Would the writer fit well with the other writers on the roster? Can the writer co-write? Does the writer bring something unique to the roster, or is he/she similar to a writer we already have? The publisher is also interested in signing writers who will continue to network and push his/her own material instead of relying solely on the publisher. The publisher can certainly widen the network of contacts and co-writers for the writer, but a writer who works to form and sustain relationships within the industry only boosts his/her potential for success and therefore benefits the publisher.

Talent does matter, and great songs will initially capture the attention of industry folks and consumer listeners alike. But managing our own careers with integrity and persistence are immutable qualities that will sustain our futures as career-musicians. Write what you love, and don’t allow yourself to get stuck polishing just a few songs until they’re perfect. Get out there and promote yourself with what you have, and continue to improve your craft by listening and practicing your art of writing.