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Inspirations For Songwriters (I F S)
IFS aims to INSPIRE YOU into ACTION
over 3,600 songwriters, music publishers, artists, and
music fans receive IFS
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/

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Dear IFS Readers,

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday well wishes and suggestions
for what I should do with www.insideyourheaven.com

Hope you're doing well today, I just got back from a backpacking trip
at Big Bend National Park. If you'd like more details
I wrote about it on
http://forums.usms.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=41130#post41130

No one has emailed me offering to buy InsideYourHeaven.com
IFS readers have told me everything from how clever of you register
it - scalp it for the highest dollar to give it to the artist at
cost. I haven't decided what to do with it yet. My guess is no one is
going to ask for it. So we'll see

Friday, June 2nd I posted my latest song "Ain't Gonna Stop" on
http://songramp.com/ande

Here's what I wrote about it,

"Ain't Gonna Stop" was born from a phrase I read in a well written
hilarious personal ad I found. Occasionally I read personal ads in
search of song ideas, after reading several thousand most of what
people write in their search of love is lame and cliché. Sometimes I
find those rare gems that I feel will make a great song. I've always
respected Steve Callif's writing and he's cowritten songs with Sandy
Knox, Gary Nicholson, and Georgia Middleman. So I wanted to write
something with him, so I showed him the idea and we turned it into a
rock n roll anthem. Have a listen to the recording that Steve laid
down in his living room to a cassette recorder. We're very excited
about the song and think people can hear it in its rough form. I`d
love for you to listen and jot a review. We have a feeling;
convincing versions of "Aint Gonna Stop" could be done in several
genres.
http://www.songramp.com/view.ez?sampleid=31697

Please let me know if you'd be interested in trying it out or
recording it.

There's some really great stuff in this issue.

Ande

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Since January I've been watching a song evolve on songramp by Robert
Deitch and he's done a really great job. I love the imagery, the
feel, and the idea. When I first heard it, I liked it so much I
picked up the phone and called him and I've never done that before.
http://www.songramp.com/view.ez?sampleid=31295

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Have you checked out the Texas Songwriter Cruise? It looks like an
awesome opportunity. Some people would just pay that amount just to
go on a cruise.
With this you get to go on a cruise and ATTEND a songwriting workshop
with PRO's and PUBLISHERS
http://www.txsongwriterscruise.com/

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If you want to get your song cut
here's what must happen

1)you need to write a great song

2)create a great demo

3)get it heard by someone who can get it to the artist, or get it
heard by someone who knows someone who can get it heard.
Person ~~~> artist
or
person ~~~> person ~~~> artist

4) the artist needs to like it

5)the artist needs to like it so much that they try it out,

6)the insiders who hear the artist sing it need to like it and green
light it. Producers, band members, friends, A & R reps, songwriters,
spouses, label marketing folks, financial backers, and whoever
elsethe artist turns to for feedback.

There have been occasions where there has been dissention either way,
sometimes the artist didn't fancy the song but did it because their
insiders suggested they should and sometimes the artist champions the
song and says I like it and I'm gonna cut it

7) they need to like it so much that they perform it for a live
audience and get a favorable response

8) When the artist is about to record their next CD, the song needs
to win a slot on the project. It needs to land in the top 10 or 15
songs the artist and her decision makers have heard. Remember that
some slots are easier to fill and have less competition than others.

The slots I'm referring to are like
Ballad 1, Ballad 2, mid tempo 1, mid tempo 2, up tempo 1, uptemp 2,
It needs to fit emotional and thematic slots as well.
Some slots have lots of competition and some have very little.
Steve Seskin suggests that love songs have so much more competition
than a song like "Don't Laugh at Me" that spotlights with Bullying
issues. I doubt that Mark Wills heard many love songs but only one
song that dealt with bullying.

9) The song needs to be so great that it beats out most of the other
songs on the project to be chosen as a single.

How deep is the label going to go? / How many singles is the label
going to release from an album?
It all depends on how the CD is selling, how the other singles did
Sometimes a label releases one and stops sometimes they release two
or three, rarely will they release four or five.

10) The song needs to be heard on the radio and liked by radio format
programmers and by music fans. It needs to be kind of song people
don't mind hearing over and over. Because if it becomes a single it
will be placed in heavy radio rotation.

11) The song needs to get placed on TV shows and films.

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"What was the song used in that television commercial?"
Now you can find the answer at Adtunes.com - the weblog
of information on music from TV ads, film trailers, and more.
http://adtunes.com/

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project looking for songs

Got a Water Song?

I am interested in finding artists that have songs about water -
especially the social implications of privatizing water, bottled
water and corporate takeovers that compromise our water supply and
systems.

I am on a committee of the Women's International League for Peace and
Freedom which is about to launch a 3 year campaign to "Save the
Water" and we are looking for music to use in this effort.
Our launch will be in August at our national congress in San
Francisco.

If you have any suggestions, we would love to follow up on them.
CONTACT: Linda Park
veggiepark@...

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Because I'm a Grammy member I received a subscription to RowFax which
is a weekly fax or email telling songwriters and producers about who
is looking for what.
http://musicrow.com/
If you're songs are ready to pitch, you need to pitch them.
You need to know
who is looking for what
by when and
how to get tunes to them.

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NO ONE KNOWS YOUR CATALOG AS WELL AS YOU DO

If you know a particular artist is looking and you have a song with a
publisher that might fit, call the publisher and ask them to pitch
your song to the artist.

Just because your song is signed to a publisher doesn't mean you
should stop pitching it. I've occasionally gotten songs cut that were
already signed with a publisher.

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Don't know if I've written about this but I'll write about it again.

Sometimes your dream happens, you get a publishing contract in the
mail. Sometimes it means, a company is trying to scam you out of some
money with flattery and deception. Sometimes it means a legitimate
company likes your song enough to offer you a single song contract.

If isn't legit don't send a check or sign anything.

If it is legit still pay attention to the language. You could gloss
over language in a publishing contract, then later that language
might bite.

Like reversion clause terms,
some contracts are written with NEVER, once the song is signed to a
publisher it NEVER reverts back to the songwriter.

Other contracts state after X number of years usually 1, 2, or 3 the
song reverts back to the writers: IF

1)the writers reimburse the publisher for any money they spent on the
demo costs and notifies the publisher,

2)the publisher fails to get the song recorded, which is most often
the case,

Some contracts state, if the song has been recorded by ANY artist the
publisher keeps the song forever. SO if an indie artist records the
song and cuts 250 CDs the song can never revert back to the writers.

Other contracts state the publisher has to get a major label cut.
Even if the publisher gets a small indie cut the song can still
revert after X amount of time.

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Another tip is don't bug your publisher,
don't call them every day or even weekly and eat up their time.

Request pitch info monthly or quarterly
so you'll know who they've been pitching your songs to.
Send them new songs to consider.

I guarantee you,
if something cool happens they are going to call or email you.
Like if a artist likes a song or if a label asks for a copy to play
for an artist or puts a song on hold.

But even when something great happens don't bug the publisher or the
label for updates.

I guarantee you,
when something really really cool happens they are going to contact
you.

And I guarantee you, if something really really cool happens like
getting a cut or a single don't bug the publisher for money, because
they aren't going to get paid for a good while.

Just keep writing more great songs and swallow that big patience pill.

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Write on,

Ande Rasmussen
AndeRasmussen@...

http://songramp.com/ande
http://www.AndeRasmussen.com

512-217-2728 cell

835 Martindale Falls
Martindale, TX 78655