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The Muse's News |
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Issue 4.8 - November 2001
ISSN 1480-6975
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This issue sponsored by:
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I n T h i s I s s u e :
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@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Q&A with Nancy A. Reece from Carpe Diem Copyright Management &
attorney Duff Berschback
@-- Music Reviews - by Ben Ohmart
@-- Featured Article - THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC:
Publicity: Using the Internet to Promote
Your Music - by Charles Katz
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - Songwriting Web sites that inspire - brought
to you by singer/songwriter & teacher, Irene Jackson.
@-- Songwriter In Spotlight - Songwriter, Recording Artist and Film
& TV Composer, Alan O'Day
@-- Featured Article - Breaking into the soft-seater market:
A "Lawless" approach: Turning one small
"break" into a career - by Gregg Lawless
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
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ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998 - 2001, Jodi Krangle. For more
contact information, see end of issue.
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FREE WEB SITE FOR YOUR MUSIC!
At OnlineRock bands, musicians and songwriters can build their own
Web site, interact with other musicians, listen to music or just
browse through many of OnlineRock's helpful articles related to the
music world. Each week OnlineRock spotlights a different artist,
song and Web site. OnlineRock offers 25 megs of Web space, easy to
use Web building software, Chat rooms, Web based E-mail, Equipment
giveaways and reviews, Classifieds and more.
OnlineRock - Empowering Musicians http://www.onlinerock.com/?mm
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Hi everyone. I hope your month has been a good one, despite the
way our world has changed. The little things we can take joy in
sure mean a lot these days, don't they?
There are a few new additions to the web site that you should know
about. First of all, Eliot Popkin has joined us as our newest CD
Reviewer. You can go to his web page off of the Music Reviews
section at http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html and if you
have a CD in his genre, feel free to send him something! He'd love
to hear your stuff. I'll have a few reviews from him in the next
Muse's News along with more of Ben Ohmart's. Ben has been doing a
*stellar* job for a really long time, but he needs some help to
keep up with all the submissions. So I hope you'll all help Eliot
feel welcome. :)
There will be a few new columnists joining us in a little while,
but as they're not quite set up yet, I'll just leave it at that.
Watch the "What's New" section - www.musesmuse.com/whatsnew.html
because I'll announce their new columns in there when they're
placed online. There are new articles, Radio Muse is still going
strong (visit http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html to have a
listen or for instructions on how to submit your own music for
consideration) and the message boards are really hopping! I hope
you'll drop by and have a look.
If you're interested in joining the membership of Just Plain Folks
(http://www.jpfolks.com/), a worldwide organization for musicians
and songwriters of all types, just email me at jodi@musesmuse.com
with your full name, your city and your country, and I'll take care
of the rest for you. It's a fantastic organization and well worth
your time. They also have a newsletter that they send out and it's
a great read. Have a look at their web site for more details. I
suspect many of you are already members. :)
The only other thing to report is this month's raffle winner,
Albert R. (Ray) Schmidt from Centreville, VA who has won a copy of
Lyricist Software - V2! - generously donated by the folks at
Virtual Studio Systems. Their newest version will be available
after November 12th and I'm sure you'll be impressed. (see
http://www.virtualstudiosystems.com/products.htm for details).
Wishing everyone a happy and productive November and beyond,
--Jodi
Back to Menu
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SHAMELESS PLUG:
Drop by http://www.musesmuse.com/musemerchandise.html today to pick
up your very own Muse's Muse shirt, mug or mousepad! And while
you're at it, think about starting your *own* store. It would be
pretty cool to sell your own band's logo or design on promo items,
wouldn't it? And starting up a store requires no investment of
money on your part at all. Details on how to do that are only a
click away...
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/storeref.aspx?refby=musesmuse
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C o p y r i g h t & P u b l i s h i n g Q & A :
Collaboration - The thorny issues of legality.
This is the third of many panel discussions by attorney Duff
Berschback and administrator and licensing executive Nancy Reece.
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There are many ways to collaborate with another writer when
creating a new copyright. You may be a staff writer for a publisher
assigned to write with someone you've never even met before. You
may be a lyricist, looking for a melody master via the Internet to
work with long distance. You may be in a band or group or duo where
many participate in the formation of both a song and its
arrangement. Or you may bring your works into a studio where a
producer begins to work with you on changes. There are
considerations in all of these situations and others that should be
reviewed. It is very important to understand before you begin
writing together what you agree on concerning writer splits.
