If YOU want to take your songwriting to the next level
TAKE a FREE songwriting course at
http://www.SongU.com/ifs
as well as PITCH Opportunities, critiques, mentoring and networking

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where on the web do you have your songs?
If you PITCH online it's important for you to make your songs
EASY to FIND and EASY to PLAY, Give Broadjam a try:
you can check em out and sign up at:
http://tinyurl.com/mb48w

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If you want to RECEIVE IFS or CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS with IFS
SEND an EMPTY email to
difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear IFS readers,

I hope this email finds you well. Today I'm going to Stanford
California and I'll be there till Tuesday August 8th swimming in the
FINA Masters (swimming) Championships
http://www.2006finamasters.org/v2/
Let me know if you live in the area or have a gig.
I love meeting IFS readers
Email me or
call me at
512-217-2728

I very much enjoyed speaking to songu on:
How Non-Performing Songwriters Get Indie Cuts
Thanks to those who participated and
it's now archived on songu
drop by and have a listen.
http://www.SongU.com/ifs

I'm sad to miss this Texas Chapter Grammy event
From: "Texas Chapter" texas@...
Subject: Invitation to Recording Academy event with Reckless
KellyThe Recording Academy® Texas Chapter presents
IN THE MIX: Celebrating Americana Music
Hosted and Special Performance by
Reckless Kelly
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Houlihan's
Rooftop Deck
309 East 3rd
(at the corner of Trinity and 3rd next to the Austin Convention
Center)
Austin, TX 78701
512.474.5757

Austin, a city flourishing with diverse musical talents, is the
perfect setting
for The Recording Academy Texas Chapter to bring together fellow
members for an
informal evening of networking and camaraderie.

From artists like James McMurtry and Kathleen Edwards to bands such
as Drive-By
Truckers and The Greencards, Americana music plays an important role
in today's
music industry, not only in Texas but on a national level. Recently
The
Recording Academy renamed its Contemporary Folk category to
Contemporary
Folk/Americana to recognize the significance of this genre.
Join the Texas Chapter of The Recording Academy for an IN THE MIX as
we support,
cultivate, and recognize Americana music.
Admission: Complimentary for members and a guest;
$25 for non-members
RSVP required to
Texas@... or call 512.328.8176
www.grammy.com/texas


Ande


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In the last IFS issue I let you know that songU offers PITCH
OPPORTUNITIES as well as educational opps, critiques, mentoring and
networking

Several IFS readers asked me questions
so below are the PITCH Opportunites, SongU's Spin n Pitch FAQs and
answers

Drop by
http://www.SongU.com/ifs

SongU's current list of Pitch Opportunities
Below you'll find answers to their FAQs, which I think is great
information.

Instruction:
Look at and read the pitch descriptions below. You may submit up to
the available number of pitches indicated for any opportunity. Pitch
opportunities are typically updated around the 1st and 15th of every
month. Pitch opportunities fall into one of two categories.

Screened Pitches - These will be for very competitive pitches (e.g.,
major label, major-station TV show) where you are competing against
the best songwriters in the world for the cut. Also look for
special "street pitch" opportunities indicated in red.

Unscreened Pitches - Each month we will feature pitches that will
not be screened, but instead, will go directly to the artist and/or
contact person. These may be primarily independent artists and other
on-going pitch opportunities like The Slideshow Company. We're
trusting you to read the details of the pitch and pitch
appropriately.


Pitch opportunities (screened)

Ref# Description Deadline Available Pitches

#197 (Street Pitch) Major label FEMALE country artist looking for
UPTEMPO, swampy, raw, in- your-face, rockin' attitude songs.
deadline 8/15/2006 you may Submit 2 songs

#198 (Street Pitch) Major-label MALE country artist seeking
bluesy , southern rock, NO DITTIES ala Charlie Daniels, and Travis
Tritt.
8/15/2006 you may Submit 2 songs

#199 (Street Pitch) Multi-Platinum BAND with male lead vocalist
with a big range looking for an "out of the box" smash song. Submit
songs with tempo (aka a groove or beat, at least mid-tempo,
preferably up-tempo). Should be more in the CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY
realm ala Rascal Flatts.
8/15/2006 you may Submit 2 songs

#200 (Street Pitch) Major-label FEMALE country artist. Think female
Alan Jackson.
8/15/2006 you may Submit 2 songs

#201 (Street Pitch) Major-label MALE country artist. Pitch the kind
of old school standards that you would pitch for Randy Travis.
8/15/2006 you may Submit 2 songs


Pitch opportunities (unscreened)

