Songwriters REFERENCE EDITION 2014/15
$6.95 CDN Volume 18
maga z ine
CELEBRATING THE ART AND CRAFT OF CANADIAN SONGWRITERS Your source for peer-topeer songwriter career advice
bryan adams Tracks of His Years
Jim Vallance On writing timeless hits
Haydain Neale
Jacksoul Renewal
PLUS
Fair Compensation for Music Creators n Songwriting in Sweden n Anatomy of a Writing Trip n Writing for Different Genres n Copyright in Canada n Pitching to Radio n
information & inspiration
Jennifer Gasoi
First Canadian Grammy for Best Children’s Album
for your craft and career
GET EXPERT ADVICE FROM: Ron Irving, Vincent Degiorgio, Cara Heath, Jason Blume, Pat Pattison, Eternia, Velma Barkwell, Aaron Bethune, Bob D’Eith, Arun Chaturvedi, and more...
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Songwriters magazine EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lily Cheng MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Brown CONSULTING EDITORS Isabel Crack, Vincent Degiorgio ART DIRECTOR Geoff Johnson FEATURE WRITERS Lily Cheng, Nick Krewen
CONTRIBUTORS Tom Allen, Velma Barkwell, David Basskin, Aaron Bethune, Jean-Robert Bisaillon, Jason Blume, Allister Bradley, Brandon Brophy, Joanne Butler, Arun Chaturvedi, Lily Cheng, Bob D’Eith, Vincent Degiorgio, Eternia, David Farrell, Daniel Gervais, Cara Heath, Ron Irving, Andreas Kalogiannides, Pierre Lalonde, Pat Pattison, and Eddie Schwartz STAFF Natalie Bogdanovic, Mary Mendoza, Ania Ziemirska Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No. 40014605 Canada Post Account No. 02600951 ISSN 1481-3661 ©2002 Songwriters Association of Canada Songwriters Magazine is a publication of the Songwriters Association of Canada (S.A.C.) Members of S.A.C. receive Songwriters Magazine as part of their membership. Opinions expressed in Songwriters Magazine do not necessarily represent the opinions of the S.A.C. Address submissions, inquiries and changes of address to: Songwriters Association of Canada 41 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, Ontario M3B 2S6 Phone: (416) 961-1588 or: 1-866-456-7664 Fax: (416) 961-2040 E-mail: sac@songwriters.ca Web: www.songwriters.ca Facebook: www.facebook.com/songwriters.ca Twitter: www.twitter.com/SongwritersOfCa All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the Songwriters Association of Canada.
Welcome
h
Dear Fellow Songwriters,
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ere is a resource magazine that will not only inspire your songwriting and empower your career development, it will also give you a great overview on the key issues facing creators as described in the results of our study of fair compensation for creators. Additionally, longtime industry writer David Farrell provides a bird’s eye view of the current fight for songwriters’ rights and the importance of rallying together. Within these pages you will find insider information on music supervision, radio promotion, writing music in Sweden and writing for different genres. We’ve also given you practical tips you can use on polishing your song, recording vocals, writing music business emails as well as getting the most out of showcase opportunities. This year we’ve also covered some subjects distinctly important to songwriters such as handling song disputes, the importance of metadata and the unique copyright system in Canada. Once again, we must thank our many industry contributors who, like us, want to
help you succeed. Don’t forget to join us online at songwriters.ca for mentoring opportunities, an annual songwriting challenge and workshops and videos. Professionals are eligible for our SongWorks Professional Songwriting Camp, networking opportunities and most importantly, putting your name to our important cause — protecting the value of songwriting. While you continue to chart the course of your songwriting career, we hope you will join us to help find a way for songwriters during these troubling times. We stand at a critical juncture and as such it has never been more important for us to stand together. The time is now. If you are a Canadian songwriter and care about creating a viable future for our industry, you must join us in our quest for fair compensation. Become a proud member of the S.A.C. today! Lily C
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS President: Eddie Schwartz Vice-President/Web Committee Chair: Jean-Robert Bisaillon Vice-President: Greg Johnston Treasurer: Safwan Javed Secretary/Membership Committee Chair: Ron Irving Directors: Brendan Canning, Jane McGarrigle, Bryan Potvin, Jim Vallance, and Christopher Ward Event Committee Chair: Vincent Degiorgio
ADVISORY BOARD Jann Arden, Randy Bachman, Tommy Banks, Liona Boyd, John Capek, Tom Cochrane, Lisa Dalbello, Richard Dodson,Rik Emmett, Micky Erbe, Roy Forbes, David Foster, Alan Frew, Dan Hill, Paul Hoffert, Paul Janz, Ron Hynes, Ron Irving, Arnold Lanni, Geddy Lee, Mike Levine, Colin Linden, Rita MacNeil, Sarah McLachlan, Murray McLauchlan, Dean McTaggart, Frank Mills, Ben Mink, Adam Mitchell, Gary O’Connor, Declan O’Doherty, Blair Packham, Dave Pickell, Raffi, Cyril Rawson, Sam Reid, Tyler J. Smith, Ian Thomas, David Tyson, Sylvia Tyson, Shari Ulrich, Valdy, Jim Vallance, Nancy White The S.A.C. gratefully acknowledges the support of The SOCAN Foundation.
CONTENTS THE S.A.C.
27 Stephan moccio’s S.A.C. launch 04 Message from the President 28 polishing your song 34 writing for different genres
COMMUNITY
09 S.A.C. Songwriting chaLLENGE
INDUSTRY
/Halifax regional writers group 33 anatomy of a writing trip
06 study for Fair compensation 22 the fight for your rights 35 canada’s unique copyright
FEATURES
BUSINESS
10 bryan adams and jim vallance 20 songwriting in sweden 13 jennifer gasoi 25 Commissioned songs 14 Haydain Neale for film/TV
CRAFT 17 18 19 26
melodies that stick getting a great vocal Simple vocal processing writing rap from the heart
29 32 36 37 38
metadata for songwriters mediation maximizing your showcase music biz emails getting radio ready
ON THE COVER Jim Vallance - Otto Taikynn Bryan Adams - Universal Music Canada Haydain Neale - Michaela Hudson Jennifer Gasoi - Emma-Lee
Songwriters Magazine
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Message from the President
Finding True North
Eddie Schwartz President, Songwriters Association of Canada Co-chair Music Creators North America
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Songwriters Magazine
t
‘‘
he True North Strong and Free.” It’s a phrase we Canadians have proudly heard, and will continue to hear all our lives. As meaningful as those words from our national anthem are to us, finding “true north” has an older and deeper meaning, since for thousands of years determining where north was enabled people to find their way in an unexplored and often hostile world. Some two thousand years ago the Chinese invented a very useful tool for finding “true” north — the compass. With a compass in hand, our forbearers were able to find their way to and through strange lands, and make their way to new and hopefully better places to call home. As music creators in the second decade of the 21st century we have a similar problem as those travellers of old. We find ourselves in a very strange virtual land — a shifting “territory”, with turbulent seas dominated by “piracy”, a vast wilderness of “free” streaming and downloading, carved with deep canyons of contradictory and often angry voices. And we have been hard-pressed indeed to find a path to recognition of the real value of our collective work — to fair compensation, even as our music is enjoyed by millions every minute of every day. While we have “wandered,” others have made vast fortunes providing access to music. What we need is a compass — a tool to help us determine where in this crazy and confusing digital landscape “true north” might be.
Over the past two years, the S.A.C. in cooperation with songwriter and composer organizations in the U.S., Europe, Africa and Latin and South America, set out to “invent” a “compass” and use it to find our “true north”, so that we can find our way through the digital wilderness to a place where the sunlight of fair compensation can break through. The good news is we believe we now have that “compass,” can therefore determine where “true north” is, and with that knowledge we can begin to make our way to a better world for those of us who aspire to create music for a living. “Knowledge” is the key word here, because knowing exactly what fair compensation means in the digital realm is the indispensable reference point in the journey. That essential information comes to us by way of The Study Concerning Fair Compensation for Music Creators in the Digital Age by M. Pierre Lalonde. M. Lalonde is an economist who is well known to many of us in the Canadian music industry thanks to his years of service at the Copyright Board of Canada, and the Heritage Department of the Canadian federal government. We asked M. Lalonde to apply accepted economic principles and methodology to the question of fair compensation for music creators and to answer two key questions: 1) What percentage of the money digital music services make should go to all the folks involved in providing the music, and 2) what should the splits between those folks be? How much should go to the artist and record label, and how much to the songwriter and music publisher? I encourage you to read M. Lalonde’s fascinating and illuminating study and the Executive Summary which can be found online: www.songwriters.ca/FairTradeMusic.aspx. A summary of the study can be found on page 6. And the answers to the questions posed above? In a nutshell, the study determines that no less than 80 per cent of revenues from digital music services should go to all music rights holders, and that the division of revenues between those rights holders, i.e. artists/ labels on one hand, and songwriters/music publishers on the other, should be 50/50. There are many friends and colleagues in the music business who are not going to be thrilled with the divisions of revenue laid out in the study, since currently some music services pay less than 60 per cent for music, and in some cases the major record labels can receive up to 97 per cent of that income. So we expect some “interesting” discussions going forward. But thanks to M. Lalonde, we have the compass, and know where our “true north” is. Now the journey begins in earnest.
community
events
2014-15
Mark Your Calendar
nov 1 – Bluebird North Halifax Nov 1 – Bluebird North Toronto Nov 4 – International Songwriting Competition Deadline
Nov 12 – Bluebird North Vancouver Jan 13 – Bluebird North Vancouver Jan 24 – Bluebird North Toronto May 2 – Bluebird North Toronto March 3 – Bluebird North Vancouver May 13 – Bluebird North Vancouver Sept 15 – Bluebird North Vancouver Visit www.songwriters.ca/eventslist.aspx for updated details and dates for events such as Date with a Demo, One-on-One Mentoring, Songwriters’ Webinars and the 2015 S.A.C. Songwriting Challenge.
Are you a Songwriter?
Join Us!
- Online Workshops - Networking Opportunities - Songwriting Challenges - Date with a Demo - Online Song Assessments - One-on-One Skype Mentoring - And More!
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industry
Fair compensation for music c
About the study The study was written by Pierre Lalonde, an economist with extensive experience and specialization in cultural and copyright issues. He used financial and economic data to explore the current structure of the digital streaming market for music and compared it to other sectors that distribute creative content in order to come up with appropriate valuation of musical works and the equitable split of revenues.
Context of the study Performers, songwriters and composers have been vocal in their criticism of the low payments they receive from streaming services. In the U.S., platforms like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes Radio pay per stream fees to performers of between $0.001 and $0.005, with most hovering around $0.0012. For composers and songwriters, those amounts are even less. Yet even these astonishingly petty amounts don’t always make it to the creators and performers due to a number of highly questionable practices during both negotiations of rates and distribution of collected monies, compounding the already inequitable division of revenues.
The study sought to answer the following questions:
l Is the overall amount of compensation to rights holders by these services sufficient? l Is the share distributed by the services
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Songwriters Magazine
to creators, performers and other rights holders appropriate when compared with other music platforms? l How is the share distributed to rights holders divided between the songwriters, music publishers, performers and record producers involved in the master recording?
Conclusion The current structure of digital streaming services are built on an exploitative value chain that undervalues the music that drives their businesses. This can be found in four important conclusions:
1
Music is currently undervalued by digital streaming services.
Based on findings in the study, the market rate for use of music should be 80 per cent or more of gross revenue, distributed to all rights holders. Currently, streaming services’ revenues paid out is between 60 and 70 per cent.
“Free” (advertising based) or low subscription rates increase listenership, which in turn drives share prices higher. While shareholders benefit, performing artists and songwriters essentially subsidize these increases in shareholder value while receiving only a very small fraction of revenue.
2
The revenue split within the music industry is grossly inequitable and lacks transparency.
Monies distributed to rights holders by streaming services should be split 50/50 between the two main rights holder groups: record labels/performing artists vs. publishers/songwriters. The current split is closer to 97/3, in favour of major labels. The three per cent is shared among songwriters, music publishers and other rights holders and administrators. Major labels have received preferential treatment at the expense of individual creators and performers due to regulatory constraints, market imbalances and labels negotiating with services for all rights holders. This 97/3 split skews the relative value of the two principle components in a musical recording: the recorded performance of a song and the underlying composition. This study’s analysis of music licensed for use in film, television and commercials provides a fair market metric that supports a 50/50 split in revenue between the songwriter’s share (which includes the music publisher’s interests), and the artist’s performance (which includes the record label’s interests).
