have you joined the Grammy yet?

www.Grammy.org

the 50th Annual Grammy Awards were Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008

I went and have the details





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~





Take YOUR Songwriting to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL

Drop by

 

http://www.SongU.com/ifs

Where you can:

+ PITCH your songs

+ Receive Professional critiques

+ Get Mentoring from industry pros

+ Network with talented songwriters at SongU and

TAKE a FREE songwriting course at



http://www.SongU.com/ifs

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Every songwriter should have a songwriting Library

Drop by:

http://astore.amazon.com/ifsande-20

find what's missing from yours

 

I recommend books by Jason Blume and Sheila Davis





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~





Many artists say the INDIE BIBLE

is a wonderful tool for independent artists

drop by

http://www.indiebible.com/swb

to check it out



The Folks at INDIE BIBLE just released a brand new directory called 

The Indie Venue Bible. 



  The Indie Venue Bible is a unique, comprehensive directory of live 

  music venues. It is in electronic (.pdf) format and lists 26,000 

  venues and 2000 booking agents in the US and Canada. The 

  listings are arranged by area, making it easier for artists to 

  route and plan their tour. 

  check it out at:

https://nt4.magma.ca/bigmeteor/ivbaras_order.cfm

 

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

  Dear IFS Readers, 

 

  I hope this email finds you well. 



How have you been, please let me know what you've been up to



I just got back from the Grammy's and had an awesome time

you'll find details below 





RSVPed that I would attend next weeks Texas Grammy Board meeting at the House of

Dereon in Houston.

which is at Matthew Knowles office.

Matthew is on the TX Grammy Board, he owns music businesses and manages artist

careers, His daughter Beyonce, is one of them

http://www.berklee.edu/news/2003/03/zafknowles.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS137503+07-Dec-2007+MW20071207

http://musicworldent.com



music world also owns compadre records

http://www.compadrerecords.com

check out their list of artists and

Trent Wilmon's video

"There Is a God"





Sent 3 songs to Jason Blume to critque

I'm an old student so he'll critique my songs

but he's not accepting new students to critique

but his business http://www.JasonBlume.com

does critiques by prowriters and they are extremely helpful 





my friend and cowriter

Tony Walsh has been working with anne lorelle and invited me to meet with them,

cowrite, and submit lyrics



http://www.annelorelle.org



http://www.myspace.com/annelorelle



posted at the AI songwriter thread

http://www.americanidol.com/myidol/forums/topic/?tid=806957





pitched several songs at http://www.songu.com/ifs pitching



Pitched Look Up to Dad

and

If Only I could http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=14915

on this one below



All genres. Specialty Project. ASAP. Our friend Quint Randle is doing the A&R

and co-producing a "Father's Day" tribute to Dad's compilation CD. He is seeking

"Master Quality" (or close to it) original songs (all styles) paying tribute to

fathers, or about fathers, grandfathers, father/child relationships, etc. This

can be a previously released track, HIGH-quality demo, or totally new. The

compilation CD is set to be distributed and promoted in a regional bookstore

chain (25+ stores), etc., for Father's Day. Writer(s) must own rights to the

master recording. 



IFS readers I hope you enjoy this issue and would love to hear from you. 



Ande

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Tuesday February, 12th 2008



just got back from the Grammy's, had a blast



MAIL: Received a royalty check from an Artist who cut

"It's All of Us Together"

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=23717

need to send my cowriter his share.



Friday

arrived in LA from San Antonio. We flew the United direct flight that left at

6:00 am so we left home at 3:30

Got to LA around 7:00 am got our bags and rent car and got breakfast.



Went to our hotel then to the Staples center to pick up our tickets.



Saturday Feb 9th

Went to Manns Chinese theater



noon I went to BMI's 2nd Annual

'How I Wrote That Song' panel discussion on the art of songwriting at The Key

Club in Hollywood

http://www.bmi.com/events/entry/536027

I invited Ryan Jirovec and treated him and his mom, I recorded the whole thing

and was thinking about pod casting it.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=460547\

52

The guys from hinder performed Lips of An Angel

I heard a song Rev Theory  http://www.myspace.com/revtheory

Autographs: Chris Daughtry, Fat Joe and Polow da don





Evening I went to the

Grammy Special Merit Awards and Nominee Reception

they honored

Burt Bacharach, (not there, kids accepted)

The Band, (several were there, Robby Robertson)

Cab Calloway, (daughter accepted)

Doris Day, (not there sent a letter)

Izhak Perlman, (not there kids accepted)

Max Roach and (decd kids accepted)

Earl Scruggs (was there, his son Randy wast there too)



Trustees awards were given to

Clarence Avant (Quincy Jones introduced him)

Jac Holzman

Willie Mitchell (was there, huge memphis, songwriter and producer)



Nominee Reception was fun

Autograph: Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry

had a nice conversation with Gentle Thunder.

wanted to stay longer



Sunday grammy stuff

Took a shuttle van to the grammys around 1:20

(waiting on women to get ready, doors opened at 12:30 event started at 1:00)

walked the backside of the red carpet

(the red carpet is split in 2 sections

front part is for famous people and muckety mucks, with news people and handlers

lining up interviews,

back part is for every one else, there's police officers and bouncer types

present to encourage people to keep moving)

found out later I should have told them I was a governor and I would have gotten

to walk the celebrity side. (maybe next time, if there is a next time, I'm up

for reelection in April)



Pretelecast: Arrived as #43 the Hawaiians were on stage.

They awarded 100, I looked behind me a few rows back was Ace Youngfrom Idol

Season 5. http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season5/



Many famous artists weren't present to accept their grammys, but I was impressed

that Carrie Underwood ran to the stage to accept hers, Brad Paisely was present

to accept his in the instrumental country category and the Foo Fighters were

also there to accept theirs. I was thrilled that Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, 94

http://www.pinetopperkins.com/ from Austin, TX won the traditional blues Grammy

for their appropriately titled album

"Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen:

Live in Dallas." He got up and played he wore a bright red suit and hat with a

blue feather.



Autographs: I got Carrie Underwood's

My daughter got Ace Young's and David Grohls from the Foo fighters in my

songwriting book



when the pre telecast was over we walked over to the Grammys

as we walked over I said hello to band members from Shiny Toy Guns and asked if

Steven McClintock was around. They said he was, a little later I said hi and

shook his hand while we were in line.



My son an I sat in the Platinum Section for Grammy Governors, we were about 35

feet from stage left in the 9th row on the side next to the stairs. Stage left

means if you're facing the stage from the audience we were on the right.



On the floor I saw Cindy Lauper, Ringo Star, Yoko Ono, Bonnie Raitt, George

Martin (beatles), Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, the Foo fighters, Tony

Bennett, Josh Groban, Carrie Underwood, and many others



Had an absolute blast



Made a scrap book of all the Grammy stuff I collected

including a little of the confetti they blasted out during the final

performance, many people shuffled near the end, not realizing that there was a

finale performance of a beatles song.



It felt great to be part of such an awesome organization and event and I

encourage you to get involved too.



Autographs: got Tony Bennett and Robby Robertson from "The Band" (take a load

off Annie) I asked, Yoko Ono but she refused. I was an arms length from George

Martin but like a fool I was suddenly too shy ask.



after party,

had some great hordeourves type food, it was open bar, had one cab, I walked

past Evander Holyfield but didn't get his Autograph. We walked around a little

then made our way to the stage where Cindy Lauper was about to perform. she

wasn't on stage so a crowd hadn't formed but when she walked on and performed

several songs there was a sea of people behind me. We stood right by the stage

and watched her perform her hits barefoot, Several times she gave angry looks

and hand signals to the sound guy. I guess wanting to adjust her monitors.