I have compiled some questions submitted to me over the past few
months and have asked Duff to help explain the labyrinth of
possibilities.
-Nancy
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Q: Collaboration or Derivative:
I have written music, in which the lyrics are from a 12 century
Irish poem. I found the poem in a collection of Irish poetry from
the past 1000 years. The translation is in the book, of which the
original was obviously in Gaelic. Since, I have used the
translation, do I need to get permission from the publisher of this
book for this song?
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A: FROM DUFF:
A translation is simply a derivative work of the original. Since
the original in this case is public domain (speaking re: U.S. law),
you would not appear to need permission for the lyrics. Watch out
though if there was a change in the original so as to create a
separate copyrightable work.
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Q: Collaboration or Trade Mark?:
Does one have to get permission to use product names in a song? For
example, in Phil Vassar's song "Just Another Day in Paradise" he
refers to "Domino's Pizza" in his lyrics. Did he have to obtain
permission to use that name? Would I have to obtain permission to
use the phrase "band-aid" in a song, being that Band-Aid is a brand
name?
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FOR THE ANSWER TO THIS AND MORE QUESTIONS, SEE THE REST OF THE
DISCUSSION AT:
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000085.html
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TO VIEW OTHER QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES, SEE NANCY'S "COPYRIGHT &
PUBLISHING Q&A" ONLINE AT http://www.musesmuse.com/pubq-a.html OR
DUFF'S "THIS LAW GOES TO 11" COLUMN AT
http://www.musesmuse.com/songlaw.html .
Please note: These two received a *lot* of e-mail in a month. If
you sent in a question but have not heard a reply, it's very likely
it already *has* an answer online. It's always a good idea to
thoroughly look through the Q&A's online to see if your question
has already been asked before you send in a request. Thanks!
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*****
ABOUT NANCY A. REECE:
Carpe Diem Copyright Management's owner and president, Nancy A. Reece has
been involved in the music business since 1983. She was the president of an
independent advertising agency for eight years as well as a successful
personal artist manager for nine years. She represented the careers of
several recording artists and songwriters including those with EMI, Zomba
and Liberty Records as well as Benson, Starsong, WoodBridge, Temple Hall and
N'Soul Records. She also represented, for a number of years, a Grammy and
Dove nominated record producer. Reece has won awards of excellence in print
magazine advertising and has been named as one of 2,000 Notable American
Women (1995) as well as being listed in the International Who's Who of
Professional and Business Women (1993). She was also named Cashbox
Magazine's Promoter of the Year (1989). In addition to her work at Carpe
Diem Copyright Management, Reece works at a performing rights organization
in the United States and is an accomplished contemporary artist working in
abstract and multimedia on canvas and wood.
ABOUT DUFF BERSCHBACK:
Duff Berschback is an entertainment lawyer in Nashville, TN. He
represents singers, songwriters, publishers, and other assorted
industry types, with a particular focus on digital entertainment
and new media. He spends spare time hanging with his family,
playing with his Lab, reading, and, of course, listening to music.
A bit scattershot in his musical taste, at any given time he can be
found listening to Bach or Martina McBride, Wagner or Robert
Johnson, Muddy Waters or (old) U2, Dire Straits or Dwight Yoakum,
The Rolling Stones or Frank Sinatra, and (old) Van Halen or George
Winston, among others.
**If you would like to ask either of these two a question, you can
send your e-mail to Nancy at nreece@musesmuse.com or to Duff at
duffb@musesmail.com . They can't guarantee they'll get to all of
the questions, but they'll certainly try.**
Back to Menu
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M u s i c R e v i e w s : by Ben Ohmart
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Dene Marie Jomei's self-titled debut CD is a self-produced,
eclectic brand of pop that draws upon a variety of styles,
intonations, musical yard sales, and alternative-indie-acoustic
peculiarities that demonstrate quite an ability. Whether or not she
has fully picked a dominant direction to pursue, is open to debate.
However, the most important fact - for any singer - is to learn by
doing. That's just what's happening here.
