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May, 2002
Index
Interviews:
G. Wayne Miller
Evelyn Rogers
Articles:
The Top Ten FAQs on the Business of Songwriting: #4
TSTL: A Writer's Life
Web Editing: The Basics
Seven Steps to Better Humor Writing
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Book Reviews
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The Top Ten FAQs On The Business Of Songwriting: #4
By Mary Dawson
QUESTION 4: Will I Ever Be Able to Give Up My Day-Gig?
They have hundreds of daytime disguises! You can run into them
anywhere and never even know you've met one. They masquerade as
plumbers, lawyers, doctors, housewives and mechanics -- and while
they seem to actually enjoy their daytime professions -- they
really go to work each day to support a secret habit. Are they
drug dealers? Aliens from another planet? Close...but not quite!
They are SONGWRITERS! And their dream is to one day be able to
do music full-time and still be able to do other things...like eat!
How realistic is the dream to become a full-time musician or
songwriter? Is it possible only for the fortunate few who land a
big publishing or recording contract? What does it take to do the
music that burns in your heart and still survive financially?
It is my opinion that if your passion is to take your music beyond
the hobby level into a full-blown, self-supporting career, it is
entirely possible to do so, but it will require more than just
dreaming about it. You will need a well-thought-out plan of action,
a willingness to work hard and LOTS of creativity. In fact, you
will need as much creativity to make a living with your music as
it took to write your songs in the first place. Let's take a look
at some bottom-line considerations that can bring your dream into
the realm of possibility.
First of all, every aspiring singer, songwriter or musician
must ask him/herself a tough bottom-line question:
Why would a listener choose to buy my CD or come to my concert
over the thousands of other similar CD's and concerts
available to them?
Most artistic types never even think about things like this. They
become so absorbed in the creative aspects of songwriting and
performing that their only goal is to finish the next CD or book
the next engagement. When sales and concert attendance do not
measure up to their expectations, they become discouraged and feel
as if they have failed as an artist...so they drudgingly go back
to their day gig.
But let's just think about the question realistically. Whatever
genre of music you specialize in, there are literally thousands
of other artists -- both established and aspiring -- who are
recording and performing a similar style of music. Every genre
also has its corresponding population of hard-core fans who love
that kind of music and are very knowledgeable about the latest
and best artists in the style. Since most people have limited
funds to spend on buying music products or attending performances,
they are usually quite selective in their choices. There has to be
something that causes these all-important music consumers to
select your performances and products over the many other
possibilities in order for you to realistically sell enough
tickets and CD's to do your music as a full-time career.
Let me suggest three things that can help
to set you and your music apart:
- Excellence - Every day I receive emails from songwriters
and artists all around the world who mistakenly think that
the Music and Entertainment Industries offer a fast track to
fame and fortune. Perhaps its because, in our minds, we
associate the word entertainment with relaxation and recreation
rather than with hard work. But as in many other similar skills,
a lot of blood, sweat and tears lie behind what seems to be
effortless artistry.
Consider figure skaters who dazzle us on TV with their fluid and
romantic choreography on ice -- twists, turns and jumps that seem
to be completely spontaneous. And yet, we all know that if we were
to glimpse behind-the-scenes, we would see athletes in strict and
disciplined training -- enduring years of practice and many injuries
to arrive at the liquid and natural movements we see when they
compete. It takes determined effort and lots of training to make
any skill seem easy!
There is absolutely no substitute for excellence! Just as the cream
always rises to the top of the milk, artists and writers who have
worked hard to perfect and polish their talent will inevitably rise
above the rest! It's not a matter of natural talent only because
there are many very musically gifted people who never take the
time or make the effort to turn their talent into a real skill!
The difference between talent and skill is discipline -- discipline
to learn and to practice your craft until you are as good as or
better than the best. You can take it to the bank that music
consumers are savvy enough to know a skilled craftsman from a
wanna-be and they will purchase accordingly.
- Developing Your Unique "Schtick" -- Now I'm
sure you are asking yourself, "What the heck kind of word is
"schtick?" It simply means your total package -- all the unique
attributes that make you, YOU!
Every artist has a completely individual identity and style which
have evolved out of his/her life history and musical background.
You are as unique and one-of-a-kind as your fingerprint. No one
has your exact voice, or appearance, or perspective on life. You
are a composite of the specific and varied influences that have
brought you to this point in your journey. You are a whole package
of potential, but you have to know yourself and develop yourself
accordingly.