Food at the after party was delicious, open bar, lavish decorations and athletic

barely dressed cirque du soliel type performers performed on multiple stages and

wandered through the crowds it was quite a specacle. We were feeling tired and

decided to leave as Cindy wrapped up her set. Near the exits they were handing

out Grammy Bags filled with TIGI Bedhead Type Products.



We walked over to the shuttles, got on it took us to the Biltmore which was

close to our hotel.



Monday I met with Harold Payne and Allison Sattinger for lunch. Harold and I

have a song in the works.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/haroldpayne93/from/ande

http://cdbaby.com/cd/haroldpayne01/from/ande

http://cdbaby.com/cd/gravityband/from/ande



http://cdbaby.com/cd/sattinger2/from/ande

http://cdbaby.com/cd/sattinger/from/ande



I met Harold through JPF and Allison went to school with my friend and cowriter

Adam Donmoyer. Both people are awesome artists and class acts. Harold is the

featured perfomer and one of the cowriters of JPF's theme song

We're all in this together.







Tuesday I went home, If I get re elected as a governor or officer and go again I

want to arrive a few days earlier and participate in more of the events.



If you want to go to the Grammy's

(here's what you might budget for one person)



$100 grammy membership (allows you to buy 6 tickets)

$300 airfare

$300 - $600 hotel (could be more if you go fancy)

$300 - $1,000 ticket

$200 after party ticket

then there's food, transportation, and airport parking

We rented a car, the funny thing is the hotel parking was $42 a day and the car

cost $20 a day

There tends to be lots of food at Grammy



don't forget shopping



when we arrived we needed to kill a little time so we went to el segundo beach

to watch the surfers waves, pelicans and dolphins



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



February 3, 2008

BMI & Los Angeles Times Announce 2nd Annual ‘How I Wrote The Song’ Panel

Marquee Lineup Includes Rodney Jerkins, Chris Daughtry, Mos Def, Ben Moody,

Polow Da Don, Anthony Hamilton and Brian Howes



BMI will pair with the Los Angeles Times to present the second annual “How I

Wrote the Song” panel Saturday, February 9, from 1p.m. until 3p.m., at the Key

Club in L.A. Mirroring the format of 2007’s sold-out forum, another elite

cross-section of established hitmakers, including Rodney Jerkins, Chris

Daughtry, Mos Def, Ben Moody of Evanescence, Polow Da Don, Anthony Hamilton and

Brian Howes will discuss their work, the raw ideas and the occasionally

idiosyncratic processes pooled into composing songs that resonate with a broad

spectrum of listeners. Moderated by BMI’s Vice President, Writer Publisher

Relations Catherine Brewton and Los Angeles Times Music Critic Ann Powers, the

event is open to the public. Advance tickets are available now for $10 through

Ticketmaster at http://www.keyclub.com or the Key Club box office; day-of

admission at the door will be $20.



Grammy Award-winner Rodney Jerkins’s creative dexterity materializes in

distinct but diverse musical triumphs. The pen behind take-charge smashes

including Destiny Child’s “Say My Name,” Brandy & Monica’s duet “The

Boy is Mine” and Beyoncé’s “Déjà Vu,” Jerkins has also produced work

by contemporary superstars including Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Michael

Jackson, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Destiny’s Child. His unerring ear

led to a vice president of a&r position with Island Def Jam, while Janet

Jackson’s forthcoming project Discipline features his signature production.



American Idol alum Chris Daughtry has brazenly staked a record-breaking place in

contemporary music, confidently fronting the aptly titled rock band Daughtry.

The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter signed with RCA and management powerhouse

19 Entertainment after his fan-propelled success on American Idol, and his

band’s eponymous debut sold more than 1 million copies in only five weeks. The

projectile success of the album, featuring songs “It’s Not Over,”

“Home” and “Over You,” resulted in the fastest-selling debut in the

history of SoundScan.



Rapper, actor, musician and activist, Mos Def’s sheer versatility places him

amongst contemporary pop culture’s premier creators. Musically, his work

includes blithe collaborations with legendary group De La Soul and artist Talib

Kweli. Def’s partnership with Kweli, the duet album Black Star, resulted in

underground frenzy and glowing critical praise. His subsequent solo album, Black

on Both Sides, produced more of the same. Nominated for two Grammys, Def also

boasts Golden Globe, Emmy and Source award nods.



Serial hitmaker Ben Moody first gained recognition as guitarist and co-founder

of the Grammy Award-winning group Evanescence. His output during and after the

band has further exposed an adroit singer/songwriter capable of powerful hooks

and lush layers; songs including Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” and

“My Immortal,” along with Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You,” sprang

from Moody’s id. Collaborations as a producer with Clarkson, Celine Dion, Bo

Bice and Lindsey Lohan further emphasize his seemingly limitless versatility.



Super producer and innovative songwriter Polow Da Don’s quintessential hip

factor springs from authentic skill. His innate musical savvy has finessed

infectious hits including Fergie’s “Glamorous,” the Pussy Cat Dolls’

“Buttons,” Ciara’s “Promise” and Jamie Foxx’s “DJ Play a Love

Song.” Fergie’s enthusiastic shout out, “Polow!” on her smash “London

Bridge,” made Da Don’s fluid alias a pop culture catch phrase, adding

household recognition to the power player’s growing reputation.



Singer/songwriter Anthony Hamilton’s blend of old-school soul and cool

contemporary grit is artist’s art in the best sense of the phrase: Members of

the neo-soul and poetic hip hop elite including D’Angelo, Tupac Shakur and Eve

have looked to Hamilton for backup harmonies, while the North Carolina

native’s critically-acclaimed solo work has landed on arguably avant-garde

projects including the American Gangster film soundtrack. His 2007 effort,

Southern Comfort, features eleven new songs all written by Hamilton.



Brian Howes' life in music did not come as a surprise with a great-great

grandfather who was a baritone opera singer, a grandmother who was a songwriter,

and a grandfather who played alto sax for swing band greats Benny Goodman and

Louis Prima, his career choice was practically predetermined. As part of

punk-ska-rap band DDT early on in his career, Brian toured with bands such as

Public Enemy, Kid Rock, Alice Cooper, The Scorpion and DOA. Post DDT, he penned

hits and earned placements in several movies all while maintaining number 1 and

top 10 international hits. Brian then added production to is arsenal and has had

success by writing and producing with Grammy-nominated Atlantic band Skillet

amongst others. Brian’s recent success has included collaborations with Kara

Dioguardi, Shelly Piken, Chad Kroeger, Hinder and Chris Daughtry of American

Idol fame for his RCA Records Album



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



this is old news but I wanted to let folks know that

I resigned from ASG's board on Aug 24th 2004



here's my resignation email



Dear ASG Board and friends,



I've decided to resign as an ASG Board member.   It is time for me to

focus on my marriage, children, and career.  I've enjoyed serving

with each of you. ASG is strong and in capable hands. Best wishes to

all of you as you work to support and celebrate Austin Area

Songwriters.



Your Friend,



Ande Rasmussen





here was the email I received from ASG's president, Lee Duffy right after I

resigned



From: Lee Duffy

Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 10:38 AM

Subject: Re: [ASG-Board] Re: resignation

 



 Good morning, 

 



      Ande, I will be both sorry and sad to see you leave. You are the

reason most folks joined the board in the first place. You have served better

and given more time than any president on any board I have ever served on. You

contiued to give time and energy for nine months after you left the office. As a

direct result of that songwriters and musicians in general have benefited

greatly. You have helped many an artist get their music or themself or both out

there in the real world. You led by example in your own writing and networking.

You were always available to talk with by phone, in person, or on the web. I

didn't always agree with you, but I never felt worried about rather to speak up,

and I never doubted that you had the best interest of the group at heart. I

learned a lot from you while working with you.  