The dozen songs come up to 52 minutes, starting with the dance-pop
rhythm of 'Stay With Me.' It's one of the best, because of the
plethora of vocals and guitars involved, a good, almost overblown
(and that's capital for the dance floor) production. 'I call your
number since you're nowhere in sight / but no answer on the
telephone tonight. / I’ve got to tell you something that's been on
my mind, / there's an invitation waiting for you.'
She's got an original voice, that often will raise to trills when
she goes up high and holding. Good vocal range, which will only
grow better with time. 'Everything' shows off her vocal prowess
better than most. 'I hear your voice it echoes in the night / alone
I feel you reach for me from so far / you run from me, so afraid to
see everything I am / if you ever wonder what you mean to me.'
Also 'I Want To' – my favorite of the cd – sparks to life with
great acoustic guitar, and in being so electronically unmasked,
manages to show off Dene's voice more than any other track.
Coffeehouse time! 'Your touch is kind and dangerous / your all
consuming star / your smile, so warm and wicked / taunting eyes,
what's in there?'
Dene has a way to go still, for controlling the voice, and
production quality, but wow, what a start.
denemarie@denemarie.com
www.denemarie.com
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OTHER NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
George Formby -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000073.html
Wendy Carlos -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000074.html
Dean Evenson & Soundings Ensemble -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000075.html
Jeffrey Michael -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000076.html
Ed Gerhard -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000078.html
Vasen -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000079.html
Cybertribe -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000080.html
Chinmaya Dunster -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000081.html
Jerry Goldsmith & David Shire -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000082.html
Devon -
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000083.html
The Man Who Wasn't There - Soundtrack
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000086.html
---------------
******
Ben lives in Boalsburg, PA where greedy people want to put up
condos in place of a nature preserve. He spends his off hours
listening to radio comedy - especially British - loves reading and
watching horror, and hates trying to make ends meet. Send him money
and gifts. While waiting for bribes, he's currently writing the
official biographies of The Bickersons, Paul Frees and Daws Butler.
His latest bit of immortality? The text for bickersons.com.
Contact him at: ohmart@musesmuse.com.
**Ben has kindly consented to do music reviews for this
publication and also for The Muse's Muse itself. And he's finally
going to have some help! I hope you'll all join me in welcoming
Eliot Popkin as our newest CD reviewer. Information on them both
along with the genres they prefer to receive, can be found at
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html . **
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE YOUR SONGS!
Whether you're a songwriter or lyricist, the Great American Song
Contest offers a great opportunity to get your songs heard by top
music-industry pros. This highly recommended annual event features
top judges who are publishers, producers, recording artists &
well-known hit songwriters. The contest provides for 5 winners in 7
different song categories, for a total of 35 winners. Plus, ALL
entries receive a written evaluation from the judges!
(Postmark deadline is November 14th.)
Visit http://www.greatamericansong.com/ for details, or email
info@GreatAmericanSong.com for a printed brochure.
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
Charles will be providing us with a series of articles discussing
common problems performing songwriters might face within the music
business.
THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC: Publicity: Using the Internet to Promote
Your Music - by Charles Katz
©2001, Charles Katz. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.
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"The Search is Over" performed by Survivor, Words and Music
by Frank Sullivan and Jim Peterik was a classic hit in the mid
80's.
The lyric with a great hook "I can see forever. The search is
over." is repeated several times in the chorus and gets the message
across.
In Internet Publicity, Key Words are Search and Information.
The first step for a performing artist is to develop and maintain a
Proper web site.
The key elements on your web site should include:
1.Bio
2.Recordings
3.SoundBites
4.Order Music
5.Performance Dates
6.Links Page
7.Contact Information
Optional items may include Videos, Lyrics, and Gallery with Photo
and art exhibition. It is extremely important that the web site is
colorful, dynamic, up to date, informative about the artist, and NO
BROKEN LINKS!!!!
You should not try to do the site yourself but hire a web master /
graphic artist to do the initial development.
Once the site is up and running you must enable people to find you
on the Internet.
This is accomplished in several ways.
