Hitsamillion.ning.com is making it happen for its members!!

It’s happening folks! It’s happening! On hitsamillion.ning.com, members are seeing some of their goals come true! Some are getting opportunities for radio airplay. Some are expanding their reach, their brand, and their audience by getting on-air interviews. Some are meeting producers and songwriters to help their artists or themselves put out their very first CD! Some are getting the information they need to grow as aspiring artists, songwriters, producers, engineers and record label executives. Some people are making sales! Some are finding people in their area or outside their small town environment. The members of hitsamillion. ning. com are seeing their musical goals come true and I’m happy to say I had something to do with that so I’m meeting my goal of positively affecting others’ lives! How are they doing it? The members are seeing their goals come to pass through networking! Remember all them posts I did on networking? If not, refresh your memory by checking out the month long blogs I did on networking. For real, come and check us out at hitsamillion.ning.com!

Thedy B

Why form a songwriting team?

Did you enjoy my latest post about songwriting teams? Reading the stories of songwriting teams was good because you get a chance to find out how people met, how long they were a songwriting or production team, what hits they wrote together, who they previously wrote songs with, which artist they wrote for, etc. It's good reading! So check out that post if you did not!

So the question is though: why form a songwriting team? Why have a production team? If I can write a whole song by myself, why work with anyone else? Why give someone else credit? Why would I choose to include someone in on a song and then have to share the royalties?

Well, you don't HAVE to do anything. You can write a whole song from start to finish. You can make a beat yourself. You can write all the lyrics. You can write or compose solo, get all the credit, get all the money, and all the fame.

But here's some benefits to writing or composing with a songwriting and/or production team:

1. A songwriting/production team can help you write more songs. You can writer more songs with a songwriting/production team than you can by yourself. If you only have to write the hook, or do the bass line to a song, think of how many bass lines or hooks you could come up with, knowing your partner's got the verses or the melody.

2. A songwriting/production team can help you finish a song. Each person can write different parts of the song or help with finishing a song you've started but couldn't finish. In most cases, you can depend on the other person or persons to help you with a line or part or lick that you're stuck on.

3. A songwriting/production team can help you brainstorm more ideas and thus generate more songs.

4. A songwriting/production team can help you remember melodies, lines, titles, lyrics, and licks that you forgot so you can develop that part better.

5. A songwriting/production team can help you develop your craft - Since we don't all think alike, having another person's style that's different from ours will help develop your craft so that your songs won't all sound alike. While some producers have a certain sound, and you know I encouraged that in one of my prior blogs (click here to read it), you don't want people to say your song sounds just like the one you did on another project.

6. A songwriting/production team will help you have versatility in your music.

7. A team will help encourage you to continue. If you are dedicated to a group, sometimes that dedication to the group will help you stay dedicated to your dream.

8. A songwriting team helps eliminate weaknesses - if you are a strong lyricist but not a strong melody writer, hooking up with a melody writer will help you write better songs with better melodies, finish your songs, give life to your lyrics, help you write better lyrics since your lyrics will have to fit with the music, etc.
Same with producers who are great with making a beat but you need someone to help with writing lyrics or with mixing, etc.

9. A songwriting team helps with getting recognized. Typically we don't all know the same people so imagine having several people on a production team who meet different people in the industry or worked with different people at different times coming together to write and based on relationships, they are able to get their songs recorded. It happens in the music industry all the time.

10.Having a songwriting team helps you stay on your grind. Being accountable to a team will help you stay focused on doing what you need to do to make it in this industry.

So while you may be able to get all the credit, get all the money, and all the fame from doing everything yourself, consider the above benefits for writing and/or producing with a songwriting and/or production team and ask yourself, am I missing out?

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
hitsamillion.blogspot.com
Interviewed.blogspot.com
Musicpanels.blogspot.com
Mobilemusicbusiness.blogspot.com
Musiclabels.blogspot.com
globalmusicbusiness.blogspot.com

Songwriting Contest and Competition Benefits

In my prior post, I gave you a list of 10 upcoming songwriting contests that you can take advantage of. The advantages and benefits of participating in a songwriting contest are:

1. You can get your music heard. Many songwriters and artists are looking to get their music heard by music industry professionals. Well here's your chance to get your music heard by music industry professionals.

2. You can get your music evaluated. In some of the songwriting contests, your songs will be evaluated regardless of whether your song places in the top or not. This evaluation or feedback will help you enhance your songwriting skills by hopefully showing you areas of improvement, areas of strengths, and help you gage how your songwriting skills compete with others.

3. You can compete with other songwriters. You compete every day anyway with other songwriters to get placements so you might as well compete with songwriters in a songwriting contest. Who knows? You might win!