I appreciate that this did not come out of the blue. You have told us about once

a week now that you would be doing this so the group has been able to try to

prepare and adjust.  I understand how it is to juggle the family and a passion

for the music. I think you are right when you speak of how the kids are growing

up and your wanting to spend time with them. It goes quick.  



 

    From the heart, I wish you the very best of everything. May all your

dreams come true. You did a great job at ASG, and we all learned a lot from you

that hopefully we can continue to apply to the art of serving the members.



Peace

Lee Duffy

Co President, ASG



PS.....You know where we are......I hope you decide not to move that far from

ASG.





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



I got this email: (below) and my comment is:



It's too bad that this NSAI Workshop is ending, further I want to remind folks

this NSAI Workshop originally started in Austin / Travis county but they were

ordered to relocate the workshop 2 counties North. (they were kicked out of

Austin) NSAI is a wonderful organization and I disagree with their decision to

move this workshop.





Sent: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 6:38 pm

Subject: Last Meeting of the Belton-Waco NSAI







Hey all,



 



First of all, thanks to all of those who supported the idea of having an NSAI

workshop in Central Texas.  Unfortunately, after the move north, we were never

able to establish a regular attendance for our monthly meetings.  After six

months, of preparing classes and promoting the group, we have to assume there is

not enough interest to warrant a workshop in this area.  Our last meeting will

be Wednesday, February 27th at 7pm at the Harris Community Center.  We won't be

having a regular lesson.  We will be visiting and talking about songwriting

and sharing songs if people so desire.



 



We encourage those of you who are NSAI members, to take advantage of all that

NSAI has to offer, including pro song evals, webcasts with lessons and chats

from the pros, as well as one on one counseling when in Nashville, the annual

song contest, song camps and syposiums.  Here's our info for the last

meeting.  Also, don't forget to plug into the music organizations in Austin,

Dallas, Ft Worth, Houston, & Marshall.  Get on their mailing lists and see what

they are doing.  I've always felt that fellowship & feedback were worth

traveling for.



 



God Bless You & Keep Writing,



Ashleigh & Cody 

 

The BELTON-WACO NSAI REGIONAL WORKSHOP

invites you to

join us for our last meeting

Wednesday, February 27th

at 7pm at the

Harris Community Center

 

For more information contact:



Ashleigh Wehmeyer, NSAI Regional Coordinator,

(254) 213-3400,

adw246@...



Cody Cotton, NSAI Regional Coordinator,

(512) 285-3336,

cody5mile@...



 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~





NASHVILLE STAR NOW CASTING!





One dream. One country.

One NASHVILLE STAR.







NBC is proud to launch the Nationwide search for the next American Country Music

Superstar. Nashville Star returns, and this year it's on NBC.







We are looking for the nation's proudest and most ambitious musical talent. Do

you have what it takes to represent the best American music has to offer?







We are scouring the country for the nation's best Country singers to compete for

the musical opportunity of a lifetime ... a major-label record deal and a chance

to represent your country on the world's stage at the 2008 Olympic Games.











We want you! We're casting honky-tonk heroes, singing sensations, and performing

prodigies who are at least 16 years old and there's no upper-age limit. This

year the competition is also open to singing duos and trios.







Every country singer tells a story and we want to hear yours. Do you have the

ambition the talent and heart to proudly compete in the next nationally

acclaimed musical competition series?







To apply immediately go to: www.nashvillestarcasting.com ...

Specific locations and times will be available shortly.

Please check back soon! Nashville Star will be coming to the following cities

for Preliminary Casting Open Calls:











Feb. 17: Tallahassee and Denver



Feb. 21: New Orleans and Portland





One dream. One country.

One Nashville Star!



http://www.nashvillestarcasting.com/





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



there was an article in the wsj about david martin and his song "Something in

Your Eyes"



you can see the video at:

http://davidmartin.com/



February 14, 2008



He May Not Win Grammy, but He's Big in Walgreens Box of Chocolates Plays David

Martin's Tune; A 'Positive Love Song'

By ELLEN BYRON

URL for this article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120293876783466291.html



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



congrats to Greg Watton

Take a peep at a song I cowrote called "Out of Time"

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=27709144



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



check out Craig Bickhardts

http://ninetymilewind.blogspot.com/



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Want Better Music?

Don't Stiff the Songwriters

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/commentary/listeningpost/2008/02/listen\

ingpost_0204



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



what do y'all think of

The new rhyme site, WikiRhymer is at

http://www.wikirhymer.com

a myspace site:

http://www.myspace.com/wikirhymer



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



one of the really cool things that the Grammy org does is

Musicares

http://www.grammy.com/MusiCares/Default.aspx



today to show Musicares a little love, I ordered an XL Christian Audigier

MusiCares T shirt. MusiCares provides funds for music people in need, and 100

percent of the proceeds from the shirt sales support this cause.



thought it would be cool to wear to Grammy events.

(scroll down on the above link to see it)



they've got some excellent videos on sobriety and recovery

http://www.grammy.com/MusiCares/Recovery/



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Ande's Songwriting Process



01) Fish for Hooks and find excellent song ideas:

I am always looking for

titles, hooks, stories, or situations to write songs about.

when I find an idea, I ask myself has it ever been done before, I want to find a

unique angle or title

sometimes I invite potential collaborators to read through lists of my song

ideas then pick one or a few faves, then I/we focus on getting the ones they

like to a solid first draft)

I keep a songwriting journal, I am very disciplined about writing ideas down in

it.

when I have enough of a song going

I transfer what I have into my computer

I put them in my email archive and or in a word doc.

Many times I'll google the title and the phrase to see where on the web it comes

up

I also do title searches on BMI.com and ASCAP.com

I think about

who'd want to hear it

who'd want to sing it

what sort of emotion it stirs





02) write the chorus

I want the chorus to be simple, catchy, easy to remember, hard to forget, well

crafted, rhymy,

my choruses tend to have short phrases

I look at syllable patterns of each line

repetition of the title

correct placement of the title which is covered at:

http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=537816



03) write the verses,

( I write way more lines than I need and attempt to edit it down to the very

best)



04) write bridge or bridges (usually have several alternatives to offer)



05) complete first draft lyric



06) let it sit for a while



07) rewrite it on my own



08) get peer critiques & rewrite some more if necessary



09) attempt to place it with a collaborator



10) collaborator send lyric modifications and a rough recording



11) listen to first draft recording



12) rewrite and let it sit a while



13) ask for peer critiques



14) get pro critiques



15) rewrite



16) if we feel it's ready to demo, we demo it at this point

I want my demos to sound like they were done by professional songwriters

I prefer cowriters who can create excellent demos in their home studios



17) if we're pleased with the demo

I put it up on web and start pitching it





My process is kinda complex but it's what works for me.

Usually songs arrive in bits and pieces.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



been enjoying the music of Delta Goldrem

loved her songs on myspace

http://www.myspace.com/deltagoodrem

http://www.deltagoodrem.com/

John Shanks produced her last CD



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Write On,



Ande







________________________________________________________________________

More new features than ever.  Check out the new AOL Mail ! -

http://webmail.aol.com





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Take YOUR Songwriting to a WHOLE NEW�LEVEL

Drop by

�

http://www.SongU.com/ifs



Where you can:

+ PITCH your songs

+ Receive Professional critiques

+ Get Mentoring from industry pros

+ Network with talented songwriters at SongU and

TAKE a FREE songwriting course at

http://www.SongU.com/ifs



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Every songwriter should have a songwriting library

Drop by:

http://astore.amazon.com/ifsande-20

find what's missing from yours

I recommend books by Jason Blume and Sheila Davis



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Many artists say the INDIE BIBLE

is a wonderful tool for independent artists

drop by

http://www.indiebible.com/swb

to check it out



The Folks at INDIE BIBLE just released a brand new directory called�

The Indie Venue Bible.