Ref# Description Deadline Available Pitches

#64 Slideshow For A Child/New Baby (ongoing). Note: Please read
details here before pitching to this opportunity.
7/28/2006 you may Submit 2 songs


#65 Slideshow For A Slideshow For A Teen Milestone/Graduating
Senior.
Need uptempos ala "Just A Job To Do" by Genesis with a 2000's sound
or "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence. Listen to sample to get an
idea of tempo needed(ongoing). Note: Please read details here before
pitching to this opportunity.
7/28/2006 you may Submit 2 songs

#66 Slideshow For A Wedding (ongoing). Note: Please read details
here before pitching to this opportunity.
7/28/2006 you may Submit 2 songs


#67 Instrumentals for a slideshow (ongoing). Note: Please read
details here before pitching to this opportunity.
7/28/2006 you may Submit 2 songs

#75 SongU.com member Karen K. is seeking Jazz, Blues and Pop songs
for an upcoming album. She has a four octave range. Karen also
writes lyrics and is interested in co-writing for the project if you
are strong musically.
7/30/2006 you may Submit 2 songs

#191 Established Nashville based MALE band with major label
connections looking for great commercial radio songs. Pitch your A-
list only, or write a great new song to pitch. Listen to sound
sample for casting ideas.
7/30/2006 you may Submit 2 songs


#194 Independent FEMALE country artist. SongU.com members, PLEASE
direct your pitches appropriately! The producer is a friend of ours.
Here is the email I received from him: We're very specific in what
we need right now. One song. Radio single. UPTEMPO! Gretchen meets
Tanya Tucker meets JoDee. Sassy but not male bashing. A lyric that's
empowering to young women. We DO NOT need any ballads, period. We've
already got 'em covered and recorded. I repeat...UPTEMPO - No one
can seem to get that in their head.
8/15/2006 you may Submit 2 songs

#195 Female HIP-HOP/R&B artist looking for songs to record as she
shops a deal. Songs should be appropriate for a teenager, no
explicit sexual content please.
8/31/2006 you may Submit 3 songs

#196 All-MALE Alt-Country band is looking for songs for a short run
demo CD on an independent label. This high powered group is
primarily looking for up tempo songs, though will consider slower
tempo pieces. The band image is best decribed as all American
renegade cowboys with a little bad boy rock and roll edge. The 23-
year old lead singer has a distinctively southern accent/drawl and a
low to mid range voice. Think George Strait meets Elvis meets Garth
Brooks and add a bit of VanZant edge.
8/31/2006 you may Submit 3 songs

#204 Four piece Bluegrass BAND featuring guitar, mando, banjo and
upright bass looking for traditional and modern bluegrass songs and
gospel bluegrass songs. Also willing to listen to other types of
songs that lend themselves to harmony singing and have 3 male
singers.
8/31/2006 you may Submit 2 songs


#205 FEMALE country artist with major label interest is looking for
songs
with smart lyrical content (please no redneck or alchol songs). They
should be either up tempos with an edgy-bluesy feel and driving
beats, or soulful ballads that build in intensity a la Martina
McBride or Carrie Underwood. MEMBER NOTE: We are getting special
permission to submit mp3s from this producer who is a friend of
SongU.com. Please submit appropriate material only so he stays a
friend. Thanks!
you may Submit 2 songs

to pitch your songs on SongU drop by
http://www.SongU.com/ifs

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Spin N' Pitch FAQs

What Is Spin N' Pitch?
Is There A Separate Fee For Spin N' Pitch?
How Does Spin N' Pitch Work?
Coaching Versus Pitching
Am I Ready To Pitch My Songs?
Who Are The Spin N' Pitch Guests?
Do I Need A Professional Demo?
Can I Submit A Lyric Only?
In What Format Should I Submit My Songs?
Can I Use A Format Other Than MP3?
Can I Mail You A CD?
Do I Need To Upload Lyrics With My MP3?
At What Time Does A Pitch Opportunity End?
Can I Submit A Song After The Deadline?
What Are Screened Pitches?
What Are Street Pitches?
What Are Unscreened Pitches?
Why Screen Songs At All?
Can I Cancel A Song I Pitched?
How Long Before I Hear Anything?
Why Would A Song Not Get Forwarded?
Can I Get More Specific Feedback?
I'm Getting Different Opinions On The Same Song
But My Coach LOVED This Song!
What If Someone Is Interested In My Song?
And Then What Happens After That?
Do I Have To Give SongU.com My Publishing?
What's The "Terms Of Use" Checkbox For?
Help! I'm Having Problems Uploading My MP3
Help! My Song Sounds Like The Chipmunks
I'm Getting Different Opinions On The Same Song
How Do I Create An MP3 In iTunes?
Help! I've Been Rejected
Ugh! I'm Feeling Discouraged
I Can't Handle Rejection
What If I Have Other Problems Or Questions?