1. Meta Tags - hidden in the web script so search engines can
find you. For details, see:
http://www.webdeveloper.com/categories/html/html_metatags.html
2. Submit to the major search engines such as :
http://www.altavista.com
http://www.hotbot.com
http://www.lycos.com
http://www.excite.com
http://search.msn.com
(JODI'S NOTE: Feel free to use my own manual submission page at
http://www.musesmuse.com/networks/mansubs.html . This will give
you all the majors plus a few more. I suggest you do this manually
as the major search engines sometimes do ignore submissions from
software programs.)
For those who haven't got the time or energy why not put your web
address into a tool like this: www.submitexpress.com
3. Put Your web site address everywhere.
Posters, flyers, adverts, stickers, T-Shirts, press releases, gig
tickets or maybe on CD's you are sending to local DJs or promoters.
4. Links Communities and Forums
http://www.imusic.com/
http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Music/Songwriting
http://www.delphi.com/
http://www.usenet.com/
http://www.musesmuse.com
5. Get yourself another website!
Build yourself another website - there's every reason why it's
great to be in more than one place at one time. Plenty of companies
are out there that will help you to do this.
http://geocities.yahoo.com/home
http://www.moonfruit.com/
5. Join a Webring
A Webring is a collection of sites with common interests who add
links to each other. A navigation tool then lets users move between
all of the linked sites. This is a very effective way to group
like-minded sites together. Find a Webring with similar tastes to
you and get linking.
http://www.ringsurf.com/Arts_and_Humanities/Music/
http://dir.webring.yahoo.com/rw?d=Music
http://www.localsound.com/
Stay tuned for next month's article:
Publicity: Using the Internet to Promote Your Music-Great Indie
Sites to Upload your Music to.
******
Charles Katz owns a high-tech company, Printerm, established for 20
years, and manages a Record Label, Windrift Music Inc. He currently
has a CD "Night Driving Music" installed at Internet sites in the
US, UK, and Asia collecting royalties. Charles is presently working
on his second CD with a female recording artist and has established
a virtual band, Spencer K for that project. As a business leader,
musician, publisher, and promoter, he is now providing his
expertise for fellow artists. Contact: ckatz@windriftmusic.com
Back to Menu
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M u s i c a l N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
In the interest of conserving space, I will only be including
changes to this listing in this newsletter. All other contests
and market information that have already been listed here, are
displayed at http://www.musesmuse.com/contests.html &
http://www.musesmuse.com/markets.html . Please check there
regularly for updates!
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'RADIO MUSE' WEBCAST FOR INDEPENDENT SONGWRITERS - SEEKING MUSIC!
The Muse's Muse & Host, Jan Best of Independent Songwriter
Web-Magazine, are putting together a series of shows, one every
month, featuring the songs of independent songwriters just like
you! See http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html for details on how
you can send in your own music for consideration.
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UNISONG -- DON'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY OR THE DEADLINE!
A fantastic opportunity for songwriters around the world to have
their songs heard by top music industry pros and their careers
enhanced. Over $50,000 in cash and prizes! Our always unique
Grand Prize is a trip to Jamaica to be a part of Music Bridges
2002! There is also a major opportunity for songwriters to have
their songs included on an all-star album for Earth Summit 2002.
Enter via CD, cassette or MP3! Entry deadline is November 30,
2001. Visit http://www.unisong.com for more details.
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DO YOU LIKE THE MUSE'S MUSE?
HERE'S ANOTHER COMMUNITY YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
Just Plain Folks - www.jpfolks.com - is a fantastic organization,
over 11,000 members strong - especially for people who want to make
it in the music biz. Participation could be a great thing for your
career! Have a look at the web site and if you're interested in
getting involved, just email me at jodi@musesmuse.com with your
full name, your city, your state/province and your
country in the body of your email. By joining, you'll also be
entered into a weekly drawing for great prizes (which is why they
need your full name)! They send out a free newsletter once every
two weeks and it's a great way to keep informed about what's
happening out there - especially if you're an indie.
I've been a mentor @ JPF for several years now. They're well worth
checking out! If the link above doesn't work for you, you can also
email me directly and I can take care of it for you. :) -- Jodi
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NEW SONG CONTEST!
The Aural Adventure Song Contest is a new type of competition.