The Indie Venue Bible is a unique, comprehensive directory of live�

music venues. It is in electronic (.pdf) format and lists 26,000�

venues and 2000 booking agents in the US and Canada. The�

listings are arranged by area, making it easier for artists to�

route and plan their tour.�

check it out at:

https://nt4.magma.ca/bigmeteor/ivbaras_order.cfm



~ ~ ~ ~ ~�

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Dear IFS Readers,



I hope this email finds you well.



It's been entirely too long since I've launched an IFS issue

I applied to serve as a Texas Grammy governor for 2008 - 2010

Wednesday I find out if I'm on the ballot, hope so.



I started a songwriter blog at

http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/570870



got 2 wisdom teeth pulled yesterday



Next Wednesday I find out if I got on the Texas Grammy Ballot to run

as a Governor again

http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Texas/



Plan to Participate at:

GRAMMY U: Summit At The Field

April 12, 2008

Texas Chapter Office and Gibson Guitar Showroom,

3601 S. Congress Ave. G-400 & G-500,

Austin, Texas at Penn Field in central Austin.

http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Chapters/Texas/Events/Default.

aspx?eventID=1600&chapterID=11



Started cowriting a song with Jeff Hughes

http://www.myspace.com/chaparralaustin



Got a $56 4th quarter check from Trusonic

http://trusonic.com/artists.html



entered 2 songs in

http://songwriter.americanidol.com/

Aint Gonna Stop

that I cowrote with Steve Callif from Austin, TX

performed by Mez

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/srplayer.php?type=hipub&trackid=32584



Dreamer and Her Dream

That I cowrote with Tammy Edwards from Nashville TN

That's Tammy playing and singing on the demo.

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/srplayer.php?type=hipub&trackid=60475





got an email yesterday from an artist who cut

Zip Zero http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/srplayer.php?

type=hipub&trackid=15270

and now wants to cut.



Where Have the Good Guys Gone

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/srplayer.php?type=hipub&trackid=60796



I Think I Think Too Much

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/srplayer.php?type=hipub&trackid=59062



Hotter than the Hinges

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/srplayer.php?type=hipub&trackid=14489



so I sent of info to all my cowriters and await their reply



~ ~ ~ ~



Got a Day Pass and went to SXSW

http://2008.sxsw.com/music/conference/panels_schedule/



First attended

12:00 Quickies 4: In the Studio

met with:

Gary Powell Composer/Producer, Powell Studio Productions

Phil Nicolo Studio 4 Recording

Andy VanDette Chief Engineer, Masterdisk NYC

http://2008.sxsw.com/music/conference/panels_schedule/?

action=show&id=MP060309



Sat at a table with:



Daria Musk http://www.dariamusktrio.com/



Mike Drummond from http://www.citizenmundi.com/

Mike raved about Google webmaster tools, that provides you with a

free and easy way to make your site more Google-friendly.

http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/





then caught the tail end of

SXSW Interview: Daryl Hall

http://2008.sxsw.com/music/conference/panels_schedule/?

action=show&id=MP060319

(got Daryl's AutoGraph in my Songwriting Book)



walked around the Tradeshow floor with Gary Powell

then attended



2:00 pm � CLE 7: How Is Congress Rockin' the Music Industry?

http://2008.sxsw.com/music/conference/panels_schedule/?

action=show&id=MP060329

where they talked about bills that affect songwriters and artists

The key bill is the

Performance Rights Act. HR 4789

it's well explained at

http://www.musicfirstcoalition.org/#/home/

http://www.musicfirstcoalition.org/#/faq/

A song has 2 copyrights

1) the song and

2) the sound recording

for years Radio has paid royalties only to songwriters but not to

artists and the owners of sound recordings. Most countries around the

world pay royalties to both.

The radio lobby is fighting it.

They encouraged artists to follow it, support it and be vocal with

your representatives

http://www.capwiz.com/musicfirstcoalition/home/

so I learned my reps are:

http://www.capwiz.com/musicfirstcoalitio...te=TX&bzip=2537



then caught the tail end of

SXSW Interview: Ice Cube and DJ Pooh

http://2008.sxsw.com/music/conference/panels_schedule/?

action=show&id=MP060353

(got Ice Cube's autograph)



Drove home and listened to a few of the CD's folks gave me



Started working on a new lyric







Ande



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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are you LinkedIn

my URL is

http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/anderasmussen

what's yours



ande



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~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Do you have a facebook music site?

http://www.facebook.com/Music



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Murphy's Laws of Songwriting



Your Best Bet for a #1 Song



http://www.ascap.com/nashville/murphy/murphy16.html



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



did you enter the idol song contest

here's a link I started about it at JPF

http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/598532



* * * * 5 HOT TIPS FOR WRITING FOR AMERICAN IDOL * * * *



1. Careful not to hit the nail too squarely on the head. Meaning: do

NOT mention American Idol directly in your lyric -- and it's probably

best to stay away from references to singing, being up on a stage, or

becoming a star. Everyone has hopes and dreams � but most people do

not want to be singers or entertainers.



You want to evoke the emotion related to these things � without

eliminating the possibility of millions of people who have different

hopes and dreams � from feeling as if your lyric relates to them.



I'll bet you didn't realize that neither Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment

Like This" nor Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud" (both of which

reached #1 as the first single from these "Idol" winners) are love

songs that do NOT talk directly about singing or being a star. (Check

out the lyrics to these songs at the end of this article � and I bet

you'll be surprised.)





2. As with any songwriting situation, you've got to give the decision

makers a compelling reason to choose your song over the competition.

There will likely be hundreds of thousands of entries � and only

those deemed to be the top twenty will be the ones the public votes

on.



If 10,000 other songs have the same basic idea as yours �

why should they choose yours?



Almost everyone will be writing about believing in yourself;

following a dream; achieving your goals; having someone who believes

in them, etc � So you'd better have a fresh, original angle

lyrically � a truly unique way of saying the same thing.





3. Remember that your melody is every bit as important as the lyric �

if not more so. Be sure to give the singers a melody that will allow

them to shine. Although you might only have a six or eight note

range � Melinda, Jordin, and Lakisha have awesome voices with great

range. Rewrite that melody until it's the very best it can be.

Imagine that your entire career rides on getting that melody just

right � because it might!





4. Don't believe them when they say that the quality of the recording

doesn't matter. It's impossible for judges not to be influenced by

what they hear� especially when they're quickly slogging through tens

of thousands of entries and listening to 20 - 30 seconds of each one

to make a quick determination as to whether they hear something

special. You don't need to spend a fortune on a demo � but you only

get one chance to make a good impression � and the judges are not

mind readers. They can't imagine what you intended � unless it's on

the recording. So be sure you give your song its best shot by

submitting a recording that incorporates musicianship, vocals, and

sonic quality that are up to the professional standard. If you can

achieve this with a home studio � great. But if not, invest enough to

record a pro keyboard or guitar and a great vocalist.





5. Lastly � read the fine print and be sure you qualify before

submitting your song. Wouldn't it be devastating to be chosen � and

learn that you're ineligible? Note that 100% of the publishing rights

must be available on your song � meaning if you or any of your

collaborators (if applicable) have entered into a publishing

agreement for the song you submit, you are NOT eligible.



Also note that if you did not play all of the instruments and perform

all of the vocals on your demo recording, you must be able to secure

a release from the musicians and singers, granting you ownership of

the "master rights" to the demo recording. (Those of you who've read

THIS BUSINESS OF SONGWRITING already understand the necessity of

securing these waivers/"work for hire" agreements in order to pitch

your songs for TV and film. A sample of a waiver/work for hire

agreement is included in the book on page 176.)



Now � follow your dream and give it your best shot!

I hope you win!



