2024-09-Guild Tidings Sep

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Guild Tidings

The official publication of

The International Songwriters Guild

Volume 29, No. 09

September 2024

Live meetings are Cancelled due to CoronaVirus.

However, we will be having on-line Zoom meetings.

The next zoom feedback session will be

Sunday September 1st at 5pm.

We will send details under a separate e-mail,

and an announcement on the Facebook group page.

If you want the zoom meeting details,

please e-mail us at isgorlando@gmail.com

Hopefully we will soon be meeting in person again.

Please stay tuned for more info.

We are asking members to renew their dues for 2024. It costs only $5 per year,

and it helps us to defray costs for the zoom meetings.

We have 2 methods of payment. Either paypal to our treasurer Asli Goncer's

paypal account. The paypal access is at aslivision@gmail.com  

or you can mail a $5 check to

Asli Goncer

2849 Babylon Court

Oviedo, FL 32765

Either way, we appreciate your continued support.

Any Details not in this newsletter are at:

www.tinyurl.com/isgsongs

If you wish to join our Facebook group, please check us out at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/831814850193553/

Show Biz Blues

by Jackie Mason

       There’s doom and gloom in the music business. As if things hadn’t got bad enough during Covid, there’s now a boogie man out there. His name is Artificial Intelligence and henceforth he will be referred to as A.I. According to a recent article in Bloomberg most songwriters are broke. A recent survey of songwriters says “streaming doesn’t pay the bills.” It goes on to say that “74% of Songwriters make less than $10k a year.” As Rick Beato comments in his August 12th video “it’s kind of shocking.” This is a good lesson.

“74% of Songwriters Make Less Than 10k A Year.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AkzyrB0Seo&t=621s  

I’ve watched this video twice.The first time I watched it, I felt apprehensive. I later understood, upon reflection, that I am intimidated by any talk about A.I. On the second viewing I made notes. I feel much better now and it’s because of this video.

       Rick has come with good intentions. He’s trying to show us ways to increase our income streams. The Bloomberg article strongly suggests that songwriters “may need to adapt by engaging their fans. He points out two artists who know how to use the Tik Tok platform. They share their writing processes. One is Jake Jyke who, during the Covid lockdown, began making videos and posting them on Tik Tok. He’s since gained 20 million followers and has had a couple of hit  songs. Take a listen to “Golden Hour” , a song tribute to his mum who creates beats with him.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jake+jyke+golden+hour

They make up songs in the kitchen. That’s a marketing idea that is sure to work. A mother’s love for her son. A son’s love for his mom. It’s an emotional tug.

       Another person is Charlie Puth. An established artist who shares his process for making beats into songs. Listen to this song “See You Again.”  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDEWXnMRq3c      

So it is still possible to make a hit song in your bedroom. Do you get the idea of relating with your fans?

            Rick is trying to encourage us. He’s telling us not to be intimidated by the boogey man. We can learn how to use it to our advantage. It’s possible to learn all music theory in two years. A.I. has “no advantage on us other than it’s fast.” I took that previous comment to heart. I thought about it and realized that I’ve been dabbling with A.I for over thirty years. The second Roland Dr Rhythm Drum Machine that I purchased in 1989 was an expensive leap into a brand new technology. Yes A. I. is fast but as Rick points out some of “the greatest songs were written over time.” Leonard Cohen’s “ Hallelujah” is a good example. Thank you Rick for taking the time.

              I have this interesting article. ”How AI is Transforming the Creative Economy and Music Industry,” by Alex Semancik. It was published on April 23rd, 2024 in the Ohio News. (Ohio University.)

https://www.ohio.edu/news/2024/04/how-ai-transforming-creative-economy-and-music-industry

It digs into some recent  controversies surrounding A.I. It also looks at The Beatle’s leap into A.I. with the John Lennon song “Now And Then.” Here’s a link to that pretty melody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opxhh9Oh3rg  A good thing  from the boogeyman. Here’s another song “generated in the style of The Beatles with human-written lyrics. AI analyzed a database of Beatles songs to create a similar composition. “Daddy’s Car.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSHZ_b05W7o

           That’s all for now. Still pacing the grounds of the Song Motel.