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A severe lack of transparency makes it difficult for rights holders to evaluate the compensation they receive or take action to change it.
There is a lack of transparency with regards to the distribution of large non-recoupable advances paid to record labels by music streaming services. According to a report by the Phéline Commission in France, there is no evidence that these advances have been shared with artists, songwriters or other
T h i n ks t o c k
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he Study Concerning Fair Compensation for Music Creators in the Digital Age published in September 2014 is slated to be endorsed by thousands of songwriters and composers represented by organizations such as The International Council of Creators of Music (CIAM), Music Creators North America (MCNA), Alianza Latinoamericana de compositors y autores de musica (ALCAM), Pan African Composers and Songwriters Alliance (PACSA) and the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA). Spearheaded by the Songwriters Association of Canada, it is our intention this comprehensive analysis will pave the way to providing consumers a clear option to consume music through channels that fairly compensate creators.
industry
c creators in the digital age By M. Pierre Lalonde
rights holders. This lack of transparency, and the opaqueness of many other aspects of the current value chain, including the conflict of interest that arises when record labels are also shareholders of the streaming services, leaves artists and songwriters in the dark about much of their current situation.
4
“Fair Trade” models may prove more effective in creating a “virtuous” value chain than government regulation.
The creative and economic environment is changing rapidly, yet the revision of copyright legislation is inherently lengthy and complex. The regulatory framework seems similarly challenged. (The antiquated Consent Decree in the U.S. is a prime example.) While global efforts to reform copyright policies are certainly important, laws and regulations cannot and do not keep pace.
Other industries have made notable progress towards a fair value chain without government intervention by adopting ethical rules and practices. The “Fair Trade” movement, for example, effectively communicates a clear choice to the consumer at the point of purchase: she can be the last link in a “virtuous” value chain by choosing a clearly marked “Fair Trade” product, or choose a similar product that is not certified “Fair Trade”, and thereby become the final link in an exploitive value chain that largely excludes workers in favor of distributors. The success of the fair trade movement has demonstrated consumers’ willingness to
“
make ethical choices when given a simple, understandable option. A more equitable future may lie in the application and acceptance by all who inhabit the music landscape — from creators to consumers, and all those in between — of simple ethical practices, the power of which can be seen in the fair trade movement.
Other industries have made notable progress towards a fair value chain without government intervention
”
To read the complete study and the executive summary, please visit: www.songwriters. ca/FairTradeMusic.aspx
Mr. Lalonde is an economist and the President of Economic Perspective, an economic consulting firm. Throughout most of his 33 year career in the Canadian Government, he specialized in cultural and copyright issues. He previously administered the Canada Music Fund.
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www.eriksonaudio.com Songwriters Magazine
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S.A.C. songwriting challenge
business
Give me a deadline and stand back
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Writing six songs in six weeks for the S.A.C. songwriting challenge
t h i n ks t o c k
By Allister Bradley
y experience with songwriting is a duplicitous one — it is truly inspiring once the wheels are turning and I’m “in a dance” with the song in its developing stages, and yet elusive as the rest of my daily life breaks rudely into the conversation and distracts me from my purpose. There’s one thing I can always count on, though, to keep me focused on the finish line and to assist in pulling the whole song out of me: a DEADLINE. Enter the most wonderful opportunity — the S.A.C. 2014 Songwriting/Blogging Challenge: Six Songs in Six Weeks. Just saying those words again causes my heart rate to spike a little bit. The challenge unfolded earlier this year, when about 80 S.A.C. members banded together to create new songs and to help each other through the process. The participants were geographically separate, but through social media we came together in a supportive way. The challenge worked as such: each Monday morning, hit songwriter Christopher Ward provided us with a focus for the week — something different each week — from “consider 10 clichés and how you might shake them up”, to “come up with five fresh opening lines, titles, and favourite song themes”, or even “find song ideas overheard in others’ conversations.” It was just enough direction to focus the mind. The
instructions were simple: follow the week’s instructions, blog about your ideas, and write a new song from one of those ideas, all within the next seven days. The results were incredible. Each week saw a collection of newborn songs posted to the group through SoundCloud, followed by long conversations on social media in which the writers shared their impressions and suggestions. I didn’t see a harsh word written — despite the strong opinions offered on these new creations — just supportive and constructive ideas. The songs came from almost every angle and genre — from jazz to folk, R&B to “dusty southern murder ballad” (yes, that’s what I said) — and from all levels of experience — songwriters recording their first songs on their iPhone, side-by-side with fully arranged demos from semi-pro recording studios. Judging from the conversation threads, the contributions from the experienced writers were inspiring to those just starting out, and the offerings from newbie songwriters were refreshing to the veterans. I spent nearly a full day each week just listening to the new songs and sharing my thoughts on the group page. I apologize that it wasn’t enough time to cover all the new music being posted by the group. The response from the participants was varied. For some, it seemed like child’s play to create and record a new song each week.
Others quietly allowed the challenge to slip by without posting anything new. Many were anxious about posting fresh, untested songs for us to discuss. One writer expressed her fear and loathing of everything she had written so far in the week, but she refused to give up, had a last-minute breakthrough and proudly posted her song before the end of the week. Special mention to Kelly McQuillan, who met the week five deadline despite getting married the same week! How did I respond to the challenge? I work well to a deadline, and this was no exception. I pushed a lot of things to the backburner but now I have those six new songs in my pocket. I’ve already performed a few of them to warm audience response — including that dreaded post-show exchange, “Can I buy a CD with that song on it?” I’m sorry, not yet. Best of all, I’ve met a handful of songwriters with whom I’d be glad to take this challenge even further. So for all those songwriters who find themselves in the “I really want to write a song” stage, whether it’s your first song or simply your first in a while, keep an eye out for the next S.A.C. Songwriting Challenge and get to work! Allister Bradley (www.allisterbradley.com) is a songwriter, musician and recording artist. He is also the producer, engineer and barista at Left Side Recording Services in Kitchener, Ontario. His six-week challenge blog can be found at allisterbradley.tumblr.com
Halifax Regional Writers Group
the power of rwgs
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cross the country songwriters gather in small groups to hone their craft in S.A.C. Regional Writers Groups. The Halifax Regional Writers Group (RWG) started 10 years ago with three coordinators; Lisa Birt, Joanna Butler and Alan MacLeod, and a handful of songwriters. The group now has over 100 members
on its mailing list and on average 15 songwriters who show up for monthly sessions. The group breaks up into three smaller groups to co-write or critique each other’s songs and workshop their performance skills. Members of the Halifax RWG are always eager to keep learning the craft attending workshops such as the Road
By Joanna Butler to Stanfest Songwriting Camp and a weekend with Pat Pattison in Halifax at ROCA House. Two members participated in a showcase in Austin, Texas, one member attended a
Nashville songwriting workshop, and several members have released CDs and perform regularly at paid venues including the Halifax Bluebird North hosted by Mel Farrimond. Others volunteer at the shows. Two members also recently received FACTOR grants. To join a RWG go to: www.songwriters.ca/ regionalgroups.aspx
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feature
S.A.C. exclusive Q&A WITH
BRYAN ADAMS
F
By Nick Krewen
AND JIM VALLANCE
or Tracks Of My Years, the first Were any of these songs responsible for of three albums he’ll release over the getting you interested in music or next 12 months, iconic songwriter, compelling you to become a performer? Canadian Music Hall Of Fame member, ADAMS: “Down On The Corner” by CCR and trailblazing rocker Bryan Adams (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is the one song has referenced his past. that was definitely on my turntable as a kid. On his 11th studio album, and first in six years, Adams, a Grammy, and 19-time Juno winner, and Did any of these songs trigger memories? Order Of Canada recipient who has sold more than 65 ADAMS: They are simply songs that were on my million albums, has covered 10 classic songs (15 on the transistor radio in the early 70’s. I used to listen deluxe edition), ranging from The Manhattan’s soulful to the radio in such anticipation for what would “Kiss And Say Goodbye,” and Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” come next; it was spellbinding to me. Who to Bobby Hebb’s pop gem “Sunny” and Smokey Robinson were these people making music? What did Jim Vallance four-time & The Miracles’ immortal “The Tracks Of My Tears.” they look like? How was it done? How do you Juno Songwriter of the Year Joining him for the album’s sole original composition — make music? “She Knows Me” — is Jim Vallance, his longest standing songwriting partner who teamed with him on such chart-topping hits as “Heaven,” “She Knows Me” is an Adams/Vallance original. Does this serve “Cuts Like A Knife,” “Run To You” and also co-wrote Reckless, the first as a teaser for your upcoming album of originals produced by domestic album to sell more than one million copies in Canada (and Jeff Lynne? recently commemorated with a 30th anniversary edition.) ADAMS: Verve needed a new song to help promote the album as most A four-time Juno Songwriter of the Year and also a Member of the stations, won’t play old songs that are covers. Furthermore, it’s very Order of Canada, Vallance established himself as a hit songwriter unlike what I’m doing with Jeff, the only thread is guitars and my voice. (under the pseudonym Rodney Higgs) with (“Spaceship Superstar”) prior to meeting Adams at Long & McQuade in Vancouver in January You’ve written many hits together. How would you describe 1978. Aside from his work with Adams, Vallance has co-authored hits your songwriting relationship and how has it evolved? for Heart (“What About Love”), Anne Murray (“Now And Forever (You ADAMS: I’d say it’s better than ever, we’ve somehow found a way to make And Me)” Aerosmith (“Rag Doll,” “The Other Side”) and many more. music without being in the same room all the time, yet when we do get Both Vallance and Adams took time to talk exclusively with together, it’s fascinating how little time it takes to make things happen. Songwriters via separate email interviews about Tracks Of My Years We used to spend days going over ideas and trying to make things and songwriting. work sitting in his basement studio. VALLANCE: We “clicked” right from the start. It helped that we had lots of shared influences — AC/DC, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Why did you decide to release an album of predominantly David Bowie. We were already on the same page. cover songs? ADAMS: The idea was presented to me by Verve Records and producer David Foster. He makes albums like this and I thought it wasn’t a bad How do you complement each other? idea as long as I could have some fun with it, hence the cover photo. ADAMS: Someone described Jim to me the other day as a song fixer, as his reputation was at one time, I suppose, from working with other bands and helping with the arrangements and making hooks. Why did you choose these particular covers? However with me, we just sat in a room together until we got a song. ADAMS: They were just songs I remembered from around the time I VALLANCE: It’s always been a very comfortable, complimentary relationdecided music was going to be my life.
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It’s the best thing in the world when you can create something from nothing, and that doesn’t just apply to songwriting Bryan Adams
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ship. We push each other, we’re critical, but there’s a lot of trust and respect. Plus, Bryan has one of the best voices in the business, so imagine how amazing it is to sit across from him during a writing session and hear him sing … as you’re writing the song!
When you do get together, do you work spontaneously? Or do you bring some ideas and then flesh them out?
ADAMS: Both ways. He’s great at coming up with something if I call him and say, “I’ve been asked to write for this or that.” Within a day he will have sent me some sort of sketch. Lately, when he’s sent me a start, I’ll write the second half and send it back (hoping he’ll like it). It’s an unorthodox method of working things out, but we know and trust each other so much, so if one idea doesn’t work, it may lead to something else, which it inevitably does.
After your initial songwriting session together, is there much rewriting? ADAMS: So much of that depends on the song. I like to use the “Summer of ’69” example, which was a song that had all the makings of something good, yet we toiled over the arrangement of the instruments. We did three different demos and I went on and cut two completely different versions of the song until the performance had some kind of magic. So that is an example of a good song that might never have been heard if the record wasn’t any good. VALLANCE: We’re relentless. Up to the last minute, right until the mix leaves the studio, we’re still fine-tuning things. We’ll change an “and” to a “but” if we think the inflection improves the lyric.
What is the most satisfying aspect of songwriting to you? ADAMS: It’s the best thing in the world when you can create something from nothing, and that doesn’t just apply to songwriting. VALLANCE: Songwriting is such hard work … just thinking about it makes my brain hurt! But there’s that moment when you know you’re done. That’s the best part … finishing a song!