---------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------

What Is Spin N' Pitch?
Spin N' Pitch is a special feature of SongU.com that gives members
an opportunity to pitch their songs to a variety of music industry
professionals in various musical genres, including Pop/Rock,
Country, CCM, Urban and Film & TV. It is a way for SongU.com members
to gain access to top music industry professionals and have their
songs heard.



Is There A Separate Fee For Spin N' Pitch?
No. SongU.com does not charge any per pitch fees no ask for any
publishing on the songs. Spin N' Pitch is simply a benefit for our
platinum members so those who are writing competitive songs have
opportunities and outlets to pitch them.



What Is The Difference Between Coaching And Pitching?
Your coach has one primary focus -- to work with you on the song you
submit to make it as good as possible. Naturally, by definition, a
coach will also try to bring out the best in your writing. With
coaching, the only competition when you submit a song is yourself.
However, pitching requires an entirely different mindset because
every song and every idea is competing against every other song and
idea, including those of other hit writers. So, it may be that even
if you've written the best possible song you can, it still may be
not be a strong enough idea, etc. to make the song stand out from
the crowd when pitching it. The crowd is not just SongU.com members -
- the crowd is every songwriter writing and pitching songs. So
that's a pretty big crowd where you and your song need to stand out.
By the way, if you want your coach to compare you to the "crowd"
with the song you've submitted, put that in the notes section of
your coaching submission so they'll know how to approach the song.



Am I Ready To Pitch My Songs?
That depends. The guiding philosophy at SongU.com is education. Spin
N' Pitch is educational in that it will give you real world
experience pitching. But there's good and bad that goes along with
that. It's exciting to be able to pitch your songs, but it's
frustrating when they don't get forwarded or you don't hear anything
back. That is part of what you must learn as a professional writer.
You should only jump into pitching if your coach or one of the
instructors feels you are ready to be pitching songs and you should
be prepared for some rejection (well, a lot of rejection). Just
remember that pitching alone is not what makes a professional
songwriter -- it's continuing to hone your craft while forming
relationships with co-writers and others. Ultimately, this is what
will improve your odds of something happening with one of your songs.



How Does Spin N' Pitch Work?
Each month SongU.com will have several pitch opportunities listed.
Pitch opportunities are typically updated about twice a month
(usually on the 1st and 15th of the month). Details about each
opportunity will appear in My Pitching area of the website. For each
pitch opportunity you will be allowed to submit songs through the
SongU.com uploader in much the same way as you do for the SongU.com
coaching service. Note that each pitch opportunity will also have a
maximum number of songs that you may submit as well as a submission
deadline.



Who Are The Spin N' Pitch Guests?
Guests will represent a variety of outlets that songwriters normally
pursue to have their songs heard. Among the guests will be A&R
representatives from major record labels, producers, publishers,
independent songpluggers, managers, independent artists, etc.



Do I Need A Professional Demo?
Yes. Unlike with coaching where you don't need a professional demo,
for pitching purposes, you want to present your song as very
professionally. This doesn't mean that you need a full band demo for
every song. In many cases, a good quality guitar/vocal or
piano/vocal will probably be fine. But some Spin N' Pitch sessions
such as the ones directed toward Film/TV may require more fully
produced demos. Be sure to carefully read the pitch description
prior to submitting any of your songs for the Spin N' Pitch. For an
interesting discussion on demos, check out Cole Wright's talk in the
SongU.com library where he plays examples of guitar/vocal and
piano/vocal demos that went on to become hit songs. At SongU.com we
highly recommend you have you song evaluated prior to investing in a
demo of a song.



Can I Submit A Lyric Only?
No. Unlike coaching where you can submit lyric-only, pitching is
restricted to complete songs (lyric and MP3). This isn't because
SongU.com restricts it. It's simply because no one in the industry
will consider just a lyric only for a pitch. You might consider
trying to meet a collaborator through one of the SongU.com Clubs on
the discussion board or Yearbook or by participating in one of our
regular song challenges where we will hook you up with a co-writer.



In What Format Should I Submit My Songs?
Your songs must be uploaded in the same format that is used for your
personal website or for coaching. This should be an MP3 that is
128kbps or less. Keep in mind that if the guest is listening on a
dialup and it takes 30 seconds for your song to load because you
created it in 128kbps, the guest will likely not take the time to
listen to your song. So find a good balance between quality and file
size. For more information, see the course GEN 110 - Preparing Your
Audio For Uploading. Note: there is a 5M limit on filesize for your
song.



