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Inspirations For Songwriters is I F S
IFS aims to INSPIRE YOU into ACTION
2,587 songwriters, music publishers, artists, and music fans receive
IFS
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/
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Please forward IFS to your songwriting friends

If you want receive IFS or change your email address with IFS
send an EMPTY email to

difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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I'm looking for WILL MAKOWER in the UK

IF YOU KNOW how to reach WILL MAKOWER
would you please email me or ask him to email me
I DON'T HAVE HIS NEW EMAIL ADDRESS
AND I NEED TO get in touch with him.
We cowrote a song and a publisher wants to sign it.

AndeRasmussen@...

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"Steve, You've Gotta Help Me"

Drop by http://www.steveseskin.com/
righ up at the top is a link where you can have a listen to Steve
Seskin's live recording of "Pictures."
Infact click there now and check it out.
It's there on the top middle of his site

Download
MP3 of Steve
performing
Pictures live in
concert (9.1
megabytes).

Steve oozes charisma and humor as he tells the audience his hilarious
story of his twentieth anniversary dilemma and what inspired him to
write "Pictures," By the way "Pictures" is a wonderful image laden
song that John Michael Montgomery cut, It just boggles my mind that
it wasn't released as a single.


One of Steve's Songwriting Tips on how to improve your songs odds
when competing for cuts is to "write and pitch unique songs." He
says that "Songs that stand-alone, ones that don't fall into any
particular category, stand a better chance of getting cut than songs
that fall into a category with lot's of competition. For example
when you're pitching a love ballad, your love ballad is competing
against all the other love ballads that the artist was pitched for
the project. Let's say there's 50, the artist may only select one,
two, or a few to record.

Now if you pitch a unique NON LOVE song like
"Cactus in a Coffee Can,"
"Don't Laugh at Me,"
"Grown Men Don't Cry" or maybe even
"Pictures."

It stands alone, there's no other songs like it. If your song is
really good and unique, it stands a better chance of getting cut.

Steve and Allen Shamblin are doing a workshop in Austin on
Saturday January 17th. It's well worth attending!

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Looking back on 2003
Looking ahead to 2004
IFS 0304

Some really wonderful IFS 0304 Announcements have arrived
and there's STILL time for you to send yours in.

Essentially you've got 1 1/2 days till 2003 is history and 2004
arrives. It's a great time to
1) look back on what you accomplished in 2003 and
2) look ahead on what you hope to make happen in 2004.

Infact if you'd like to share your 2003 accomplishments and your 2004
plans with IFS readers,
Please email them to me and I will!

send your email to
AndeRasmussen@...
in the subject field write
IFS 0304

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As an example

jessa is an IFS reader from Houston.
http://www.jessa.cc

Jessa is an aspiring 16 year old artist songwriter who's got talent,
she's doing a lot of things right, and she's starting to have some
success. When she was 14 we ran a "Singer Searching for Songs" blurb
for her in IFS. Later she decided to start writing her own songs and
she hooked up with Michele Vice-Maslin and several other top LA
writers and producers. They cowrote a CD full of songs and started
pitching them to TV and Film projects. Here's what happened so far:

"You Make Everything A Mess" written with Michele Vice-Maslin is
going to be used in "Malibu Spring Break".

"Party Tonite" is a fun song and Disney is considering using it.

"Girls Love..." is a really fun song used in "Malibu Spring Break"
and on MTV's "Rich Girls", and was seriously considered last summer
by Disney for a major movie!

Jessa recently made arrangements for ABC Television to use "It Isn't
Easy" and "Who You Are" in the near future.

"What I Know 4 Sure" was the first song she co-wrote (lyrics) with
Michele, when she was 15.

"Kisses All Over" was written by Michele Vice-Maslin, Matthew Gerrard
and John Keller.

She recently wrote and recorded another song, "Get Outta My Head,
which isn't on her site yet, but it's already with ABC. Jessa plans
to return to Los Angeles at the first of the year to work on more
songs and interview for potential management.

