ELEMENTS OF SONG
This first part will be boring or interesting depending on how interested in the legal identity of a song you are! But push through – the blood and guts stuff starts in a few paragraphs time…
In Australia/NZ songwriters are represented by the performers’ rights collection agency, APRA (in the U.S. there are two, ASCAP and BMI; in the UK it’s PRS and I’m unsure about other regions). Every songwriter should join and have their works registered with one of these agencies (it’s free… read more here: www.apra-amcos.com.au/MusicCreators/JoinAPRA.aspx).
Where a music publisher’s job (a company who you can assign your songs to under a specific contract) is to actively promote your music and get it placed in advertisements, TV/film etc (these are called “syncs”) and then collect the income on your behalf from reproductions of your music, organisations like APRA deal with collecting money from performances of your music – radio and TV play, venues, restaurants etc who are legally obliged to inform APRA of what music they are playing on air or in their venue and pay them a fee, which they then pass to you.
Interestingly, when you register a work (a song) with APRA, they consider the song 50% lyric and 50% music, and you are required to report what percentages of these components you composed. A subject of constant debate nowadays (and lawsuits) is what exactly the 50% music element is comprised of (i.e. if a session musician plays a solo guitar line and this becomes an identifying feature of the song, should they be considered part composer?).
The old school view (which I personally side with) is that the basic elements of song are melody and lyric. I’ve always viewed melody and lyric as the X and Y chromosomes of song (or X and X if you prefer) – they are at the core of a song’s identity. Your song sinks or swims on these two components. Someone said something to me as a 15 year old that has always stuck with me… “a great song is one that is just as powerful sung acapella around a campfire as it is through speakers with a full band”.
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Tuesday, Oct 20th, 2009 by admin |
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::ABSOLUTELY RANDOM
Hey my friends…
I am taking forever to finish the next blog because frankly, between when I started writing it and now I’ve changed my mind about a bunch of things. That’s creative liberty I suppose.
To tide you over in the mean time, read this brilliant piece Jon Foreman wrote for the Huffington Post: “Goodness Precedes Greatness: A Call For New Heroes In Troubled Times”.
Jon is one of the most talented and prolific songwriters I know and also a supremely good human being. This article doesn’t just make some great points, but is a little glimpse into the well from which Jon draws.
Enjoy!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-foreman/goodness-precedes-greatne_b_322551.html
Brooke
Wednesday, Sep 16th, 2009 by admin |
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::ABSOLUTELY RANDOM
I know I said that I would upload the second part of the second blog within a day, but I always get enthusiastic about something and then get into it and realise I want to do it well.
So for the sake of quality over deadline (just like with my next record), I’m going to take my time (but not too much time I promise) and upload the next installment when it is up to meeting your critical discernment.
Within a few days, methinks.
PROCESS – Part I
This blog will be about the actual writing process, with all its peaks and valleys, frustration and elation. I’ll cover inspiration, beginning a song and crafting a song .
I originally had elements such as melody and lyric as part of the ‘craft’ section of this blog, but in getting to it discovered there was so much I wanted to cover that I realised they were asking for their own blog (I plan to post that one within a day of this, so you won’t have to wait another six weeks!).
The creative process differs hugely from person to person, and even varies from work to work, piece to piece. I am not theorising about everyone else’s process, I’m simply trying to unpack my own for the amusement of any who may be interested. Happy reading (hope you’re in a comfy chair!)…
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