There are no deadlines, and you have some choices regarding the
prize / competition ratio. The contest is divided into rushes and
waves. (See site.) Winners recieve cash prizes, and appear on an
Aural Adventure Wave CD. All entrants of the first wave (4350
entries,) will receive a copy of the first CD! (15 tracks.) Winners
receive 5 copies. The goal here is to successfully incorporate
complete artistic freedom, and sonic exploration into the song
format. Entry fee is $20.00 U.S.D. The site opens at 12:00 pm
(noon) Eastern (New York) time, on Halloween. (10-31-01)
http://www.auraladventure.com
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NORTH BY NORTHEAST
MUSIC FESTIVAL AND INDUSTRY CONFERENCE
Toronto, Ontario - June 6, 7 & 8, 2002
Attention up-and-coming musical acts from Canada and around the
world: Don't miss the deadline for showcase applications to be a
part of Canada's leading new music showcase event - North By
Northeast 2002! Returning for it's eighth fantastic year, North By
Northeast will be taking over downtown Toronto June 6-8, 2002.
Submissions will be accepted starting November 1, 2001 through to
January 18, 2002. All aspiring musical stars of tomorrow are
invited to send their demo tapes and CDs for showcase
consideration. With last year's festival breaking all previous
attendance records, this year could be YOUR chance to play in front
of an enormous crowd of national and international music industry
and media folks as well as thousands of enthusiastic music fans.
Plus, there's LOTS more!
HOW TO GET YOUR OFFICIAL SHOWCASE APPLICATION FORM:
Download the application form on-line from www.nxne.com.
OR
Contact: NXNE Headquarters - 189 Church St. – Lower Level, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada – M5B 1Y7
Phone (416) 863-NXNE (6963) / fax: (416) 863-0828
Email: tbird@nxne.com
Back to Menu
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M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2001 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved. Used By
Permission
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I recently read a complaint from someone (not directly to me, but
through a songwriter's group) that there's very little information
about writing commercial songs and making money from it on the
internet. Actually, he's wrong. There are a number of resources
that discuss commercial songwriting and websites of organizations
directly involved in the "business" of songwriting. But I think
this person's frustration had more to do with "why can't someone
tell me specifically how to make money from my songwriting?" This
is a MUCH more difficult question to answer! Most of us who have
been involved with songwriting for any period of time and who have
researched the business of songwriting, know that it takes a lot
more than a great song. Well, first you have to write the "great
song", right? :-)
So I did a search on my own on search engines using phrases like
"making money from songwriting" and "songwriting for profit".
Needless to say, I didn't come up with much! Most who advertise
this at all will want you to buy their books or pay for their
courses before they'll actually tell you anything :-) And why not?
It's business! But I did come across a website that I have
actually visited before, a number of times, set up by a songwriting
pair that I have personally met on the internet, Danny Arena and
Sara Light. Aside from being great people, their website is full
of lots of information and articles on songwriting (withOUT having
to take their courses!) The one that stuck out for me was Sara's
article "Getting A Staff Writing Deal". This is the real thing
from someone who IS a staff writer and who has learned a lot from
her involvement in NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association
International) and interaction with many other songwriters over the
years. You'll find her article among others at:
http://www.craftofsongwriting.com/
The fact is, folks, that making money at writing songs is like
starting a business. If you are trying to "sell" something, the
first thing you need is a great product...then you need to educate
yourself in how the business works. A lot of songwriters want to
jump before they know there's any water in the pool :-) Okay, I'm
a songwriter too, and I like analogies :-) But don't complain that
there aren't enough people out there willing to help you understand
the process and learn the business. This website proves that there
ARE!
P.S. Did I mention you should first learn how to write a great
song?? :-)
******
Irene Jackson is a performing songwriter from Victoria, BC in
Canada. Aside from writing, recording and performing, she also
maintains a website for songwriters that includes tips, articles
and more links of interest. Her eagerly anticipated CD "Catnip" is
finally here, and her earlier recordings have had attention
everywhere from Japan to South America.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs on MP3:
http://www.mp3.com/artists/20/irene_jackson.html
Back to Menu
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S o n g w r i t e r I n S p o t l i g h t : Alan O'Day
Most people may know Alan as the writer/artist on the Billboard #1
"Undercover Angel," or as the writer of Helen Reddy's quirky two
million seller "Angie Baby". But O'Day has remained busy at his
craft since the 70's. After writing & producing songs for Jim
Henson's Muppet Babies animated TV show (in the 80's), & National
Geographic's award winning "Really Wild Animals" children's videos
(in the 90's); he is back to his first love, writing pop songs. He
has written for Disney Television's "Sing Me A Story", co-written
hit songs with Japanese superstar Tatsuro Yamashita, & even
co-written & produced original songs for the "Arabian Nights
Pageant" in Indio, California.