Jason Blume





HOT TIPS FOR WRITING FOR AMERICAN IDOL



By Jason Blume



Part Three



In my professional opinion it's impossible for judges (OR ANYONE

ELSE) not to be influenced by what they hear� especially when they're

quickly slogging through thousands of entries and listening to 30 �

60 seconds of each one to make a quick determination as to whether

they hear something special.



You don't need to spend a fortune on a demo � but you only get one

chance to make a good impression � and the judges are not mind

readers. While it is true that the winning song will receive a

professional arrangement and full production, no listener can imagine

what you intended � unless it's on the recording. So be sure you give

your song its best shot by submitting a recording that incorporates

musicianship, vocals, and sonic quality that are up to the

professional standard.



If you can achieve this with a home studio � great. But if not,

invest enough to record a pro keyboard or guitar and a great vocalist.





Last year EVERY SONG FINALIST WAS A FULLY-PRODUCED PRO SOUNDING DEMO

w/PRO VOX. Yes, 100% of the songs chosen as last year's top twenty

finalists sounded as if they were professional recordings � with

vocal and instrumental performances that matched the professional

industry standard.



MOST OF THE WRITERS OF THE SONGS CHOSEN AS LAST YEAR'S TOP 20 IN THE

AI CONTEST HAD MAJOR PRO CREDITS. Some of these writers had

previously been staff-writers; some had previously had songs recorded

by superstar artists; others had released successful albums as

artists. So remember that the bar is very high.





Don't settle for your first draft. Rewrite both your melody AND lyric

to be sure they're as strong as possible � and then, if at all

possible have your song professionally critiqued BEFORE investing in

a demo.





Give the judges compelling reasons to choose your song over the

competition. These reasons will be an original, fresh concept; a

melody that is instantly memorable�while challenging the singer and

giving him (or her) a chance to shine; and a melody and lyric that

combine to evoke powerful emotion in your listeners.



If you accomplish all of this � you'll have a great song�regardless

of whether it's chosen for American Idol.



Wishing you the best of luck on your songwriting journey!  Jason



Jasonblume.com



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Alan Barnette, I met Marc Alan when he started and actively

participated on this thread on SongRamp

http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=57759

ON that thread around page 33

the participants started cowriting a song

which turned out to be

Where Have the Good Guys Gone

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=60796

if you read the history you'll see I got on to the song



Marc now has a whole board

http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showforum.php?forum_id=35



Several of my friends and cowriters had done "Write Up" Sessions with

him, so a while back I asked Marc Alan Barnette if he did write ups

by email or phone, in early March he announced that he would, so I

decided to take him up on it his "Write Up Program"



I captured the story of the song at:

http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=58906





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Clive Davis urges singers to stop writing songs



By Michelle Nichols Thu Mar 6, 11:49 PM ET



NEW YORK (Reuters) - Music mogul Clive Davis, who helped launch stars

like Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, said singers should focus on

what they do best and not feel pressured to write their own songs.





Davis, chairman and chief executive officer of the BMG Label Group,

said he has seen many entertainers lose their careers by not

concentrating on finding hit songs -- no matter who they are written

by.



"The odds are always against you," Davis, 75, told the Billboard

Music and Money Symposium on Thursday. "You have got to go over the

best material, and that should win out, not withstanding any track

record. I don't care how many No. 1's you have written in the past,

have you written a new No. 1?"



When Houston came to him after her second or third album and asked if

she should start writing songs, he said: "Billie Holiday, Ella

Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra didn't write, and they

are among Time magazine's greatest artists of the century."



He said 80 to 90 percent of the artists with whom he has worked over

more than four decades wrote their own material. But in recent years,

more entertainers who do not write have gained stardom due to the hit

TV talent show "American Idol," where singing talent is discovered.



In fact, Davis had a public spat last year with inaugural "Idol"

winner Kelly Clarkson over creative differences on her third

album "My December," on which she co-wrote all the songs.



"She was not signed as a singer/songwriter," said Davis, adding that

her manager believed there would be at least six hits on the album

while market research had shown none.



"This issue only comes up when you're dealing with entertainers who

might or might not have the ability to write pop songs," he said.

Clarkson's second album sold 11 million copies worldwide, so Davis

said there was a lot at stake.



"My December" has sold only 754,000 units since its June 2007

release, according to music tracker Nielsen SoundScan.



The pair resolved their dispute shortly after the album's release and

are now working on a new record.



Reuters



http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080307/music_nm/davis_dc



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Austin singer songwriter Kat Edmonson & Kevin Lovejoy cowrote a song

titled to Gandhi's quote:



Be The Change That You Want To See



They then asked



"What would you do if You were President?"



and made a video then put them up on Youtube

The video had more than 15,000 views



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RyS3NasuRk



MySpace.com - Kat Edmonson - AUSTIN, US

http://www.myspace.com/katedmonson



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Are you an awesome Austin Singer?

would you like to sing the

National Anthem in Austin at the

USMS Masters National Swimming Championships at the

Texas Swimming Center at

8:30 am on

Thursday May 1st

let me know



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



have you seen faith rivera's Kumbaya movie



http://youtube.com/watch?v=JHKQECOX8PI



what do you think?



I think it's quite wonderful



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Don't give up the Ghost: Singer-songwriter Amanda finally takes the

spotlight

By STUART HUSBAND - More by this author �



Last updated at 16:36pm on 16th February 2008



Comments



She turned James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' into a mega-seller and

has written hits for the likes of Beyonc� and Whitney Houston. But

success as a singer has always been elusive for Amanda Ghost. She

tells Stuart Husband why she's finally ready to take the spotlight...



Amanda Ghost is telling a story about a recent trip in a New York

cab.



"I was on my way to see the music producer Mark Ronson," she

says, "but I had this bad back.



"When the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes I literally screamed

with pain, and suddenly I couldn't stop screaming.



"Everything came out - that I was thousands of miles away from my

newborn daughter; that I needed to keep working despite a slipped

disc - all the highs and lows of the past nine years.



Scroll down for more...





Amanda Ghost has written hits for Whitney Houston and Shakira. Now

the 33-year-old is ready to take the spotlight for herself with new

album, Blood on the Line



"It was incredibly emotional," she says, "and as I sat there sobbing,

the cabbie actually apologised, which is unheard of.'



Amanda has burst into the room like a force of nature, apologising

for being late (her daughter Gia has been "playing up"), casting self-

deprecating looks in the mirror ("God, I'm such a mess"), and

enthusing about the clothes for the photo shoot ("So glam!").



It's a tribute to the 33-year-old's vivacity that she has made it

through a decade that's been every bit as turbulent as she's hinted.



She was tipped for a stellar singing career back in 2000, when she

was plucked from Enfield-born obscurity by Warner Brothers' Andrew

Wickham, the man who signed Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris.



He claimed Amanda was better than both. She was f�ted accordingly,

until her debut album, Ghost Stories (released in the U.S. only)

failed to sell in huge quantities.



She was then left in hellish limbo, with Warners refusing to release

a follow-up and trying to morph her into a Pink/Avril Lavigne hybrid.



"I think the reason it failed was because I wanted to do too much,"

shrugs Amanda.



"I could write in any genre - pop, jazz, country, reggae - and I put

them all on the album. The chairman of Warners said that I had a

great voice but I couldn't write hits."



An ironic remark, considering what came next. Amanda had signed a

separate songwriting contract with Warners, and in 2004 was asked to

polish up a somewhat maudlin ballad.



Scroll down for more...





Amanda with James Blunt after scooping their Ivor Novello awards in

London in 2006



The song was James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful', which went on to top

the charts in Britain, the U.S., Canada and virtually any other place

where soulful young men moon after hopelessly unattainable women.



Her co-writing credit brought her Grammy nominations and two Ivor

Novello awards, and, with her writing partner Ian Dench, Amanda has

since gone on to provide huge hits for Beyonc� ('Beautiful Liar', the

duet with Shakira, which went to number one around the world) and the

latest American Idol winner Jordin Sparks ('Tattoo', which has given

Amanda her third US top ten song in 18 months).



