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The Muse's News |
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Issue 2.6 - September 1999 ISSN 1480-6975
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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
@-- Music Reviews - by Ben Ohmart
@-- Featured Article - DON'T FIGHT THE REWRITE - by Dave Byers
@-- Book Review - by Jodi Krangle
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - by Irene Jackson
@-- Songwriter in Profile:
Prolific songwriter and performer, Mark Mangold. @-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
=================================================================
ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998 - Jodi Krangle. For more contact
information, see end of issue.
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For web hosting or UNIX consulting, please contact
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website at http://www.samurai.com/ .
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Also sponsored by:
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CONTRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC GENOME PROJECT
Inspired by the valiant biologist attempting to map the human
genome, MusicDish will be launching the Music Genome Project
to identify and map the components which make up what we call
the Online Music Industry. SUBMIT your site for consideration
in this cyber-biological experiment, slated to be launched on
September 15, 1999. http://www.beatsezine.com/submitlink.shtml
----------------------------------------------------
Please visit The Muse's News sponsors as they help to make this
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Well, here we are - the first issue of the newsletter at
Topica.com. So far, everything has gone incredibly smoothly and
I have the staff over at Topica and Bryan Fullerton at
Samurai.com to thank for it.
There's news here at The Muse's Muse! We have a new columnist.
Please help me welcome Diane Sward Rapaport (author of HOW TO
MAKE & SELL YOUR OWN RECORDING - which will be our next book
give-away) to our very knowledgeable roster. You can view her
column at http://www.musesmuse.com/songworks.html and take part
in her "Raps" by e-mailing her from there on your opinions about
her latest commentary.
Our winner this month of Pat & Pete's book, 12 STEPS TO BULDING
BETTER SONGS is Nikku Nayar. Congratulations, Nikku! Enjoy your
holiday in Calgary! :)
One more request, before I go on to the rest of the newsletter:
If you have a moment, please do take the Muse's Muse Site Survey
by clicking through to http://www.workwork.com/survey/58575.cfm .
It would really help me out and if you do, you have a chance to
win a copy of Fierce.com's new book! It's a great one, too,
filled with lots of very cool reviews. There's a music section
in there that's well worth reading. And even if you don't win the
book, I'd encourage you to check it out by going to
http://205.230.104.90/fierce/entrance.html . You won't regret
it!
And that's it. Enjoy - and if you have any questions, comments
or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me at editor@musesmuse.com .
I always love hearing from you.
--Jodi
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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 :
with Nancy A. Reece of Carpe Diem Copyright Management
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nancy
I have only just subscribed to musesmuse so forgive me if you
have answered this question a thousand times. How do I copyright
a song? I have a created a number of songs but have not
physically put them down on paper (manuscript). Except the lyrics
that is. I get ideas, record them, then add backing (drums bass,
guitar etc) to complete the song. Is there a way to copyright
this kind of material?
thank you
-- Mike
-----------------
Hello Mike -
Thank you for writing I think that what you are looking for can
be found in the Q&As posted.
In general look through this page:
http://www.musesmuse.com/pubq-a.html
However, here is a direct response to your question
To claim ownership of what you have created, the work must become
an 'original work of authorship" fixed in a "tangible medium of
expression"
Your work is copywritten once it is in a fixed form (as in
written down on paper).
To 'register' those copyrights with the US Copyright office you
would merely fill out the proper form. If you are registering the
song, it would be a "PA" form. If you are registering copyright
ownership on a sound recording it would be a "SR" form.
The registration fee is now $30 per title. More information on
fee structure and copies of forms can be obtained at:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/
If our office can help you with these forms, please let me know,
I would be happy to give you a flat fee rate for those services.
The US Copyright Act states that Copyright Owners Have the
exclusive right to:
1. make and sell copies in any form;
2. display or perform the work publicly;
3. prepare derivative works, which are new works based on the
original work;
4. allow others to exercise the exclusive rights.
Good luck!
---------------
OTHER NEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS SINCE LAST MONTH CAN BE FOUND AT:
http://www.musesmuse.com/pub-august99.html
---------------
*****
Carpe Diem'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).
