Tandblekning

Here’s a copy of an e-mail I sent out today.  It updates you about our program. ~ R 

Hello David.  You song Lost In Blue is very good.  I did a once through & immediately thought of the recent & open, call for music at Music Dealers for an old time 50s or 60s Country song about loneliness.  This song you’ve made can hop over to Country rather nicely.  The goal of the Songs2Share program – one of the goals – is to set up a group of songwriters & artists so we can submit to these calls by creating a new recording if needed – on short notice. 

 I’ve thought of approaching demo companies, as they already have some melodies in their catalog to choose.  They also make melodies on a regular basis & can work fast.  & they own good recording equipment.

 May I send this MP3 to one demo company I’ve worked with, along with a copy of the Call For Music from the MusicDealers.com board & tell them about what I’m doing & see if they’ll sign on?

 I’d like to see the lyric & perhaps, tweak that 2^nd verse.  I heard several images & while I know you like your images, just want to check the flow.  The first verse flows so nicely, the 2^nd verse is where most songwriters hang up.  It’s that verse you got to watch.  You put the short i in your rhyme, which is the same as the i sound in your title – Lost IN Blue which is great.  Do you have a long u rhyme?  Might be a good idea. 

 We won’t be able to get a recording for this call.  I think it ends the 12^th.  But one step at a time.  Also, I’ve decided to add purchase of a lifetime license to Indie artists (sold less than 100,000 CDs) to our license agreement.  How much to charge is still open.  I made a survey form & posted the link at our MySpace page.  If you can go there and take the survey, I’d appreciate it very much.  I’m doing this all alone & any help at this point, is gladly accepted.

 We sold our first song license to a recording artist over 2 years ago.  A couple of teenage twins in the UK called Duo Canto.  Their pic is in our top friends at MySpace and you can go listen to their vocal cover of our song Celebrate The Day at their page (which you should cover too! – I have 5 female covers & no males & you have a lovely vocal!  Wish we could buy you some studio time & get a radio quality recording David+).  Legally, because their license is expired they should have to remove that song from their MySpace page.  But I don’t want them to take it down & it’s one of my co-writes & Clare doesn’t care either.  It is exposure & they should be able to sell that recording for the rest of their lives.

 They’ll never sound like that again – ever.  It’s a wonderful vocal performance.  So to me as a songwriter, they can have that song forever & sell their recording, even if they make it big & sell a million copies for the one time license fee, they gave that song EXPOSURE – S2S goal, another one, get the song the LARGEST audience.  The SONG.  & the songwriter will earn royalties. 

 So = how much should a lifetime license be?  And, are you willing to let the artist take your song & hopefully, make a hit for that one time fee?  I sure the heck am.  It’s non-exclusive so you sell as many licenses to as many Indie artists as you can find that want to buy a license.  & maybe a major artist will hear the song & come knocking to record the song.  These are also Non-Broadcast licenses.  If they want to get their recording onto the radio, they have to come back & buy a Broadcast License, which is on the back burner as it demands research to get the text right.  I think the future of music will eliminate the Performing Right Organizations as they are a middle man/middle management and the radios may get a better deal for themselves & the songwriters & performers, by buying flat licenses for blocks of music directly from music brokers.  The major performance monitoring station in the USA was turned off by the longtime family that used to run it, a few years ago – so I’ve been told.  So monitoring & paying middle people will go down kicking & fighting as music continues to evolve.  Just my thought.

 $250.00.  That’s a good price.  If an artist can’t afford that or doesn’t want to pay that much but wants to cover one of our songs, & I do go around telling artists at MySpace = “You should cover Celebrate The Day (or another title) for free.  It works with your vocal style” when I find a match– a lot, so I’m putting the word out, “- on a demo for license exchange.”  They make a recording that Songs2Share feels can be used to market that song, they get a lifetime license to make as many recordings and sell them & keep the money, perform the song forever, and try to get a licensed placement if they choose to market.  The original songwriter still owns a royalty percentage of any licensed fee & the recording artist owns a percentage of any licensed fee their first recording earns as well – while the songwriter can sell or give away copies of the new recording & keep all monies generated.  This is also a Non-Broadcast license.  If the recording artist wants to get their song on the radio, they have to come  back & purchase a Broadcast License.  So the artist gets a well crafted song, makes the recording, gives all rights to that recording to the songwriter except a % of licensing fees generated, & then they can perform, record & sell copies of any recording forever.  If I can get a great, even good recording of one of my songs that I own except to share with the recording artist any licensed fees generated, I’m happy to give them a lifetime license.

 A lot of people write a lot of new songs every day.  If you want to get your songs attention, & an artist to cover them, give them a good deal & they will give your song EXPOSURE.

 Peace.~ RobertaS2S  

  ps.  Music Dealers splits their license fees 50/50 with owner of the recording/songwriter.  Pump Audio splits them 65/35 with owner of the recording/songwriter for a licensed placement.  Some of the calls for music from Music Dealers are as high as $50,000.00.  You know a lot of music licensing companies are getting those same calls & sending in playlists for consideration, but you got to get ON the playlist to have a chance.  & to do that you need a radio quality recording of your song.  It’s worth it to me, to get a crew together to make custom songs for these big calls.  I’ll even write a lyric as some calls give you text they’d like in the lyric & throw my hat into the mix.  It’s sort of a music lottery, as they get such good music to choose from – you just got to hit it right for that customer.  J   

Monday Inspirations—Here are 3 weekly ideas for song lyric, poems, instrumental titles, photos, video, short story or anything they inspire you to create.  Use the title if you like & make something!  It is yours for free.  A gift. 

