Q & A
Each month, MusicBizAdvice.com answers your questions about the music industry.
Getting your songs to
recording artists
Q. I'm a
songwriter who has recorded several country songs that are radio-ready. I
want to contact [certain Nashville artists], as I write a variety of styles
for male and female vocals. How can I use your services to achieve my goal?
Thanks!
A. Although I'm an independent music industry consultant, I
specialize in artist management, image development and live performance
problems, which wouldn't serve you well for the goal you want to accomplish.
But I can recommend a route for you to take:
First, make sure you're sure the artists you have in mind accept material
from outside writers, as one of the artists you mentioned writes most of his
own songs. Then, assuming that you own your own publishing, that you're
planning to pitch the songs to the artists at the right point in their album
cycles, and that the songs have been properly registered with the US
Copyright office, I recommend getting a recognized entertainment attorney in
the Nashville market. (You might even do some research on CD liner notes and
see who your preferred artists' attorneys are and try to become a client.)
A good entertainment attorney with experience in publishing will have A&R contacts with labels and can get
your songs to them, help you negotiate publishing contracts, and set up your
own publishing company. (When you interview attorneys, find out which labels
their contacts are with--if your preferred artists are Sony and the attorney
has contacts with Island, that won't help you.) Start with the A-list
attorneys on your list, then work your way down to B and C. Be forewarned: it will not be
easy to get in to see them, and you will probably get frustrated before
finding the right one...but keep at it! A good entertainment attorney is your
most important team member at this point.
I also recommend joining the Nashville Songwriter's Association
International. They offer a lot of workshops, networking opportunities, etc.
. You can contact them at
www.nashvillesongwriters.com .
You may find
some of the information in
this Q&A
question helpful, too. It discusses the process of song holds, which, if all
works out, you'll definitely need to know.
Best of luck!
Randi Reed
Editor-in-Chief / Founder, MusicBizAdvice.com
Q&A Home
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