**If you would like to ask Nancy a copyright or publishing
question for our continuing Q&A section, please send your e-mail
to nreece@musesmuse.com. She can't guarantee she'll get to all of
the questions, but she'll certainly try.**
Back to Menu =================================================================
M u s i c R e v i e w s : by Ben Ohmart
----------------------------------------------------------------- Bronwen Williams - This Is Me, Is That You
What an interesting first name. Anyway:
This is a lovely folky album and Bronwen proves that she has the
voice. Reminds me of a young Judy Collins. She's like a mother
haunting an old house, singing lullabies like 'Kaidi's Song',
which is so comely you'll want to cry. If you can get through
this song without thinking of a long-distance loved one and not
break down crying, I'll give the first 5 people a free slap in
the mouth.
Cd starts off with 'Custom-made Woman' which is pretty up tempo
considering the things that follow. The words to the songs are
simple, but that gives them personalities like real people; true
friends almost. 'custom-made woman are funny and kind / they
bring out your best and drive you out of your mind / but if you
find one and can make her your wife / you won't need another for
the rest of your life.'
Don't forget your country and blues roots, y'all. They're all
here. 'mama don't understand me / I just want to play / she sees
me with those action figures / and takes them all away'. As a
little 7 year boy old who played with Star Wars figures far too
long, I can relate to the chorus of 'give back my action figures
/ give back my action figures / give back my action figures / I
just want to play'.
But be warned! There's more to this cd than 1 woman and 1 guitar
singing about life. Each song is orchestrated differently, and
has a singular mood all its own. If you're into beautiful folk,
you'll have to try this one.
Bronwen Williams
911 Grandview Drive.
Hudson, WI 54016
715-381-5307
bronwen@spacestar.net
---------------
OTHER NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
Ziggurat - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-ziggurat.html
LeNor Barry - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-barry.html
He Fashioned Love - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-hfl.html
Max Tyrell - http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-tyrell.html
---------------
******
Ben Ohmart has had 100s of stories and poems in zines and
journals, and had 4 plays produced last year. His lyrics will be
on 2 CDs this year, 1 a gothic album, the other a rock album.
He's currently writing films, with hopes of having one done in
Malaysia soon, and is also trying to break into the prison of
television. He's white, 26, single and loves British comedy. He
lives in Boalsburg, PA, and enjoys watching rabbits eat his
garbage. 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. If you have an
independently released CD or tape that you'd like to get
reviewed, send it off to: Ben Ohmart, P O Box 750, Boalsburg, PA
16827 or drop by his Music Reviews web section at
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html for more details.**
Back to Menu =================================================================
F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
DON'T FIGHT THE REWRITE - by Dave Byers
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A wonderful comment about songwriting is "great songs are not
written, they're rewritten". Any skill is not generally WONDERFUL
with the 1st take. Imagine making a movie and using only the 1st
take of every scene. Imagine how funny commercials would be if
they insisted on using only the 1st take. The peculiar thing is
that we as songwriters often rely just on our "1st take" as a
finished product. Why do we do that? The reason I believe that
songwriters (self included) feel that we're special is that once
we get the initial inspiration, we've given birth to a song. How
many parents would take their 1st child or two, look at them
and say "You need a little work yet, I'll send you back and
we'll try again." LOL! That song that we began birthing is close
to us and we now begin treating it like a child. It's special,
it's ours, we love it, and it's perfect JUST THE WAY IT IS! ;-)
Besides, it's cool to imagine being interviewed and saying "Ohh,
yeah, that song of mine that has been #1 for the last 6 months
was all written in 5 minutes. I write all my songs like that."
Treating our initial song inspirations like our little children
leads to problems. We don't keep an open ear or consider
critiques and input from people very well anymore. We don't walk
the floor thinking of better lines anymore. We don't toy around
with our music wondering if a better chord progression could make
the song stand out more. We've decided not to work on the melody
to make it more "catchy." Before you know it, this song ends up
in a collection of songs we like and wonder why no one else ever
liked as much. Again, no one can tell us our kid is a brat,
err, or our rhymes are a little cliché without us running out
the door with our hands over our ears at that point screaming
"it's fine, it's fine, I like it that way!"
What if we took a different approach? What if we wrote our songs
with the intention of rewriting them? Hmm, that is a little
different. It's kind of like tricking yourself. You keep that
intention and what happens is that you don't allow yourself to be
nearly as attached as you were to the song originally. I often do
that with verses. I have a verse and it seems "OK" but I don't
want an "OK" song I want a very good song I get to hear on the
radio. ;-) So I say to myself, "I'm sure I'll keep that 2nd
verse, but just for kicks, just for something to do, I'm going to
write it a completely different way. I'm going to ditch this and
do this instead of that, etc." Many times I find that the old
2nd verse wasn't that good after all, this new version is much
better and tossing the old verse 2 in the trash can now comes
much easier.