Read on as Alan talks about his views on rejection, emotional
support (we ALL need that!), recounts his successes and talks about
the lessons he's learned along the way.
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Q: What got you interested in music in the first place? Who were
your earliest influences and inspirations?
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A: I can't remember a time when music didn't fascinate me. As a
little kid, I was sick a lot, so I would listen to the radio &
drift off into the music (kind of like Angie Baby!). I was an only
child; there was no TV, just my mental pictures. My dad's 78 rpm
records also yielded great excitement, especially the blues,
Dixieland, & Errol Garner sides. (I still have them, packed away in
the garage, and a few reside in a 1947 Wurlitzer jukebox in my
living room.)
Then somewhere later I heard Spike Jones' unique combination of
music & humorous noise, & I was hooked on that too. As a school
project in the 5th grade, I built a sound effects box, with every
weird gadget I could improvise on: two pieces of wood slammed
together would simulate a pistol shot, a small container full of
little rocks when shaken would sound like applause, etc.
I was also singing & playing the ukulele, which taught me the
beginning of chord concepts.
Looking back, I see the elements of music, rhythm, humor & drama
combining & percolating to form my love of songwriting.
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Q: So what got you writing instead of listening (and creating sound
effects ;-) )? Was there a particular event or individual that
encouraged you to start?
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A: You know, I think it was a transition rather than a particular
event. I see myself at age seven, sitting on the steps near my
house playing a xylophone & making up melodies. Later on, playing
the ukulele & making up a piece of lyric... Oh! In the third grade
I had a major crush on a girl named Sharon. So I bought a blank
card, wrote her an original poem, & delivered it to her front door
(no one was home). The next day in school she appeared angry at me
& actually chased me around the playground. It wasn't the reaction
I was looking for, but I guess the unintentional lesson was that
there is power in words!
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Q: So when you figured out the power of words, what did you do with
it?
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For the answer to this and other questions, please see the rest of
the interview at http://www.musesmuse.com/int-alanoday.html .
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Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNLEASH THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET WITH SONGSCOPE.COM!
SongScope is a valuable tool enabling you to build an on-line song
catalog, accessible only by proven industry professionals. Receive
FREE email informing you every time record producers and industry
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
Breaking into the soft-seater market: A "Lawless" approach by
Gregg Lawless
©2001, Greg Lawless. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted By Permission.
Editor's Note: This article first appeared in the magazine put out
by the Songwriting Association of Canada (SAC) - so the references
are Canadian. But you should be able to apply these principles no
matter where you are!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 2: Turning one small "break" into a career
In 1997, I played a very small showcase (through a gawdawful p.a.)
to fewer than 10 people at my first conference, the Ontario Arts
Council's "Contact" weekend. Only one presenter showed any
interest. His interest was, however, substantial: he offered me an
opening spot in a major theatre to open for Burton Cummings,
contingent on Burton's agent approving me as an opening act. The
agent didn't. But, the presenter promised: "Hang in there...I like
what you do...you'll hear from me." I wrote him a gracious thank
you letter for his having considered me. Three weeks later, he
called me to open two nights for Susan Aglukark.
Both nights were hugely successful. The audience was very receptive
and I also managed to sell a pile of cd's. I made sure not to play
more than the allotted 25 minutes, I thanked Susan, her band, her
crew, the theatre crew, the presenter, the ushers...well, you get
the picture. Many folks asked me: "When are you coming back?" I
responded, with a devilish smile: "Why don't you ask the theatre
manager?" Apparently, lots of people did: I'm doing my own
"headliner" there this year.
Just as important as the return engagement was the letter of
reference - and word of mouth promo. - that the presenter gave me.
I forwarded copies of his letter to other theatres who were
presenting Susan and ended up with 4 more "openers". Word spread
quickly about the shows. Suddenly, presenters who, till then,
wouldn't return my calls were friendly and receptive.