Are your songs labour-intensive, or do they come quickly? ‘Tracks of my years’ is Adams’s first album in 6 years
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ADAMS: When they come, the in-between times can be long, as songwriting is a craft. You have to put in the time, and once they come, the work just begins, from demo to performance to master. It’s a long road. VALLANCE: It’s never quick. It’s never easy. You might get a complete phrase, a few lines of verse, half a chorus. Fleshing out the lyric and
feature melody, that’s the hard part. You have to spend the time. Hours, days, whatever it takes.
When is a song finished?
“
so put in the time - do the work - and always and I mean always - trust your gut on everything you do
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Bryan Adams
ADAMS: You just know. However, there have been times when I’ve finished a demo and thought something was missing, and during the master recording you get the chance to work out what that was. VALLANCE: I remember co-writing with an artist a few years ago. We went back and forth, each contributing ideas to the song. The best way I can describe it is this — imagine two painters standing in front of an easel. Each painter takes a turn, adding a few dabs of paint to the canvas. After a day or two we reached a point where I thought we’d created something quite special. It was a good song, and as far as I was concerned, it was finished. She took the song to her producer who was also a songwriter. The two of them added a few more “layers of paint.” It ended up being unrecognizable, a different song altogether. There’s a quote attributed to Mozart that works just as well for modern songwriting: “Knowing which notes to use is easy … knowing which notes to leave out, that’s the hard part.”
Is there a particular songwriting tool that you use?
ADAMS: My acoustic guitar. There is a great story about (Nashville songwriting legend) Harlan Howard and how some young guitarist wanted to buy his old guitar and Harlan sold it to him. When Harlan’s friends found out he sold it, they asked why he sold his guitar? And he responded, “Cuz there ain’t no more songs in that guitar.” VALLANCE: When I’m really stuck for a lyric I’ll use MasterWriter software. It’s an all-in-one rhyming dictionary/thesaurus/cultural resource tool. It won’t write a song for you, but sometimes it’ll get you out of a bind.
What is your favourite Bryan Adams-Jim Vallance song ADAMS: Maybe “Run To You;” it’s still the song that surprised me the most when I finally heard it with the band. VALLANCE: There’s a new “Adams” album coming out next year. It’s some of our best writing, ever. So at this particular moment, those are my favourite Adams-Vallance songs. But looking at our past catalogue, I think “Summer of ‘69” was pretty good. We worked really hard on that one. Days and weeks, trying to get it right.
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Songwriters Magazine
The music industry landscape has changed drastically since you began. What advice would you give today’s aspiring songwriters? ADAMS: Stop worrying about social media and focus on the music. All the rest of that bullshit will come once you have the songs together. And also remember, that once you stick things on the Internet, they never go away, so put in the time — do the work — and always — and I mean always — trust your gut on everything you do. VALLANCE: I feel really bad for songwriters getting started in 2014. I mean, writing songs wasn’t any easier in 1984, but back then, if you did good work there was a chance you might sell a million albums. Now you’re lucky to sell 10,000 … or 1,000. My advice today is the same advice I’d have given 30 years ago: “If you love it, do it.” I never had a “Plan B.” Even if I’d never sold a record or earned a penny, I’d still be doing it. You don’t choose songwriting … songwriting chooses you.
Finally, who is your favourite songwriter of all time, and why? ADAMS: Probably John Lennon. He could do more with one note than anyone else. Take the verse of “Julia” for example, or the verse of “Hard Days Night” or “I Am The Walrus”… VALLANCE: Favourite songwriter? Too many to mention: John Lennon and Paul McCartney would be top of my list. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Paul Simon, Carole King, Brian Wilson, Pete Townshend, Joni Mitchell. Maybe one day I’ll write a song as good as their worst song!
feature
Wish granted Children’s musician Jennifer Gasoiʼs eight-year journey to Grammy gold
By Lily Cheng
J
ennifer Gasoi is the first Canadian to receive the Grammy for Best Children’s Album for her album Throw A Penny In The Wishing Well. Her 2014 win resulted from setting a goal of creating an exceptional Grammy-caliber album that took eight years to complete. Gasoi has been songwriting for more than 25 years. Although it began with pop songs in her early teens, and evolved to jazz later on, looking back, she sees that she was connecting with kids from a very young age as a babysitter, day camp leader, and eventually a voice and piano teacher. While building a career as a jazz performer in Montreal, Gasoi also wrote songs for children’s music classes that she taught. Eventually her two worlds merged as she sought out the best Jazz/RnB/Blues musicians to bring her songs for children to life. She even tested out her songs at jazz gigs at the Upstairs Jazz Bar and discovered there was a universality to her songs that made them accessible to adults.
The road to Grammy Her songs are relatable to all ages, covering themes such as procrastination with “Hurry Up Sleepy Head” to navigating through life’s challenges in “Little Boat” and even sadness — the song “Happy” captures how you can move from a sad moment in life back to a state of joy. The messages can be complex, but she keeps the words simple. Some of these songs came from 10-minute magical downloads complete with melody, lyrics and chords, while others have taken a couple years to finish. When it came time to cut the album, she had to choose 18 out of 30 songs. She spent eight months choosing which songs, which genres, and choosing the overall feel for each song. Her album is a great musical education covering genres such as calypso, bluegrass, klezmer and gospel. Every step towards releasing her album was carefully researched and mapped out, including two years working on branding, website design, funding and
social media. She also took business courses and wrote a business plan. She finally launched her album in 2012. Submitting herself for Grammy consideration was an intensive process unto itself that involved extensive research and becoming a voting member of the Recording Academy. She cautions those who would like to submit their work themselves: “The process is not geared for indie artists.” Despite all her efforts, Gasoi did not really think she would win.
taking control of your destiny Her victory came as a big surprise and she was unprepared for the aftermath. “Winning a Grammy is really built for big labels,” she says. She was busy doing press all over Montreal and a media tour in Toronto. It was a taste of celebrity living. At the same time she had to maintain her business. Sales skyrocketed and she had to keep up with shipping her CDs. She received hundreds of emails a day and needed to hire an assistant to keep up with requests and invitations from various organizations, industry representatives and media. People think Gasoi is rich now since winning a Grammy. They don’t realize that she had to pay for everything — the hair, the make-up, the gown. It may look glamorous, but it has also been a reality check. Amidst the whirlwind came dozens of opportunities from reputable potential partners. Gasoi has had to constantly check back in with her centre and ask herself what is her truest calling? It has been hard for her to turn down many opportunities, but she has come to the realization that being master of her career and destiny is important to her as is making a positive impact in the world. Ultimately, she wants to work with people who understand and respect her views. As she continues to bask in the glow of her Grammy win, she isn’t in a rush to put out her next album. Gasoi trusts her next album will come when she has something to say.
kids’ Folk classic gets an update “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” was written by folk music legend Alan Mills who wrote the tune with lyrics by Rose Bonne. Mills was an influential folksinger who popularized a wide repertoire of Canadian folk songs during the folk music revival of the 1950-60s. The song was later recorded by folksingers such as Burl Ives, Peter, Paul and Mary and Pete Seeger. The song is getting a revival with the release of a new version in a book and CD compilation with the same title featuring music by Thomas Hellman and Emilie Clepper who breathe new life into a collection of songs Canadians have grown up with for over 50 years.
Songwriters Magazine
13
feature
The legacy of
Haydain Neale
Haydain Neale had a lot of soul. Not just in his music, but in his approach to family and life in general. The S.A.C. is privileged to have had him as a President and advocate. The world will get another chance to celebrate his music and life with the release of a greatest hits album five years after his untimely death. We asked his daughter, Yasmin Neale and long-time co-writer and Jacksoul bandmate, Ron Lopata, to reflect on his life.
n Ron Lopata What is Haydain’s legacy for Canadian songwriters and the music industry as a whole?
In the early 2000’s R&B and soul weren’t mainstream as they are now. You didn’t hear it on the radio the way we hear Drake or Pharrell Williams on the radio these days. Jacksoul is a Canadian band that tried to bring that sound and was a frontrunner in bringing this genre of music to Canadians, making way for talent like Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black and Divine Brown. No other act at the time was making this type of music with the same longevity. His legacy was introducing the sound to Canadian ears.
What was the co-writing process for Jacksoul? Haydain was the lyricist while the rest of the band was the music. The songs were his words and ideas.
Where did you find the three new original songs on the upcoming album?
Haydain had demos for the next record and “Got To Have It” was one of them. The arrangement really changed and some sections were removed solidifying the pre-chorus and chorus. The essence was all there. The other songs were found in his archives. Michaela (Hudson), his wife, kept giving me hard drive after hard drive of music. There were lots of great ideas and snippets. I found a few songs that had the real Jacksoul — the
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Songwriters Magazine
lyrical content and the musical vibe. A lot of the core was already there. The lyrics and the harmony. We just added some production and tweaking. “Spiralling” was a piano-vocal co-write with Stephan Moccio. The chorus vocal was really cool. We got Trey Mission to write and record verses for the song. The result is beautiful and haunting. The third song, “Whole Day” is a song we worked on together. All the vocals were there. We just changed some of the chords and beat. We worked on it as a band.
What do you think Haydain would say to aspiring songwriters?
Don’t stop writing. Writing is 10 per cent inspiration 90 per cent perspiration. You might have to write 50-100 songs to get the one song. Once you’re done, make them sound good. Put together a great live show. Haydain would get up there …sweat, get people on their feet. We loved doing it.
What was your personal motivation for championing this ALBUM?
Haydain was relentless in terms of writing songs that would reach people, bring good times and good vibes. He spent many nights working to make the best songs and show possible. So much time, energy and passion. I want to make sure his music, mission and message continue, like Bob Marley, it never stops for musicians who have something to say.
By Lily Cheng
n Yasmin Neale How do you feel about the upcoming greatest hits collection?
I’m excited about hearing him on the radio again, and reigniting the love and support that fans have continuously poured out to my family.
What’s your favourite song on the album? “Never Say Goodbye.” I love the lyrics and it reminds me how I feel about my dad, the idea of not having to say goodbye and the hope of reuniting. I’m thinking of getting a tattoo with these lines from the song: “If the last day comes tomorrow And the stars fall from the sky Only then can I release you ‘Cause I know that all angels have to fly.”
Did you write songs with your dad?
I started writing songs with my dad when I was in Grade 2. I wrote songs about Easy Bake ovens, my puppy and best friends. I would write raps and my dad would write choruses for them. I even wrote a song with him after my first break up. I have many recordings of these songs that are special to me.
Do you have any memories of watching your dad write?
Before he had a studio he would write songs on the computer under my bunk bed. I’d be asleep and he would be working on his songwriting. Sometimes I’d hear him singing in the middle of the night.
Is there any particular song that has special significance to you?
The song “I Ain’t No Good (Without U),” off the album Resurrected. While most people hear a beautiful love song, it was actually a song for me. I was in my teens and we were fighting at the time. I cried the first time I heard the song.
Has your father’s music been a source of comfort after losing him?
I listened to my dad’s songs the same day he passed away. I went home and I wanted to listen to him. The music has helped me a lot.
What would your dad say to aspiring artists?
Work hard. My dad believed in working
Your Song Deserves the Best
hard. Don’t follow your dreams because you want to be rich or famous. Follow them because you want it and are willing to work hard. Don’t lose yourself. He knew the industry could be too much and the music part can get lost. He fought to stay true to himself musically, and as a person. He always appreciated his family. He told us if the commercial side of the business got to be too much he would walk away from it all.
Full service production and mixing solution for songwriters and artists
What do you think is your father’s legacy? I think his greatest legacy is his voice. I wish more people could have heard him sing live. He worked on his voice all the time and didn’t smoke or drink. He really took care of his instrument. He was an amazing singer.
