July 2002
Guild Tidings
The official Publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 7, No. 7
NEXT MEETING 5:00 PM Sunday, July 7th, 2002
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
Vice President/Member Reception
Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212
Secretary
Evelyn Nelson (863) 644-8699
Membership Coordinator
Susan Foster-Trewick (407) 679-4017
Web Consultant
Asli Walker (407) 359-0506
President's Letter
Dear Members,
Hope all is well with each of you. Although it's quite hot we are lucky to live in the age of "Great Air Conditioning". Let's keep cool and keep writing! I'm very pleased to see and hear some of the really nice originals from you. Let's stick to it and make a pledge to keep trying!
We have some talented new members this month. Among them is a new friend I met at an Orlando friend's birthday party. You'll recognize the name Leroy Van Dyke if you associate it with the hit recordings "Walk On By" and the "Auctioneer Song". Big-time record sales. Next time he and his wife (a pianist) are in town, I'll have them attend one of our meetings.
Be sure to get on the list to attend my birthday celebration coming up. Bob Neace is to host the gang going out on the 7-floor Sterling cruise ship that sails from Port Canaveral. You'll love it, our own Las Vegas resort without having to travel west. Good food, a show in the lounge, etc., all without cost to you (unless, of course, you choose to gamble!). They even send a bus over to pick us up! Come Sunday and hear more. You'll get to catch Bob in action; he's the star and emcee!
I'll bring some interesting late news regarding recording info to the meeting. Let's all join in activities and really get with it. I'm looking forward to seeing each and every
one of you. Till then�
Take care,
Russ Robinson
THE REALITIES OF RADIOPLAY: Writing from the Listener's Point of View
by Mary Dawson, CQK Music Inc.
You have just written an incredible song!! You have worked hard on it. Everyone who has heard the demo (mostly your family and friends) thinks it is a "hit waiting to happen." You are convinced that your song is as good as or better than most of the songs you hear on the radio. So what is the secret to getting your song played?
Experienced songwriters and artists know that getting radioplay can be an extremely dicey deal. There are several realities -- both from the creative side and the business side of songwriting -- that must be understood before you and your song become "household names."
The first reality is simply that the radio is not primarily about songs -- it is about listeners!! While music and songs may be essential ingredients of radio programming, the primary focus of radio stations is to reach and keep listeners. Competition among stations these days is fierce and program directors literally lose sleep trying to come up with new ways to attract listeners and then keep them from changing channels. Ratings are all about numbers of listeners and stations with the most listeners lure the best and highest paying advertisers. The bottom line with radio -- as with any business -- is consumers. Songs and music, therefore, become the means to the end -- the way the station can increase its power and ultimately its income.
In the light of this reality, you -- the songwriter -- have a task before you. Your mission (if you choose to accept it) is not simply to write a song that expresses your own emotions in music but rather, to write a song that will actually communicate to the hearts and minds of millions of listeners. The goal of every songwriter should be that when their song is played, those who hear it will say in their hearts -- or to their friends -- "That song is me! It expresses exactly what I feel!"
How do you do that? The answer is simple�..but not easy. You must learn to think and write from the listener's perspective. Resist the urge to write only for the incredible rush of venting emotions through a song, or to see how many inventive chord progressions you can put together to impress your musical colleagues. While these experiences may be personally satisfying to you as a writer or a performer, they may not even begin to appeal to John Q. Listener who knows nothing about music except whether or not he likes a song. And -- remember -- it is the millions of John Q. Listeners that the radio is trying to capture. To get a song on the radio, you need to determine what radio audiences like and then write songs that "hook" them.
How do you learn to think like a listener? First of all, you have to listen! Listen to all kinds of radio. I recommend that you have every button on your car radio set to a different genre of music. Pay attention to which songs are getting the heaviest airplay on which stations. If a station has a Request and Dedication Program at night, pay special attention to the songs the listening audience requests. Keep a log for a month month and see which songs are requested most. Then analyze those songs. It is really not that important for this exercise whether or not they appeal to your personal musical taste. If a song is selling millions of copies, there will be something about it that you can learn from. Ask yourself:
What is it about this song that "hooks" people?
What lyrical techniques capture the listener's ear?
What melodic, harmonic and rhythmic elements in this song appeal to listeners?
What universal emotions are being expressed?