4. You can receive recognition. Since songwriters need to brand, market and promote themselves, entering a songwriting contest and placing in the top spots will win you some recognition in the music industry.

5. You can receive prizes. Each songwriting contest has prizes for the top songwriters. Those prizes could be musical gear, a recording contract, free branding and promotion, and many other things that will help you boost your songwriting career.

6. You save money. Though most songwriting contests require some sort of entry fee to participate, you can actually save money by participating in these contests. How? You save money by investing the $30 entry fee for example, and find out now that your song needs a lot of work versus paying hundreds of dollars in studio fees, paying musicians and singers, and engineers to produce that same song that needs work. Getting feedback well before you invest your money is a good investment of your music money. (For additional money saving tips for songwriters, click here!)

7. You get the opportunity to network. Here's yet another way to network! (To read all my blogs on networking, click here!) Here's your chance , for $30, to have an industry professional listen to your music. Many people spend hundreds of dollars going to a music conference or showcase to have an industry person listen to their music. This is your chance instead to pay a little and potentially get much more out of it! (For additional money saving tips for songwriters, click here!)

So take advantage of the songwriting contests that I mentioned in my prior blog, they could be another valuable tool in getting you signed as an singer-songwriter to a record label, getting you a music publishing deal, and/or building your brand, your name, and your songwriting skills.


Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
myspace.com/hitsamillionllc
interviewed.blogspot.com - contains interviews of top producers, songwriters, & music execs
globalmusicbusiness.blogspot.com -helping you go global with your music
musicpanels.blogspot.com -missed a music conference, find some clips of it here
mobilemusicbusiness.blogspot.com -go mobile with your music, find ways to do mobile marketing
musiclabels.blogspot.com - find out information on new record labels recently launched
hitsamillion.ning.com - network with other producers, singers, songwriters, and beatmakers

Sign the Bill of Rights for Songwriters & Composers!

Sign the petition to protect your/our/my rights as music creators! It does not matter which performing rights organization you belong to, you can sign it. If you don't wanna read this whole message, just go to www.ascap.com/rights to sign the petition. This petition about our Bill of Rights will go to Congress to let them know we as music creators have rights that need to be protected. Tell others about www.ascap.com/rights, please!

A CALL TO ACTION - SIGN THE 'BILL OF RIGHTS FOR
SONGWRITERS & COMPOSERS'!

Given the many issues that surround the music industry today, it can be easy for those who are the source of it all - songwriters and composers - to get lost in the shuffle.

That's why ASCAP is calling on music creators to offer their support of a critical new advocacy initiative.

Earlier this month, ASCAP launched 'A Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers,' designed to remind the public, members of the music industry and U.S. legislators of the central role and rights of those who conceive and create music.

This important awareness-building initiative centers around 10 core principles, including "We have the right to be compensated for the use of our creative works, and share in the revenues that they generate" and "We have the right to license our works and control the ways in which they are used." The full text of the Bill of Rights (included at the end of this article) is posted to the ASCAP website - along with an online petition where music creators can electronically sign to demonstrate their support.

The rights laid out in the Bill, all of which are already inherent in the act of music creation and protected by U.S. copyright law, are increasingly under threat as competing interests argue over the future of the business of music - and as growing numbers of individuals bypass payment altogether to illegally share music online.

Said ASCAP President and Chairman and Academy Award-winning lyricist, Marilyn Bergman, "Our goal is to remind lawmakers, the general public and music creators themselves of the rights that are inherent in their art. We simply cannot allow the original source of all music to be forgotten. Our rights must be considered in all conversations about the future of the music industry and the future of copyright law."

Over 1,000 Signatures and Counting

The 'Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers' debuted during ASCAP "I Create Music" Week at the 25th Annual Pop Music Awards held on April 9, 2008. It was then formally introduced to attendees of the third annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO, held in Los Angeles from April 10-12.

In just the first few days, more than 500 signatures were collected, including such recognizable names as Lionel Richie, Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, Justin Timberlake, Desmond Child, Jackson Browne, Steve Miller, Marilyn Bergman, Alan Bergman, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Chamillionaire, Keri Hilson, Johnta Austin and John Rzeznik.

Since that time, other legends have added their names and their support - including Tony Bennett, Quincy Jones, Paul Williams and Hal David - as well as hundreds of additional signatures online. Currently at over 1,000 signatures and counting, the Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers is gaining serious momentum.

As part of this initiative, ASCAP also wrote a perspective piece on the relevance and importance of music copyright protection, titled "Music Copyright in the Digital Age: A Position Paper." This paper offers straight-forward explanations of how copyright law impacts music creators, and may be viewed and downloaded from ASCAP's website.

