October 2009
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 14, No. 10
NEXT MEETING: 5:00pm Sunday, October 4th, 2009
Officers:
President/Treasurer
Russ Robinson (407) 851-5328
Vice President/Member Reception/Newsletter
Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212
Secretary
Jacquelyn Gould, campkittycat@gmail.com
Website
Carlos Colon (352) 326-4295
Membership
Gilda Corrales (407) 327-5494
The International Songwriter’s Guild meets at 5 PM on the first Sunday of every month at the Central Florida Musician’s Union building, 3020 East Robinson (at the extreme east end of Robinson, near Orlando Executive Airport ) in Orlando .
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. For more information, visit our website at www.isgorlando.org or myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/internationalsongwritersguildorlando .
President's Letter
Dear Members,
Where, oh where has this season gone? Can you believe it’s getting close to the year’s ending? I’m still a kid at heart, and I love having holidays to celebrate. Here we have Halloween coming up, but you know what? I’ve never heard of a Halloween song, except for one that Matt brought in years ago. I hope Matt will bring this song in again, because many of you weren’t around then. Now doesn’t that put an idea in your head? Lots of TV shows that have a Halloween theme in their October episodes, and they might need a song. I’ll bet that would be great; if we had one ready, it could hit big-time.
What do you think of each one of us coming up with a few lines; we could put them together as a Guild community project. Maybe we could do so at our next meeting, complete a Halloween song written by the ISG. Not only would this be fun, but it could be good for business.
Thinking of Halloween makes me think of other holidays. Hey, how about having a different song title and lyrics with one tune covering all of the holidays? The lyrics could be whatever holiday and/or season is coming up. I’ll try to have something to demonstrate at the next meeting. Come on, you try it too.
Till Sunday. Hope to see all of you there!
Russ
Creating Goals and Meeting Deadlines
Excerpt from Chapter 16, Songwriting for Dummies
By Jim Peterik, Dave Austin, and Mary Ellen Bickford
Wiley Publising, Inc. © 2002
permcoordinator@wiley.com
(Editor’s note: our own SusieCool will be giving a short presentation on these ideas at our October meeting. So read and enjoy!)
Jennifer Songsmith’s Songwriting Goals
Featherweight level
Logging Ideas: I will gather up all the napkins, barf bags, grocery receipts, and other scraps of paper with scribbled notes of lyrical ideas, rhymes, and concepts, and organize them into one notebook. Or better yet, I will log them on my computer. I will log these ideas under specific headings like “Song Scraps,” “Finished Verses,” “Possible Titles,” and “Song Concepts.” And I will make sure to back them up regularly or keep them in a safe place.
Preparing the place to write: I will designate an area of my living space as a writing room (probably the spare bedroom that my brother has vacated). I will start to research the marketplace for simple and economical equipment to document musical ideas and to eventually demo my own songs. I will also look into the cheapest way of soundproofing the room.
Learning the craft: I will look for various songwriters’ workshops and seminars in town to learn more about the craft and business of songwriting, and hopefully find a co-writer to allow for feedback and to help put my ideas into a more tangible form.
Completing a demo: By fall, I will complete a demo of my completed song.
Mailing out a demo: I will research the process of soliciting songs and compile a list of everyone I wish to send my song to. I will learn the guidelines, submission requirements, and etiquette, and I will mail out and follow up with everyone on my Prospects and Contacts list.
Spending my royalties: By this time next year I will be in Cancun swimming with dolphins and spending my songwriting royalties.
ISG Bulletin Board
Kitty Camp Pet Boarding—A loving, lakeside resort in Fruitland Park . Daily activities include: playtime, bird-watching, brushing, petting, purring, sunbathing, catnapping, and kitty’s favorite…mealtime! Daily/Weekly/Long Term, private rooms and suites available. 25% off weekly stay, FREE first night. Please call for details at 352-205-4284. Posted by ISG member Jackie Gould.
Jeff Mason’s gig schedule:
Appearing at Tijuana Flats on the Patio (weather permitting), Thursdays and Saturdays at 6pm
444 S. Hunt Club Blvd , Apopka , FL 407 774 0402
Delivering high-quality FLASH streaming video! No matter what product or service you may be offering, the power of video can be impressive! In fact, flash video is the most effective way to deliver rich media on your website. Video grabs your visitor's interest more so than simply text and images, or even audio. Video keeps visitors on your site longer and often triggers a purchase! Video not only will enhance your marketing message, but it's also entertaining. Video is useful for demonstrating your product or service, as well as teaching, inspiring, and motivating your visitors to become a customer! So if you're holding out with a website that may look outdated or obsolete, you may be losing business. It's time to make a change. Visit my website at http://www.videosaysitall.com.. Thanks and call me anytime (352-326-4295)…Carlos Colon
Meeting space graciously provided by Central Florida Musicians Association, Local 389. You are invited to join the largest union in the world, representing the interests of the professional musician. Visit their website at afm389.org for more information. You may reach them by phone at: 407-894-8666.
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 email him at isgorl@cfl.rr.com . 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 with the ISG . For more information on display advertising and/or classified advertising for non-members, please call Matt or email: isgorl@cfl.rr.com .
Why isn't your gig announced here? Call us with your appearance schedule!
Place your classified ad or gig announcement here! Free to ISG members as always! Just get your text to Matt by the print deadline (usually the Friday 16 days prior to the monthly meeting); email is best ( isgorl@cfl.rr.com ).
New members always welcome!
September’s Top Songs—Results of monthly critique session
(1) You Make Me V’room by Sheila Dixon and Susan Foster-Trewick
(2) In Your Eyes by Bob Witmer
(3) Mutual Attraction by Ester Starling and Mike Kondol
(4) When She Smiles by Matthew Campbell
© 2009 ISG