GetChristianMusic.com - Music Industry Advice

1. I have just written music to the words of a chorus a lady in our church wrote...

Kevin--

Let me try and put this information in brief. This is a subject that really requires that you study the procedures to gain a better understanding.

1) Acquire a copyright registration (done)

2) Record a demo of the song (it doesn't have to be great, but the best you can do

3) Become a member of one of the Performance Rights Agencies (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc.)

3) Research which publishers, artists/managers are accepting submissions, and fulfill their submission requirements. Remember to always inquire first and never submit without approval.

Each of these steps requires some understanding as to how it can be done. My suggestion is to start by perusing some internet sites. A place that can be very helpful is http://www.ChristianSongwriting.org There is good information at the site, but even more helpful are the people in the forum. You can ask your questions directly and get several points of view on how to do these things. Another great site as far as gaining some understanding of how the music industry works is http://www.bandradio.com

But more to the point of your situation. You have a song that most likely would be used in churches. The use of songs in churches is obviously something that we do as a method of praising God, and in many cases we don't concern ourselves with getting money out of the deal. However, it's a good idea to register your songs with CCLI (http://www.ccli.com). They are Christian Copyright Licensing, Int'l, and they collect money from member churches for the purposes of granting licenses to use songs in worship. They issue a blanket license, and the churches report the usages of all songs. You would then post the CCLI registration number on the lyric or music sheet every time you distribute your song. CCLI then distributes royalties to the respective publishers and songwriters. If a church doesn't subscribe to CCLI, encourage them to do so. A worker should collect his wages.

I hope this gets you going in the right direction.

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2. I've written over 45 Christian songs. I also just released a CD project. How do I get people to listen to it?

Hi Kathleen—

Wow, 45 songs. That’s great. The first thing I’d consider doing is joining CCLI (http://www.ccli.com). In case you don’t know about them, they are Christian Copyright Licensing Int’l. They collect funds from member churches and distribute them to the appropriate songwriters and publishers. If you own the rights to all of your songs, then I encourage you to join them as a publisher.

As far as getting people to listen to your CD. Yes, I know it’s difficult. I think that you need to define (maybe you have, and maybe you just didn’t mention it) what goals you might have for your songs. Do you want to get them in the hands of other worship leaders and churches? Or are you leaning towards getting them into the hands of someone who might gather interest from other worship leaders and churches without your daily involvement? Or maybe you’d like to interest other artists in your songs with the hope that they might record them? Maybe all of the above?? I know. I just want to get my songs ‘out there’ too.

Defining the focus of what you see as the future for your music will tell you what direction to go.

If you want to get them into the hands of other worship leaders, then I’d consider designing a package that you could send to them outlining your work, as well as a copy of the CD. You could also consider hiring someone to do this for you. Although the majority of them reside in Nashville and LA, you could probably find a ‘songplugger’ who would be willing to ‘sell’ your songs to other worship leaders.

Another angle to all of this is to research publishing and record companies (not just the big ones) who are accepting material (one such publication is the annual Songwriter’s Market). You might be able to get a single song contract for one or more of your songs. This way, the publisher who signed the song with you will have it in their catalog so when other artists are looking for songs, they may run across yours.

In all of my experience and reading, I’ve found that there is no one way to go about things. I believe that you need to do some research to find out exactly how you want to handle this and design your own ‘plan of attack’.

Keep in mind that your plan of attack should be to obtain a copyright registration for each of your songs. And I encourage you to pick up some reading about how the music industry works. The Christian music industry is really just a portion of the secular.

If I can help in any way, or if you need more info, just let me know.

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3. Here's a link to a song we wrote called I Love You More. We've really been well received at church. What steps do we need to take to get a record contract?

Hi. I listened to I Love You More. Good music. I can tell you're getting people fired up for Christ.

I'm not sure what your music goals are. You need to answer those before pursuing a record company. First and foremost, record companies are only interested in signing talent that

1) has local success.

2) Has regional success. This includes distribution and solid sales figures for an independently released CD.

3) Understands their mission

4) Aren't looking to get signed to a record company!

The best advice I can give you is to seek out the wealth of information available on nurturing your musical desires.

Check out these links:

http://www.jpfolks.com

http://www.gospelmusic.org

There is a huge amount of resources available at the Gospel Music Association as well.