When inspiration comes, don't slow it down by worrying about
rhymes etc. yet. Just get it all out on paper, tape etc. so that
it all comes out. Then after a day or so of tossing it around, go
back to it and map it out. Map out where the song needs to start,
where it needs to lead the listener, and where it needs to end.
Be very tight with the focus of the song. You are now on rewrite
#1. You are now taking the "idea" and making it a song. Now get
away from it again. Print it out the next day and begin walking
around, driving around, sitting outside etc. reading / singing it
through. Be very careful not to get attached yet, think "I'm
writing this with the intention of rewriting this a couple more
times." There's no pressure to keep current lines or new
lines etc., so you're free to fool around. As you read and sing
through it look for "speedbumps." Speedbumps in your song are
lines or phrases that just don't seem to flow very well on your
song's road. They draw attention to themselves as being cliché,
unclear in meaning, not very vivid, etc. Take those "speedbumps,
those parts that you kind of, sort of wonder if they're that
good, and magnify them so you can wipe them out and the song
soars from start to finish. Your song deserves it. Don't make
another "good" song, rewrite it and make a great song. This will
cover another few rewrites.
Look at your song and make sure it is strong in what I call the
songwriting triangle. #1. Does the lyric draw the listener in and
unfold well? Good lyric painting, focused, clear, etc. #2. Is the
songs structure sound? Rhyme scheme, etc. #3. Is it catchy? Hook
VERY strong, chorus wraps it up, catchy melody, progressions,
musical parts, etc. that make people want to walk around humming
it for days saying "Help, I can't this song out of my head!!!"
LOL! That should give you another rewrite or two on your song.
At some point you've polished the car, I mean song, to a point
where it's time to stop admiring it and get in and drive. As with
anything, don't go completely overboard. Someday you're going to
have to boot your little child/song out of the nest and let it
fly on its own two wings. Sit back then, and admire it, knowing
you've done your best work on it.
The point is *you wrote the song with rewriting it in mind all
along.* You weren't so attached to it that you loved the 1st few
lines that spilled out onto paper and "had" to keep 'em. You did
what was best for the song.
******
Dave Byers is now writing a book entitled "Writing better songs"
which should be out by the end of the year.
Information and sign up is available on his site at
http://www.worshipmusic.com/.
He is the founder of the Christian Songwriters group:
http://christiansongwriting.org/ . You can e-mail Dave at
dave@christiansongwriting.orgBack to Menu
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B o o k R e v i e w : by Jodi Krangle
12 STEPS TO BUILDING BETTER SONGS by Pat & Pete Luboff
http://www.writesongs.com/ ("12 Steps" option)
----------------------------------------------------------------- "Songs are mini-movies
that show you a total world or reality
In three minutes."
That's one of the first quotes from this book - and an indication
of just what is going to talked about here. What you're getting
in this publication is a step by step procedure, as honed over
the years by Pat & Pete in their workshops, to focus your mind
on the intention of a song and how to take it there. Are you one
of those people that has a whole lot of unfinished songs lying
about? (I know *I* am!) What likely happened, as is explained in
the beginning of the book, is that you simply didn't know where
the song was going and relied upon the muses to tell you.
Sometimes that will work. But at some point, as they mention,
you'll simply have to know what you'd intended to *say* with the
song. If you can't come up with that, the meaning of the song
is lost and voila - one more unfinished song. I know that I do
this all the time.
The effectiveness of this book lies in its step by step format.
As Pat & Pete say themselves, "The 12 Step process is one way to
go about getting all the elements of a song working together to
share your experience." Each step is clearly laid out with
possible questions and answers. Each step is explained and
examples are given. There are little gems to quote all over the
place. How about this one: "The melody expresses the emotional
tone of the lyric in the same way as a movie score defines the
emotional tone of a scene." I loved these quotable quotes
(They're all in bold and outlined in boxes throughout the text).
They really helped to motivate me and focus my thoughts on the
ideas expressed in the particular step I was reading.
While the publication isn't very thick (it's about 20 or so
ring-bound pages with room for notes and feedback at the end)
it's *packed* with useful information on the process of creating
a song - and how to make a good song the best it can possibly be.
