September 2011
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 16, No. 9
NEXT MEETING 5:00pm Sunday, September 4th, 2011
Officers:
President/Treasurer
Russ Robinson (407) 382-9942
Vice President/Newsletter
Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212
Secretary
Jacquelyn Gould, campkittycat@gmail.com
Membership
Susan Foster-Trewick, susiecool2001@yahoo.com
Newsletter
Jeff Mason, jeffrey_mason@me.com
Matthew Campbell, matthew_sax77@yahoo.com
Website
Carlos Colon (352) 326-4295
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 did the summer go? I think I ask that same question every year about this time. Summer is always such a good season for me, from a writing perspective at least; more free time equals more writing! My kids are both in college, so it’s not the huge difference it used to be, but I still have a lot more going on in the fall and spring. Viva le summer. J
If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to read Jeff’s interesting column for this month. He has reopened the critique scoring discussion! If you have a strong opinion about this, one way or the other, let’s hear it. We’ve had a summer of meetings without scoring, enough time to either (1) miss it like Jeff does, or (2) get comfortable without it. Let’s talk about it at the September meeting.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I really enjoyed last month’s meeting. Vivid discussions as usual, but what set it apart for me was the interest level of the songs. I don’t know what level of success (financial or otherwise) any of us will have, but it’s not for lack of effort or craft. Seriously, keep up the good work.
And I will see you all at the September meeting. Well, it’s Labor Day weekend so if you’re traveling, be safe and we’ll see you in October. J
Matt (for Russ)
More About Competitions
By Jeff Mason
I was talking to Susie Cool this week. I told her I missed our monthly competition. I understand not scoring and having a Top Five if there’s less than five songs to evaluate. However, if there are ten songs, I personally think that competition is valid. If I think about my articles, one of the points I’ve stressed is the value of competition and of deadlines. Susie said that some people liked to use a placement in our Top Five in their resume; it’s a feather in your cap. Even the name of our group sounds impressive to an outsider. The International Songwriter’s Guild really rolls of the tongue. I’m just putting it out there. What do you think?
This is a list of upcoming song contests with their submission deadline dates:
· John Lennon Songwriting Contest: December 15
· The 13th Great American Song Contest: October 28
· 8th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards): November 9
· The Indie Reviewer: September 15
· 10th Annual Mountain Stage New Song Contest: September 16
· The Independent Music Awards: October 14
· The New Holiday Classic: November 1
·
There are a variety of prizes to be won. The cost per submission also varies. The bigger contests like the Lennon contest can be as much $30.00 to $35.00 per entry.
The New Holiday Classic is looking for Christmas songs. Since I’ve been a member of the ISG, I’ve heard a number of Christmas songs. The big question was where to pitch them. This contest partially answers that question. I’ve been reading John Braheny’s “Craft and Business of Songwriting” and he thinks getting a hit with a Holiday song is a longer shot than getting a hit! Still, good luck to anyone who tries.
I enjoyed going to the website of each competition and listening to the past winners. I think there are members in our group who have comparable material to them.
There is a website called Broadjam which holds monthly targeted contests. This month they are looking for songs about money. Here are some examples of famous songs on that subject: “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles, “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits and “Money” by Pink Floyd. It’s a topical subject during this difficult period of our economic history. I’ve been amazed at how many slang terms there are for money.
They have a competition for songs with people’s names. A couple of famous examples are “Wake Up Little Susie“ by the Everley Brothers and “ Delilah “ by Tom Jones. There are hundreds of examples. I think I like any kind of targeted technique that can motivate and inspire me. Broadjam’s monthly competitions have a submission deadline date on August 31.
Even if you don’t enter a competition, it’s productive to look at their web pages. See you next month.
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.
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!
© 2011 ISG