Too often I find that aspiring songwriters and artists are trying
so hard to be like others in the industry, that they fail to develop
the unique attributes that could set them apart. For example, I
recently consulted with the father of a very talented
fifteen-year-old artist who is attempting to break into Country
Music. This young lady is a drop-dead gorgeous, 5' 10" knockout
that has also won all kinds of awards as a jazz dancer. In
consulting with a potential manager for his daughter, the father
was told that if his daughter wanted to "make it" in Country Music,
she would have to forget about her jazz dancing because the two
art forms "just don't mix." My response is just the opposite! I
say...what a package! A Country artist who can also wow her audiences
with a phenomenal jazz dance! In fact, it just might be her
ability to dance that will set this girl apart from the "mooing
herd."
And it's not other talents and skills that are part of the package!
Your specific life experiences are also in the mix...difficult ones
as well as the more pleasant ones. I frequently encounter songwriters
who are running from painful memories rather than using them to
write more universal and meaningful songs. Remember: the most
common human emotion is NOT Love, but Pain. Use yours to reach out
to others through your music.
- Develop Fresh Approaches to Marketing -- One of
the greatest shockers for me as I entered the Music Industry was
to realize that it is one of the LEAST creative industries in the
world. I thought going into it that I would find innovative,
out-of-the-box thinkers; but quite to the contrary, I discovered
that most music execs are watching their competitors to see what
is earning them money. Then, their strategy is to "do likewise."
That's why when one label finally signs a child artist (as Curb
Music did with LeAnn Rimes), you then have a whole series of
younger and younger artists being signed by labels which --
pre-LeAnn -- were dead-set against the legal risks involved in
signing kids!
If you hope to make your living as an independent musician or
songwriter, however, you will find it absolutely mandatory to be
an out-of-the-box thinker when it comes to finding ways to
finance your projects and distribute your CD's. If you are strictly
a musician with no ideas about marketing, then find a friend who
can think creatively and help you find the many resources that
exist -- usually right under our noses!
Consider the case of David Cline. David is a cowboy with a
wonderful baritone voice. He's also a darn good songwriter. But
David is 50+ -- well over the age limit for most record labels
who are looking for new artists. He also lives in Texas where
some of the greatest music in all genres originates, but a place
that is not known to be a "music capitol." David wanted to record
a CD, but he didn't have the money or the connections to finance
it.
But David is definitely an out-of-the-box thinker. He also made
use of his unique schtick as a rancher and cowboy -- as well as a
singer-songwriter. He went to all the retailers who sold him
equipment and supplies for his ranch -- saddle manufacturers,
feedstores, cowboy hat manufacturers etc. -- and asked them how
they would like to sponsor his recording. In exchange for their
donation, he would list them in the credits of the CD insert.
The businessmen were thrilled! David was not only able to fund
his recording, but after it was completed, all the sponsor
businesses were delighted to sell his CD's in their stores.
Because of the exposure he received from the sponsor companies,
he began receiving radioplay and his songs charted in several
Texas cities. He now has a killer website and is distributing
recordings to retailers overseas. Creative marketing at its best!
I could tell you many more stories of creative, enterprising
artists who are actually making so much money as independents
that they prefer not to sign with a major label. Recording and
manufacturing costs are much quicker and easier to recoup without
the many "middlemen" at a record company that need to receive a
salary from the sales of CD's. It truly is possible to make a
very good living doing music full time. The key is in your
creativity and willingness to work!
Perhaps one of the few "perks" that come with getting older than
dirt is the fact that I can remember some pretty amazing products
that have made millions for their creators. I always take courage
in the fact that if it is possible to make a fortune marketing
hula hoops...or the Pet Rock...or Chia Pets (for crying out loud),
it has to be possible for a great songwriter or musician to make
a living by creating great music! I don't recommend that you give
up your day gig tomorrow, but I do give you permission to start
thinking seriously about it!
**From her earliest childhood years writing simple songs
and poems with
her father, through her twelve years as an overseas
missionary, to her present,
multi-faceted
career as an author, lyricist/songwriter and conference speaker,
Mary
has always been adept at using words to communicate her heart to
others.
She is the President of
CQK Records &
Music of Dallas, Texas, a company which creates and
produces songs in a panorama of musical styles for a
variety of audiences,
She is the host of "I Write the Songs,"
a nationally syndicated radio talk show,
especially created to
inspire and instruct the more than 40 million aspiring
songwriters in the U.S.
Mary is a frequent public speaker and seminar lecturer
and teacher of songwriting in her popular Living Room Seminars.
She is a Contributing Editor for The Internet Writing Journal
®. You can visit her website at:
www.cqkmusic.com. You can reach Mary
by email.
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