The step by step approach outlined in the book book is one of the
most effective I've yet encountered when it comes to putting
together the creative elements and structure of a song. The
language is precise and to the point, the questions answered are
exactly the questions I would have asked had I been standing in
front of them.
Having writer's block? Disapointed with the bland endings of
songs you thought were amazing when you first started to write
them? Get yourself focussed - get this book!
******
Pete & Pat Luboff's new book, 12 STEPS TO BUILDING BETTER SONGS
was this month's book give-away. Next month's give-away is an
invaluable publication by Diane Sward Rapaport (our newest Muse's
Muse columnist, by the way!
See http://www.musesmuse.com/songworks.html) called HOW TO MAKE &
SELL YOUR OWN RECORDING. There's even a forward by Loreena
McKennitt! A lot of love went into the creation of this book and
it will make an *excellent* addition to any songwriter's library
- so watch for next month's winner!
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!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LAYER III CONFERENCE & FESTIVAL
in gear to all unsigned and independent musicians. Low Cost and
all the national conference hoopla, too. June 22-25, 2000.
See you there.
Music Lovers: http://www.bands2list.com/ - http://www.mp3con.com/
Business Owners:
http://freeyellow.com/members5/recoveryresource/index.html
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THE ASCAP FOUNDATION/LILITH FAIR SONGWRITING CONTEST
Announced First-of-Its Kind Competition Designed to Encourage New
Female Songwriting Talent
In a joint announcement at the Lilith Fair concert at the New
World Music Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Marilyn Bergman,
President of The ASCAP Foundation, and Sarah McLachlan, artistic
director of Lilith Fair, made public The ASCAP Foundation/Lilith
Fair Songwriting Contest. An annual national competition
co-sponsored by their respective organizations, The ASCAP
Foundation/Lilith Fair Songwriting Contest is designed to
encourage women songwriters. The contest prizes -- $25,000 for
the grand prize winner and $10,000 for the first runner-up - are
being funded by a group of the country's most prominent women
songwriters.
Eligible applicants for The ASCAP Foundation/Lilith Fair
Songwriting Contest are women not currently signed to a recording
or music publishing contract. Applicants must submit one original
song on cassette or CD, clearly typed or printed lyric sheets,
and a completed application. The deadline for submissions is
November 15, 1999. Winners will be announced in the Spring of
2000.
Applications for entry can be obtained at
http://www.lilithsong.org/ or by visiting a participating Guitar
Center store. Application to The ASCAP Foundation/Lilith Fair
Songwriting Contest is free of charge.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ARTIST DIRECT/ULTIMATE BAND LIST has put together a contest
called "Born On The WWW" where five bands from different music
genres will each win a $25,000 recording budget *and* the chance
to sign with a major record label. Grand-Prize winning artists
from five genres (Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop, Alternative, and
Electronic) will be chosen to PERFORM LIVE alongside some secret
top names at the First Annual ARTISTdirect Music Awards show
October 7th at the House Of Blues in Los Angeles.
Additionally, music fans who register and vote on their favorite
bands will automatically be entered in contests where they can
win up to a $500 shopping spree in the ARTISTdirect Superstore,
Cd samplers, Shirts, and Rio MP3 Players so they can take their
Net music with them on the road.
See http://www.bornonthewww.com/ for more details!
Back to Menu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not every songwriter is a singer, not every singer is a recording
engineer...but a question that comes up very frequently has to do
with making your own demos. This is the age of the
"do-it-yourself-er"...independent music has become the rule
rather than the exception!
Even if you don't want to record yourself, what happens when you
want to go into the studio the first time...how do you explain
what you want to that all-knowing engineer who rolls his/her eyes
at the first sign of a greenhorn?
Harmony Central (http://www.harmony-central.com/) is a massive
site, with many pages devoted to music and instruments and
musicians. There is a lot of technical info for those who are
already knee-deep into recording and production. But for the
novice engineer, or the songwriter who wants to understand the
basics, they have a great page explaining what you need to know.
http://www.harmony-central.com/Recording/faqs.html#basics is
where you'll find the "Basics Of Recording". It includes a
"Buyer's Guide" if you want to set up a small studio, a
"Beginner's Recording Handbook" which is a huge article written
by Shane Faber, who goes into great detail explaining many of the
rudiments of the recording process.