A second way to begin thinking and writing from the listener's perspective is to train yourself to objectively examine your own songs from the audience's viewpoint. As a writer, your task is to craft a song so skillfully that the listener will immediately "get the point" of the song. As you write both the words and the music, keep asking yourself if there are enough musical and lyrical clues to bring the listener to that Eureka Moment that comes with actually understanding the emotions that you, the writer, have been trying to communicate. Be objective. Remember that your listener may be hearing your song for the first and only time. Deliberate carefully over every note and word so that each is doing its part to help the listener arrive at the emotional payoff of the song. One hit songwriter has very wisely said, "If we expect a listener to give us 3-4 minutes of his undivided attention, we certainly should be willing to at least give the song 3-4 months of careful tweaking to make it the best it can be."
Thirdly, after you have polished and honed your song to the very best of your ability, make a simple demo of it. It doesn't have to be a full production -- just something you can listen to again and again and again -- in your car, in your headset or on your stereo at home. As you listen to the demo, consider every musical and lyrical nuance. Imagine that you are a listener tuning into a station that is playing your song. Would you stay tuned? Be honest. If the answer is, "No," it is time to go back to the drawing board and do some re-writing.
The fourth and last way to think like a listener is simply to let lots of other people listen to your song. Don't just approach people who will tell you what you want to hear. Go to some "non-partisan" critics who will give you dead-on honest opinions. They don't have to be music professionals -- on the contrary, it is much better if they aren't. Remember, you are going for John Q. Listener's opinion -- the people with little to no music training that give radio their ratings. One songwriter I correspond with was so eager to have her songs critiqued honestly that she took her demo and a tape recorder to the mall, stopped a hundred people and asked them to fill out a questionnaire that would provide her with feedback on her song. That's the kind of spirit it takes to begin thinking like a listener.
Lest you think I am making too much of an issue out of this matter�.consider the phenomenal success of the Dixie Chicks. They are a Dallas-based girls group that were active in our community for years before they became the international stars they are today. In Dallas music circles the Chicks were almost a joke at times -- they were known for being willing to sing anywhere. They literally started out on street corners in the West End of Dallas. They performed at birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, big gigs, small gigs -- it didn't matter. When the event was so low profile that no one else would consider performing, you could bet that the Dixie Chicks would be there. And therein was their genius! They learned to hone their music and their style to what listeners wanted to hear. They studied their audiences and they learned how to communicate with them. When they finally got their shot at a record deal, the Chicks were ready -- and everything since has turned to gold for them. Radio loves them because listeners love them, and they NEVER have trouble getting radioplay.
It's a matter of perspective. Learn to write songs that communicate to millions of listeners and your songs will find a way to radio��I guarantee it!
Come back next time and we will explore the Mystery of the Listener's Mind.
�2002 CQK Music
All rights reserved, used by permission.
ISG Bulletin Board
Printing services for Guild Tidings are graciously provided by Printing USA, 4732 South Orange Blossom Trail (just south of Holden), Orlando. Phone: (407) 857-7468.
In the July meeting, we are looking forward to hearing a short presentation from Bill Whiteacre, an entertainment attorney based in Orlando. He will talk about Copyright and publishing.
Just wanted to let you know that the certificates are ready for distribution. Please see Russ at the next meeting to pick them up if you placed in any of the monthly evaluations. Also we would like to put the first place winners on another compilation album, so please see Susan if your song placed first in the year 2001.
Why isn't your gig announced here? Call us with your appearance schedule!
Yalaha Bakery is having another Open Mic on Saturday July 20th hosted by SusieCool. From 1:30 to 4:00pm. Food, Drinks and coffee will be available. The event is free. It is an outdoor event. Open Mic performers will receive a free coffee and danish.
Yalaha Bakery 8210 County Road 48, Yalaha, FL 34797
http://www.yalahabakery.com
TEAC 3340S Professional tape recorder, �? reel to
reel, 4 tracks with simulsync, 7-1/2 inch and 15 inch
reels, $200. 321-452-2910 or email geosync@pan.com.
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 email him at
griffinmc@netzero.net.
Please keep your articles brief and to the point. Print deadline for the newsletter is approximately two weeks prior to the monthly meeting.
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 or Matt or email: griffinmc@netzero.net
Welcome new members Glenn Moses, Larry J. Martin, and Susan Baumann.
June TOP FIVE
Winners of last month�s evaluation session
(members only)
(1) The Meaning of a Man Bob Neace
(2) My Little One's Dad Jordan Michiels
(3) I'm Dreaming Susan Foster-Trewick
(4) Livin' For No One Barbara Ross
(5) I Want You So Badly Nancy Potter
� 2002 ISG
http://www.geocities.com/i_s_g_2000