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POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
In most cases, if you are just beginning and
want to become a successful song-
writer (one whose songs are recorded and earn
money) you need to live where the
core of the business is--Los Angeles, New York,
or Nashville. Once you become an
established writer, or have a publisher
pitching your songs, you can live virtually any-
where you want. Until you have established a
track record, you must be where you
can network with other songwriters, publishers,
artists, producers, and people in the
business who can help you. Many writers begin
by making regular trips to one or all
of these cities to develop contacts before
making a permanent move.
Before making the trip to one of these cities,
contact a writer relations representa-
tive at one of the performing rights societies:
ASCAP, BMI, SESAC (see Appendix).
Explain that you are a songwriter who is
planning an eventual move and that you are
coming to check out the area first. Inquire
about upcoming writer showcases, work-
shops, or other events that might be of
interest to you and plan your trip around
them. Ask about clubs in the city that feature
writers and consider their suggestions
for networking opportunities with other
writers.
Make a friend with someone at one of the
societies and this person might be the
very one who will champion your cause to become
a successful songwriter. Never
underestimate the power of relationships. Next,
ask this person to spare a few
minutes to meet with you, listen to a couple of
your songs, and give you feedback. Try
to meet with a representative from each of the
societies, but do not sign with one
until you feel you have made a connection with
a representative who will be there for
moral support. Since the society is there to
collect your performance money, you do
not need to sign with one until you actually
have a song cut and there is money to
collect.
PREPARING FOR YOUR FIRST TRIP
Select two to three of your very best songs and
make a guitar or piano and vocal
demo of them. If you have access to a studio,
you may want to do a more elaborate
demo, particularly if you are a programmer or
you need it to display the particular
sound of the song. Do not spend money you don't
have. Most publishers are able to
hear the song from a simple guitar or piano and
vocal demo, and many prefer it.
Print lyric sheets for each of the song samples
you plan to take. You should have
several copies of the songs with lyrics that
you can give to people without expecting
them to be returned to you. Make sure your
name, address, and telephone number, as
well as the title of each song and writer
credit (your name and all co-writers) are on
the cassette and the lyric sheets.
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