If this is too much for you...scan down and look at "The Audio
Glossary" of "Audio Recording Terms Glossary"...both links to a
very extensive database on every term you need or want to know
having to do with audio recording. Ever wonder what "sweetening"
means? Or what a "fader" is? Arm yourself with knowledge before
you go into that big fancy studio to demo your first hit!
Most songwriters start out with a four-track recorder...these
days these machines are much more user-friendly and designed
especially for the novice. But you might also want to check out
the "Four Track Recording Guide" which explains how to record all
of the elements in detail.
There is also a "Studio FAQ" which answers all of your questions
about the studio itself. It is geared somewhat towards bands
recording their first albums, but it also covers what costs to
expect and how to choose the songs you want to record...AND how
to prepare yourself ahead of time!
I recently saw an interview where an A&R rep said that these
days, songwriters who want to become staff writers for publishers
or record companies, also need to have some experience in the
production end of things in order that the company doesn't have
to hire someone else for that part of it. The more you know, the
better chance you have in landing that publishing deal...so let's
get started!
******
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 latest CD "Motor Scooter" has
had attention everywhere from Japan to South America, and a new
release is due out sometime in 1999.
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
=================================================================
S o n g w r i t e r I n P r o f i l e : Mark Mangold
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* Q * : What were your musical influences when you were growing
up and what made you want to start writing songs yourself?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* A * : Growing up it was the age of Beatles, as well as RandB,
(Sam and Dave, Otis, Bo Diddley, etc.) flowing into Hendrix, Led
Zep, Cream, Deep Purple etc. as well as Jimmy Smith on organ, all
the great music before the stringent forms that have now taken
hold. I was in bands and the first song I wrote was for a band I
was in called Valhalla, which eventually did a record for United
Artists. We had met some management people who wanted to get us
a record deal but they said we had to write our own songs. So it
all began, it was fun, just turning all that noodling into some
form with lyrics. The band Valhalla, and subsequent bands, were
more progressive, long songs, trying to do things that had never
been done. Keyboard oriented, I play keys, we had fun toys like
the mono synthesizers, and mellotron to play with. We only
dreamed of polyphonic synths then. Now it's amazing, no limits.
Anyway the bands and songs kept coming, American Tears on
Columbia, Touch on Atlantic, Drive, She Said on CBS, Flesh and
Blood (a blues project) etc., Mystic Healer (in Europe and
Japan), At some point around "Touch" I started writing with
Michael Bolton and we wrote a number of songs for his first two
albums and a song called "I Found Someone" which found its way
to success with Cher when all the stars of heaven and earth lined
up. From that I became more of a songwriter in the CBS loop,
which was thriving then, a lot of people writing with a lot of
other people in that circle. It was very educational and it was
nice discovering the result can be greater than the sum of the
parts.
Certainly inspiration and directions can be stretched with a
collaboration, that neither writer may have come up with alone.
It also taught me that once BOTH writers in the room are
ecstatic, it is truly good, as opposed to one person liking it,
the other not, and having to settle. It's better to keep on
going till something comes up that both love. That is often the
best part of a song, though it may have formerly been the weakest
part of the song.
Now that collaboration world is a bit gone, except in Nashville
where it still thrives. This is a songwriter's place,
collaboration abundant. For songwriters now it seems to be be
either in a band (most seem to write their own songs) or do the
country or r and b thing (which is difficult when you are not one
of the artists) eg. try to get an In Sync cut, etc. Hardly any
country artists write very much so it's all the songwriters,
though the number of records sold doesn't compare to a "pop"
record unless you are with one of the few huge country artists.
Bottom line it comes down to trying to write a great song with a
great lyric and melody that communicates an emotion in some
honest way. If we can do that, besides getting the personal
satisfaction derived in the sheer process, if people can identify
with that and it embodies some emotion they want to share then it
will be listened to. Of course then there is production and
dance groove, but the best of that still has some message that
someone is getting into or thinks is cool.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* Q * : You sound like you've done a lot of collaboration. Have
you ever run into any problems with this? If not, how do you
think you avoided it? And if you have, what did you do to solve
the problem? What would you do to prevent the problem in the
future?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* A * : Well, if I understand the question in all its
possibilities you could be talking about;1) percentage splits and
2) creative decisions. Fortunately most of the people I have
written with have become great friends and in a way blood
brothers or sisters. It's quite an experience, when it's
a real collaboration, creating a story and being creative
together. A conversation can turn into a song. As I touched on
the first question, regarding the creative side, I believe you
don't stop until both people LOVE it, rather than either having
to settle. In some cases one may want to just bow to the taste
of the other, either because of their track record, or maybe
it's their record, as an artist they of course know what they
want to sing. But when you're just writing a song for a song or
another artist, and those choices occur you just keep plugging
through till you are both really liking it. If your name is on a
song you can't be cringing when you hear a lyric go by that you
just know isn't right. Of course the collaborations that are
enjoyable and respectful are the ones that last and continue,
remember the next song you are going to write.
Regarding the "split" side, it generally works out that if you
are "in the room" you get an equal split, at the level of writers
that have experience. I have seen other situations where some of
the more inexperienced writers get kind of anal about it and try
to come up with amazing splits, counting words, 48.6% or
something. It's ridiculous and burns bridges for future
collaborations. If a song is successful there is plenty of
abundance to go around. It's worth it to save the wear and tear
on a relationship and avoid the haggling. It all evens out in
the end. I've been on both sides of the split, having written
most of a song and still doing an even split, or being on the
lesser side of it, which is a bit rarer for me if I may say so.
I have found that the times I "gave up" more, the rewards were
ten fold, the co-writer either got a cover, or whatever. It all
works out. Visualize abundance, not scarcity. The important
thing is that the song is great, it probably only took an hour
anyway (or a few hours), and, hopefully, the result was something
you would not have come up with alone. Another method, that
seems to happen occasionally in Nashville, is if a lyricist
writes some lyrics and the creator of the music doesn't like
them, no loss, they just go their ways. So they are not
committed to finishing the song if it doesn't turn out the way
they planned.
It's all to avoid conflict and keep the wheel turning, it all
evens out in the end and this is a "way of life" that, hopefully,
goes on year after year, and reputation is so important. When
you have a hit, you don't end up counting the 3 percentage points
more that you got, the income can be so huge, but you do remember
the writer, with the song that never got anywhere, that was a
downright pain negotiating his split and reminding you of every
line he thought of and melody he came up with, and probably
saying they are more important and pivotal than the other
melodies or lyrics in the song. "This is the line that makes it a
hit, etc..." OY.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* Q * : What do you do when you experience that dreaded "Writer's
Block"? Or do you even believe such a thing exists? I've had
artists tell me they think it's all a myth. What's your opinion?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
For the answer to this question and more, please refer to:
http://www.musesmuse.com/mangold-interview.html#newsletter
******
Mark Mangold - from Florida via New York's Long Island - began
his career as a pianist/organist with a series of rock bands,
including Valhalla, a symphonic rock band that recorded for
United Artists. He then did three Columbia albums with keyboard
trio American Tears (showcasing his dynamic singing), which
evolved into Touch, whose Atlantic Records debut had success at
home and especially in Europe and Japan. Then Mark collaborated
with a number of songwriters creating songs for other artists,
among them working with Michael Bolton, and penning "I Found
Someone", recorded by Cher. He was also a driving force behind
the band Drive, She Said, whose three albums (the first issued
stateside by CBS Associated) are considered classics among fans.
Recently he has recorded his first solo effort "Mirror Image" a
piano driven record having New Age as well as pop influences.
Mark is presently working on his second solo effort, as well as
songwriting and film scoring.
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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 :
THE REALITIES OF RADIO (PART 3) -
CAPTURE THE LISTENER
by Mary Dawson
http://www.musesmuse.com/mary-radio3.html
Another installment of this extremely popular series of articles!
What are the characteristics of most of the songs that get on the
radio? What should you be doing to give your song the best
chance possible? Read Mary's article to find out!
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Marketing Your Music on the Net? The Mirror subscriber base of
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Visit www.richardnorton.com/secrets.htm to give it a try.
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DISCOVER SHAREWARE MUSIC MACHINE and explore the a world of
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players, head to http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/?muse
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CHECK OUT THE NASHVILLE MUSIC & SPORTS DIRECTORY, the book that
has up-to-date information of businesses and people you must know
to make things happen for your career in the Music Business.
Price is $19.95. For more information visit our website:
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Jodi Krangle editor@musesmuse.com..................... EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain kobensha@runet.edu.....GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
Bryan Fullerton bryanf@samurai.com.......SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR
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