Can I Use A Format Other Than MP3 Like Midi Or Wav?
No. All songs submitted need to be in MP3 format which is the
standard format for pitching songs via the Internet. For more
information on the MP3 format, see the course GEN 110 - Preparing
Your Audio For Uploading.



Can I Mail You A CD?
No. Spin N' Pitch is done entirely online. You will have to submit
your songs in the appropriate MP3 format to participate in Spin N'
Pitch. If you are not sure how to do this, see the course GEN 110 -
Preparing Your Audio For Uploading. This will give you additional
details on how to get your audio files in the correct MP3 format.



Do I Need To Upload Lyrics With My MP3?
Yes. This way if the guest has any trouble understanding any words
on the song, they will have easy access to viewing the lyrics. You
should also try to make sure that the words and vocal are loud
enough over the music and are set at the proper levels. For more
information about appropriate vocal levels on a demo see the course
TECH 110 - Demo Essentials.



When (At What Time) Does The Pitch Opportunity End?
All submission deadlines are listed as midnight ET (i.e., Eastern
Time - New York City time). For more information, view the world
time zone clock at: www.timeanddate.com/worldclock.



Can I Submit A Song After The Submission Deadline, PLEASE?
No. We simply list the deadline provided to us either by our A&R
consultant who is listening for upcoming meetings or by the contact
who has submitted the pitch listing. If we do hear the date has been
extended for any particular pitch, we will certainly extend it at
SongU.com. Note that all submission deadlines are listed as midnight
ET (i.e., Eastern Time - New York City time).



What Are Screened Pitches?
Screened pitches very competitive pitches (e.g., major label, major-
station TV show) where you are competing against the best
songwriters in the world for the cut. Here's a brief summary of how
screened pitches work at SongU.com:

Screened pitches are very competitive. The bar for getting forwarded
on these is that your song must be competitive against other
professional writers, not just other SU members. Music industry
professionals have very good memories for songs. If we invite a top
producer to listen to songs from our members and they hear songs
that they believe aren't competitive, it's unlikely we will be able
to get that producer to listen to our members' songs again (and
that's not good for anyone). So if none of the songs are competitive
enough for a pitch, none will get forwarded. If all of them are
competitive, all of them will get forwarded.
You will receive notification from the screeners. You will be
notified when your song is screened and whether or not it's
forwarded. Sometimes you will receive this feedback before the pitch
deadline while other times it may be after the pitch deadline.
But you will not receive detailed feedback from the screeners. A
screener may include some information why your song isn't forwarded,
but their function is really that of a yes/no person. While you may
not agree with their decisions all the time (particularly when
they "pass" on one of your new "babies"), we have to respect their
judgment. If your song isn't forwarded, run it by one of the SU
coaches or bring it to a feedback class where we can all decide
whether the screener is off their rocker or whether something is
inherently wrong with the song.
You probably will not receive notification from the industry guest.
As is customary in the industry, you will only receive notification
if someone is interested in your song (that's the only time we're
notified). That's just customary practice. In a perfect world, we'd
get a personal phone call anytime anyone listened to our song with
the reasons why they don't think it's appropriate for their artist.
But in the imperfect music industry where A&R reps and producers
listen to over a 1000 songs per week, it just doesn't happen.
Believe me, if they love a song, they will hunt you down and find
you somehow. If we do receive any other information, we will be sure
to forward it on to you.


What Are Street Pitches?
This is a special type of "screened" pitch. We have contracted with
a professional A&R consultant who will be screening songs for
upcoming pitch meetings. If your song is accepted, it will be burned
onto CD and will go with the A&R consultant to the meeting to be
hand delivered. You will also see special types of "street" pitches
indicated as a "Quick Pitch". These are street pitches with a very
quick turnaround. In other words, the artist may already be in the
studio or they may have dropped a song and suddenly need another
one. Here's a brief summary of how street pitches work at SongU.com:

Street pitches are very, very competitive. The bar for getting
forwarded on these it that the A&R consultant (who will screen all
these pitches) must feel confident enough about the song to walk
into a meeting with it or hand deliver it personally to the contact
person.
You will receive notification from the screener. You will be
notified when your song is listened to by our A&R consultant and
told whether or not the song will be pitched to the contact.
Sometimes you will receive this feedback before the pitch deadline
while other times it may be after the pitch deadline.
You will not received detailed feedback from the screener. The A&R
consultant may include some information why your song isn't
forwarded, but their function is really that of a yes/no person.
While you may not agree with their decisions all the time
(particularly when they "pass" on one of your new "babies"), we have
to respect their judgment since they are the ones who have to
present the song.
You probably will not receive notification from the industry guest.
As is customary in the industry, you will only receive notification
if someone is interested in your song (that's the only time we're
notified). That's just customary practice. In a perfect world, we'd
get a personal phone call anytime anyone listened to our song with
the reasons why they don't think it's appropriate for their artist.
But in the imperfect music industry where A&R reps and producers
listen to over a 1000 songs per week, it just doesn't happen.
Believe me, if they love a song, they will hunt you down and find
you somehow. If we do receive any other information from the guest
or our A&R consultant, we will be sure to forward it on to you.


What Are Unscreened Pitches?
This is your opportunity to be your own screener! Each month we will
also be adding pitches that will not be screened, but instead, will
go directly to the artist and/or contact person. These may be
primarily independent artists and other on-going pitch opportunities
like The Slideshow Company. We're trusting you to read the details
of the pitch and pitch appropriately. Here's a brief summary of how
street pitches work at SongU.com:

Unscreened pitches go directly to the contact. Since there is no
screening on this process, what you pitch will go directly to the
contact person. Because of this, you can't "cancel" or remove a
pitch (i.e., take it back). As soon as you submit it, it's on its
way. Therefore we ask that you cast your pitches objectively like a
professional songwriter.
You MUST pitch appropriately. Read the entire pitch description and
pitch appropriately. Don't waste the artist's time. While there may
be occasions when you're sitting in a meeting with someone when you
can say, "hey, I know you want uptempos, but take a listen to this
ballad" -- we cannot do this online. If an artist requests uptempos,
pitch only uptempos. If they request Jazz, do not pitch a country
demo with pedal steel or a hip-hop track. Anything you pitch
inappropriately not only reflects poorly on you and also hurts other
SU members because it makes it less likely the artist will take
other pitches from SongU.com members seriously. If we hear back from
a contact that they have received poorly cast songs from an SU
member, that member will receive a one-time warning. Any further
infraction will result in a loss of pitching privileges.
You may or may not receive notification from the contact. There's no
way to know whether or not the contact will respond personally. It
probably just depends on the number of submissions they receive.
Again, the custom in the industry is that you only receive
notification if someone is interested in your song. If we do receive
any other information, we will be sure to forward it on to you.


How Long Before I Hear Anything?
Remember that with unscreened pitches, you will only be notified if
the guest expresses an interest in the song. With screened pitches,
you will always receive a notification from the screener, but the
timing of this may vary. Screeners sometimes listen before the pitch
deadline and sometimes right after the pitch deadline. So unlike
coaching where you will usually hear something in 5-7 days, you may
not receive a notification from the screener until a week after the
pitch deadline. If the pitch deadline for a screened pitch passed
over a week ago and you have not heard anything, please send an
email to pitching@.... Be sure to include the song title and
pitch ID# so we can follow-up on the status of your song with the
screener.



Why Screen Songs At All?
Songs are screened primarily for two reasons -- your reputation and
our reputation. And while there is always a certain amount of
subjectivity when listening to songs, music industry professionals
have very good memories for bad songs. In general, if you have a
meeting with a publisher and pitch songs that the publisher feels
aren't competitive, you will most likely have a difficult time
getting an appointment to see that publisher again. If we invite the
head of A&R at a major label to listen to songs from our members or
our consultant plays songs for a top producer and they hear songs
that they believe aren't competitive, it's unlikely we will be able
to get that producer to listen to our members' songs again. We want
to establish SongU.com as a place where quality songs are the end
result of learning and working at the craft of songwriting.



Why Would A Song Not Get Forwarded?
The email you receive will list the reasons why the screener did not
forward the song. The SongU.com screeners may "pass" on a song for
one of the following reasons:

Almost - The screener may mark this is they believe your song style
was very close to being on target but overall just wasn't the best
match for this pitch. You should however continue to pitch this song
for other pitch opportunities since it may be appropriate for
another artist at a different time.
Strength of song - The screener may not believe the song is strong
enough to be competitive for this particular pitch. While you may
not agree with their decisions all the time, we do have to respect
their judgment (see dealing with rejection below). You might
consider running the song by one of the SongU.com coaches or
bringing it to a feedback class where we can all decide whether the
screener is off their rocker or whether something is inherently
wrong with the song.
Demo - The screener will may also "pass" on a song if they don't
believe the demo is competitive enough for a particular pitch. Songs
do not need to be fully demoed, but they do need to presented
professionally since they are being pitched to industry
professionals. For example, a song played on an out of tune guitar
with a dog barking in the background will most certainly not get
forwarded.
Casting - The screener may not forward a song if they don't believe
it's a good match for this particular pitch opportunity. If the
pitch is for an Urban Music Producer from NYC looking for Rap songs,
a traditional country song will not get forwarded even if it's a
great song with a fabulous demo.


