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The Muse's News

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. =================================================================
If you enjoy The Muse's News, why not suggest it to friends? http://recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=333678 ----------------------------------------------------------------
This ezine featured at EzineCenter.com - the Ezine Search Engine(tm) - http://www.ezinecenter.com/ ================================================================= Sponsored in part by Samurai Consulting. For web hosting or UNIX consulting, please contact Bryan Fullerton (Owner) at maileo:bryanf@samurai.com, or see their website at http://www.samurai.com/ . ================================================================= Also sponsored by: -------------------------------------------------- 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 publication possible. Thank you!
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E d i t o r ' s   M u s i n g s :

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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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ================================================================= 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)
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"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 ================================================================= 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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
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* Q * :  What were your musical influences when you were growing
up and what made you want to start writing songs yourself?
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* 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. 
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* 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? 
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* 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.
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* 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?
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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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================================================================= 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 : ----------------------------------------------------------------- THE MIRROR - YOUR E-CHIEVEMENT EZINE: Marketing Your Music on the Net? The Mirror subscriber base of over 5,000 receives weekly newsletters and updates containing critical Internet Marketing and e-Commerce information in a personal style that has won the publication much acclaim. Editor Rick Beneteau, a songwriter and producer, invites you to not only subscribe by sending any email to: subscribe@interniche.net (put "Subscribe Mirror" as Subject), but to visit his music page at: http://www.interniche.net/downloads.htm . ----------------------------------------------------------------- ZILLIONS DEVELOPMENT, CREATORS OF THE WORLD's ONLY UNIVERSAL GAMES PROGRAM, is looking for music for an upcoming internet games playing program. They can pay $300 for non exclusive rights to original music. They are looking for something lively. Send samples to zillions@compuserve.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- FREE .. "The Writers & Publishers Connection" Newsletter helps to "bring Writers and Publishers together." The content NEEDS of E-zine & Web-zine Publishers are listed, as well as NEWS about New Articles available from Web Writers! Make some Connections! E-mail us & say "W&P 4 Me" (or request a sample) writers98@aol.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- FREE MUSIC MARKETING TIPS NEWSLETTER: Musicians, increase your on-line profits 300% or more in the next 90 days. FREE 6 month subscription. This is a private mail list and will never be sold or given away for any reason. You can also unsubscribe anytime you like. Visit www.richardnorton.com/secrets.htm to give it a try. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DISCOVER SHAREWARE MUSIC MACHINE and explore the a world of software which will help make writing and recording your songs a breeze! Featuring over 2100 software titles to freely download as well as more than 2000 discussion forums, Shareware Music Machine has software for musicians of all kinds. For MIDI sequencers to guitar effects to hard disc recording to the latest sound players, head to http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/?muse ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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: http://www.nashvilleconnection.com/ or call us at 615-826-9604 ================================================================= CLASSIFIED RATES: US$25 Max. 7 lines, where a line = 65 characters including spaces and punctuation. All contracts must be prepaid. Write to: editor@musesmuse.comBack to Menu
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