If you’re someone who loves to write songs, and is serious about getting into songwriting professionally, you could be on to a winner. Statistics reveal no other creative field, with few exceptions, is potentially more rewarding financially than writing songs. An average work of three to four minutes, for example, has generated hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars in revenue for many an author of words and music over the lifetime of the copyright.
But like any trade, a few specialized skills and techniques need to be learned and applied to become successful. If you think that just writing “a great song” and rushing it off to the first reputable music publisher is all you have to do, chances are you’re going to fail. I don’t say you’ll never be successful this way. But if you don’t have a track record, you’re staking the odds against yourself.
Amazingly many songwriters cannot think beyond the writing process. They believe their work is largely over when the song is finished. The truth is, it’s only just begun. To be successful, you need to think outside the box.
Before you write your next song, check and see what is commercial in the charts – not just in your own country, but globally. There are so many free tools available on the internet to help you achieve this. Google Keyword tool, Google Trends and Google Insights, for example, will give you an indicator of what people are interested in. This is what a lot of professional songwriters do. You should do the same.
Next, before approaching a music publisher, study the various types of royalty. Many songwriters are ignorant of how a song makes money much less the different fields of revenue. Here are the main ones: print, mechanical, synchronization (commercial and film), performing and broadcasting, grand rights (stage), the vast world of digital etc.
Thoroughly familiarize yourself with each area of potential income. In addition to performing and mechanical societies, there are now licensing agencies, especially in digital (do your homework before appointing any). Many professional songwriters pick up substantial money just from licensing directly to advertising agencies, films, magazines, online games, cell phones and heaps of other outlets globally. You can do the same.
You don’t have to assign your rights to one music publisher for the whole world. Music trends and tastes often vary from country to country. Where some sources respond negatively, others may show immense enthusiasm in your songs. Of course it would be wonderful for your music to be popular everywhere. Do some research on the internet to see where your style of music is popular. I’ve known professional songwriters to make a substantial living just from France or Germany, Benelux, Scandinavia, East European countries. As said, check out the commercial markets. Make it your business to know what is going on in the "global market place." You may be in for a pleasant surprise!
Look up record producers and artist management, for example, in different countries. Send samples of your work. There are thousands of artists globally looking for good songs to record. Finally, remember to protect the copyright in all your works before you send copies to anyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment