"Phillip" wrote in message
om...
So what is one to do? Record companies won't take unsolicited
material.....what can a songwriter realistically do?

In case you don't know, there's a songwriters usenet forum. I'm sure you'll
find a lot of feedback there as well.

I've never had a hit song but dabble in songwriting and here are some
reflections on things I've come across on this very topic. Take it FWIW.

If you've ever been to a local songwriters group, and you have any actual
skill at songwriting and a genuinely objective ear, you've probably found
that there are a lot of people who "write songs" that aren't very good at
it. Obviously most people want to make a million bucks with their songs.
Also true is that many people have a hard time being objective about their
own work. Even when they go to a group to have it critiqued, they have a
hard time accepting criticism.

Yeah, some people have their heads up their wazoos regarding critiquing, are
biased, will never like anything with a certain flavor, some famous songs
were initially turned down etc. yada yada....but, if you keep not getting
positive feedback, maybe it's not everybody else. Or, even if the song is
decent in and of itself, it isn't marketable. Or maybe your arrangement a/or
recording is detracting from it.

If you want to write songs that please you, go for it. Write stuff to your
hearts content, but if you're writing for mass consumption, you have to
present material that fits. Do you have a strong technical grasp of how
current material in the genres you're writing for is done?

I.e., it seems to me just to have a legitimate shot, you have to have the
material. *Are* you able to write as well as those whose music is being
played on tv/radio/film?

Even if the answer is "yes", you're entering a highly competitive, dog eat
dog, screw you arena. Everybody and their damn brother is trying to do
exactly what you are and will walk over your dead body in a second to get
ahead of you.

A really eye-opening experience was going to the Bluebird Cafe songwriter's
series at the Disney Institute a few years back. These were all peope who
had written hits, and you would have been amazed at some of the material
they played there that they had been unsuccessful in get a recording deal
for. Stuff that's just as strong as anything out there, just as good or even
better than their previous work that had been picked up. All of it light
years above the typical local-yokel songwriters group offerings.

These are all people who have been at it for a long time, and have
connections and a track record. What was also amazing was that some of these
songwriters weren't themselves known as performers, they all played and sang
incredibly well.

Something I read somewhere by some industry person is that he feels "the
good songs will find him". I.e., he's totally in the catbird seat. The pool
of talented songwriters who are willing to hustle and dedicate their lives
to scrap it out to get their material heard is so large that he has an
unlimited supply of quality material that makes it to his people as it is.
He doesn't need to listen to 1000 lousy, amateur songs to find one decent
one.

Do a lot of excellent songs get passed over? Absolutely. Maybe you have a
bunch of superbly crafted songs that could be hits. So does Diane Warren.
Guess whose songs are going to get listened to first? Don't call us, maybe
we'll call you...but probably not.

Even if you were to make it through the gauntlet and actually get your song
recorded, how much do you know about the business of the music business,
contracts, etc? You should spend a substantial amount of time educating
yourself in this area. There are many stories of famous artists who got
hosed by their record companies. The industry isn't set up to be honest and
give everyone a fair shot, it's set up to make the most profit for those who
are at the top of the food chain.

You may be interested to know that Garth Brooks has a degree in Business
Administration, not music.

From everything I've read, the record companies are always looking for new
and innovative ways to screw the songwriter out of their share and are not
above playing fast and loose with the truth regarding accounting, etc. and
have lobbyists and lawyers on their payroll. You think they're lying about
how many units sold and downloads there have been of your songs? Prove it.
They're in breach of your contract? Fine, you don't mind spending the next 5
years in court over it, and can afford it, right? In the meantime, they've
made a few calls and suddenly you seem to be on a blacklist. That's a shame.

I've only heard of one actual pop radio hit that's come by way of Taxi, some
song that Kenny Rogers did about 5 years ago or so. Maybe they've had more
since then, but I would think they'd splash it all over their site if they
did. Haven't looked at it recently. Of course, there are other arenas -
film/tv scoring. Supposedly, people have gotten work in those areas via
Taxi.