Sign the Bill - Spread the Word

"The signatures that we collect on this Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers will be shared with key legislators in Washington, as well as numerous other leaders both inside and outside the music industry," said ASCAP CEO John A. LoFrumento. "Now is the time to ensure that everyone who has a stake in determining the future of music, both as an art and as an industry, recognizes the importance of protecting creators' rights."

Those who wish to add their support to the Bill can sign it electronically.

ASCAP encourages its members to help spread the word! Share the URL www.ascap.com/rights and encourage everyone you know to sign their support!

A BILL OF RIGHTS
FOR SONGWRITERS AND COMPOSERS
Created by ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

Just as citizens of a nation must be educated about their rights to ensure that they are protected and upheld, so too must those who compose words and music know the rights that support their own acts of creation. Without these rights, which directly emanate from the U.S. Constitution, many who dream of focusing their talents and energies on music creation would be economically unable to do so - an outcome that would diminish artistic expression today and for future generations.

At this time, when so many forces are seeking to diminish copyright protections and devalue artistic expression, this Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers looks to clarify the entitlements that every music creator enjoys.

We have the right to be compensated for the use of our creative works, and share in the revenues that they generate.

We have the right to license our works and control the ways in which they are used.

We have the right to withhold permission for uses of our works on artistic, economic or philosophical grounds.

We have the right to protect our creative works to the fullest extent of the law from all forms of piracy, theft and unauthorized use, which deprive us of our right to earn a living based on our creativity.

We have the right to choose when and where our creative works may be used for free.

We have the right to develop, document and distribute our works through new media channels - while retaining the right to a share in all associated profits.

We have the right to choose the organizations we want to represent us and to join our voices together to protect our rights and negotiate for the value of our music.

We have the right to earn compensation from all types of "performances," including direct, live renditions as well as indirect recordings, broadcasts, digital streams and more.

We have the right to decline participation in business models that require us to relinquish all or part of our creative rights - or which do not respect our right to be compensated for our work.

We have the right to advocate for strong laws protecting our creative works, and demand that our government vigorously uphold and protect our rights.

ASCAP Writer's Roundtable gets an A-

In my last post I gave you over 30 different physical places to go to in order to network.

If you've been following my blog and reading my posts, you already know that I'm about to say: get out of the studio, start networking more, and attend some upcoming music conferences. In my last post, I showed you that music conferences are just one out of 30 places you can go to network! (Click here to read that post!) And if your networking skills need some help, learn how to do it! Read my blog posts on the do's and don'ts of networking at music conferences, the do's and don'ts of networking via email, and purchasing some of the recommended books on networking. Subscribe to this blog to stay on top of things!

Here's just one of the reasons why I say what I say: I recently went to ASCAP's Writer's Roundtable where several ASCAP songwriters discussed the music business and the music creativity process. The panel consisted of:

1. Manuel Seal who wrote "Always Be My Baby" and "We Belong Together" for Mariah Carey, and "My Boo" for Usher.

2. Johnta Austin who cowrote "We Belong Together" for Mariah Carey, "Be Without You" for Mary J. Blige and has written for Toni Braxton, Tyrese, Enrique Iglesias, Ginuwine, Aaliyah, Faith Evans, B2K, Ciara, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, and Mario;

3. Cri$tyle "The Ink" Johnson who wrote "Touch My Body," for Mariah Carey, "Angel" for Natasha Bedingfield, "I'm Grown" for Tiffany Evans, and "Hood Anthem" for Keke Palmer;


4. Atozzio The Hittwriter who wrote "Kryptonite" -Mario, "Friend Me Up" for Keke Palmer, "Mama" for Chris Brown, and "Holla At Ya Boy" for 2 Much;


5. RL who wrote Butta Love," "Too Close," "I Still Love You"


6. Lyfe Jennings who wrote "Never, Never land," "S.E.X." "Must Be Nice" on his own album.


My overall assessment: A-

1. Information: Great: relevant info since it was specifically dedicated to songwriters and songwriting unlike other music conferences that I've been to which are typically dedicated to the artist. Come back to my blog because I'll discuss more of what each songwriter said in a later blog.

2. Networking with the panelists: Great: We were given the opportunity to really talk to the panelists afterwards.


3. Networking with other attendees - Good


4. Ability to ask panelists questions: None. They had set questions that they asked the panelists. However, because we were able to speak to the panelists afterwards, we could ask our individual questions then so it worked out.


