(Note that I said a minor… not a miner.) If the songwriter is under (minor) age, and wishes to sign up at a performing rights organization (PRO) such as BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, etc, there is a step which must be taken first. According to a client of mine who just went through this process for… Read More » about When the Songwriter is a Minor
Songwriting
Your Voice In The Night
Your voice in the night has a sound all its own. We sing and talk in our sleep and our dreams. We come up with lyrics, melodies, creative solutions to problems, direction for life. The subconscious mind is freed up to explore in ways that the controlled, awake, conscious mind cannot. The problem is that… Read More » about Your Voice In The Night
Songwriting: 3 Myths Busted
Today I’d like to talk about the songwriting voice. And yes, writing is a form of voice, isn’t it? I’d like to correct three false myths about writing songs: 1. You need to form a publishing company. No, you don’t. You can form your own publishing company but just know that if you are signed… Read More » about Songwriting: 3 Myths Busted
Song Critiques: Can Too Many Cooks Spoil Song?
Working with singers who are also songwriters, I am frequently asked what I think about song critiques. Here is what I tell them: Critiques of songs can either help the writer turn a mediocre tune into hit song… or they can absolutely kill the song, derail and shut down the voice of the writer. Where… Read More » about Song Critiques: Can Too Many Cooks Spoil Song?
Digging Deep for Songwriting Gold
Real songwriting, like real singing, is not for the squeamish. Got a great question about the sometimes perilous activity of digging deep for songwriting gold from a very dear friend. He is a singer/songwriter who is also an Army veteran of the recent Middle East wars. I have noticed a bit of a trend with… Read More » about Digging Deep for Songwriting Gold
What Songwriters Get From Mechanicals
Mechanical license fees paid by record labels are sent to publishers, not songwriters. So how can songwriters benefit from physical sales if they have signed away all their publishing? I know from my experience that major publishers usually split these mechanical fees with their songwriters, after all advances (staff writer ‘draws’) are recouped, but I… Read More » about What Songwriters Get From Mechanicals
Warning About Mechanicals!
Dear friends who record and release music… I’d like to help protect your interests by sharing the following cautionary tale: I got a frantic message from an indie artist this week. She had a very upsetting note from one of my cowriters, saying to have her attorney contact her. He had been surfing the web,… Read More » about Warning About Mechanicals!
Songwriter Voice vs Performance Voice… Do You Know The Difference?
I work with a lot of songwriters, and I love helping them deliver their songs through their voices authentically. To do that, you have to know the difference between your songwriter and your performer voices- which are NOT the same thing. Here’s the short answer: Songwriter voice is internal. Performance voice is external. What do… Read More » about Songwriter Voice vs Performance Voice… Do You Know The Difference?
Singing Authentically: Participant Instead of Spectator
My old friend and songwriting mentor, hall-of-fame songwriter Dave Loggins, once chided me that I was writing like a spectator instead of a participant. He was right. I took his advice, dove down deeper and came up with a song I wrote from the center of my soul. It was like automatic writing… I wasn’t… Read More » about Singing Authentically: Participant Instead of Spectator
Runaway Home a hit in Bristol!
The workshop showcase performance of “Runaway Home” was powerfully successful. It was an amazing, bewildering, stressful, beautiful, scary 9 days … way too hectic to report on at the time. But I’m back and this will be my report on the journey of a thousand (million?) steps we took from threads of chaos to tapestry…. Read More » about Runaway Home a hit in Bristol!