Suppose after 40 years of tinkering and dabbling on the piano, I just wrote the next big hit of the decade?
I don’t know a single person in the music business and I can’t sing a lick, how can I get my song looked at by someone in the business?
Ok look, in all fairness, it probably sucks and I’m a big fat hack, but let’s suppose for a second that it really is a masterpeice? What would a fella do to get it looked at?
Thanks!
Gus ~ The Dreamer~
First you copyright it. You probably already know that but supposedly some people forget that important detail.
Then look around for a local band that’ll record it. If it’s really that good you should be able to find somebody that’ll recognize its greatness.
If nobody appreciates your genius then hire a bunch of session musicians to record it. You’ll show them all.
Publicize your record. Give copies to local radio stations. Send them to reviewers. Set up a website. Etc.
Profit.
The Twentieth Century called and wants their ideas back, Little Nemo.
Put it on YouTube, Facebook, LJ, MySpace, and any other place you can on the web, Gus. And be sure to put me down for 10% as your marketing consultant.
Incorrect. Copyright is automatic on creation of the work. Well it has been since the Berne Convention in 1886.
Which the US only joined in, I believe, 1988. You have to be careful with the jurisdiction thang on this messageboard, cobber.
You need to watch more TV. If you did you’d know that what always happens is that the genius songwriter shares his song with some singer who then steals it and goes on to become a star. Then years later when some reporter is interviewing the star he sees the songwriter looking like a bum trying to break into the studio. The reporter questions the bum who tells him that he’s the guy who really wrote that famous song. The reporter naturally initially thinks the songwriter is just some crazy street person. But then the songwriter shows the reporter a picture of him and the star together in the early days with the star having written “You can always trust me because I would never steal your song” on it. So the reporter writes about how the star is just a fraud but it doesn’t make any difference because the songwriter gets hit by a bus.
I’ve seen it happen a million times.
Yes, everything you write is automatically copyrighted. (Including every post on the SDMB.) But when you did so is hard to prove for things like songs. And infringement of that copyright is limited to actual damages. You can’t collect for how much money you didn’t make.
What you can and should do is to register the copyright. That provides a legal timestamp and allows you to collect statutory damages and attorney’s fees, which are usually the only thing worth fighting for.
Most people don’t bother to register a copyright for anything less than a book because it costs $35 for an online filing ($45 mail-in). However, you can group a number of items together in a single filing. (I think every three months, but you should check for the latest rules, which change regularly.)
You may be in for a disappointment if you are working under the assumption that brilliantly written songs correlate strongly with big hits.
LOL
Breaking into the music-buisness is by Invitation only. If you don’t know anyone in it, chances are you never will.
I know :mad:
There are a few rare exceptions…
Thanks everyone!
I have a plan, and if it ever works, I’ll post here and let you know the outcome.
Regards
Gus
Actually I think a better plan would be to send it to some big name artist who is already famous. Pick one who would be appropriate for the song and who doesn’t mind doing other people’s songs.
Just be bold and send it to the most famous person you can think of. All musicians would give it a listen.
Randy Travis might be leery.
Doubtful. Most famous people know that if they don’t return amateur offerings unopened, unread, or unlistened to they will be sued if they ever use anything remotely similar, or not at all similar except to the delusional, even if there is no chance that they took anything from the amateurs.
Maybe some musicians would listen, but their lawyers would have fits. This is the absolute standard throughout all creative arts, which is why King of the Hill could use it as a plot line in KneadtoKnow’s link.
Absolute, unmitigated crap.
It happens all the time. It’s a constantly ongoing thing - people sending songs to artists and recording companies and A&R men etc.
ALL musicians would listen - it’s in their DNA. They have to listen to any new music that comes their way.
They ain’t gonna get sued - if they don’t like it, they can just send a polite refusal. But 99% of musicians would be happy to credit you as writer if you come up with a good one. So it’s a needless worry.
Kneadtoknow’s link was about a fictional situation, doesn’t count as a cite.
Absolute unmitigated crap, to use your own terminology. Do you actually know any musicians?
Yeah loads.
Musicians are constantly on the look out for new vibes. It comes with the job.
You didn’t say on what grounds you disagreed with me?
That sentence, that’s what I disagreed with. It makes no sense. Sure some musicians would love receiving demos etc. but others are too busy trying to make a red cent to be listening to strangers’ unsolicited music. I’m an amateur musician and I know plenty of professional musicians and whereas some of them want to hear your stuff, a lot of them don’t want to hear your stuff. I run a tiny, tiny, micro label and get demos occasionally. They’re usually either a genre I have no interest in or the songs are no good, very occasionally they’re interesting but I haven’t the time or money to invest in getting the other person’s work out.
The issue of name stars “plagiarising” nobodies is a salient one too. Coldplay has recently been accused of ripping off a New York band called Creaky Boards. They were also accused of plagiarism by Joe Satriani, both of these allegations were related to the same Coldplay song. I have heard similar accusations levelled at various bands through the years.
Some name artists are on record for being into the music they’re sent unsolicited but as Exapno Mapcase points out many will have the policy of returning recordings unopened.