5. The quality of the panelists: Excellent: Look at all the heavy hitters that were brought in! I also like the fact that ASCAP chose both seasoned writers and new writers, older writers, young writers and both male and female writers.

6. The cost of the event: FREE!!!!!! Loved that!

7. Size of the seminar: Great: it was packed, standing room only. There was no RSVP required so they had no way of knowing how many people were coming to know how many chairs to set up but they needed more chairs. Lesson: get there early and you don't have to worry about that. (:-)

8. Location: Great: the venue was centrally located in the city. It was held at Clark Atlanta University's Robert Woodruff Library Exhibition Hall, which was a nice place to have it. Parking was horrible since most of it was dedicated to Clark students. Temperature in the room was good, the seats were adequately spaced, the spot was nicely decorated, and the building was secured.

9. Length of the event: Good: it was roughly a one and a half hour long panel. It started a little behind schedule as panelists arrived and were finishing up interviews.

10. Time of the event: Good: it was at 7:00 p.m. which is a good time when trying to travel in the city of Atlanta. BMI had an event the day before this one that started at 6:00 p.m. which is not the optimal time since most people are just getting off work.


11. Advertisement: I heard about this event via email and via MySpace so for me, it was well-advertised.

I'm glad I went and invested my time by going. And yes, I'd go again if they had the same event assuming the quality stayed the same. Sometimes, it's worth getting out the studio!


Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter

Hits A Million, LLC

myspace.com/hitsamillionllc

hitsamillion.ning.com

My list of songwriting sites!

In my first blog, I listed some melody and lyric writing books I bought and use to help me with songwriting issues that come up from time to time. In my second blog, I mentioned music business books, music production books, music publishing books, and music industry resource books that I also own and use. Well, here's a short list of some great songwriting websites:



Lyrics:

1. writingsongs.com
2. azlyrics.com
3. lyricsplanet.com

Melody writing sites:

1. songwritingfever.com
2. mltv.net
3. musesmuse.com

Rhyming Dictionary sites:

1. rhymer.com
2. rhymezone.com
3. rapdict.org
   

The Business of Songwriting sites:

1. billboard.com
2. uscopyright.org
3. songwriter101.com
4. gojawar.blogspot.com
   

Music Selling sites:

1. snocap.com
2. xingtone.com
3. myxer.com
4. cdbaby.com

Performance Rights Organizations:

1. sesac.com
2. ascap.com
3. bmi.com
4. soundexchange.com

Music Conferences & Seminars sites:

1. gojawar.com
2. gomusicconnection.com
3. mymusicconnection.blogspot.com
4. atlantamusicshowcase.blogspot.com
5. billboardevents.com
6. eventful.com

Songwriting Groups & Organizations:

1. grammy.com
2. nashvillesongwriters.com
3. chicagosongwriters.com
4. songwriters.org
5. gma.org

Songwriter Social Networking Sites:

1. hitsamillion.ning.com
2. myspace.com
3. facebook.com
4. youtube.com
5. singersroom.com
6. reverbnation.com
7. ilike.com
8. fanbridge.com

Recommended songwriting books - Part 2

In addition to the songwriting books I recommended in my prior blog on recommended songwriting books, here are some additional songwriting books that will help you with the business of songwriting, promotions and music publishing so click on the links below and purchase your books today!

Music Business Books:
1. Music, Money And Successby Jeffrey Brabec and Todd Brabec - (a must have! This is the only book on the market that I know of that teaches songwriters how to make a lot of money with their music)
2. 6 Steps to Songwriting Success by Jason Blume (Jason Blume is an awesome teacher on the subject of songwriting. He also has an audio book on melody writing but I couldn't find that book to list it).
3. All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman-(a must have! - this book answers some of the legal issues that arises with your songs)
4. Everything You'd Better Know about the Record Industry by Kashif with contributions by Gary A. Greenberg - (another must have! - helps with not getting scammed in this business)
5. The Truth About Record Pools, Music Conferences, Talent Shows and Open Mics Ebook by JaWar (a must have! If you want to know how to get the most out of going to a music conference, showcase, talent show, etc- this book will teach you how)
6. This Business of Global Music Marketingby Ted Lathrop (just bought)
7. This Business of Songwritingby Jason Blume (just bought)
8. This Business of Music Marketing and Promotionby Ted Lathrop (just bought)
9. Confessions of a Record Producer by Moses Avalon - good book that talks about how not to get conned in the music business).