Can I Get More Specific Feedback From The Screener?
The purpose of Spin N' Pitch is to provide "real world" experience
in pitching for SongU.com members. Typically, in the real world of
pitching, you get no feedback why someone "passed" on your song
except for a simple yes or no. You can get more specific feedback on
your song using the SongU.com song evaluation service or by brining
it to one of the feedback courses.



I'm Getting Different Opinions On The Same Song
Like movies, everyone has an opinion on every song and often they
don't agree. This is a dilemma that every professional songwriter
faces. I'd love to tell you it gets better or goes away, but it
never does. You play something for the producer and he loves it, but
A&R doesn't. You play something for one plugger at your company and
he loves it and pitches it while the other plugger at your company
isn't in to the song. A&R, the producer and the lead singer of the
band love the song, but the artist's wife doesn't like the song so
it doesn't get cut. Sometimes you play the song for the same person
who rejected it two months ago and suddenly they love it. Generally
speaking, if you get two different opinions, you might want to try
for a third opinion to see if you can get a consensus about the
song. You can always get another opinion from a different coach or
by bringing the song to one of the SongU.com feedback courses.



But My Coach LOVED This Song. Why Wasn't It Forwarded?
The more common reasons for this would include that the song isn't
the right song for this particular pitch or that the demo isn't
strong enough for the song to be pitched. A demo that might be
acceptable for a publisher pitch, might not be acceptable for a
Film/TV pitch or an A&R pitch. Occasionally, it may be that the
screener simply does not "hear" your song. In this case, if you've
already had your song evaluated by a SongU.com coach, you might try
pitching that song again for a different pitch and see if a
different screener reacts differently. Or, you might consider
getting a second opinion on the song from a different SongU.com
coach.



Can I Cancel A Song I Pitched Before It's Been Screened?
It depends. It's not possible to cancel unscreened pitches since
they are sent directly to the guest, but it is possible to remove a
song for a screened pitch as long as the screener hasn't listened to
your song. Just go to the "Songs Submitted " area below the pitch
listings on the My Pitching page and you'll see a link that you can
click to remove the pitch if it hasn't been screened. If the
screener has already listened to your song, the link to remove your
song will not be present.



What Happens If Someone Is Interested In My Song?
That's great! You'll be notified via email and asked to contact the
SongU.com staff for the correct follow-up procedure. Depending on
the guest, the follow-up procedure may vary from simply supplying a
leadsheet and a CD quality MP3, to being offered a contract for one
of your songs. In all such cases, SongU.com is simply the means that
connects your song to the Spin N' Pitch guest. So you are under no
obligation to accept any offers from any of these pitch
opportunities should someone be interested in your song. Naturally,
if you are offered a contract, SongU.com strongly encourages you to
seek the advice of an experienced entertainment attorney prior to
signing it.



And Then What Happens After A Guest Is Interested In A Song?
Since Spin N' Pitch mirrors what happens in the music industry, the
results are the same. Sometimes guests respond immediately and ask
for a contract -- this is common with our publisher guests. Often
with the artist projects, you still have a few more hoops to jump
through and most times you won't know anything concrete for several
more weeks or even months. It may be that the artist needs to play
the songs they like for the producer or A&R. Or, A&R needs to play
them for the artist or the producer. You get the idea. A good
example of this practice in action was our pitch ID #160 (a well-
known choir). They have expressed an interest in several SongU.com
members songs (and have raved about the quality of songs submitted).
But like all projects, they have been gathering up songs that
they're interested in from lots of sources. Right before they cut,
they'll narrow it down to the final ones that will make the project
(yes, that's exactly what happens in the industry). Here's the note
we received from the head of A&R at their label explaining this
process:

"We'll be selecting the 24 songs that will be going on the 2-CD
project in the next 3 weeks, after which I'll be contacting the
writers of the songs that are selected. We have a total of about 125
songs to chose from and over the course of 3 days we'll be selecting
the final 24. Feel free to relay this message to the writers.
Thanks!"



Do I Have To Give SongU.com My Publishing?
No. You retain all rights to your song and SongU.com takes no money
or publishing (however, a thank you in your Grammy acceptance speech
would be appreciated ;-). SongU.com is merely the means that
connects your song to the Spin N' Pitch guest. You are under no
obligation to accept any offers from the SongU Spin N' Pitch guests.
If you are offered a contract, SongU.com strongly encourages you to
seek the advice of an experienced entertainment attorney prior to
signing it.