Haydain and his daughter Yasmin
ARUN CHATURVEDI
Michaela Hudson
Juno nominated & WCMA winning
Producer of the Year
arun.chaturvedi@bell.net
Songwriters Magazine
15
business craft
Writing melodies that stick
and stick out! Put tried and true techniques to work for your next memorable song
popular singers have cool and interesting voices with very limited ranges. Don’t be fooled when you hear songs like Whitney g in v Ir Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” with n By Ro Whitney singing up in the stratosphere. Check out the original version by the writer, Dolly Parton, and you’ll find a very simple, e often use words sing-able song. It’s also a good idea to save the like “catchy”, “hooky” or “infectious” when describing highest notes, the “money notes” as David a good melody. “I can’t get your Foster calls them, for the chorus. The chord progression is the foundation song out of my head” are words the melody rests on. Learning to play popular songwriters truly love to hear. When you songs and analyzing them is a great exercise remove the lyrics from a song you are left with a chord progression and notes that go up for aspiring songwriters. Hit Katy Perry’s songs often have “tricks” like and down in a variety of rhythms. ‘Teenage an odd unexpected chord or To quote Quincy Jones, you should be able Dream’ is a bridge that goes to another another great to “Go to the piano and play the melody with example of world. The old adage that one finger!” Consider the Canadian classic the rhythm “there is nothing new under song, Anne Murray’s “Snowbird” written by change the sun” certainly applies to Gene MacLellan. The melody is dead simple and has a lot of repetition. Repetition is a song- songwriting. For example “Last Kiss” first released in writer’s friend because it always takes the 1961 by Wayne Cochrane and audience a few listens to get on to a song. then covered in the 1990’s by One very attention-getting device in Pearl Jam is based on a 1 6 4 5 melody writing is the melodic leap. A great example is the timeless “Somewhere Over the chord progression. Fast forward to the Leona Lewis Rainbow” which opens with an octave leap, “SomeWHERE over the rainbow.” Lennon and smash, “Bleeding Love,” take away the killer production McCartney used the same technique in She’s and you are left with the same a Woman, which opens with, “My love don’t simple 1 6 4 5 chord progression. It’s also give me presents.” (see below) Both songs get noteworthy that “Bleeding Love” has a hooky the listeners attention right from the get go. melodic leap downward on the chorus, “Keep It’s usually best to keep the melody contained bleedin’ keep keep bleedin’ love.” Another key to one octave give or take a note or two at the element that is so important in the hit songs top or bottom if you want to write songs for we hear today is in the variation of the other artists to record. Why? Because many rhythm. By that, I refer to the number of notes per bar or syllables per line in Some where over the rainbo w the different sections of a tune. Pop music is all about “I got rhythm!” MY LOVE don’t give me presen ts (SHE’S A WOMAN ) Drum loops, super simple bass lines, and very few chord changes anchoring KEEP BLEEDIN KEEP KEEP BLEEDIN LOVE
W
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melodies that often don’t “soar” are common place in today’s hits, so how do you keep the listeners attention for three to four minutes? Change the rhythm. The Mylie Cyrus hit “The Climb” topped both the pop and country charts and is a great example of a song with a very simple chord structure, a catchy melody and a chorus that stands alone and stands out. Have a listen to the song and you will hear a verse with just enough melodic repetition followed by a pre chorus with a couple of sweet chord changes and less notes/syllables per line than the verse preceding it — then BAM! the chorus accelerates with far more notes/ syllables per line “Always gonna be another mountain, always gonna wanna make it move” etc.. “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry is another example of the rhythm changing from verse to pre-chorus to chorus while the underlying bass and chord changes stay pretty much the same. Current country songs from Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean often use similar techniques — few chords, lots of rhythmic changes between the various sections of the song and not much in the way of a memorable melody. In my view a great song starts with a great melody that comes from the heart and sparks an emotion in the heart of the listener. Ron Irving’s songs have been recorded by over 100 artists worldwide in seven languages including cuts with Anne Murray, Michael Buble, Jennifer Rush, Asian stars Jacky Cheung and MINK, One More Girl, Lisa Brokop, Terri Clark, Lee Greenwood and many others with awards for Song of the Year from both SOCAN and the CMPA. He’s currently on the faculty of the Harbourside Institute of Technology teaching songwriting. www.starbirdmusic.net
Songwriters SongwritersMagazine Magazine 17
craft
Unleashing the ‘voice’ of your songwriting demo By Brandon Brophy
A
s a songwriter, you want to get your song heard by the people that matter. The problem is the marketplace is saturated and difficult to break into. Once you’ve written your ultimate song, how will you get it to stand out? Getting a great vocal performance on your demo can make all the difference. The time and money you invest in a great vocal can help your song take flight.
Why a great vocal performance is vital Many songwriters feel frustrated about what makes a “good enough” vocal take, or they secretly hope the listener will forgive the quality of the recording. But nowadays even a demo needs to be well-produced to be heard. Music industry insider David Stark, who worked for Beatles music publisher Dick James says you only have 20 seconds to sell your song. Grabbing the listener with a compelling vocal is key. It is important to note when I speak of a great vocal performance, I am not necessarily referring to one that is technically strong but also one that can be moving in its rawness and authenticity.
b o w i e15/12 3 R F
Why it can be difficult to get a great vocal The voice is a complicated instrument that can take a lifetime to master. Day to day changes in the nervous system, voice, and environment make consistently balanced and efficient singing a difficult feat. Even naturally strong singers can feel challenged by the recording studio setting. Good studio singing is an art mastered by few. That’s why it’s hard to find a good studio vocalist. These days, the bar on great singing has been set so high it is no wonder so few singers can do it well by industry standards. If you
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Songwriters Magazine
want your song to break into the mainstream, don’t settle for a vocal performance reminiscent of classical music, folk music, or is dull in any way. It won’t be relevant, and it won’t grab the listener.
What you can do to get a great vocal performance One of the best things you can do for your song is to hire a professional vocalist. Music publisher Bronson Herrmuth explicitly points out: “Do not sing it yourself unless you really are a pro and your voice is the perfect voice to really sell your song. This is not a place to try to save a few bucks on your recording project. The voice can make or break your demo no matter how good your songwriting or recording skills might be… Recording a track of you singing your song is fine to have for yourself but make sure the version you send to the industry has the greatest vocalist you can find singing on it.” This isn’t to say that you should never record your own vocals for your own song. You might be the best voice for your song. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking your vocal tone is all your song needs. It’s not. There’s much more to great singing than just a nice vocal tone. Understanding the immensity of talent required for a professional vocal rendering of your song should convince you to consider getting help. If you decide on hiring the best vocalist for your song, make sure you find a singer who has experience and success reaching
“
the demographic your song is attempting to appeal to. You can find many session singers for hire through the local musicians union, your network of industry-insiders, and even on Craigslist. If you really want to bring the quality of your vocal performance to another level, bring in a vocal producer, or a vocal coach that has experience getting the most out of singers, particularly in what can be a highly charged, clock-watching studio environment. Once you have a vocal team in place it is time to establish the right key and tempo for the singer and the message you want to communicate. It is likely you wrote the song with either your own voice or that of another singer in mind. Don’t get too attached to any particular key or tempo, as it may not be the best for the singer you have hired. Meet with the vocalist before entering the studio to explore what will work best to get the most moving interpretation and performance. Don’t be afraid to let go of preconceived notions of how your song should be sung. You have to trust the singer to do their job and that might include bringing something to the table you never expected. Let it happen. These little changes could be the extra gust of wind that propels your song into the hands of the stars.
There’s much more to great singing than just a nice vocal tone
”
Brandon Brophy is considered one of Canada’s top vocal coaches. He directs Singer’s Edge — a Toronto, vocal development facility featuring expert specialty voice coaches, classes, and workshops for singers. He has coached Juno winning artists and continues to work with singers and voice coaches around the world.
craft
Tips to putting together
t
A Top vocal chain
Vocal processing for Songwriters
A u d i o -T ech n i caU K : C reat i v e c o m m o n s
hese days, it’s common for DJs to send songwriters tracks and ask them to write and record vocals for them. For topliners who are just starting to record/mix their own vocals at home, here’s a sample plug-in chain you can experiment with to get your vocal sitting nicely with your track. Once you have your vocal recorded and edited, try the following:
By Arun Chaturvedi
on the particular vocal and track, but for a pop vocal, try this to start: Hi Pass Filter around 150Hz, slight cut around 600Hz, slight boost at 1.5kHz, slight boost at 10kHz.
3
1
De-ess: Use a De-Esser to tame harsh “S” sounds in the vocal, before sending to a compressor. If you’ve never used a De-Esser before, don’t worry. Many plug-ins come with presets that can be a useful starting point.
delay sends to achieve special effects and to highlight important words and phrases.
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Compressor: Try a compressor with fast attack and release time to knock down the bigger transients in the vocal, then use a fixed time compressor or limiter to smooth it out.
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Arun Chaturvedi is a Toronto based Songwriter, Record Producer, and Composer for Film & TV. He won “Producer of the Year” at the 2011 Western Canadian Music Awards and has written & produced for artists including James Struthers, Flo, Luke McMaster, Little Hawk and more. He can be reached at arun@cbgartistdevelopment.com.
Autotune/melodyne if needed or desired. Tune graphically or in auto mode. If you use auto mode, try experimenting with automating the various plug-in parameters (master bypass, key, scale, retune speed etc).
EQ (Equalizer)– Cut problem frequencies, and boost/cut various frequencies to improve the emotional impact of the vocal, and to make it sit nicely with the track. Of course theBBVS choices you make here depend vocal ad_1.pdf 1 will 2014-09-04
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Send your vocal to one or more reverb effects. Send your vocal to any number of delay effects. Be creative and automate your
6:50 PM
Try using a bit of EQ/compression/ limiting on the master buss to “glue” your vocals together with the track. Good luck!
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business
Beyond ABBA: A taste of Sweden’s rich musical offerings kent
r ox e t t e
Albin Olsson
S
weden. A land of ice, snow, short summers, a fervent hockey fan base, and famous blondes. What’s not to love? Especially when it comes to another Scandinavian passion: music! Since the early 1990’s, Stockholm has been a desired writing and recording destination for the best songs and writers in the world. The “Swedish sound” has become a pop benchmark, not only for boy and girl bands, but also for many solo artists. From the dazzling and eclectic Robyn to the blistering power pop of The Hives. From The Backstreet Boys to Canada’s own Anjulie. But what makes it different?
Sanna Ni elsen
By Vincent Degiorgio
Some of it can be traced back to the generational roots of Swedish music, in a splinter of their musical folklore called “Dansband” music. A cousin to German schlager, its infectious origins are in sing-along songs with huge melodies and soaring choruses. The highest rated program on Swedish TV is a Saturday night sing-along show called “Allsong pa Skansen”, or “Sing-along at Skansen.” Everybody knows the words of every song with tapings attended by 10,000 to 25,000 people each week. One of the signficant providers of the great songs they sing, aside from the National Charts, is the biggest pop event in Sweden: “Melodifestivalen” otherwise known as “The Swedish Song Contest.” I call it: “The two months of the year you lose most of your Swedish friends.” It’s a national obsession that goes on for months to choose a winner to compete for the Eurovision crown. Everyone from wannabe artists to superstar, prime time players vie to try and win the annual kitsch fest.
Where should you go if you’d like to venture there? It’s no secret the country’s three major cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo, are awash with talented writers but each city is unique. While pop is king in the capital city, the musical landscape changes as you travel throughout the country. The south, including Gothenburg, is known for great rock music. Want something more eclectic? Malmo is a 35 minute train ride from Copenhagen airport. Sweden can be mapped out by hitmakers. The Hives hail from just outside of Stockholm in Fagersta. Head south toward Halmstad and you’ll find the home base of both Per Gessle’s multi-million selling Gyllene Tider (“Golden Times”) and the much loved Roxette. My favourite? Kent, from the southern city of Eskilstuna, that combines synth pop with rock that has won 20 Swedish “Grammis” awards. Like Canada, Sweden is a major arts exporter. They have become one of the biggest suppliers to the Asian pop music industry. So when S.A.C. mentor Aileen de la Cruz wrote with Stockholm’s 3D0 she landed a major cut with Korea’s girl group 4 Minute.