88.  Fat Dog
After reading an advertisement in a magazing about a drug you can buy to give your overweight dog so it will lose weight, my dog started looking fat. :-)  He doesn’t look fat when he’s playing.  But when he begs for my food he looks fat.  Fat Dog.

89.  CHECKLIST
The sound of a hard K gives a word power.  I am reminded of the main character in the novel/movie The Bridges of Madison County - Robert Kincaid.  That name is pronouned with vocal force - 2 hard Ks - Kincaid.

So CHECKLIST makes a great title and is easily pronounced.  I’ve got a checklist for you baby.  One - you’re beautiful, two - you give me chills and thrills and three - you’re all I see tonight, you top my checklist.

90.  Noticeably Quiet
A poetic singer-songwriter lyric title or can be a title for an instrumental piece or a piece of art/photoography/video.  Noticeably Quiet shows how an object can have impact and at the same time be subtle.  A huge redwood tree can be noticeably quiet.  So can a mountain, so can a snowflake, so can a lover sitting across the bed as he puts his shoes on.

Precious Maestro (Song To God)

Songs2Share | MySpace Video

Met this cutie in a driveway. I was carrying a bag of groceries & he was getting his accoustic guitar out of the back seat of his girlfriend’s car. While I cooked, he strummed & sang in the next room. He talked about his music & I asked to take his photo. I felt like this was a meeting of two artistic pilgrims. What a wonderful afternoon.

It is Songs2Share’s goal to video some quality artist interviews. We bought a HD Video Camera for the project and are now learning to use it. This little video of Johnny was taken on my Flip Mino which I just happened to have as I take it along most places. Very small & convenient video camera. Highly recommended.

Daddy On His Locomotive Engine ~

Karl & I just came from church today. 1st time either of us has been to a service in a couple years.  Real nice.  Had videos of kids from the classes telling “What do you think  your dad should do on Father’s Day…?”  Cute answers & wonderful natural kid responses.

Pastor made a very relevant comparision.  He talked about how fathers should - Tell their kids that - things are going to be OK, be happy, life is good, Our Heavenly Father is watching over us (if you’ve got it right with him) & He will see us through any tough times - instead of speaking worry & doom & unrest to their children.  He hit on the current condition of “the world” and that this is a very challenging time & still, we must, (fathers were his target), keep the talk to the children uplifting.

He also hit on forgiving your own father if he had parenting “shortcomings.”  LOL  The great thing he said about that is —- “Get over it…”  I said Gina’s name aloud as she has an issue with her childhood somehow being connected to current problems & constantly goes to the past in justiying the present.  And also a few Amens for my own childhood father “shortcomings.”

He told all the kids to hug their dads today until their heads popped off. 

That’s a cool line.
Happy Father’s Day to All Dads who nurture & all Men who lead wisely

Ontario proposes new law for online ticket sales
Category: Music

The Ontario government took aim yesterday at U.S. entertainment giant Ticketmaster by introducing a new law that would block companies from charging scalpers’ prices for tickets to concerts and sporting events on resale websites they own.

This is a music oriented newsletter filled with great stuff.  Here’s the link for the whole story:

http://www.bigmeteor.com/newsletter/apr2009.shtml 

SECTION FIVE: HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR BAND

5.1 RESOURCES - GENERAL

SoundSpar
Chris contact@soundspar.com
www.soundspar.com
A new battle of the bands website for unsigned artists. Sign up free today!

Music BC
#530-425 Carrall St., Vancouver, BC V6B 6E3
PH: 604-873-1914 FX: 604-873-9686
http://www.musicbc.org
A non-profit society dedicated to providing information, education, funding, advocacy, awareness and networking opportunities to nurture, develop and promote the spirit, growth, and sustainability of the BC Music community.

Bandit A&R Newsletter
68-70 Lugley St., Newport, PO30 5ET UK
PH: +44-1983-524110
John bandit.icb@aweber.com
http://www.banditnewsletter.com
Helping ambitious bands target their demos to labels, publishers etc.

When you are inspired by some great
purpose, some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds;
Your mind transcends limitations,
your consciousness expands in every direction,
and you find yourself in a new, great
and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties and talents
become alive, and you discover yourself
to be a greater person by far
than you ever dreamed
yourself to be.
                     Patanjali
                     (C. First to Third Century B.C.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pick one thing, a song, poem, video, painting, photo - and put yourself into the moment of creating that art.  Slowly, with great spirit, attached to your piece, inspired.  And this littlest of projects, to the most extraordinary project = will blossom under your touch.

Monday Inspirations—Here are 3 weekly ideas for song lyric, poems, instrumental titles, photos, video, short story or anything they inspire you to create.  Use the title if you like & make something! 

16.  The Older Piglet - This one is off the wall & who knows the media I was consuming when this popped up!  But rule is - never strike down an idea - so let’s run with it.  The older piglet got away before the hatchet fell.  Sounds like a children’s song.  You ever listen to some of those old kids’ songs lyrics*  Yikes ~

17.  Counting My Beers Again - You ever count someone else’s alcohol drinks?  Most people don’t like it when you do that to them. ;< “I’m gonna barely notice you if you count my beers.”  Fat chance of that happening.  Most beer counters get in your face & get noticed.  So what do you do when someone counts your beers? “If you count my beers I’m gonna see that you lose count.”

18.  An Upbeat Tempo -
Give us an upbeat tempo
Sure to make it sweet
An upbeat tempo
Makes me move my feet
like this (she moves her feet)

Ub-ba Ub-ba - Ub-ba La ba do ba doe
Doe Doe
Bu-ba da ba do ba doe - you know the one.
That’s the beat.