Keep your eye on jessa, things are definitely starting to happen for
her. She's even got a video on her site. Soon I hope to interview
Jessa and her mom to find out more about how she accomplished these
wonderful things. Also I look forward to hearing about and sharing
more of her successes with you.

http://www.jessa.cc

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Let The World Know

Soon I plan to run another Let The World Know (LTWK) Issue
For those of you who don't know what LTWK is
Here's the description and INSTRUCTIONS if you want to participate.

Basically Let the world Know" is your chance to use IFS as your
personal global networking tool. It's been extremely popular in the
past, many IFS readers have written me with stories of what's
happened because of the connections they've made because of LTWK.

Don't hide in your home, Don't let your best songs go unwritten,
unrecorded, and undemoed. All of us are trying to solve our
songwriting puzzles. A few pieces of your puzzle may be missing.
You need to find those missing pieces, put your puzzle together.
SOLVE that SUCKER.

One way you can find those pieces is to "LET THE WORLD KNOW" about
WHO you are, WHAT you've done, WHAT you hope to do, WHO you're
looking for, or WHAT you're looking for

The NEXT IFS issue will be entirely dedicated to YOU.

In the past IFS issues many songwriters have gotten wonderful results
from LTWK, If you choose to participate, I hope you will too.

Here's what you need to do:
Write a brief COMPELLING paragraph about
1) who you are,
2) What you hope to accomplish and
3) Who or what you're looking for
Be sure to include your contact information
If you want a better response be specific, interesting, and original.
Write something truthful that COMPELS people to contact you.

Email your blurb to ME at
AndeRasmussen@...
and soon I'll share it with the entire IFS list.

Are you a singer looking for songs?
Do you have songs and you're looking for singers?
Are you a lyricist looking for melody writers?
Are you a composer looking for lyricists?
Are you a producer looking for artists?
Are you an artist looking for a producer?
Is it something else?

Send it in and I'll share it with the entire IFS list know


in the subject field write
IFS LTWK < ~ ~ ~ ~ this is important, it's how I
sort
emails

over 2,580 songwriters receive IFS
many are very talented and
maybe your well written interesting blurb might help you connect
with who or what you're seeking

so ARE YOU GONNA LET THE WORLD KNOW?
send in your blurbs

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If IFS has helped you make a connection
Let me know
I'd love to find out what happened
because of something we shared.

Let the world KNOW
and you might find what you seek.

Don't just share it here
share it on bulletin boards all over the web
and you'll increase your probability of SUCCESS

If you want to read actual IFS LTWK blurbs drop by
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/message/576

Send me your blurb and I'll share it with the entire IFS list

You must email your blurb before
6:00 pm CST Thu Jan 1 2004 to

AndeRasmussen@...

in the subject field write
IFS LTWK < ~ ~ ~ ~ this is important, it's how I sort emails

2,587 songwriters receive IFS
many are very talented
and maybe your blurb might help you connect
with who or what you're seeking

so ARE YOU GONNA LET THE WORLD KNOW?
Send in your blurbs

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Last night I had dinner with IFS reader Lee Kweller from White Plains
NY. He was in Austin visiting relatives. After dinner we did a
little cowriting, we tossed around ideas till we found a couple we
both liked. You can hear a few of Lee's tunes at
http://www.lkkoala.com

IFS readers, if you're planning on coming to Austin, let me know and
maybe we can meet.

Write on!

Ande Rasmussen
Editor and Publisher of I F S, Inspirations For Songwriters

Contact info is:

Ande Rasmussen
835 Martindale Falls
Martindale, TX 78655

AndeRasmussen@...
512-217-2728 cell

You can read my Bio at:
http://hometown.aol.com/anderasmussen/myhomepage/profile.html

YOu can hear a few of my tunes at:
http://www.soundclick.com/anders

If you want receive IFS or change your email address with IFS
send an email to difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

FORWARD IFS to your songwriting friends!

IFS home page is
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS

All IFS messages are archived on
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/messages

Once you're in the IFS archive, if you're looking for something in
particular, you can do a key word search

I F S stands for Inspirations for Songwriters, I F S is an ezine for
songwriters filled with inspirational and practical information about
the art, craft, and business of songwriting. We want to help YOU
become a more successful songwriter.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
The entire text of
"Inspirations for Songwriters"
© 2003 Anders Rasmussen