As well as working with boy wonder Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse's

producer, the in-demand Ghost has been asked to provide songs for

Whitney Houston's much-anticipated comeback album, and has been

collaborating with musical legends Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and Lionel

Richie.



All of which means that it's a more propitious time for Amanda

herself to venture back into the spotlight.



Her new album, Blood on the Line, provides a low-key acoustic

showcase for her earthy, soulful voice to tackle a few of the songs

she's written for other people over the years (including 'Time

Machine', penned for her best friend Boy George).



Later in the year she'll be on the judging panel of a new American

reality TV show that's a sort of American Idol for aspiring

songwriters.



Amanda credits Boy George with honing her own songwriting skills. She

met him when she was 19 and working on the door of London's then

legendary nightspot, Mud Club.



"I was a fashion student, dabbling in journalism and pretending I

didn't want to get into music," she recalls.



"I mean, I'd been singing and writing songs since I was eight; I'd

sing them to my friends in the playground, and they'd go, 'You didn't

write that!' and I'd go, 'Yes, I did!'"



Boy George took her under his wing. "What he gave me was an

invaluable musical education.



"I was a pop kid at the time, and he introduced me to the likes of

Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone and David Bowie."



(Mitchell has since become a friend, and credits Amanda's song 'Blood

on the Line' with reinvigorating her own faith in music.)



"George," Amanda adds, "knows more about music than anyone I've met."



The main thing he taught her about songwriting, she says, was to

concentrate on simplicity and directness.



"Bob Marley said that the greatest songs can be hummed by a three-

year-old, and it's true.



"George would be saying, 'Your voice and melodies are great but your

lyrics are [naughty word removed],' and I'd go, 'But they're from my

heart!'" she grins.



"He also taught me that it's about two per cent talent and 98 per

cent graft.



"I don't think of myself as a professional songwriter - I hate them;

they come in and write the 'moon-in-June' stuff and don't add

anything.



"To me, if I'm writing with someone, it's important that their voice

comes out in the song, otherwise there's no point."



This seems an appropriate moment to bring up 'You're Beautiful', a

song that's become the 'Lady in Red' of its generation.



For Amanda, its legacy is more ambiguous: it's set her up for life,

but Blunt was curiously reluctant to acknowledge her as co-writer

until he was forced to by the Ivor Novello triumph, hence her mix of

pride and dismissal now.



"It changed everything for me," she admits. "Until then I was a

struggling artist.



"It took James Blunt three years of hard work to write, whereas for

me it was ten minutes of polishing up the chorus at a kitchen table

in LA when I was bored.



"I didn't think it was very good," she says with a smile.



"I said to my publisher, 'Take my name off it.' Thank God they talked

me out of it. It's a really childlike song, that's why it did so

well, but a lot of people still don't realise he didn't write it by

himself.



"Everyone says, 'Do you hate him, does he hate you?'" she continues

breezily, "and we don't.



"But there's a lot of vitriol towards him, maybe because he got so

successful so quickly with a song that's so loathed."



Amanda has always been grounded, a trait she attributes to her

family - her father is Trinidadian, her mother Spanish, and she has

two sisters, who are both bringing up families in New York.



But you get the feeling that success, now it's finally come, is all

the sweeter, not only because she's a mother herself (her partner,

Gregor Cameron, is a TV producer; they live in Notting Hill, London,

and are planning an April 'flamenco wedding' in her mother's native

Seville), but also because her new-found clout is happening on her

terms.



"Being an artist, for me, isn't about being famous," she says firmly.



"Growing up with George, I got a crash course in how awful full-on

fame can be.



"I'm doing this album because a lot of people have been asking me to

do it, but I'm just as interested in my songs and my label and

nurturing artists, bringing raw talent to fruition.



"The first time round, I wasn't ready. I signed for �1 million and I

was on the cover of a Sunday magazine before I'd sold a record.



"Immediately, everyone wanted to shoot me down. You have to earn it,

and f****** hell have I earnt it," she cackles.



"I've been plugging away for nine years, and I know everyone hates

Madonna now, but one thing she taught me as a young, aspirational

girl was that a quitter never wins and a winner never quits."



And Amanda Ghost strides off with the exuberant air of someone for

whom those words have been triumphantly vindicated.





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/you/article.html?

in_article_id=514626&in_page_id=1908



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



June 7& 8:  Pat Pattison's Intensive Lyric Writing Workshop 10AM-4PM

each day





Sponsored by Dallas Songwriters and Absolute Reheasal Studios

214 295-2673



www.absoluterehearsal.com

www.myspace.com/absoluterehearsal

Details coming soon.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



NEW HOST: BILLY RAY CYRUS!

Nashville Star will have a new host for Season Six:

"Hannah Montana" star and country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus.







~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Singers Searching for songs



Name: Eric Jones

email: ej13kc@...

Phone: 913-226-2217

Cutoff: 06/01/2008

describe music: Worship, contemporary

comp fee: no

how to submit: Email



Request 2 of 2:

Name: Kevin Cabe

email: Kabeman606@...

Address: 6401 Nightingale Lane Apt. 134 Knoxville, TN 37909

Cutoff: March 17th

release date: Mid Summer

artist name: Kevin Cabe

describe artist: Tenor style of Rascal Flatts meets soulful Gavin

Degraw

describe music: Rock/Pop/Alternative Country

how to submit: Email or Mail



Name: Lloyd

email: lloyd@...

Address: Las Vegas, NV

cutoff: march 30, 2008

release date: Summer 2008

label or dist: start up

artist name: Victorious

describe artist: www.WeAreVictorious.net

describe music: praise

how to submit: email and we'll talk

remarks: We're a new group with hopes of releasing an album in the

near future. Looking for songs that we can release as original to our

group. Already have a bit of a following. Looking for writers that

believe that the mercy of God is inclusive and universal.







email: magemay82@...

Address: 4017 Longdale Furnace Rd. Clifton Forge, VA. 24422

artist name: Magnolia Perdue

describe artist: I am an artist with a fairly high soprano voice.

describe music: Contemperary Christian, love songs, I like the slower

songs

how to submit: Via E-mail

remarks: I am a new artist looking for a new song. I am wanting to

put t ogether a demo to send out to recording studios and agencies.

If you have any questions just e-mail me. I am a good singer just not

a very good songwriter so I am hoping their is someone out their who

has the talent of writing they would like to share with me! Thanks

for your time!





Name: Tim Cline

email: clinemarkproductions@...

cutoff: End of February

release date: Recording in March

label or dist: Indie

artist name: TBA

describe artist: Pop country, positive message

describe music: Pop country, any tempo, positive message, etc.

comp fee: No

how to submit: Send mp3's to ClinemarkProductions@...



Name: Steve Bell

email: xalt@...

Address: 7610 Vineyard Trail, Mesquite TX 75150

cutoff: 3/31/3008

artist name: X-alt Quartet

describe artist: Southern Gospel Quartet

describe music: Southern Gospel Quartet, all tempos

how to submit: email



Name: Kris

email: kb5080@...

Address: 647 Long Acre Lane Yardley Pa 19067

Cutoff date: 02/11/08

Release date: 06/01/08

Label or dist: none

Artist name: Kris Ballerini

Describe artist: Looking for Martina McBride sound for upcoming album

to be recorded in Nashville www.krisballerini.com

Describe music: looking for up-tempo

How to submit: via mp3 or mail cd to above address

Remarks: radio ready, current and contemporary christian lyrics

geared to the "seeker" uplifting lyrical content Audience is women 25-

50 and teens



Name: Tim Calhoun

email: gracemusicpro@...

