It pays to keep in touch!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter mikeh
  • Start date Start date
M

mikeh

New member
I just called a publisher to correct an address change (I recently moved). A small royalty check ($200 and change - for the 1st half of 2005) went to my old address. I have not worked through this publisher in a while.

Publisher tells me he had lost contact info (he claims he does not even know how the $200 check found its way to me). Turns out there's a few hundred $$$ of international royalties that have been sitting around since 2002 (from a direct to video film that went to the Euro market).

You can't always assume ASCAP or any other group will find you - so you need to check in from time to time. A small business lesson for you newbies (and not so newbies).

As a bonus, the publisher is looking for some material come January 2006 - so I now have something to force me to write more!
 
Yeah, that's about all $200 can buy anymore - that and maybe a couple of gallons of gas.
 
Over-All, what kind of play are you getting with your tune? Would be great if you could shop it to a movie project. Kate Huson has three movies in production right now. Maybe you can find a connection.
 
Bonz, the particular tune I referenced is in a "movie" but the film went direct to video (no "big screen" release). It made me a few hundred dollars in the US market and then went to the overseas market (which has recently generated a few more dollars). The song was placed in a Christmas themed film, so th roylties tend to be "seasonal".

I've got another tune that was recently placed in an independant film (which I suspect will also go direct to video), so Im not counting on much income from that.

Getting songs placed in a film is hard to do and unless it's a theme song (which plays over credits) it is little more than background music. A few years ago I had one song in a movie which was "on screen" as a song on a car radio (while the car was traveling though the country) for all of 20 seconds. When I rented the movie I almost missed hearing it - cause it came and went so fast.
 
There was a major label lawsuit that related to just this problem. One of the artists they lost touch with was P. Diddy. He's so hard to track down, you know...
 
mikeh said:
Yeah, that's about all $200 can buy anymore - that and maybe a couple of gallons of gas.
Click to expand...

I just got a Tascam US 428 for exactly $200, sure beats coffee. :p
 
any ideas on how to get "connected" with a publisher so that my songs can be considered and eventually used SOMEWHERE?
 
You've got to have good songs that match the project, obviously, but networking events would be a good way in. You can also check out something like www.krtipsheet.com to find people who are looking for things and go to them with something that meets their requests.
 
David Hooper said:
There was a major label lawsuit that related to just this problem. One of the artists they lost touch with was P. Diddy. He's so hard to track down, you know...
Click to expand...

Ever since he dropped the "P." from his name..........
 
The Songwriter's Market is a decent investment since it lists many publishers, producers, record lables, etc.

You have to make plenty of phone calls and mailings with a bio etc (no unsolicited mailings). Talent, hard work, percerverance, etc. - like any success in life, you need all of the above.
 
thane1200 said:
I just got a Tascam US 428 for exactly $200, sure beats coffee. :p
Click to expand...

I dunno about that. Did you ever try to drink a Tascam?

Jeez.... Now I have to get this metallic taste out of my mouth....
 
so, can you let us hear some of your successful tunes, or are ya just gonna brag? ;)
 
Last edited:
junplugged,

Since I'm a dinosaur I don't have any of my material in a format I can download (I thought I made a major step forward a few years ago when I learned how to burn CDs).

If my post came acorss as a brag it certainly was not my intent (and I suspect your post is good natured). The orginal point was simply to suggest that keeping in touch (or "networking") while an important part or any career and a very important part of a songwriter's career, can also offer a pleasant surprise on occasion.

Candidly, I think there's a little bit of grey area regarding on line posting of material that is part of a contracted publishing deal. I've never really researched it (since I currently wouldn't know how to "post" a song). In truth, I'm not all that sure it's worth posting. The material that has actually made me any cash (which has been chump change) are basically 3-4 chord tunes with a decent melody and a good story line. Nothing superior, just well crafted songs.
 
No, I don't think you were bragging, I just looked back. I just wanted to hear it. I think a well-crafted song is superior, btw. It's hard to do and I almost never hear any.

I try to craft my songs well and sometimes I accomplish that goal. I'll post pretty soon, my site is still underconstruction but getting closer.

Good to see that keeping in touch got a few bucks for ya. I'll eventually look for a publisher after I release my own material for a while and test it out then maybe let them do the work if that eventually seems like a good plan.

p.s. I added a smiley. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top