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4. I have a two-fold question. We have a CD released and I have sent them to several management/record companies...

Gina—

That’s interesting to hear. Being an independent artist myself, I understand the idea of sending out my recordings and bio to see what kind of interest can be generated by the labels.

First of all, to hear that you’ve been getting the type of response you are seems a part of how labels are handling independent artists these days. I guess it’s not new. Since I’ve been keeping track of the industry, there have been a few Christian management/coaching-type companies out there. The one that comes to mind is NACAS, the National Association of Christian Artists and Songwriters http://www.place2be.org/nacas. They offer the same types of coaching/workshops that you speak of.

Another invaluable resource to discover what’s available for Indies is the GMA http://www.gospelmusic.org. They promote these types of things as well as songwriting and other contests.

I think it would be good to understand what your goals are for your ministry. By that, I already know that most of us want to ‘get signed and give our best for God in the process’. But I mean to understand your local, and then regional goals. The labels these days are looking for talent that has not only a great local following, but also a great regional following. They want to see how you’ve handled your sales, and how many you have sold.

God can be fully honored by what you have to offer without having to be signed by a label. But if this is your goal, then research what it takes to get in touch with label A&R people; understand what it is they are looking for. The industry is very much driven by the dollar and not what the will of God might be. That doesn’t mean that those that are truly after His heart don’t honor him.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

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5. My partner and I want to produce a demo or album by the end of the year. How should we then proceed?..

Matt—

It’s always a difficult thing to try and get a grip on what the music industry wants. I think because those of us who put Christ first, we can become more comfortable with the answers or the issues in front of us. To put it another way, I really see most people having a larger influence with their music because they have Christ in their lives. Plus, those involved in the music business that don’t have Christ can’t possibly influence those closest to us as we can with our music.

I think the direction that you want to go will depend on very much on your goals for your music. You say that you want to produce an album of sorts by the end of the year. I think that from the tone of your next questions, that you might consider whether or not you consider yourself and your music goals that of a songwriter, or that of an artist. Nothing wrong with aspiring to both, but both areas are separate as far as proceeding.

The next step would be to gain an understanding of those procedures. You do have plenty of questions, but I believe there are many more that you must ask yourself. For example, what is the budget in order to complete this recording by year end? I should think that your goals, if it is from the perspective of becoming a songwriter, would be to place the simplest versions of your song on your production. Those publishers and artists/managers who might listen to them and may become interested really need the basic idea of the song without many frills (keyboard or guitar leads, for example) in order to evaluate if the song could be useful for them. A demo production that is the best possible quality you can have while being simple with the arrangement and instrumentation is the way to go. Add a female vocalist if you think the song would sound good with one.

If your goals include being an artist with product to sell, then the budget question must be addressed. If it’s a ‘shoestring’ budget, or regardless of the money spent, the goal is to produce the best sounding product for the money. Get an outside influence to help you with the sound of the production. It will help you get fresh insight, and, it will help you to not get caught up in the trap of having the guitar too loud because you’re the guitarist or the bass too loud because you’re the bassist, etc. If the choice is available, it is always wise to have the product produced professionally. This includes the artwork.

Is it possible to get your album produced and sold without having to go full time? Sure, it is. And here’s where the ‘rubber meets the road’.

You need to understand that as an independent, or a musician without a contract with a label, that the chances of you ever recouping the money spent on an album project is slim. Now that, of course, depends on how much money you spent in the first place. But I’m talking about a professional – looking and – sounding project. Many independent artists have spent good money doing this. I have.

In my case, the money I’ve spent is an investment towards being a songwriter and a publisher and a record company owner. Sure, I’m an artist and I’m out there having concerts and selling my product. But this is where ‘Indies’ have to decide where their goals are. Not every one has the same goals as I do. Some artists goals are to get a following first locally, then regionally.

There are many Indies who are out there slugging away on the road and giving concerts all the time. They are making decent support money by selling their product. But most of the money they make is from their concerts.

I have to tell you that your goal, as a Christ follower, has to have the message of Jesus as the priority. This may mean that you form or join the worship team at your church. This might also mean that you form a group and take your songs to other churches in the form of concerts, or perhaps sharing your songs with another church’s worship team.