Address: 1125 Rio Camino Ct. Windsor, Ca

Cutoff date: 3/1/2008

Release date: January 2009

Label or dist: Grace Music Production

Artist name: Tim Calhoun

Describe artist: Adult Contemporary

Describe music: Pop/Soul/Jazz

Comp details: N/A

Comp fee: N/A

How to submit: Cd or Email



Name: Antonio Delgado Ministries

email: information@...

Address: 6224 Discovery St E- Fife, WA 98424

cutoff date: 1/31/08

artist name: Antonio Delgado

describe artist: www.AntonioDelgado.net CCM, GOSPEL, R&B, POP

describe music: The Next Journey, Moving on, Forgetting the Past, The

Next Phase, Things are looking up...

how to submit: Via Email (one song at a time) Music & Lyric/ By Mail

as many as 3 songs to a CD

remarks: Submit ASAP we want to review as many submissions as

possible by 1/31/08



Name: Don

email: christiansinger@...

Address: Indiana

cutoff: 3/1/2008

release date: 5/2008

label or dist: Indie

artist name: KeriDee

describe artist: Contemporary, highly trained soprano with good pop

sound as well, similar range/style to Sandi Patty

describe music: genres-contemporary, pop, inspirational, re-mixed

hymns, worship: tempo- ballads/up tunes: theme-yet to be determined

comp details: Independent Project

compfee: N/A

how to submit: Email

remarks: Have you ever wanted to write for someone who can perform

and sing like Sandi Patty? Now's your chance: this artist has a

powerful annointing from the Lord!



Name: Jason

email: dayspringmusic@...

Address: 374 Northside Dr. E Apt B Statesboro GA, 30458

cutoff: 07/01/08

release date: unknown

label or dist: Dayspring Music Ministries

artist name: Dayspring Trio

describe artist: Gaither Vocal Band, Gold City, Brian Free and

Assurance, Greater Vision

describe music: Progressive Southern Gospel

comp fee: no

how to submit: email



Name: Rey Rosa

email: reyrosajr@...

Address: 236 W78th New York, NY 10024

cutoff: May 10th

release date: September 7th 2008

label or dist: Startup

artist name: Iron Kidz

describe artist: Flame, KJ-52, and mercy me

describe music: Christian Rap and R&B, fast or slow

comp details: Jus Righteous, Chozen

comp fee: no

how to submit: email: reyrosajr@...

remarks: I'm looking for something that will relate to the good and

bad times of life and how God will forever be by our side in this

battle



SSR 1 of 2:

Name: Jeri Mercer

email: jerimercer@...

Address: 194 Norwood Blanchard Rd. Wallace N.C.

artist name: jeri mercer

describe artist: southern gospel

describe music: southern gospel

how to submit: e-mail or address

remarks: looking to record some orginal songs on next project



SSR 2 of 2:

Name: Tony Hartung

email: thartung@...

Address: 2740 miller st Lambertville, MI 48144

cutoff: none

release date: summer 2008

label or dist: independent no label (yet)!

artist name: Tony Hartung

describe artist: Chris Tomlin

describe music: contmp christian

comp fee: yes

how to submit: email me if interested in submitting songs

remarks: I am a new vocalist interested in starting with cont emp

christian music. i need music to get started with. Looking for a

songwriter to hook up with for BOTH of our benifits. if interested

email me and lets go from there. I do have demo music for you to

hear. Thanks and hope to hear from someone soon, Tony





From: Ann M. Macey (annmacey@...)

Website: www.emilyandjacob.net

Message: I am hoping to connect a CD for children that has a song

that coincides with each story of Emily and Jacob.  I would love to

work with an unknown writer who wants a foot in the door.  Please

note that when you log on to my website, only three of the 5 stories

are listed.  Feel free to post this inquiry where appropriate.  Thank

you.  ~Ann



Hello there my name is Richard Johnson,

I am currently seeking songs for my upcoming CD project.I had

previously been performing Country all over the country,I have opened

up shows for the likes of,Sugarland, Miranda lambert,Steve Azar.Trent

Wilmon.But i have a higher calling now,To serve the Lord through my

music..I am interested in Country/christian songs of all kinds..I am

willing to buy the writes or just using them for my projects,

please contact via email,

Countrymusicplayer2003@...

.thank you and   God Bless











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  http://youtube.com/group/apologizecover



Submit your cover of "Apologize" and get your video featured on

OneRepublic's official site with an intro from the band!



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Everyone,



I started CD Baby 10 years ago this week - in March 1998.



You probably know that I'm just a musician-geek, not a business-man.

Never meant to start a company. I was just selling my own CD, then

helped some friends do it, then it accidently turned into CD Baby.

(Ooops!)



Now CD Baby has paid over $70 million dollars(!!) directly to

musicians. And despite the moaning you hear from the majors,

independent artists are selling better than ever. Even physical CD

sales are up 30% over last year!



ANNOUNCEMENT:



Friends will tell you that for the past 10 years I've spent most

waking hours, 7 days a week, doing nothing but CD Baby. Last year I

just slept on the couch at the office for 6 months, usually working

from 7am to midnight.



So today seems like a good day to tell you that I don't work at CD

Baby anymore, and haven't in months.



I'm still the owner, but haven't been to the office since May. The

crew there is running things better than I ever could. They know more

than I do, and do a better job.



I've made that transition from self-employed to business-owner. (You

know you're a true business-owner when you can leave your business

for a year, and come back to find it's doing much better than when

you left.)



WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS?



Because the reason I freed-up my time is to find more ways to help

you.



Helping you develop, create, promote, and sell your music makes me

happier than anything. It's still why I bounce out of bed in the

morning.



I love it even more than making my own music. (Weird, huh?) By

helping you get your music out to the world, and helping you make a

living doing it, I feel that in a way I'm making more music than ever.



There are many ways I can help, but I'll email you about those next

week.



Today was just a CD Baby birthday announcement. Still, I wanted to

let you know there are exciting things to come.



--

Derek Sivers, founder, CD Baby, HostBaby





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This summer, you'll have the chance to perform and grow in two

magical weeks at the ultimate summer camp: Idol Camp. Former Idols*,

performing artists*, and inspiring teachers will show you how to take

your skills to the next level.



� Applications available for Summer 2008!



� Now open to 10-15 year olds.



� New West Coast location!



* Confirmation to participate pending.



http://www.idolcamp.com/



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Forwarded message from Digital Music News

<news@...> -----



MySpace Music Initiative Announced; Three Majors On Board



MySpace Music officially announced itself Thursday morning with

blessings from majors Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, and

Sony BMG. The tie-up, billed a "landmark joint venture," will include

DRM-free downloads, ad-supported audio and video streaming, a mobile

storefront powered by Jamba, and "various sponsorship solutions."

Artist-related assets like merchandise and concert tickets will also

be part of the action, and collateral will be integrated within

individual artist profile pages.



MySpace users are already familiar with MySpace Music as an umbrella

for anything music-related within the site, including band profiles.

But the new commerce-driven initiative, a stand-alone venture,

reportedly involves equity stakes for the majors involved. Moreover,

the venture allows the labels to participate in a broader portfolio

of assets, instead of just recordings.



It remains unclear when standout EMI will jump into the fold, though

an announcement is expected in the near-term. That, along with deals

involving various independent labels, is part of an iterative launch

schedule that will span several months, according to the network.



Outside of EMI, a number of dangling questions remain. That includes

the price of paid downloads, and the possibility of a paid

subscription offering. MySpace Music currently has more than 30

million unique monthly visitors, and 5 million band profiles,

according to the company.



Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/040308myspace



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SONGWRITERS!!!!!



Calling all songwriters and artist!!!! Are you a talented prolific

songwriter or artist who has been eagerly waiting for your chance to

make your mark in the the music world? Guess what! The Underdogs,

Harvey Mason and Damon Thomas are here to give you that chance. Send

us your mp3's and/or demo packages. If you have a Myspace music page,

simply add us as a friend. Remember, if you believe that your

songwriting skills or appeal as an artist are UNTOUCHABLY HOT, do

not, I repeat, DO NOT hesitate to send us your material. We're

waiting to hear from you!



