Song Writer's Music Market

The song writer’s music market is something anyone hoping to make a living off of their songwriting ability is going to have to learn. The market for songwriters tends to differ from genre to genre, and there is no one, surefire way to gain entry to the market. With some hard work and persistence, however, making a living off of your songwriting is possible. Here is some information you need to know.

You can make a living selling your songs.

More than any other writing market out there, the paths into the songwriting market are blurry. That’s both good news and bad news. On the downside, getting into the songwriting market often takes a lot of trial and error since you can never really be sure which point of entry is going to be the one for you. The upside of this, however, is that there are lots of opportunities for your songs to get noticed. Here are some of the common ways songwriters start selling their material:

For most songwriters, scoring a publishing deal is the best situation to be in. Not all publishing deals are created equal, though. You can list your song with a publisher, who will take responsibility for managing the copyright, and that protects your rights and is a good thing. What you really want to find, however, is a deal with a publisher that actually works your material. This means that they actively try to place your songs with artists so that they get used. A good publisher will have connections with studios, music managers, record labels and more.

In addition to being a position to place your songs, the added bonus of working with a publisher is that they are usually able to get a better deal for you than you would be able to on your own.

Finding a publishing deal without having any proven track record can be tough. You may need to look for other avenues to sell some songs before you approach a publisher.

Sometimes, songwriters work directly with a studio or a record label. This means that when an artist is signed to a label or comes into a studio that needs some material, they come to you to either commission you to write a song or to buy a song from your back catalogue. This happens a lot in pop music and country music.

Although working with a big label is not easy when you’re just getting started as a song writer, you can start placing your songs with artists on a small scale by approaching local studios and letting them know what you’re doing. Studios are often approached by people wanting to record demos that don’t have any material – ask them to point these people in your direction.

Often, songwriters attend music industry trade shows like Midem, Popkomm, SXSW and more, in hopes of making a connection with a label, artist, studio or manager. The internet is a great place to keep on top of events for songwriters – join a few chat rooms and message groups dedicated to songwriters to stay in the know.

One word of warning – although songwriters DO attend these events, it’s not always money well spent. Music industry trade shows are extremely expensive, and many attendees are not receptive to receiving demos and songwriting samples. Be cautious about choosing the events you’ll attend.

If one of your songs is bought, how do you get paid? Some songwriters receive an advance, which is charged against future royalties, or an outright upfront payment for their song, although some do not. The real bread and butter for songwriters is royalties. Songwriters get:

• Mechnical Royalties – Royalties paid when a recorded version of one of their songs is sold.

• Performance Rights Royalties – Royalties paid when one of their songs is performed live or in some countries, when it is played on the radio.

Songwriters also generally get a cut of synch licensing fees if their songs are synched for ads, movies and so on. Keep in mind that royalty laws differ from country to country, so you’ll need to approach the royalty collection groups in your country for more info. In every case, you’ll need to register with the collection groups if you want to be paid.

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