But I digress. You asked whether or not it could be done without having to go full-time. Of course, but my message to you is that you need to go full time with spreading the gospel as your priority with your musical gift. Many of us have been through trying to understand how to get ‘out there’ with our songs and with our music. If your goals include trying to make some waves in the music industry, then you need to begin reading about the industry. You need to get in contact with other musicians and songwriters that can help you with your goals, and help you understand what the music field is all about; the opportunities that are there. You can give concerts part time and sell your merchandise.

Here are some links to places that can help you get going:

http://www.christiansongwriting.org

http://www.bandradio.com

http://audiblefaith.com

As far as who to contact to send your music, further define your goals. To send songs for publishing, find out what the industry rules are by looking at publications like:

Music Publishing: A Songwriter’s Guide by Randy Poe

All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald S. Passman

A Songwriter’s Market (annual publication)

Tim Sweeney’s Guide to Releasing Independent Records

Particularly, Songwriter’s Market will give you addresses of publishers/managers who are accepting material.

I hope I’ve helped you today.

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6. (I KNOW THIS SOUNDS CRAZY, BUT I HOPE A FELLOW CHRISTIAN MIGHT HELP ME!!)...

Della—

Do you want to learn how to become a publisher solely for the reason of releasing your praise CD? Just so you can be assured that you’re doing the right thing for the project?

Send in a copyright application for each song.

Sign single song agreements for any writer that are not you and your friend (but let’s say your friend doesn’t want anything to do with the publishing and only wants to be involved as a songwriter. Then sign your friend to single song agreements for each song as well.).

Record the CD.

Send in a copy of the CD with a SR application to the LOC.

Send out any mechanical royalties due to songwriters.

Keep looking for opportunities to sell the songs as well as distribution opportunities for the CD.

First become a songwriter member of a PRO (Performance Rights Agencies). Next, become a publisher member of a PRO. The publishing company does NOT own the performance rights (radio play, etc.) to the music. They do, however, share in any performance royalties with the artist. The PRO's (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc.) pay these royalties. What the publishing company owns are the exploitation rights to the song(s). The exploitation rights of the song are controlled by the songwriter UNLESS THEY SIGN OVER THOSE RIGHTS TO A PUBLISHER (which is normal that they do, when that happens). By law, anytime a publisher controls a song and there are performance royalties (airplay and concert hall performances for example), the royalties owed by the performance rights agency (ASCAP or BMI or SESAC in the US) are shared in equal portions between the publisher and the songwriter.

What does a publisher do? Their main job is to find exploitations for the signed work. Maybe to get Joe Singer to record this song on their next CD. In this case, there are mechanical royalties that the publisher will charge. For example, the going rate is to charge .0755 cents per song per duplication. If the CD is duplicated 1000 times, that’s $75.50. This money would be split with the publisher and the songwriter to the agreed split (some are 50/50 splits, some are not). Usually, the publisher is the one who handles all of the paperwork and monies.

There’s only one book you need to get to get a basic understanding of what the music publishing world is all about, and it's in plain, easy to understand English:

Music Publishing, A Songwriter’s Guide by Randy Poe.

But more to the point of your situation. You have songs that most likely would be used in churches. The use of songs in churches is obviously something that we do as a method of praising God, and in many cases we don't concern ourselves with getting money out of the deal. However, it's a good idea to register your songs and become a publisher member with CCLI (http://www.ccli.com). They are Christian Copyright Licensing, Int'l, and they collect money from member churches for the purposes of granting licenses to use songs in worship. They issue a blanket license, and the churches report the usages of all songs. You would then post the CCLI registration number on the lyric or music sheet every time you distribute your song. CCLI then distributes royalties to the respective publishers and songwriters. If a church doesn't subscribe to CCLI, encourage them to do so. A worker should collect his wages.

7. From the perspective of a songwriter, music publishers should 'add value' to the work of the songwriter...

Rob. First of all, although I agree that a publisher's share can often be substantial, the premise of your question suggests that the majority of publishers don't earn their keep in proportion to the percentage of the rights of the song which has been granted to them *by the songwriter*.

That being said, let me tell you that I do agree with you that many publishers have, in the past, taken in an inordinate amount from the songwriter. I think that in today's climate of many independent songwriters and publishers that a new day has dawned on the music industry as a whole. The major labels and publishers may have 'high overhead' to deal with to justify their costs, and I of course wouldn't be able to answer for them. Arguably, the costs involved with being a music publisher, as is with any business, should somehow be passed on to the client, or so the theory goes.