Case in point: in 1997 I sent a copy of my début solo cd,
"Greggorian Chance", to a well-respected presenter who books a 500
seat hall. The presenter was cordial but non-committal. I requested
permission to put her on my "news" email list; she agreed. I called
her 3 times over the next two years to politely gauge if she was
taking notice of my "progression". She remained non-committal.
Then, at 9:26 on a Friday morning, two years after our initial
conversation, she called to offer me a last-minute spot on a
triple-bill that evening; one of the act's plane was grounded due
to a snow storm.
I managed to put together a band, played a well-received set, sold
tons of cd's and was invited back to play for the theatre's
Members' Night. After the gig, I asked the presenter: "So, why did
you finally decide to give me a break?" She replied: "Because
you're hardworking, well organized, professional and, above all,
polite."
That gig led to a headliner for the coming season and, to top it
off, the presenter turned out to be on the CAPACOA showcase
selection committee. This, no doubt, played a part in my
subsequently being accepted to showcase at the national presenters'
conference in Ottawa.
BUILDING/MAINTAINING A "CAREER":
Making concrete, attainable short and long-term plans is essential.
For example:
Immediate plan
Today, I will: make a comprehensive list, including contact
information, of all of the presenters I want to contact.
Tomorrow, I will: write a "script" of what I'll say/email to each
presenter (including, if possible, a brief reference/quote from
another presenter); have a business-minded friend proof-read the
script; revise and edit.
The following day, I will attempt to contact each presenter and
make detailed notes (i.e. "...definitely not interested...";
"...lukewarm...send cd/kit and follow up in 2 weeks"; or "...very
interested...courier cd/kit today and call in 4 days").
Plan for the next year
This fall I will meet every presenter at the Contact conference; in
Jan. I will release a new cd; by June 1st I will have a completely
redesigned/updated press kit to apply for next year's showcase;
next fall I will give a well-rehearsed, thoroughly entertaining
showcase (and if I'm not accepted for an "official showcase", I'll
set up a "guerilla" showcase off-site!) and follow up with every
presenter who attends.
Plan for the next three years
I will: plan a showcase/tour outside of my province; endeavour to
make 25% of my gross income from playing concerts; release an
indisputably brilliant cd.
Falling back into the land of clichés: keep your day job. Building
a successful, profitable career is a long-term commitment; it will
likely take at least 2 to 4 years from the day that you are fully
organized and "ready to take on the world" until you begin to
attain your more ambitious goals. And remember: follow-up and
personal contact will comprise 90% of your job as a self-managed,
self-promoted, artist.
MISCELLANEOUS TIPS:
One way to make presenters happy is, quite frankly, to help them to
do their job. Ask yourself: "What can I offer to them besides the
show itself?" Can you help with marketing/promotional ideas?
Presenters talk to one another regularly, so word travels quickly.
In addition to a killer cd/bio and poster, can you provide them
with a five minute, edited promo cd, featuring snippets of 5 of
your best songs that they can play to their captive audience before
other concerts?
You are now in the business of making and maintaining
relationships. Think of presenters as long-term friends/ business
partners. Find out their kids' names, ask them where they grew up,
how they got into the business, what they do when they aren't
working...before long, you'll be amazed that you were ever
intimidated by these people.
Also:
- Never call or write an email/letter when you're angry...you can
never really "take it back".
- Send Christmas cards.
- Never say anything negative about anyone in the industry...it
will come back to haunt you.
- Brush your teeth regularly and eat your vegetables...fresh breath
and good health are big assets in any business.
Good luck...I'll see you when your tour rolls through my town!
******
Gregg Lawless is a Toronto-based, self-represented
singer/songwriter, currently promoting his latest cd, "Wicked
little buzz", with the "Fancy-Dancy Theatre Tour 2001".
Contact: www.gregglawless.com
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=================================================================
" O N S I T E " F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E :
If You Don't Win, You Can Still Play - by Lynn Harrison
http://www.musesmuse.com/art-harrison.html
If you've participated in any songwriting contests recently but
have been discouraged by your placing, this is a must read. Here
are some of Lynn's thoughts on the matter. You might recognize
yourself in here...
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C l a s s i f i e d s & U s e f u l S e r v i c e s :
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Jodi Krangle ............................................. EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain ...........................GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
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