Hilltop Records?

[jalbert]

Anyone know what the deal is with these guys?

http://www.hilltoprecords.com/index.html

Their pitch seems too simple and straightforward. What's their angle? How do they get money out of you? What exactly are they claiming they offer?

[joro]

Hilltop is a scam man.

Everytime someone copyrights a tune with LOC...they get a letter from Hilltop.
They take your money...make a compilation CD...just like they say they will...
and send it off to publishers...
These publishers immediately throw the CD in the trash because they know Hilltop is not interested in quality music but, rather in taking money from unknown and unaware writers/artists.

If you got a letter from them then,..The Americord letter should be coming soon.

another scam...

sorry man.
Joe

[jalbert]

Originally Posted by joro

Everytime someone copyrights a tune with LOC...they get a letter from Hilltop.

Ahh. I was wondering how they got my address. Someone should think about suing the LOC for fraud if they're the ones who give these guys our information.

Originally Posted by joro

another scam...

sorry man.

Don't worry I was never thinking about sending them anything. Just wondered how the con worked. Thanks.

[joro]

What they say they will do...they do.
This is the worsed part of the music industry man.....the money part...

Good luck and best wishes man,
Joe

[David Hooper]

www.geocities.com/songshark has info on these guys (and more).

[JaQsonA1]

Thanks guys I received letters from both of these companies and was considering sending them some stuff. Oh well glad I didnt. Do you all have any suggestions on how to get your music out.

[mikeh]

It has gotten very hard to get your music into the hands of legitimate industry people. You first must determine if you plan to market yourself as an artist or as a writer

If you are an artist, you need to market yourself to A & R people or to artist management firms, etc. If you are a writer, you ned to market your product to publishers (difficult) or representatives of artists (almost impossible).

Since this is the songwriter thread, I suspect that is what you consider yourself. It is very, very hard to succeed as a stand alone writer (meaning you are not an artist who happens to write your own material). At least an artist can be booked on tours, etc (which generates more immediate revenue)

So you need to focus on publishers. Most publishers do not accept unsolicited material - and the publishers that do solicit material (the Hilltops of the world) may be scams. However, it is possible (but hard) to contact publishers by phone or mail (or if you are really serious, in person) to introduce yourself and try to set up some dialog. Possibly after a period or persistant (but polite) contacts a publisher may offer you a chance to send some material.

However, that's only the first (and perhaps easiest) step. If you do get published you can only hope that someone will actually record your song. Then hope that the recording actually sells enough copies to generate some income. Then hope your good enough to come up with more songs, etc.

There's a few of us on this site that can attest to whopping $10, $20, $30 checks rolling in once a quarter or once a year.

I'm pretty sure I could make more busking on a downtown corner!!

[JaQsonA1]

yeah i feel you on that. i have heard how hard it is to get someone to listen to your music more less get an artist to sing it. i can either sing my own music or sell it. i can sing well enough to get by at this point and i have a sister that can really blow and friends.

i m just trying to figure out what makes the most sense at this point. whether to market her/us and present the totally package artist, songwriter and producer or just try to send my stuff in as a writer only. its pitiful because i know soooo many talented people who are just looking for someone to give them a chance.