Adria Haley - 2012 Songwriters Market

Adria Haley, Editor

WRITERS DIGEST

BOOKS

WritersDigest. com

Cincinnati, Ohio

Its no big surprise that the last decade or so has been a pivotal time in the music industry. Through social media tools like Facebook and MySpace, you can now access fans from every corner of the globe. Thats why staying tuned in to the latest market trends and improving your business savvy have never been more important.

Regardless of what kind of lyrics you write, you need the best information possible on how to successfully present your music to producers, publishers, record companies, and other industry professionals. For thirty-five years now, Songwriters Market is here to help. This edition of SM has an incredible lineup of articles filled with updates on todays music business landscape. Learn how to network, find licensing placements for your music, locate venues to begin booking your own tours, and hear some seasoned advice from successful songwriters currently making it in the industry.

I hope that 2012 brings you much success in your songwriting. But, most importantly, keep honing your craft, learning the business, and enjoying the journey!

Adria Haley

Managing Editor, Writers Digest Books

http://www.writersmarket.com

adriahaley@fwmedia.com

Follow me on Twitter @adria_haley (http://twitter.com/adria_haley)

GETTING STARTED

HOW TO USE SONGWRITERS MARKET

Before you dive into the Songwriters Market listings and start submitting songs willy-nilly, its a good idea to take the time to read the following information. By educating yourself on how to best use this book, youll be better prepared when you actually do send off your tape or CD.

Lets take a look at what is actually inside Songwriters Market, why these articles were put into the book in the first place, and why they can actually help you in your career.

THE LISTINGS

Beyond the articles, there are eleven sections in this book, from Music Publishers and Record Companies to Contests & Awards. Each section begins with an introduction detailing how the different types of companies functionwhat part of the music industry the work in, how they make money, and what you need to think about when approaching them with your music.

These listings are the heart of Songwriters Market. They are the names, addresses and contact information of music biz companies looking for songs and artists, as well as descriptions of the types of music they are looking for.

So how do I use Songwriters Market?

The quick answer is that you should use the indexes to find companies who are interested in your type of music; then read the listings for details on how they want the music submitted. For support and help of all sorts, join a songwriting or other music industry association (see the Organizations section of this book). Read everything you can about songwriting (see the Publications of Interest section at the back of this book). Talk to other songwriters. Thats a good start!

How does Songwriters Market work?

The listings in Songwriters Market are packed with a lot of information. It can be intimidating at first, but they are put together in a structured way to make them easy to work with. Take a few minutes to get used to how the listings are organized, and youll have it down in no time. For more detailed information about how the listings are put together, skip ahead to the Where Should I Send My Songs? section.

The following are general guidelines about to how to use the listings:

1. READ THE ENTIRE LISTING to decide whether to submit your music. Please do not use this book as a mass mailing list. If you blindly mail out demos by the hundreds, youll waste a lot of money on postage, annoy a lot of people, and your demos will wind up in the trash anyway.

2. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE MUSIC SECTION IN EACH LISTING. This will tell you what kind of music the company is looking for. If they want rockabilly only and you write heavy metal, dont submit to that company. Thats just common sense.

3. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS shown under How to Contact and follow them to the letter. A lot of listings are very particular about how they want submissions packaged. Pay close attention. If you do not follow their instructions, they will probably throw your submission in the garbage. If you are confused about their directions, contact the company for clarification.

4. IF IN DOUBT, CONTACT THE COMPANY FOR PERMISSION TO SUBMIT . This is a good general rule. Many companies dont mind if you send an unsolicited submission, but some will want you to get special prior permission from them. Contacting a company first is also a good way to find out their latest music needs. This is also a chance to briefly make contact on a personal level.

5. BE COURTEOUS, BE EFFICIENT AND ALWAYS HAVE A PURPOSE to your personal contact. Do not waste their time. If you call, always have a reason for making contactpermission to submit, checking on guidelines, following up on a demo, etc. These are solid reasons to make personal contact, but once you have their attention, do not wear out your welcome. Always be polite.

6. CHECK FOR A PREFERRED CONTACT. A lot of listings have a designated contact person shown after a bolded Contact in the heading. This is the person you should contact with questions or to whom you should address your submission.

7. READ THE TIPS SECTION. This part of the listing provides extra information on how to submit or what it might be like to work with the company. This is just the beginning. For more detailed information about the listings, see the next sectionWhere Should I Send My Songs?and check out the sidebar with the sample listing called A Sample Listing Decoded.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do these companies get listed in the book anyway?

No company pays to be includedall listings are free. The listings come from a combination of research the editor does on the music industry and questionnaires requested by companies who want to be listed (many of them contact us to be included). All questionnaires are screened for known sharks and to make sure they meet our requirements.

Why arent other companies I know about listed in the book?

We may have sent them a questionnaire, but they did not return it, were removed for complaints, went out of business, specifically asked not to be listed, could not be contacted for an update, etc.

Whats the deal with companies that dont take unsolicited submissions?

In the interest of completeness, the editor will sometimes include listings of crucial music companies and major labels she thinks you should be aware of. We want you to at least have some idea of what their policies are.

A company said in their listing that they take unsolicited submissions. But my demo came back unopened. What happened?

Some companies needs change rapidly and may have changed since we contacted them for this edition of the book. This is another reason why its often a good idea to contact a company before submitting.

So thats it. You now have the power at your fingertips to go out and become the professional songwriter youve always wanted to be. Let us know how youre doing. Drop us a line at marketbooks@fwmedia.com and tell us about any successes you have had because you used the materials found in this book.