General Music Chat

Hello song writers,
A few questions:
Has anyone got any experience of writing a song to submit to a specific artist?
Did they try to get it to that artist for evaluation?
How?
Were they successful in getting it to the target artist?
Did the artist say:
a) Get lost!
b) Thanks, but I have a thousand equally good or better songs sent each year.
c) Thanks, and please can I pay royalties to record it on my next CD... and use it as the opener at all my concerts!

I was wondering what the best way to get a song heard might be.
Thanks for any thoughts,
Mark D Phillips............

No I have not Mark.
I would have to assume it would be totally dependant on the approchability of said artist. If he she it are arrogant self absorbed turd birds it will be a lost cause. If they remain human a simple CD in the mail may be all it would take.
I am interested though. Whats the point? Do you have a specific end result you seek?

Mark, no I havent ever sent any song to an individual artist. I just try to put my sh*t out there like fishing and hope i get a nibble (no i'm not a fisherman, tho)..

Hello Sanshouheil and XZYX,
Thanks for responding on this topic.
My purpose for asking this, is a couple of things really; not sure which is biggest for me, but I would love to hear one or more of my songs played by someone else... preferably someone better than me with access to pro recording!

Even with quite good artists, often their material is of a high quality, but all pretty much of a muchness; it struck me they might be open to considering different stuff to give variety... maybe though they have found a song style that sells okay and it is safer not to risk it?

The other reason for asking this is that till now, like XZYX I have been just hoping that if anything I do write gets to be good enough it will somehow get noticed by a big enough fish.
So with half an eye on commercial prospects, I want to find out if there is any way to get a CD out to artists or agents in the song seeking rock world.

I guess you are all still snoring across the pond, but when you wake up I would love to hear if anyone has got any leads on this?
Thanks guys,
Mark D Phillips...............

I would imagine you would have to get the song to their agent. Artists like Britany Spears rely on such songwriters for material, whereas others like Metallica probably would insult your mother for thinking they need your help writing songs lol.

Again, go through the agent/manager, you would have no hope of getting through to the artist directly.

Thanks both of you,
Building networks sounds quite a tall order for a fairly quiet sort of person like me, but I accept and appreciate what it can bring.

I will read through all your thoughts a second time to try to absorb things.
Today in fact to stick a tentative toe in the water, I emailed an agent in Texas with one of my songs as a taster.
I would like to be told to write a song in a style for a particular artist, because I often do my best work when I have a pattern to try to fit around... or into if you like.
My first problem was that I couldn't think what genre to say my music was... especially as my songs bear little resemblance to each other: 'alternative rock ballads' perhaps?
I will let you know if I get any response from the agent.
Thanks again,
Mark......................

Building networks sounds quite a tall order for a fairly quiet sort of person like me, but I accept and appreciate what it can bring.

Sentient had a lot of good advice. Something I'd like to add is also that networking itself is probably well suited to your "quiet" personality. Many musicians out there can be overly aggressive, pushy, extreme, etc.. I've had a lot of luck just being 'laid back' and passive, but determined and focused at the same time.

I have no clue why you would send your own hard work to someone who can easily rip you off and claim it theirs.
And if you have copyrighted them, then they (agents/reps/whatever) probably wouldn't want anything to do with your copyrighted music. They'd be looking for those amateurs who are willing to suck big fat ones just to have their name typed in font 2 on a CD's ass.

Hello Andrew,
You have a point yes, but then you can also like me get to 52 with hardly a soul on the planet who knows what little you have created except your mum (and even she's been dead a few years!), and you might think... yes I can sit here for another 20 or 30 years letting no one near my songs in case they try to steal them.
Quite honestly, if I had a couple of my songs on someone's CD and my name on the sleeve... I would be well pleased! for a start... okay not for every song I write for the rest of my life!

Can I gather Andrew that you were ripped off once by an agent?

And Kramerguy... very good point about the softly softly catchee monkey angle; yes it might not be so hard once you started... but where to start that is the question?
Thanks,
Mark.....................

I have always found it best to start at the beginning.
Sorry just could not pass on that.

Can I gather Andrew that you were ripped off once by an agent?

haha nope. Doubt I'll let one do that either

Can I gather Andrew that you were ripped off once by an agent?
.

I've had one agent try to burn me with a contract that would have cost me my next 3 girlfriend's to get published, and I believe another publisher was looking to get one of my song's for ...... well, for a song lol.

www.myspace.com/blunderingeye
www.myspace.com/445175001
http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/6039/
http://bandmix.com/hayden-king/
hayden_king2000 on yahoo messenger

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"I'm some dumb, but not plumb dumb"

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Greetings Hayden,
At least you have been successful enough to be in a position to get ripped off; I would be happy to get ripped of at least once, just to know I had produced something worth ripping off!

This thing of being scared of having a song stollen butters very few parsnips with me; if someone steals a song from me and plays it in his set for a while, or puts it on a CD that a few hundred get to hear, then at least it has been got across to a few more pairs of ears than I could have got it out to!
And if it ends up on a CD by Mark Knopfler or someone... fantastic; I will hound the arse off him till he gives me a few grand to keep quiet... and puts my name on the sleeve! And he promises to listen to any songs I send to him!

Yes I would rather get ripped off than just be ignored for the rest of my life!
Mark D Phillips.........................

Hey Mark, like you I am trying to do the same thing. That is trying to get one of my songs published and recorded by someone who's a little famous in the business. I am currently involved with another website called Taxi.com. What they do is give you a listing twice a month letting you know what certain artists are looking for. If your song is on the mark, they will forward it to the publisher, manager and artist to see if they would be interested in recording it. They usually offer a 50/50 deal with you. I have been with them for about 5 months now, with no luck yet. But that doesn't discourage me. It only takes one song. Not only that, but you get ideas of what the artists are looking for. Keep in mind there is an expense to this. $300.00 to join, then $200.00 a year after that. Hope this helps.....
Bobby