July 2001
Guild Tidings
The official Publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 6, No. 7
NEXT MEETING: 5:00 P.M.Sunday July 1st 2001
The International Songwriter's Guild meets the first Sunday of every
month at the Central Florida Musician's Union building at 3020 East
Robinson (at the extreme east end of Robinson less than a block from
Herndon Airport).
Songwriters, composers, performers, publishers, and the curious are
encouraged to join us. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting or
two to get a feel for our group and what we do.
Officers:
President/Treasurer
Russ Robinson (407) 851-5328
Co-Vice President/ Member Reception
Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212
Secretary
Evelyn Nelson (863) 644-8699
Web Consultant
Asli Walker (407) 359-0506
President�s Letter
Dear Members,
Happy "Hot Days"! Wow, we've really had it the past few weeks. What
would we do without air conditioning? I hope all of you have it. Now
let's cool off and concentrate on your songwriting endearments. Try to
have one ready for our critiquing. We had a large number of guests at
our last meeting but somehow we seemingly took more time with guests
rather than our critiques.
We have Debbie Ison's 4th of July song and I'll try to have it in form
for 4th of July use. Would you believe there is very little music
pertaining to the 4th of July? Think about it, maybe we should
concentrate on one. We all know its significance. We need more lyrics
expressing our means for celebrating.
I had an enjoyable conversation with Gary Dunn, a fellow singer and
musician a few days ago. He has appeared with some important musicians
and presently has Starmedia, Inc. Studios (www.starmedia.com) near
UCF. He called to ask if we might have songs that several of his
female singers might like to record. They are looking for originals. I
invited him to next meeting and he will be bringing along some of those
singers with him. In the meantime, I think we may get a group of our
members to see his studios. We'll talk about it at the meeting.
I'm getting responses regarding our "15 Little Words" song. Several
are really very good. I haven't put a deadline date on the project so if
you've not yet started a song, give it some thought and see if you
might come up with some ideas. If you don't remember what the 15 little
words are, come to the meeting and we'll do a briefing.
Every few months I remind you to be working on Xmas songs. If you
should have one, now is the time to concentrate on recording and
marketing. This is the time to have it all together for the season.
I have just had a call from Daytona Beach offering me a free weekend at
an oceanfront hotel suite and have me see a ballroom with stage for our
Guild to do a showcase there. How would you like to spend a weekend
there and have your songs heard? I think we can have both radio and
press coverage. We'll talk about it at the meeting.
Our June meeting packed the room but I did miss seeing some of our
familiar faces. I hope to see all of you there Sunday.
Best ever,
Russ Robinson
Protecting Your Songs, Part 1
by Matt Griffin
Here's a topic that new members seem to be especially interested in:
how does a songwriter go about protecting his/her original songs? It's
certainly a legitimate worry. Most of us have heard stories of some
variety of theft in the music industry. Russ has related a number of
such stories over the years, and has even testified in court cases over
the matter.
Some new writers are afraid to play their songs at our meetings for
fear someone will steal it in part or whole. I've been an ISG member for 11
years and am not aware of any serious case during that time. Writers
do borrow general ideas from one another, and that's OK (for example, I
wrote a western-themed song years ago, inspired by another member who
brought in such a song). Fortunately out-and-out theft just isn't that
common. One reason may be that writers seem to have a
confidence/arrogance/egotism (pick your favorite word) about them, and
tend to believe their own material is better than that of others. As
good as you may believe your new song to be, most everyone else is
focused on their own material.
Does this mean you shouldn't be careful? Of course not. But let
common sense share the stage with caution. Playing your great new song to
your cat isn't getting you any feedback (well, maybe a hairball), and
certainly isn't getting you any closer to a publishing or recording
contract or whatever your writing goal may be. Remember that at the
ISG, a whole group of people is hearing your song. That's a whole
group of people who could testify on your behalf, if necessary; if the song
is good enough for someone to want to steal it, people will remember it.
A related issue is whether and under what circumstances material can be
borrowed from someone else's work (keep in mind that I'm no lawyer; if
there's any doubt, consult one and don't listen to me!). Titles and
general ideas cannot be copyrighted and can be freely reused; just
remember that you've got to face the author at the next ISG meeting, so
be reasonable about copying ideas. Accidental similarities to existing
songs happen to all of us. Typically it's not a problem if they're
just similar, or even if they're identical for a measure or two.
Next month we'll talk about copyright registration.
ISG Bulletin Board
Where's your next gig? Please let us know, so we can publish it here!
Paul Vernon appears Fridays and Saturdays on the patio at Jungle Jim's
in Lake Buena Vista (in the Cross Roads Shopping Center) from 6:30 to
10:30 PM.
Sammy Brown and other ISG members will be appearing in the Helen Stairs
Theater production of "Bye Bye Birdie" in Sanford. There are shows on
June 22nd, 23rd, 29th, and 30th at 7 PM, and June 24th and July 1st
shows at 2 PM.
Seven and Laura Richards appear regularly in the area. Call them at
(407) 322-1731 for schedule info
The ISG is looking for a new Member Receptionist. We need a member who
is personable and attends most meetings. The Receptionist welcomes
people to the meetings, passes out critique and lyric sheets, and makes
sure everyone signs in. Duties outside of the meetings are light;
mostly, the individual needs to reproduce forms (sign-in sheets,
critique sheets). Interested ISG members should contact Russ or Matt.
We're always looking for material for the newsletter. If you have any
information that you would like to see added to the newsletter, please
see Matt Griffin at the meetings, or you can E-mail him at
griffinmc@netzero.net. Please keep your articles brief.
Classified advertising may be placed free of charge to members in good
standing in the ISG. For more information on display advertising and/or
classified advertising for non-members, please call Russ Robinson (407)
851-5328
or e-mail: griffinmc@netzero.net
�DUES CLUES�
We are trying to keep better track of dues payments. You will notice
that your mailing label has a date in the top right hand corner. This
represents the date that we have a record of your last payment. As Russ
has mentioned, this needs to be updated, so if you see ?? Or an
incorrect date on your label, please let us know so we can correct it,
and if the Date is more than a year old, then our �Dues Clues� will
tell you it�s time to send that check to Russ again!!! (If you see �Guest�
written there, it means that this is one of a few complimentary issues
we are sending you since your visit with us. This will give you an
opportunity to see what we are all about, and decide whether you want
to join our Guild.)
June
TOP WINNERS
Of last month�s Evaluation Session
(Members only)
(1) Once Again With You Paul Vernon
(2) Waiting for a Letter Serina Jung
(3) Shepherd Emil Ernyey and
Connie Taylor Champion
� 2001 ISG