Anybody have success with publishing music??

[ralf]

i'm wondering if anybody as succeeded at having their music published and recorded by another artist to receive royalty checks? how difficult is this to do? and what is the process in approaching this?

[Emusic]

Working on it as we speak. No recordings at the moment and no checks. We are a rather freshly started songwriting company so we have no worries yet about not getting there.
It can be done in many ways. You can pitch directly to acts, artists and/or managers, or you can enter publishing deals with publishers or managers.
I heavily recommend reading How to pitch and promote your songs by Fred Koller Third edition at ISBN: 1-58115-194-2.
A truly inspirational and great book about the subject.
Allthough Koller has worked from Nashville the past 20 to 25 years, the book is written in a way that makes it a great read wherever your songwriting base is and whatever market or genre you are aiming at.
Here is a link to the book on Amazon.
As Koller states - a truly great song can open any door.
Best of luck.

[mikeh]

I've had songs published and placed - in some cases placed on artist recordings and in some cases in movies and/or television. No major artists and only direct to video movies (no theatrical releases....yet). Each quarter I see some publishing checks and/or BMI checks in the mail. Not big bucks, but a few hundred here and there.

Ideally, you need to find a publisher that focuses on the genre you write best in. You need to contact a publisher in advance to establish rapport and determine in the publisher will accept your material, the format thay want, etc. It helps if you can write with specific artists in mind. Be aware, no decent publisher will accept unsolicited material. You can write an introduction letter with a brief bio, follow-up with a phone call, etc. etc.

You will be competing with some very good writers (perhaps some of the best) who have access to the best session players and singers - so, you better be real sure your material is well writen, well produced and most of all, pay for the best vocalist you can get your hands on.

Be prepared for lots of rejection - I've got a drawer full of rejection letters and even though I now have a couple of publishers that I have an in with, they still say no to most of what I submit (and I think after writing a couple of hundred songs, I'm at a point where I write some decent stuff).

There are a lot of good books on the subject and I suggest you do a lot of research so if and when you are ready to submit, you have a plan. I look at songwriting as a business (although I keep my day job - because trying to support oneself through music can often result in a slightly above poverty level existance). A person should not start a business or open a franchise without understanding the business - a person should not try to be a "professional" songwriter without knowing the business.

The Songwriter's Market is a good book that identifies publishers and what they are looking for, etc. How to Pitch & Promote Your Songs is a good book on the subject. Good luck......you'll need it!

[32-20-Blues]

Originally Posted by mikeh

I've had songs published and placed - in some cases placed on artist recordings and in some cases in movies and/or television. No major artists and only direct to video movies (no theatrical releases....yet). Each quarter I see some publishing checks and/or BMI checks in the mail. Not big bucks, but a few hundred here and there.

Wow, congratulations, that's fantastic. I'm impressed; even making a few hundred dollars here and there is rewarding.

[mikeh]

32-30-Blues

Don't be impressed, while I would like to think it is hard work and talent - a lot of it is simple luck.

It's enough to keep me motivated (I would write anyway - but the checks keep me focused on writing commercial, vs. vanity projects).

My humble goal is to generate enough to equal what I make gigging with the intent to stop gigging and still make enough to support my chronic GAS (since I cut back I only make $4,000-$5,000 per year gigging - so hopefully, someday I can can get a handful of songs bringing in some cash to get me close to that number).

The nice thing with songs in movies (thanks to a million cable channels) there's always a chance even direct to video movies will get some play on some channel somewhere).