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Sweden has come a long way since Abba’s “Waterloo” breakthrough
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Songwriters Magazine
”
business Another one of her songs ended up being cut in Argentina. Malmo’s Andreas “Stone” Johansson, S.A.C. SongWorks alumnus, has become a veritable king in Japan with eight No.1 singles. Stockholm-based Maria Marcus is one of the hottest female producers in a male dominated market. Her 3 Girls Generation cuts are just part of her creative arsenal. Where Canadians are concerned, Toronto’s Liz Rodrigues has worked extensively with Kelly Clarkson Grammy nominated hit maker Jorgen Elofsson. Another Elofsson collaborator is our own legendary Dan Hill. The Random production team based in Gothenburg are the musical backbone for the Juno nominated pop king Shawn Desman. Many of the aforementioned sessions are set up by music publishers, often by sending a small sample of current works so publishers can match writers for the best creative teams. Independent writers and artists have many ways to connect. Toronto-based Jesse Weeks recently hooked up with DJ Molitor on a pair of forthcoming releases by reaching out with his own song demos. Sweden has come a long way since ABBA’s “Waterloo” breakthrough at Eurovison, and synthpop bands like Secret Service. The 70’s international breakthrough of Blue Swede, who’s jungleintro chant of “Ooga Chakka” on a cover of the B.J. Thomas hit “Hooked On A Feeling” can be heard again in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Canadians can find great synergy working with our Northern European brothers and sisters. The only thing we can’t agree on is who is the greatest hockey nation on earth.
Tips for writing
in Sweden
Know your strengths, and theirs Melodically, the Swedish writers were given a gift and are also great vocalists. So if you are dominant as a melody person, my suggestion would be to attack the lyric end of the program and go with the flow. If you love what you hear, your words to their music will light a fire. It might be the reverse — perhaps it is your voice that resonates. Either way, go with the flow!
English is your asset. Even though most people speak English, a lyric by a native speaker can be a selling point to your collaboration.
You might not be understood. Just because someone seems fluent in English, doesn’t mean they understand you. Don’t talk a million miles a minute. Listening is the ultimate way to pay respect to your co-writer. In addition, there may be times a lyric you have written reflects how things are expressed in Canada. Don’t be taken aback if you have to explain your lyric and why it works.
Family is welcome. Many Swedish writers have children who are welcome in the studio. Don’t be surprised if you meet other members of the family, even during your session.
Vincent Degiorgio is an accomplished songwriter with sales that have exceeded 30 million units. He is president and founder of Chapter 2 Productions www.chapter2prod.com
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Songwriters Magazine
21
By David Farrell
T h i n ks t o c k
Get up, stand up and fight for your rights R onnie Hawkins is famous for many reasons, chief among them his ability to spin a colourful story. One I have long chuckled over has him entering a New York City walk-up to find himself confronted by a man tumbling head over heels down a steep flight of stairs. Looking up, Hawkins sees a bear of a man standing upright on the landing above, arms flailing, screaming at the top of his voice, “You want f@## royalties, go to @### Buck@###ingham Palace.” It is an amusing anecdote that illustrates how easy it is for songwriters and composers to take the bait dangled by smooth-talking predators. I’ve been around the music business long enough to have a reasonable understanding of its complexities; and make no mistake, it is a business that is as complex as the electronic circuitry aboard a Polaris submarine. One unmistakable shift in recent years is that with adversity has come cohesion. In the more than 30 years covering the music industry in Canada, I have never seen the degree of unanimity in the creative sector, as is evident today. One of its most visible champions is S.A.C. President Eddie Schwartz, whose advocacy has earned respect for and an understanding of rights of songwriters and composers in
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Songwriters Magazine
Ottawa dating back to 2010 and Bill C-32. Schwartz subsequently has tabled discussions with stakeholders globally to create a comprehensive, and feasible blueprint to monetize unlimited song downloads through ISP tariffs, helping to create a unified voice for the protection of intellectual property rights, and creating a network of Fair Trade Music partners. It is a long, hard road that takes him away from his family and keeps him up late at nights. “But I get the sense that the pendulum is starting to swing in our favour,” he tells me. “It’s early days,” he says by phone from his current home in Nashville. “The outcry over the miniscule (. 000035) rates the streaming music services payout is gaining traction.
“
We’re optimistic that, with the establishment of fair royalty rates payable by all music streaming services doing business in Canada, we can establish a healthy new revenue source for the benefit the entire industry
”
When you see your income crumble, earning maybe $35 from music streams where conventional sales of music would have been paying $45,000, you know you have to get out there and lobby hard.” Music creators need to be fairly compensated and it’s a conversation that is going on with rights agencies globally. “SOCAN, CMPA and the Songwriters Association of Canada really stand up for the rights of songwriters, composers and music publishers,” Schwartz confirms, adding that “it takes a lot of money to prepare briefs, cover travel costs, legals — but that’s what it takes to correct the imbalance created by big tech companies today.” Revenues from a shifting economy where mechanical royalties from conventional music sales are replaced by “miniscule” free and fee-based music streaming is of concern to the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency as well. CMRRA president Caroline Rioux tells the S.A.C. that the streaming market is still in its infancy here and so far the agency has yet to experience the impact it will have on existing revenue sources. Taking the long view, Rioux says: “We’re optimistic that, with the establishment of fair royalty rates payable by all music streaming services doing business in Canada,
industry
we can establish a healthy new revenue source for the benefit of the entire industry. This will not happen by itself however. CMRRA will continue to fight for the payment of fair royalty rates from all users of our clients’ works, and will continue to adapt its systems and processes to ensure the proper administration and accounting of these new royalty streams on our clients’ behalf.” One of Canada’s new breed of music entrepreneurs is Robert Ott, chair and CEO of “Majorly Indie” ole rights management
company. In another era the decade old firm, headquartered in Toronto with offices in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles, would have been described as a music publisher, but that’s old school. “We used to talk about ole being a music publisher and now we use the term, ‘rights management’ because the variety of ways that copyrights make money in the new order has evolved and become much more complex. This has given rise to our new ole digital division that seeks to collect for any online uses of our intellectual property (IP) and that of our clients and also to build this marketplace for the future. Data handling has also increased massively and starting in 2011 we’ve evolved our IT systems and solutions to handle the explosion in lines of revenue data from around the world. I read somewhere that 90 per cent of the world’s data has been created in the last two years — I would agree.” Ott and ole have worked quietly behind the scenes to affect change in the legislative and judicial branches of government; however, the bureaucracy works at glacial speed and those in a position to create policy
and update legislation are often unaware of the degree to which Big Tech is crushing artistic and entrepreneurial opportunity and flattening incomes. Brit born, Canadian raised songwriter and ASCAP Nashville vice president Ralph Murphy has a theory on how to persuade governments that songwriters’ incomes are worth preserving — quantify the amount the songwriters, composers and music publishers pay in taxes. “Governments need revenue. It’s that simple,” he says, adding that big tech firms who have legally been shunting profits to lower tax zones hang silent in the air. The associations and collectives representing you are more relevant than ever before. Don’t be like that guy getting his ass kicked down the stairs. Read the fine print, get involved, and support your advocates as they support you. David Farrell has been writing about Canada’s music business and musicians since electric typewriters were all the rage. He was co-publisher of The Record for 20 years and more recently is editor of the Slaight Music initiative, FYIMusicNews.ca. S.A.C. members can order a free daily FYI newsletter by visiting the site.
Use your voice. Singer/Songwriter CertifiCate Progr am L angar a Continuing StudieS Expand your songwriting and performing skill in 14 weeks. Refine your artistic identity under the guidance of industry professionals, and learn to arrange and demo your songs using digital software. Get your career going with the latest marketing and networking models. Langara Continuing Studies is offering the first certificate program of its kind, specifically designed for the performing singer/songwriter. Audition required. Register now. Deborah Holland dholland@langara.bc.ca | www.langara.bc.ca/cs
Songwriters Magazine
23
There is Money in Music, Let MROC Show You Where The Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) is a Canadian federally-incorporated not-for-profit entity whose primary objective is to collect and distribute to musicians, the performer’s share of neighbouring rights royalties. These royalties flow from the commercial use of sound recordings and are based on various tariffs approved by the Copyright Board of Canada. For more information on MROC please visit: www.musiciansrights.ca
We are the
MUSIC . . . . . .
24
Songwriters Magazine
U.S. Work Permits Instrument and Liability Insurance Gig Booking Services Contracts to protect your live and recorded work Musicians’ Royalties Pension Plan www.cfmusicians.org
When music supervisors
commission songs
D
id you know music supervisors commission original music and songs for their projects rather than looking for an existing track? We asked Canadian music supervisor Velma Barkwell about this practice. She is founder of East End Music Productions, a music supervision and rights management company. Her work includes the award winning TV series Mr. D, Sensitive Skin, Trailer Park Boys, and feature films ENEMY, Into The Forest, ZOOM and Afghan Luke. We asked her a few questions:
Who do you send out requests for commissioned music to? That depends on the needs of the individual project. The choice to hire a composer on a new project is often made by the producers (who have a lot to say about the music), it’s not always just the music supervisor’s decision. The producers choose the director, the editor, casting agent, and everyone else on the crew. The selection process can be different in every case. A producer may have admired the versatility and style of a composer’s work on someone else’s film, or an amazing commissioned song, and that might prompt the producer to consider them for their new project. Or they may ask the music supervisor to supply examples of work they really like by a few different composers or songwriters so they can decide together. There are also those folks who seem to work on more shows than others. Why is that, you ask? Mostly because they’ve worked hard to get to that point in their career where their work is noticed and remembered.
“
That’s not to say there isn’t room for others, the good news is there absolutely is, but it’s also a very competitive business to be sure, and there’s a lot at stake financially. Choosing the right composer or songwriter to capture the musical landscape in a film is a very important decision for filmmakers. As with any business, you mitigate your risk where you can, you choose to work with people you connect with creatively and know will “get it.” I think getting to know the decision makers is a key part of being in the circle. It’s about networking, meeting people, getting to know the producers, directors and editors, and having them get to know you and your work. That means getting out there, going to see their films, seeking them out at festivals and panels, and taking time to find out what they have coming down the pipeline. It’s not just about sending them links to your music.
you choose to work with people who you connect with creatively, and, you know will “get it
”
How often does this happen?
It happens all the time. TV shows, films, ads and video games all have the need for original music in their productions, whether its full score pieces, commissioned original songs or even short cues.
What is the usual expected turnover? Yesterday, baby! When we are editing, things happen quickly and most of the time the composer or songwriter is expected to deliver his or her work at a hectic pace. They may be asked to refine it, change it, sometimes start again, or not, but the turn around is usually fast.
Do you have a roster of bands/ musicians/singers that you keep on hand for these kinds of projects?
Of course, there are certain people/ companies I go to for various types of requests, because I know they will give me exactly what I’m asking for, within hours. And yes, I do listen to material from people I don’t know, all the time, so keep sending! I love finding something new, or discovering a talent I’ve not heard of before.
Do these songs ever find greater success elsewhere?
They can and often do. An original soundtrack release from a feature film can expand the life of a musical work beyond the screen. In some cases, it can do very well indeed. We know a song used in an advertising campaign for a brand, or video game, can result in a huge number of downloads of that song depending on the success of the campaign. Having your music/ songs placed in the right spot can absolutely turn out to be the gift that keeps on giving. Velma Barkwell is A music supervisor with East End Music Productions. You can send your music to her at: velma.barkwell@gmail.com.
ACTRA Recording Artists’ Collecting Society (RACS) collects and distributes payments to eligible sound recording artists for private copying and neighbouring rights. TELEPHONE 416-489-1311 TOLL-FREE 1-800-387-3516 EMAIL racs@actra.ca WEB www.actra.ca/racs Check out ACTRA RACS on:
Songwriters Magazine
25
craft
How to writeherap from the art Tales from a self-confessed emotions junkie
By Eternia
I used to call myself a musician.
Then I lived in Philadelphia, and witnessed some of the world’s best musicians every night at local open mics, and realized I was no musician at all. I’m a songwriter. This suits me fine, especially because I’m a natural emoter and verbal processor. Fans of my music would say this is the tie that binds them to me, and me to them. My ex would say this is my greatest character flaw. I say it’s my double-edged sword. If you want to connect to your audience and silence critics, write a song from the heart. It’s hard for anyone to argue with feelings. My most gut-wrenching material — “Sorrow Song,” “You Ain’t Real,” “To The Future,” “Final Offering” — spilled its guts all over the page without a rough draft, scratch out, rewrite or edit. This was a sign that I was on to something. Although I wouldn’t necessarily co-sign a specific methodology to spilling your guts in a song, here are more signs that you’re on the right page:
1
If it makes you cry when you think about it… write about it. To write a
song from the heart, you have to be in touch with your own! If your tear ducts are dry, that doesn’t mean you’re emotionally tougher than everyone else. More likely you’ve just stoically repressed whatever rocks you. Unearth those skeletons, empathies and emotions. Dig deeper.