What's The "Terms Of Use" Checkbox For?
Our lawyers have requested all members agree to a release/consent
form with each pitch. It's a simple checkbox on the bottom of the
page where you paste in your lyrics and basically is there to cover
stuff related to the street pitches (like giving us permission to
burn a CD for pitching purposes, etc) as well as the unscreened
pitches.



Help! I'm Having Problems Uploading My MP3
If you have a problem uploading an MP3, it's usually due to one of
the following reasons:

Strange characters in the filename - Be sure that the filename
itself isn't over 40 characters and doesn't have any strange
characters in it like an question mark or exclamation mark. If your
song title is "Why Don't They Stay Together?", one example of a
filename that might be appropriate might be stayTogether.mp3.
The file is too big - If the file in question is at CD quality MP3
compression (256k), it may be too large to upload or take too long
on your connection. There is a 5M limit on any uploads to the site,
so it's important to compress the MP3 file before uploading it. For
more information on how to compress the MP3 file, see the course GEN
110 - Preparing Your Audio For Uploading.
The file actually uploaded but the notification didn't work -
Sometimes, that pop-up won't that tells you that your file is
uploading either doesn't appear or doesn't disappear even thought
the file uploads correctly. Make sure your pop-up blocker is off.
Don't forget that you can always check your file by looking at the
pending evaluation to see if it appears and whether or not the file
plays correctly. If it plays correctly, then it uploaded properly
and the notification simply didn't appear/disappear.
The file isn't actually an MP3 - Make sure the file in question is
an MP3 file. Simply renaming a file and putting MP3 on the file
extension won't make it an MP3 if it was recorded using RealPlayer
for example.


Help! My Song Sounds Like The Chipmunks
There's a bug in the Flash Player audio streamer that causes this
effect sometimes. It's not a SongU.com bug, but a Flash player bug.
This bug often appears if the sampling rate is not a multiple of the
common rates of 11khz, 22khz or 44khz. We are aware of this bug and
have provided all screeners an alternate means to listen to the song
without using the Flash player in the event this happens. So you
don't know need to worry about it because the screener will be able
to hear your song normally.



How Do I Create An MP3 In iTunes Using The Right Settings?
You can find detailed information on converting to MP3 formats in
the SongU.com course, GEN 110 - Preparing Your Audio For Uploading.
But I've included below a quick run down of the steps to create your
MP3 using iTunes. iTunes is a great little MP3 player/converter
that's available for both PC and Mac (you can download iTunes for
free from www.iTunes.com). If you run into problems, you can also
email our resident MP3 guru, Kent Forward at: kent@....

STEP I: Set iTunes to the proper MP3 compression (you only need to
do this once)
Start up iTunes
Go under edit -> preferences -> advanced
Click on the "importing" tab
Make sure the "import using" dropdown box has "MP3 encoder" selected
Under the setting dropdown box, choose "custom". A box with settings
will pop-up
In the customs settings box, set it to 64kbps (or some value less
than 128kbps)
Uncheck the VBR checkbox if it's checked
Leave the sample rate dropdown box at "auto"
Change the channels to "mono"
Click "ok"
STEP II: Create and Save The MP3:
Pop in your CD with your song and it should appear in the iTunes
playlist
Right-click on it and you can choose "convert to MP3". Note that it
will save it in whatever location on your computer is specified in
the settings in iTunes
You can change that or see where it is by going to edit ->
preferences -> advanced and then clicking on the "general" tab
You should now have an MP3 of your song that you can upload!


Help! I've Been Rejected
No, you haven't been rejected -- your song just didn't find its home
on a particular pitch. That is part of the education of Spin N'
Pitch -- dealing with the inevitable rejection that comes with being
a professional songwriter. Hall of fame writer, Gary Burr, has
hundreds of songs that he's written that haven't been cut as has
every other professional songwriter. Pitching songs and having them
rejected is just part of the job description of the professional
songwriter. No one enjoys it because it 99 times out of 100 your
song will be rejected. A professional songwriter who gets even 5-10%
of his/her catalog recorded, is considered extremely successful.
That's without looking at how many times each song that eventually
got recorded was previously rejected. You could curl up in a hole
and avoid pitching songs, but an interesting thing happens when you
don't pitch your songs -- they don't get cut!