So, here's the perspective of an independent songwriter/artist/publisher (me):

The 'standard' business practice is for the publisher to offer their services in exchange for 50% of the exclusive rights and 50% of the income generated on the exploitation of a work. Often, publishers wouldn't make any sort of deal on a song, period, unless they can see potential income. Large income, so as to make it worth their while. As an independent publisher, I will often offer contracts to writers for songs that have potential income, with a goal-oriented approach as to how these songs fit in the scheme of my song catalog. Where a large publisher might want 50% plus any of the below costs associated with being a publisher, my ceiling is 50% including any of the below costs (however, deals are struck all the time which may be below or above 50%).

What value do I add when receiving 50% of the income?

Administration duties (paperwork, you know) and the costs involved in filing a copyright registration, filing duties with the appropriate Performance Rights Agency, the creation of any advertising and office accounting materials in preparation for the exploitation of the work. Paperwork to document all inquiries and the history of any interest/usage of the work.

Exploitation: Paid staff to set up advertising, to contact potential users and to issue licensing agreements. And because we're also a distributor of our works, all the paperwork and previous statements to that end.

And the biggie: creating a demo recording of the song. Often, the case may be that the artist already has a working demo of the song. But just as often, no demo or decent demo exists and must be created. The costs of taking that song into the studio to create a demo are borne by us, unless a different deal was made prior. Sometimes these costs are deducted from the songwriter's potential income.

Being in the publishing business as an independent is sometimes not very profitable, but here's a take on my long-term goals and my relationships with the songwriters who we are associated with:

We are centered on using music to bring glory to God. That is our collective personal goal. Most of these songwriters don't have any qualms about signing over the rights of their songs to me because of this mutual understanding. This is an intangible portion of any 'value added' service. Most or all of these songwriters don't have a clue as to how the publishing business works, and so I explain the basics to them, and they are happy about that. Many other publishers would either stretch the truth or tell them whatever it was they wanted to hear in order to get their songs. I don't have such a need. I would rather offer a new songwriter a two year reversion clause (usually reserved for veteran songwriters) than have them unhappy about our deal. Another priceless angle on 'value added' service.

Here's the overall picture: We will invest in creating the best product possible (any exploitation and presentation materials of a song or songs AND any full-length recordings) up front in order to present a pleasing offering in the form of being a music service to others for the glory of God.

The money comes. It's all God's anyway, we're just managing a portion of it.

I hope this helps. Have a great day.

8. I have partnered with a song writer on the left coast and a friend of hers from Canada...

Hi Cinda--

The way to handle this is going to depend on a couple of things.

First of all, yes, you and Jen need to join SESAC or BMI or ASCAP as an associate writer (unpublished, unless you can show them that you are published). You and her should preferably join the same one, although that's not necessary. Let me get into better detail...

This all hinges on how you and Jen decide to handle your publishing rights for the songs. Just remember that you own the publishing rights on the songs until you sign them away. I'm not saying that signing them away is a bad thing, I'm just saying that you inherently own them.

If you decide to handle the publishing and administration of the songs yourself, then there's going to be more research that you and Jen will have to do in order to understand the publishing end. As a publisher, you would need to belong to the PRO as a publisher. The publisher needs to be a member in order to be able to receive the publisher's share of royalties generated by the PRO, which will also simultaneously issue royalty monies to the songwriter.

A publisher's job is to further protect the rights of the song(s). When you sign a publishing contract, you're also signing over the exploitation rights to the song, meaning all rights to 'shop' the song for further use by others by the issue of performance, mechanical and compulsory licenses in order to generate income from the song(s). Their jobs include registering the work with the pertinent PRO (SESAC, perhaps in this case, so SESAC knows who to send the check for the publisher's share to), filing for a new copyright registration in order to show that the rights to the song have been transferred, and be the sole instigator of any litigation regarding any possible infringements.

This is how to properly protect the song(s).

So, the publisher needs to be able to collect from the PRO, so they need to be a member of each PRO that the songwriters are members of. In your case, they will also need to have an international agreement with SOCAN (Canada's PRO) in order to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.

Steve