Jason Rodriguez
2
Conversations are rough drafts.
“To the Future” was born out of a conversation I had with my sister. She spoke of repressed trauma, or “convenient amnesia,” and how this can seriously impact health and well-being. It really resonated with me. I started asking myself: what skeletons are in my closet? What was I repressing (or “forgetting”) that could impact
my health and how I relate to others? These questions inspired the answer that was “To the Future.” Our conversation was the playground where my ideas danced around.
3
Don’t edit your feelings.
Sure, there are many songwriting techniques that require painstaking edits and revisions. Speaking your heart shouldn’t fall into this category. Once you’ve dug deep and unearthed your emotions, whatever spills out first from pen to page is the most honest and raw portrait of your feelings. Who cares if you think it sounds too simple, mushy or painful. Who cares if you might feel differently later, upon rational reflection? Go with your heart’s first expression — it’s true, so honour it.
Music and Entertainment Law Specializing in Copyright Contracts and Licensing Flat-Fee Services Free Initial Consultation andreas@kalogiannideslaw.com (416) 209-7223 www.kalolaw.ca 26
Songwriters Magazine
4
the medium is the message . Your song-
5
there are no rules. Whatever works
writing method impacts your message. When I write with a pen and paper my ideas come out more complicated, my words are bigger, I cram more syllables into a bar. When I type lyrics into my cellphone it comes out sounding conversational — almost like a freestyle verse. It’s pared down, simple, and to the point. When I write in a moving vehicle my rhyme patterns are different than when I sit in a room to write. The same is true when I am around others versus by myself. I pick my weapons of warfare accordingly. Your weapons of choice, and their outcomes, may differ. But I guarantee the tools you use, including how and where you write your songs, will shape your songs differently. Once you’ve figured this out, it’s fun to play with.
for you. You’ll know you’re on the right path when it starts to feel effortless. As a dear friend recently reminded me, “You know why artists get annoyed when people ask them about their process? It’s because they don’t even know how they do what they do.” It’s true. A song from the heart, which in its very description and nature is genuine and authentic, writes itself. We just have to get out of our own way, and let it happen.
Eternia is a two-time Juno nominated Canadian MC.
Stephan Moccio
Date with a demo’s history of success
per kristiansen
S
tephan Moccio, the Canadian co-writer of Miley Cyrus’ 2013 hit and her first number one hit, “Wrecking Ball,” got his big break by attending the 1990’s version of the Songwriters Association of Canada’s Date with a Demo program, then called Date With A Tape. He was a 22-year-old music student at the time studying at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont.. Declan O’Doherty, one of the panelists heard the potential of the track submitted by Moccio and his co-writer, Gary McAuley. O’Doherty helped produce a quality demo that fell into the hands of Sony Music Canada’s A&R chief at the time, Mike Roth. From there one thing led to
another and now he’s a professional songwriter living in Los Angeles who has worked with stars such as Josh Groban, Gladys Knight, John Legend, and he also co-wrote Celine Dion’s hit “A New Day Has Come” which achieved a record-breaking 21 weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. “The Date with a Tape certainly had a lot of spin-off,” Moccio agrees. “From that I met a lot of great writers and a lot of great people. It offers you a way of applying a collective subjectivity to the song and to see people going through the same things that you are. Plus the networking alone allows you fast entry into that world,” he told Nick Krewen in Songwriters Magazine Winter 2009.
Join us at our next Date With A Demo. Check our events listing regularly to see upcoming dates: www.songwriters.ca/eventslist.aspx. We also have Date With A Demo Deluxe which invites participants from across the country to submit and participate online.
THE BEST IN SASKATCHEWAN MUSIC
SaskMusic is a non-profit association that represents, promotes and develops the commercial music industry of Saskatchewan. We offer programming including artist listings, career consults, workshops, marketing and export assistance, networking opportunities and much more. Our artists and music professionals hail from across the province, and work in pretty much every genre you can imagine. We are a source of information and resources for both the public, and the music industry. If you have questions, we can help.
WE ARE THE VOICE OF SASKATCHEWAN MUSIC.
www.saskmusic.org
Songwriters Magazine
27
craft
Polishing the
Silver Bowl
i
By Pat Pattison
found a silver punch bowl in my cellar. I vaguely remembered it being a gift (from one of my weddings). It was completely covered with tarnish (an interesting symbol), and, since I was Feng Shui-ing, the required move was to toss it. As I was about to, I was interrupted by the little Midwestern voice inside my head: “IT’S SILVER!! You can’t throw it away!” I’ve gotten pretty good at ignoring that Midwestern voice, or at least sidestepping it. I tried, but as I was about to slip the bowl into the trash bag, it got louder, sounding a lot like my mom: “Nooooo! It’s SILVER!” “OK,” I bargained, “If I have any silver polish under the kitchen sink I’ll shine up the bowl to see if it’s worth keeping.” Why would I have silver polish? I figured it was an easy escape from the voice inside my head. Who knew? To my surprise, I did have a jar of silver polish under the sink. Let the cleaning begin. I covered the bowl with the grey goop and, as per instruction, allowed it to dry. Wiping it off with a clean cloth I discovered once the tarnish was rubbed away, the bowl was pretty snazzy. “I’m gonna keep this,” I said, as the voice basked in the warm glow of its little victory. Once I’d made the decision to keep it, I looked at the bowl more carefully, noticing the spots I’d missed. I applied more grey goop on the offending areas, waited, then rubbed it off — a bit harder this time. Nice and shiny, inside and out. Um, except for the silver leafing all around
“
the rim and on the four curved, leafed legs, still tarnished, with excess polish sticking in all those little crevasses. I tried rubbing with the cloth, but there was no way to get into all those places. I thought, I’ll use my toothbrush. I can always rinse it off afterward. More polish, and the scrubbing took longer. The work was more localized and focused, taking longer to cover smaller areas. Finally, after rinsing with warm water, the rim and the legs were sparkling. “Good work,” I cooed to myself. Oops. For the first time I noticed the thin etched lines swirling both on the interior and the exterior of the bowl. They were still tarnished, not an eyesore, but still not shining like they could. My impulse was to ignore them, but now the voice reared up again. “Finish what you started. Quit being lazy.” Urrgh! Q-tips. Again, the work was much more localized and painstaking. Following those swirls wasn’t easy, but after some close attention and a sore wrist, the silver bowl was finished. It glistened. Everything Midwestern in me shone with the glow of a job well done. I filled my gleaming silver bowl with apples and set it in the center of the coffee-table. Voilá!
Don’t spend too much time up front searching for the perfect word when you’re still working on the bigger decisions
28
Songwriters Magazine
”
The moral of this little tale? It’s not like, when I found the bowl, I immediately saw that the leafing or the etchings were tarnished and needed work. I had plenty to do before I was able to notice those smaller details. Move from bigger to smaller. Don’t sweat the small stuff until the big stuff is cleaned up. Intent is the biggest: What’s your song
about? Try to say it in one phrase. Prosody is huge: Is this idea stable or unstable? All your decisions about structure will depend on how you answer this question. Very, very big: The three questions every song must answer:
1. Who is talking? 2. To whom? 3. Why? These three questions establish the point of view of your song: third person narrative (he, she, they), first person narrative (I, we, he, she, they), second person narrative (you, he, she, it, they), or direct address (I, you). They also ask why you’re saying what you’re saying.
What’s the point of the song? Verse development is big: how can you develop your verse ideas so your chorus (or refrain, in an AABA form) gains more meaning, more emotional weight, each time we hear it. l Song form is middle-sized: verse/chorus or verse/refrain? l Deciding on things like rhyme scheme, line lengths, number of lines, is small. l Changing a line or a word is really small. Don’t spend too much time up front searching for the perfect word when you’re still working on the bigger decisions. Everything could change. l Don’t sweat the small stuff until the big stuff is cleaned up. l Gather tools. Obsessively. You’ll need them for all the different jobs you have to do. Keep them under your kitchen sink. Happy polishing. Pat Pattison is a Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches Lyric Writing and Poetry. In addition to several best selling books about songwriting, Pat also teaches a free six-week online songwriting course for coursera.org. Several of his students have won Grammys, including John Mayer and Gillian Welch.
business
The important role of
metadata for songwriters By Tom Allen and Jean-Robert Bisaillon
M
etadata is the lifeblood of today’s music industry. From powering digital services and user experiences, through to societies paying out royalties. Knowing how to use metadata to your advantage will become key when it comes to traceability and the revenues owed to you. In an age
when it’s still easy to share music without compensating creators, when services pay little for their music content, it is crucial to offer users a superior experience when they go the legal route. Metadata is the data about your songs and recorded tracks. They are the digital equivalent of a physical booklet and CD or LP
‘209' of the Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 (1940-2010) were written by Canadian Songwriters. '133' separate artists recorded the songs - '46' of the artists were Canadians. '43' of those smash hits made the coveted #1 slot. WRITE ON, CANADA! The borders are as endless as your imagination.
How should one go about preparing for the metadata world?
Whenever you are preparing a track, video or release, it is important to “tag” your content with as much information as possible. Questions you should ask include: How will the public find your work?, and, How is your music linked to other releases in music recommendation algorithms?
So, how do you handle this practically?
The answer is not simple. The first roadblock is that the music industry has yet to establish a consensus about what information should constitute its metadata descriptive core. Some industrial standards are slowly coming together, notably the DDEX — digital data exchange protocol — and the North American MusicMarks new works declaration formats. The second roadblock is that there is no foolproof method of linking metadata to your music. You may consider the MusicBrainz.org website which offers crowd-sourced music metadata in an open data format. This means you can put in your own credentials.
▲
LMBF August 2014
liner notes. Nowadays, this information is enriched with several other fields such as unique identifiers (most notably the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC), the International Standard Work Code (ISWC) and the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI)), down to minute detail of rights ownership, instrumentation, images, web links and more. If you have ever tried searching for Beyoncé on a streaming service, you will understand the importance of metadata. There is Beyoncé, Beyonce, Beyoncé Knowles, Beyoncé & Shakira, Justin Timberlake duet with Beyonce and more. Each of these artists has different tracks associated with them, which means it can be frustrating for the user to find their desired track. This could result in missed plays and lost sales. Considering the huge amount of data (also referred to as “Big Data”) produced by countless performances and downloads through multiple websites and streaming services, correct metadata and automation of the royalty reporting process is the only way all of this can work in the future.
Songwriters Magazine
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business Track Track
WHEN WE BUILT
Album Album
REVOLUTION
- UPC/EAN
- Publisher
WE AIMED FOR THE STARS
- Guest Performers (band) - ISRC
- ISWC
- Lyrics
- Engineer
- Release Date
- Mixing Engineer
- Lyricist
- Composer
- Lead Performer
- Compilation Yes/No
- Recording Studios - Count of Tracks
- Tags
- Featuring
- Bitrate
- Release Type
- Production Company
- Release Name
- Release Primary Style
- Version Info
- Mastering Engineer
- Preview Start Time
- Recording Date
- Lyrics language (ISO639-2)
- Catalogue Number
- Media Format Type
- Artistic Producer
- Length
- Title of Track
- Digital Release Date
Alan Frew (Glass Tiger) “Wow! What a room! We did live drums and grand piano and the sounds are stellar!”
- Original Release Date - Attached Picture - Label Name
Album Track Album &&TRACK
metadata continued It’s the Wikipedia of music. Your metadata is as valuable as your digital master! We believe indexing metadata on a work or original sound recording should be done first — by the first rights holders (yourself) — and not a remote partner on the other side of the world. Keep a spreadsheet, making sure you write down everything you know about the song or recording, updating as you create more data around it. There are some services that can store, catalogue and transmit your information into industry standard formats. However, as this is new technology, most of these services are not yet fully developed and may not suit all your needs. Most aggregators used by labels to fulfil the needs of digital platforms will transmit metadata you have provided. Unfortunately, they don’t always
allow easy access to your own data. It’s best to avoid these services that keep you captive. Some metadata aggregation specialists and delivery services have started to appear such as: Metable (U.K.), Fuga (Holland), AudioSalad (U.S.). Browse around, but choose carefully! A recently launched Canadian service called TGiT offers a free MP3 music tagging environment and exports to spreadsheet formats. It is working closely with some Canadian copyright collectives and the S.A.C. Our reliance on data will only increase in the future. Take some time to get to know what it’s all about! (1) check out a draft list of more than 200 metadata fields at http://bit.ly/ metadataframes (2) check out this list of international databases and services http://bit.ly/ musicalmetadata
Tom Allen is founder of Metable and The Metadata Academy. Jean-Robert Bisaillon is founder of TGiT and co-vice president of the S.A.C.