Ugh! I'm Feeling Discouraged
If you think about it, every song that is pitched is rejected
(except for the 11 or 12 that actually made the record). This means
that hundreds of songs by hit writers are turned down for every
project. So you're in very good company. And you can bet that even
the songs that made the record have been rejected plenty of times
too. For example, "I Swear" was turned down over 40 times by various
A&R reps, producers, etc. before John Michael Montgomery eventually
turned it into a #1 country smash that was also re-recorded by the
group All-4-One and spent several weeks at #1 on the pop
charts. "There's Your Trouble" was turned down by two A&R
representatives at Sony before songplugger Tommy Williams pitched it
to one of the Dixie Chicks producers who cut the song...the Dixie
Chicks of course were on the Sony label. Just because a song wasn't
forwarded doesn't mean it's the end of the line for that song.



I Can't Handle Rejection
Eat chocolate. Throw eggs off the back porch. Take up kick boxing.
Or, find another career. Rejection is unavoidable in the music
business. As hall of fame songwriter, Rory Bourke once said --
"If you're not getting rejected every single day, then you're not
doing your job."


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jonas@... writes:
Hey Ande,
I'm Jonas Alvarez a songwriter from Austin. I
receive your IFS news letter...I really enjoy reading
all the info. you send. I'v read your bio before and
went to your myspace and heard your songs...wow really
enjoyed them.

I've entered songs of mine in the 2005 and 2006
Austin Songwriters Contest and have won 1st place in 3
catagories rock, jazz, general(world music), I play live
with my band Alteza...my lyrics are in Spanish and
music is latin based. What do I do to get involved
with others in same genre...or where do I go to find
others doing something similar? I've talked to Lee
Duffy, Monte Warden and others...What's your advice?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for all you do!

Jonas

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Here's a note from Austin SongWRitersGroup

The Fall ASG Song Contest & Conference Kick Off

We will have further details in the coming weeks, but start getting
your best songs together to enter in ASG's Fall Song Contest. While
details are still developing, what we do know at this time is that
the Awards Show will take place on Friday evening, November 17th at
Threadgill's on the eve of the ASG Songwriter's Conference, which
commences the very next morning at the Embassy Suites hotel.

We will have full information on both of these events confirmed in a
few weeks, but make sure you mark your calendars now for the entire
weekend of November 17-19. You don't want to miss a minute of what
we have in store that weekend.

Need for Additional Board Members:

Through the passing of time, changing personal circumstances and
your basic attrition, every now and then it becomes necessary to
bring in some new members to the ASG Board. In 2006, two of our
Board Members have ended their tenures with ASG and it is time the
remaining Board Members begin looking for suitable candidates to
help guide ASG in the coming years. If you think you may have an
interest, as well as a special set of skills that would enhance the
ASG Board's efforts to assist developing songwriters, then I
encourage you to email me and let your intentions be known. While
the Board won't be making an immediate decision in these matters,
there is no time like the present to set an intention to grow your
own dream a little bigger. So, speak up if you want to get more
involved with ASG.

That's all for now, y'all.

Peace,
Rick Busby
ASG Publicity Director
Email: rickbusby@...
Web: http://austinsongwritersgroup.com

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The Performing Songwriters Boot Camp returns to the foot of the
majestic Grand
Teton Mountains near Jackson, Wyoming, August 6-13. A fun and
intensive week of
creativity and songwriting workshops with JoAnn and John Braheny
(author of the
best-seller, The Craft and Business of Songwriting and TAXI
screener). Also
renowned voice/performance coach Steven Memel will help you hone
your stage
skills. Includes production of a song demo by producer/event
organizer Lauren
Adams. For info on the program, go to
www.performingsongwritersbootcamp.org.

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SongRamp Has a new look and many new features, I've gone in the new
management area and poked around. I'm having trouble figuring out
how to do that used to be simple. I did finally figure out how to
edit lyrics but I'm struggling with figuring out how to change song
order and moving songs from my public page to my private page.
http://www.songramp.com

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check out
http://www.westcoastsongwriters.org

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Congratulations to FAITH RIVERA
on her Wednesday, August 02, 2006 myspace blog I read that

"Colors of Praise" awarded the "Most Uniting Song"

The New Thought Songwriters Tribute awarded "Colors of Praise" as
the "Most Uniting Song" this past Wed 7/26 in Scottsdale, Arizona!

Charts & Karaoke tracks are available for Colors of Praise at
http://www.faithrivera.com/fr/Store.html
if you and/or your choir would like to perform this song!

*Home of the New Thought Songwriters Tribute awards & where you can
nominate your favorite new thought songwriter for the 2007 awards
http://www.itoiministries.org

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Write On,
Ande Rasmussen

Does anyone ever read IFS to the VERY END?