Music Industry Resource Books:
1. Atlanta Music Industry Connection Ebook by JaWar - (a must have - helps with starting a business, finding an attorney, manager, distribution company, and pretty much anything else a musician, artist, or manager will need)!
2. Los Angeles Music Industry Connection Ebook by JaWar - (a must have - same book as the Atlanta book but it has all the contact information for LA attorneys, managers, etc.)!
3. The Official Contact Pages: The Music Industry Dictionaryby James Hickman

Music Publishing Books:
1. How to Pitch and Promote Your Songsby Fred Koller - (so far, a little slow - lot of stories, not enough info)
2. Getting Noticed: A Musician's Guide to Publicity and Self-Promotionby James Gibson - (book is old, some info may be out of date but some info is still applicable)

Music Production Books:
1. Sound Advice on Recording & Mixing Vocals by Bill Gibson (this book is okay -it's probably great for sound engineers though)
2. Pro Tools for Dummiesby Jeff Strong - (love this book since I'm still a beginner on Pro Tools! it answers most questions that I have!)
3. Reason 3 Powerby Matt Piper & Michael Prager - I haven't been using my Reason program so I haven't read this book yet.

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
myspace.com/hitsamillionllc

Encouragement for Songwriters

I believe that it was at the Southern Entertainment Awards where I recently heard two panelists say that the music industry is a discouraging one. Songwriters are sometimes constantly told no. Your songs may be rejected. You may have worked hard to get your songs written and recorded only to find that you've run out of money. You hear various reports that different organizations are trying to force artists, songwriters, and songwriter's organizations to reduce the royalty rate. You hear that record sales are plummeting. You may have even been told that you don't have the skills to write a hit. Your manager, lawyer or industry connection may not be returning your calls and emails as fast as you would like, or may not believe you are quite there yet. Whatever the case may be, one thing is true: You have to encourage yourself and keep it moving!!!!

Somewhere from deep inside you, know that you have been given the skills, talent, the resources, the idea, the concepts and the gumption to be a hitmaking songwriter! If your songs need improving, then learn as much as you can about songwriting but keep on writing. Practice makes perfect. And if you think about how many other people who are now very successful were once rejected, it will help you continue your journey on becoming a hit songwriter.

Here's what I call the Hall of Prior Rejects:

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team.
Anika Baker was rejected by Arista's executives who refused to renew Chapter 8's record deal while Anita Baker was a part of the group.
Ivan Basso's former team released him because they felt he would never win anything. Now the Italian rider is challenging for the Tour de France title alongside five-time winner Lance Armstrong.
Jennifer Lopez was rejected twice before she got her first regular high-profile job as a "Fly Girl" dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color in 1990.
Bobby Valentino was rejected by American Idol and later, his debut album went gold.
Jesus was rejected.

So don't give up just because of rejection or news of bad reports, succeed anyway and as Porsche Foxx from V-103 would say make your haters your motivators!

Song Selection for Recording Artists - Tip #2

Again, I can't stress enough that song selection for recording artists is extremely important! Picking the perfect songs is half the battle in becoming and remaining a top-selling hit-recording artist. So how do you choose which song to record? Remember in tip #1, content is key: Pick a song with great lyrics! Second, in trying to decide which songs to record for your upcoming CD release:

Tip #2 - Make sure the hit song you choose to record suits your vocal range. In fact, you want a song that shows off your vocal range. This tip is true even if you are a soprano and have a very high singing voice or you're in a rock band or gospel group that does a lot of belting: you don't want a song that starts at a high pitch or at a high point because then you have no where to "take" your voice or the song itself. Mariah Carey and her very first single, Vision of Love, is a perfect example of a top-selling artist, who knowing her range and voice, recorded a song that beautifully showcased her range and introduced us to notes we never knew we wanted to hear, or could hear before. Mariah Carey's success is built on picking the right songs for her amazing voice. The same is true for you: every song you record should build and be perfect for you.

Note that you also don't want to have a "flat" sounding song either: one that starts low and simply stays low with no peaks and flows in the melody and background vocal arrangement. The song should challenge you vocally, and the listener, audibly. There are certain notes that our ears just naturally want to hear.

On the other hand, this tip also means that you don't want a song that is too high for you that you sing a lot of falsetto notes at the very peak of the song or is too low for you that you sing inaudible notes or words. There are some exceptions to every rule (e.g. some R & B male artists such as Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake to name two, sing most of their songs in falsetto). However, in general, hit songs that MAKE an artist and hit songs that are recorded over and over are songs that have range, color, build, and resolve (terms which will be discussed in another blog). It's these songs, the right songs, i.e. hit songs, which show off an artist's vocal abilities, that will be chosen not only by you but by many other artists as cover tunes. These are the types of hit songs that songwriters strive to write and artists should strive to find and record.

Stay tuned for my next tip on song selection!

Thedy B, Hit Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
Hitsamillionmusic.com