30
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647-352-4213
L A “If youI cancan singwriteit,it ”
Want to know more about metadata? Check out these links
Lee-Ann Shewchuk
Metadata Academy - www.metadataacademy.com Metable - www.metable.co TGiT - Tag Your Music - http://tagtamusique.com/english/ Musicbiz Style Guide V2.0 - http://musicbiz.org/wp-content/ uploads/2014/08/MusicMetadataStyleGuide-MusicBiz-FINAL.pdf
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Songwriters Magazine
Lyricist
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business
You don’t have to head to court to get a resolution
creati v e commo n s
t
A better way to solve music disputes:
Mediation! by David A. Basskin
he music industry is built on rights and relies on consensus. What’s the royalty split? Who gets to approve samples? Who controls the masters? An endless list of questions, all of which need to be definitively answered before business can proceed. Any uncertainty can kill a deal. And yet, it happens. Almost anything can be subject to a dispute. Even those in music for only a short while can provide examples. But isn’t everything covered by contracts? Unfortunately, not everything is put into writing, and not every contract is clear. What can you do when an issue arises and there’s money on the table? Talking to the other side sometimes works. Too often, talking turns into screaming until you’re not talking at all. Opportunities are evaporating. And here’s where it gets difficult: do you call in the lawyers? Often a “lawyer’s letter” doesn’t work. If you’re not prepared to follow up, it’s equivalent to pointing an unloaded gun.
But how do you follow up? Let’s say you’re in a fight with a former business partner who claims half the ownership of a joint project. You say she has a right to future profits, but doesn’t own the masters or have a say on how they’re to be licensed. Your lawyer has written an all-guns-blazing cease and desist letter. Your former partner won’t budge. Now what?
Traditionally, you’ve had two choices: lick your wounds and go away… or set phasers to “litigate”.
Although the majority of lawsuits are settled long before trial, there’s no guarantee of settlement. And a settlement isn’t free. Your lawyer will run up costs negotiating and getting a settlement agreement.
The downside of going to court
1 2 3
The average civil action in Canada takes a minimum of five years to go from the statement of claim to final judgment. If there’s an appeal,
it’ll take longer. Civil actions in busy courts can take longer. It’s hard to imagine a case going the distance for under $300,000. Unless there’s a great deal of money at stake, litigation may be unaffordable. Anyone can look at your court filing. Unlike a confidential settlement, the whole story will be on the public record. Is there an alternative? Yes: mediation, or sometimes called “alternative dispute resolution.” A mediation takes place voluntarily when the parties meet with a neutral third party with the objective of finding a resolution. When direct settlement discussions have failed, mediation is often the next step, and it often leads to a quick solution. The mediator can’t impose a solution on the parties; he or she can only help them explore their options and discover a mutually acceptable solution.
3 benefits of mediation
1 2 3
Speed: mediation can begin almost immediately. The parties agree
on a mediator, sit down and start talking. Cost: a mediator’s fees are usually shared by the parties, but are substantially less than going to court. Confidentiality: everything about a mediation is private. A settlement is a written agreement but nothing is on the public record. A good mediator can help bring a dispute to a settlement and save a relationship that might otherwise be destroyed through years of litigation. And that’s the last, very important, point: litigation takes an enormous toll on the parties. Being in a lawsuit can dominate your life and business and cause unbearable stress. Finding a way to avoid going to court pays off in multiple ways. David Basskin of David Basskin Consulting Inc., in Toronto is an entertainment lawyer and trained mediator. He was President and CEO of Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA) from 1989 to 2013. Email: dbasskin@basskin.ca
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Songwriters Magazine
community
a f o y m o t a n A By Vincent Degiorio
V
p i r t g n i t i r w
incent Degiorgio is a veteran travelling songwriter who has established a successful career gallivanting around the world writing with fellow hit-makers from different nations. As a publisher, he also regularly sends members of his team out on writing expeditions. Here is his advice on making the most of a trip:
Plan for success
Social media allows you to interact and book sessions with potential co-writers in advance. Set up a Skype chat and say hello or even write a song online to get to know the person a little before traveling there. It begins the process, and can make a huge difference. The worst thing any writer can say to you is “Call me when you get into town.” Best to skip anyone who says this. If you are a published writer, don’t overload your publisher with expectations. Have your team connect to their colleagues in your destination country well in advance. Publishers do not appreciate spontaneity. For independent writers who are doing all the work themselves:
Make connections early
Find people who have similar interests that like the same kind of music, or are creatively attached to what you do. Research how your potential co-writer works. You may find out they are part of a team and not just one person.
12 3 R F
Ask your friends ‘who the cool people are’
When I say cool I mean people your friends have worked with previously. An introduction can
Your next hit could be written in a far away land
be career changing. Networking is one of your most valuable tools. Attend events where you can meet other professionals. You could meet potential co-writers for your next trip out.
Being part of the process endears you to any co-writer. Don’t leave the entire process up to the other person. Offering a financial contribution to completing the demo is always a good thing.
Set goals
Be fearless
Ask yourself how many songs you would like to write during your trip and how that goal fits into your travel schedule. Be realistic. Any writer on a one-week trip that returns with three completed songs — written or recorded — has succeeded, in my opinion.
Take a break
Take one day off to refresh yourself. Writing every day can cause you to run out of original ideas. Be a tourist for a day, and capture the spirit of where you are. I always take a notebook with me. You just never know where you’ll be inspired.
If you stay in your typical genre while you are away, you might as well stay at home! Leave your comfort zone by writing outside your genre. Catalogue diversity has never hurt a writer, including having different vocalists on your songs.
It’s been great, you’re home, what’s next? Don’t use social media to say,
Bring your tools
Some writers have title books. Others use apps. There are many tools available to store your great ideas. Some of the jewels you collect could bring you closer to your ultimate trip goal: a hit.
Vincent Degiorgio is a hit songwriter, president & CEO of Chapter 2 Productions and Cymba Music Publishing. His company has provided music for over 150 television shows including “America’s Next Top Model,” “Degrassi” and “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”
July 18-24, 2015
On session day, be early
You can breathe in the environment where you are going to work for the next six or more hours, and get a feel for the surroundings of where your collaborators work their magic every day. Make sure you are prepared so when the session begins you are ready to go.
“Thanks for the co-write TTYL.” Instead, formalize your thanks in an email, and continue building bridges for the next time you hit the road. Taking the time to thank your co-writer for their time, effort and friendship shows them that it means more than a session on the schedule when you get into a room. Good luck on your journey !
Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, Canada
Work your songs with professional songwriters Learn from their experiences Grow your community of co-writers For more info or to register:
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“To my knowledge, no other place like this exists... anywhere... …period”
Who’s job is it, anyway?
Make a plan to share the workload after your song is written. If you are not writing for yourself as an artist, do your part to get the song completed so it can be ‘pitched.’
For more info or to register: www.songstudio.ca
Songwriters Magazine
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craft
G
reat songs are at the heart of every style of music. But the process of writing and demoing — as well as business practices — varies by genre, and is approached differently in various music centers.
PipeStone - CC
How the songs are written In pop, urban, hip-hop, and dance music, a musical backing track or musical bed is typically created first. This consists of the accompaniment — the chord progressions and all instrumentation, such as the keyboard, bass, guitar, and percussion parts — but it does not include the topline — a melody and lyric that is sung “on top” of the track. Track producers, such as Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Timbaland compose and program the chord progressions and instrumental hooks, as well as establish the groove with the beats and bass lines they produce. In some instances, they also write or co-write vocal melodies, relying on collaborators to provide lyrics — or melody and lyrics. The musical track may be sent to a topliner who contributes long-distance. This approach contrasts dramatically with country and Americana/roots music where songs typically evolve organically as writers strum guitars or play keyboards while composing melodies and lyrics. The majority of successful songs in Nashville are the result of collaborations where co-writers are typically in the same room, with all writers contributing to both the melody and the lyric.
How demos are produced for different genres In the world of pop, urban, and dance music, where so many songs are co-written by producers, there are many instances where the demo is the
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How to write and pitch
for different genres and music centers By Jason Blume same track that is used for commercial release. Although there might be some tweaks, the primary difference between the demo and the master is the vocalist. A programmer creates these recordings by generating sounds on individual tracks on a computer, often in a home studio. Vocals and live guitars, if needed, are added afterwards. In Nashville, the basic tracks (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums) for demos of country and Americana/roots songs are often produced by a group of musicians who record live in a studio at the same time. Other musicians might be tracked simultaneously or overdubbed afterwards. It’s important to note that when players affiliated with the musicians’ union are hired to
record demos in Nashville, they are typically paid for a three-hour block. They earn the same amount regardless of the number of songs recorded during those three hours. It’s typical for 100 per cent of the music for five or six songs to be recorded within a three-hour Nashville demo session — allowing only approximately 30 minutes per song, not including vocals. Thirty minutes is very little time for the musicians to listen to a rough recording, review chord charts, hear a description of what the writer wants, and create the arrangement and parts that will play a huge role in the song’s success. Once a given track is finished, the players move on to the next song without the luxury
of making changes unless the songwriters/producers incur significant additional expenses. Luckily, top Nashville demo musicians are veritable machines, recording 50 or more demos a week, and capable of cranking out radio-friendly parts under pressure. Many of these same musicians perform on top country albums, recording demos only on days when they are not booked on master sessions.
Some ways the songwriting business differs by genre and location — staff-writing quotas When staff-writing/exclusive publishing deals are signed in Nashville, the song quota is typically expressed as the number of acceptable compositions that must be delivered during the term of the contract. However, outside of Nashville, it is typical for this quota to be defined by the number of recordings that are commercially released. For example, a songwriter who signs an exclusive agreement in Nashville might be required to write 12 or 15 songs (24 or 30 songs if they are written with one co-writer) to fulfill his or her contract. But in many exclusive songwriting deals signed in Los Angeles and New York the writer is required to secure five or more recordings — released on a major label within the U.S. — to fulfill the terms of his or her contract. As you can see, business considerations and approaches used to create and record songs differ by genre. But no matter how they are written and demoed — great songs — songs that find their way into listeners’ hearts — remain the foundation of the music industry.
Jason Blume is a best-selling author of songwriting books whose songs are on three Grammy-nominated albums and have sold more than 50 million copies. For more information about his books, instructional audio CDs, and workshops visit www.jasonblume.com.
industry
anada’s Unique Take on
Copyright Law and Author’s Rights
N L s h o p/ t h i n ks t o c k
This article is not intended as legal advice and is to be used for informational or educational purposes only.
D
espite many similarities, Canadian, European and American legal traditions differ with respect to the function of copyright law and the scope of the rights it protects. Copyright is best understood as a bundle of rights containing both economic rights (e.g. the right to reproduce, sell copies of, and perform a work), and “moral rights.” The systems differ in terms of which rights are granted by law to authors, who is considered the author of a copyright work, and which of the rights can transfer (to a publisher, producer, etc.). Canadian copyright law has its roots in the early copyright laws of England that, at the time, focused on protecting the economic rights of literary authors and publishers. The first Canadian copyright legislation was enacted in Lower Canada in 1832. Our British roots instilled in our system a utilitarian approach to the creation of original works. The 1710 British Statute of Anne, one of the world’s first copyright statutes, was explicit in its economic purpose: to provide an incentive for the encouragement of learning (through printed books). At the same time, Canadian law is infused with elements of an “authors’ rights” perspective as reflected in the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, a major international treaty which Canada has been party to for nearly a hundred years. This convention focuses more on the artistic, expressive nature of the creativity and the intention of the creator than on the pure commercial exploitation of the work. A significant component of this approach is the concept of a moral right recognizing the following moral rights: the right to claim authorship of a work (right of attribution) or conversely the right to remain anonymous; and, the right to oppose mutilation of work (right of integrity). Generally, these rights vest in the author even after the economic rights to the work have been transferred, but they can be waived by contract.
By Daniel Gervais and Andreas Kalogiannides
An example of how Canada differs can be found in Snow v. Eaton Centre Ltd.. Snow, a sculptor sold a sculpture of a flock of geese to the Eaton Centre. When the geese were decorated with red ribbons for Christmas, Snow successfully sued for infringement of his moral rights. The court ruled that because the ribbons prejudiced his honour and reputation, they violated his moral right of integrity. Contrast this with Confetti Records & Others v. Warner Music U.K. Ltd. in the U.K. where the court held that the defendant’s addition of violent and drug-related rap lyrics to the musician plaintiff ’s sound recording did not prejudice the author’s honour or reputation, and did not amount to “derogatory treatment” of the work under the U.K. concept of moral rights. The Canadian system strikes a balance between economic and moral rights. Fortunately, for Canadian creators, this “hybrid” system affords robust protection. The same cannot be said for many places around the world. Daniel Gervais is a Professor of Law and Director of the Vanderbilt Intellectual Property Program at the Vanderbilt Law School in Nashville, TN.
Andreas Kalogiannides is a Toronto lawyer practising in business and copyright law, specializing in entertainment matters.
Author’s rights Not only is the European approach reflected in the moral rights provisions contained in the Act, but also by the fact that our courts occasionally use European cases to interpret Canadian law. One such case is Théberge v. Galerie d’Art du Petit Champlain Inc. where Galerie d’Art du Petit Champlain had produced various canvas products derived from posters of paintings. Galerie had lawfully purchased the paper posters, but then transferred the physical ink from the posters to canvas, and then sold the canvas works for a higher price without increasing the royalty. Claude Théberge, the creator of the paintings, claimed infringement of copyright. In its decision in favour of Galerie, the court relied heavily on English and French notions of copyright, particularly with respect to “authors’ rights”. This approach differs from that of the United States and the United Kingdom. American copyright law does not, by and large, recognize moral rights in its copyright legislation. The U.K. strikes a middle ground, recognizing the concept of a moral right in a narrow manner.
Ranked “Best in Canada” #1 with A+ in 2014 & 2013
Songwriters Magazine
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business
Maximizing your
Tips and advice on getting known via the conference circuit By Bob D’Eith
showcase experience
A
re you showcasing at a any conferences? Many of these events are large and access to the people you want to meet is limited. With so many showcases it can be hard to get people out to see you. You need a plan for success. Create an amazing live show. Work to get the perfect set, timed exactly for your slot and don’t play over. Create a set that is bigger than the room, creating moments that show you are professional. Grab people’s attention and get them to stop schmoozing to listen. Prepare showcase promo materials. Book multiple shows so there are options for people to see you. Print up a postcard with ALL your dates, official and unofficial. Hand them out at the conference and other shows. Post details online as well. Attend the conference. It is amazing how few showcasing artists attend the conference portion of Canadian Music Week (CMW). It is an incredible opportunity and you can meet a lot of people who may be able
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to help your career. You are in the music “business.” Your showcase is only a part of your job. Don’t try to meet everyone. Aim to meet key people who can actually help you. Spend time with them if you can. The business is about relationships, not one-night stands. Contact people in advance. Arrange to meet and/or invite them to your showcases including international delegates and music supervisors. Send out personalized emails. Follow-up, but don’t be annoying if they do not respond. Industry people are always bombarded. Be respectful, but persistent. Send links to where your music can be heard including your website. Don’t send attachments. Make sure ALL of your John Pippus and Aynsley Leonard at CMW 2014 online assets are up to date. The first thing any interested industry rep does is Google your band name. Google yourself and see what comes up. Industry will assume that you are “not ready” if your online assets are not solid.
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Angela Saini at Indie Week 2013
PRODUCED BY Marc Atkinson ON CBC AND LOCAL STATIONS JuliaLynx.com
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Songwriters Magazine
Be nice, without attitude. With so many bands and fast changeovers, getting a proper sound-check is rare. It may take your first song to get the right mix so build your set list accordingly. Scope out the venue in advance. Figure out how to get the sound you want from the room. After the show, thank everyone. Never show attitude. It is a very small industry and word gets around. Don’t get upset if industry people leave early. They may just want to catch the end of another showcase. No matter how many people show up, play the show of your life. I saw Sloan play a showcase at New Music West for a dozen people. Most of them were A&R from major labels and the band got signed after that show. Sloan rocked that empty room like it was the Rogers Centre. Good managers maximize impact by working the room during the show. If you do not have representation, consider finding someone. If not, get to the back of the club (where most industry people hang out) and schmooze. Do not sell. Get to know the industry person. If you are not showcasing, consider attending conferences like CMW, Breakout West, and East Coast Music Week anyway. It is a great place to learn and network. It is worth the investment in your career to build your contact list early on.
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Bob D’Eith is an author, musician, entertainment lawyer and executive director of Music BC. His book “A Career in Music: the other 12 step program” is available atwww.bobdeith.com.
business
manners matter
How to practice good music biz e-mailing etiquette
By Aaron Bethune
A great business lesson my mentor taught me is the value of transactional email communication and how to move the ball forward. There are many types of email communication, I am going to focus on how to email industry folk, get a response and successfully advance your career. For successful music biz emailing etiquette keep the following in mind:
Be personal Always write personal emails. If I see an email has been sent to somebody’s entire mailing list I delete it immediately, even if it says :“Hi Aaron,” I want to know you have written to me specifically. I am not competing with others to respond. Do your research Know who you are contacting, what they do (and have done) and why. Authentically compliment the person you are writing to. If there is nothing you can truly compliment them on then there is probably no reason to work with them in the first place. Be direct Get to the point. Don’t write a novel. Most people don’t have time for long emails; they’ll usually read them last or not at all. If somebody wants more information they’ll ask for it. Be interesting Unless the person you are writing to has heard you on the radio, live or on TV, their first impression of you is not your music, it’s your writing. Get their attention in the first sentence — give them a reason to keep reading. Your email needs to be clear in what sets you apart and why the reader should take interest. Leave the reader wanting more so they’ll check out your website and links. The golden rule I regularly receive emails asking for help. I get about 50 of these kinds of messages a day. The rule of reciprocity is the idea of a kind action being returned with another kind
action. We are likely to help out somebody who has already done something for us in the past. For this reason, no matter who you are writing to, consider what you can do for them before you ask them to do something for you. The first move in the rule of reciprocity comes from you! Always create a win-win scenario. No attachments Do not attach files unless you have been asked to. Always provide a link Nothing annoys me more than a ton of MP3’s weighing down my inbox. Ball in play It’s a tennis match — the ball needs to be put in the other person’s court. If you don’t leave the reader with an action point then there is no reason for them to get back to you. End your email with a question. Follow up Ask if you can follow up. Take note of when they want you to follow up and follow through. If a busy person hasn’t responded to your initial email, give them a week before you follow up. Don’t give up — the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Timing If someone asks if you would like a coffee and you say no, it doesn’t mean you don’t like coffee, it means you don’t want one right now. There have been times I have written to somebody, not heard back and months later followed up and got an immediate response. I recommend that if you approach somebody with a project and they don’t take interest immedi-
ately, follow up from time to time and update them on what you are doing. It took three years of somebody keeping me in the loop before we finally worked together and it involved some heavy cats. Confident Avoid words such as: think, maybe, perhaps, might, hopefully and so on. Be strong in your statements (as long as you can back them up). Spelling Avoid bad grammar at all costs. Get somebody else to look over your email. You won’t be taken seriously if your message contains careless errors. Fonts Do not use hard to read font types and font sizes, do not use bold unless a specific point needs highlighting and DON’T USE ALL CAPS! Respect Don’t be demanding and certainly don’t be rude if you don’t get the response you hoped for. Word travels fast and everyone has a black list. Everyday people At the end of the day we’re all people. Don’t let
someone’s title belittle your own position. Write like you’re equal. Headline Create a subject line that is personal, invites the reader to open it, tells them about the content and is clearly not spam. If you are writing to someone who receives a ton of emails the chance of them reading yours is improved by a great subject line. Audience Your writing represents you. How would you feel if the email went public? Signature Make sure all relevant contact info including website and links are in your email signature Next step Face to face is still the best way to build an authentic relationship. If you are doing business with somebody and communicating via e-mail, try to make a trip to meet in person. Aaron Bethune .@playitloudmusic is a music specialist, author, consultant, creative collaborator and Musicpreneur. www.music preneur.ca. Preview a sample of his book, Musicpreneur : The Creative Approach to Making Money in Music, here: atnmusi.ca/promo
Songwriters Magazine
37
business
R
adio is a great ally to songwriters and artists. Although it may seem impenetrable, there are some reliable methods to determine when and how to pitch your music. Remember, radio is only one piece of the overall marketing puzzle. Before you begin here are some points to consider:
1 Where does my music fit?
Take an objective look at your music and ask yourself where does it fit? There are all types of radio outlets: l Commercial Radio [In Canada the main formats are: AC — Adult Contemporary, Hot AC, CHR — Contemporary Hit Radio (Top 40/Pop), Modern Rock/Alternative, Rock/Active Rock, and Country l CBC l College Radio l Satellite Radio and Online (Radio, Podcasts, Blogs)] Your music should fit in sonically and be up to production standards with their current playlist.
Do the research
Radio is always evolving; new stations pop up and existing stations can shift focus and style. Most stations offer a live-stream. Take a listen and take note of what the overall sound of the station is and if your music will realistically fit there. Choose the right places to approach, rather than spamming everyone.
Getting
radio y d a e R By Cara Heath
4 Timing
Although it is good to know what else is coming out and what you will be up against in music meetings, in this day and age there really is no perfect time and there is always a steady stream of competition. Launch only when you have things lined up as best you can and have a solid plan.
5 it is all about the song!
The tools
Apps such as TuneIn Radio let you stream stations from around the world. Many commercial stations also provide a “recently played” playlist on their website. For professionals, subscriptions to Mediabase and BDS allow Radio Promoters to see what every radio station in North America is playing — drill down by song/station/market, see charts, and get detailed information. Know who you’re targeting, and build a plan.
2 What is my plan? B r a n d o n Wa r r e n
Once you’ve determined where your music fits, develop an overall marketing plan. If you think, “I will put out a single and all my dreams will come true,” think again. Create a solid release strategy by working with your partners (label, booking agent,
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Songwriters Magazine
Things every artist can do: Research and find stations that would most likely play your music l Start small and local. Go to your college/ campus and community radio first and find the programmers with shows that fit your format. Send them the new material, invite them out to shows, do your first interviews and on-air performances. Note: college radio charts by album not single. l Make friends with radio and media — go out to their events, get to know people, tell them about your music, invite them out to your shows and buy them a beer if they do attend, but make sure your live show is strong. l Say thanks if a station starts playing your song. A little gratitude goes a long way and the more interaction you have, the more likely they will champion your career. Once they’re playing your music, then you can pitch for interviews, on-air performances, etc. l Avoid bad habits like spamming, being too aggressive, not listening to the advice of these professionals, etc., or else you’re just pushing people away who could potentially help you. l
publicist, radio promoter, etc.) Even without partners a plan is still required. Regardless if it’s small or large scale, it needs to be realistic with achievable goals which should include touring, timing of release, press release and publicity campaign, etc.
3the DIY aesthetic
Relationships and
Foster good relationships to create champions for your music.
Spend the time to create the best, most honest music you can — something that will truly resonate with the audience you are going after, and until you’ve achieved that — don’t rush it out! When you get there you will know it, then assemble your team and take it to the world. It’s easy to lose sight of what a powerful thing it can be, until it hits you — you’re standing in the presence of greatness, you feel electrified, and that song you’re hearing is exactly what you need at that moment. Go for that! Cara Heath is the owner of With A Bullet, a radio promotion company based in Canada that has proudly been taking great music to radio since 2008. www.withabullet. ca www.twitter.com/withabullet www.facebook.com/ WithABulletPromo
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You wrote it. You played it. Get paid for it. SOCAN members get paid performance royalties for playing their own songs at gigs, and when their music is played publically. Call 1.866.307.6226 or visit socan.ca to learn about becoming a SOCAN member.
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