Send mp3 submissions to:

uddemos@...



Send demo packages to:

Underdog Entertainment

1635 N. Cahuenga Blvd. 4th Fl.

Los Angeles, CA 90028



Write On,



Ande

Take YOUR Songwriting to a WHOLE NEW�LEVEL

Drop by

�

http://www.SongU.com/ifs



Where you can:

+ PITCH your songs

+ Receive Professional critiques

+ Get Mentoring from industry pros

+ Network with talented songwriters at SongU and

TAKE a FREE songwriting course at

http://www.SongU.com/ifs



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Every songwriter should have a songwriting library

Drop by:

http://astore.amazon.com/ifsande-20

find what's missing from yours

I recommend books by Jason Blume and Sheila Davis



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Many artists say the INDIE BIBLE

is a wonderful tool for independent artists

drop by

http://www.indiebible.com/swb

to check it out



The Folks at INDIE BIBLE just released a brand new directory called�

The Indie Venue Bible.



The Indie Venue Bible is a unique, comprehensive directory of live�

music venues. It is in electronic (.pdf) format and lists 26,000�

venues and 2000 booking agents in the US and Canada. The�

listings are arranged by area, making it easier for artists to�

route and plan their tour.�

check it out at:

https://nt4.magma.ca/bigmeteor/ivbaras_order.cfm



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Dear IFS Readers,



I hope this email finds you well.



It's been entirely too long since I've launched an IFS issueDear

friends,



How's your songwriting going?

Really write me and let me know



I've written a few songs lately, like

"Build a Dream" with

Tammy Edwards http://www.myspace.com/tammyedwards2  that

we wrote for www.AmericanYouthWorks.org

you can hear it at

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewprivtrack.php?trackid=52740



I'm sad to say that my Term as a Texas Grammy Governor ended

yesterday

I applied to serve again but wasn't chosen to be on the ballot.

It's great organization, I met many wonderful people and had many

awesome experiences.

I encourage you to join and get involved with your chapter.



in May my songwriting slowed down a bit because I competed in the

Masters National Swimming Championships in



here's a photo of me diving in at practice

http://www.austin360.com/recreation/content/recreation/stories/2008/04

/BRS-swim-001_1.html



here's my 50 fly I'm in lane 6

http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/coverage.php?c=258&id=14162



my 100 IM I'm in lane 6

http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/coverage.php?c=258&id=14300



photos from the 50 back

http://kirktuck.smugmug.com/gallery/4872510_hsurx#P-31-15

http://kirktuck.smugmug.com/gallery/4872510_hsurx#P-32-15



here's where my results are posted

http://www.usms.org/comp/meets/meetsearch.php?

c=120940&MeetID=20080501SCNATSY



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Coors has a song contest

catch the 4:53

http://rhapsodyextras.com/coorslight/contest/

Read the rules, no one with cuts can enter



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SSS Singer Searching for Songs



Maurice DeBonnett, Manager for the group "Double Praise", is looking

for original songs for this powerful gospel duo.  Please check out

their song on their website below and only submit fully demoed songs

to



MDebonnett@...



http://doublepraise.com/



The song is currently on the charts in Philadelphia.



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www.SongU.com/ifs

has given many writers opportunity through their SPIN N' PITCH program



As you probably know, several of the good news items from above were

also connected to Spin N' Pitch listings. It's been a great few

months for Spin N' Pitch and we'd like to extend congratulations to

the following members who had some good things happen through Spin N'

Pitch. Rock on!



#64 -The Slideshow Company expressed interest in the following

members songs:



Rebecca Peaden "Just Beautiful (Work Tape)"

Gerri Rowan "LETS JUST LAY HERE AWHILE"



#284 - Pitch to Publisher. This is a new independent Nashville-based

publisher who is looking to sign songs to their catalog. Pitch great

songs in any of the following genres: Country, Indie Rock, Hip-Hop,

Christmas, Alternative and Instrumental. They expressed interest in

the following members songs.

Bruce Scism "Guide Me Home (Note: Vocal version)"



#298 -All genres. Pitch to Publisher. Nashville-based music publisher

with world wide contacts has expressed interest in the following

songs.

rochelle Bartram (Bucher) "Convince Me"

Kevin Clements "After All"

Terri Fann "Dreamin' Bout Dancin'"

Monty Harper "Harper, Monty, Can You Guess"

Christopher Jones "Little league baseball"

Perry Smith "She Walked Away"

Jamie Southworth "Happily Ever After"



#300 -Country. Indie artist, early 30's, who is looking for mid &

uptempo original country songs for live shows and eventual showcase

expressed interest in the following members songs.

Scott Hamilton "Real Tough"

Steve Hostetler "Old Navy"

Kent Forward "Blown Away"



#323 -ETNC's, Joe Quaranto expressed interest in the following

members' songs.

Rochelle Bartram (Bucher) "Convince Me"

Germain Brunet "NOT-(Best of SongU)"

Bob Burrows "Done Her Wrong"

RITA CASE "I WANT ONE OF THOSE"

TJ Dickson "Live 'n' Let Loose"

James Oliver "The Ho-Ho-Ho Song"

Gerri Rowan "Red,White,Green And Blue"

Rolf Schnyder "Yesterday’s News"



#357 -Contemporary Christian (Not Country Christian). FEMALE

expressed interest in the following songs:

RITA CASE "ALWAYS ROOM IN HIS HEART (Female version)"

Lorna Flowers "We Will Honor You"

Will Hopkins "Stumble & Rise"

Steve Hostetler "For Goodness Sake (version 2)"

James Eric Myers "You Are My Everything"

James Eric Myers "You Are There"

Kara Smith "Business 240-LOVE CANNOT LIVE"



#363 -Film/TV/Advertising/Media. Pitch to Publisher. This European-

based publishing company works with all major broadcasters and

production houses in the UK & Ireland (including

BBC/ITV/Granada/RTE/Channel's 4 & 5 etc) expressed interest in the

following members songs.

Carol Coffey "SOMEDAY AIN'T NO DAY OF THE WEEK"

Carol Coffey "NOTHIN' AT ALL"

Carol Coffey "JUMP START MAMA'S HEART"

John Condrone "Come On And Dance"

Lorna Flowers "I'll Only Be Gone A Little While"

WAYNE GAMACHE "K.I.S.S. ME"

WAYNE GAMACHE "ARMED & DANGEROUS"

WAYNE GAMACHE "MY LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING"

Jerry Glidewell "IT'S LOVE YOU TIME"

Shelley Jacobson "Quick & Dirty"

Scott Jarman "Livin in the 'Ville"

Moker Jarrett "It will Come Back to You"

Moker Jarrett "The Apple Barn"

Tony Lock "Here it is again"

Troy McMullen "Prelude in B"

Troy McMullen "Prelude in G No. 2"

carey moore "Perranoski (instrumental)"

carey moore "Osteen (instrumental)"

James Oliver "Here I Am"

Donna Opfer "The Tables Turned"

Eric Roberts "Snow"

Michael Shield "THE GLORY OF THE GAMES (ONE WORLD ONE DREAM)"



#368 -Film/TV/Advertising/Media. Pitch to Music Supervisor. NY-based

company, Audiobrain, is compiling original musical content for NBC

Sports and NBC Olympics for use in their broadcasts, website, and

VOD. Music selected will receive the highest priority for airing.

They have expressed interest in the following members songs:

Cheryl Ashton "Ride The Wind"

M. R. Bagley "CHEMISTRY CLICK"

M. R. Bagley "HOTROCKS (instr)"

M. R. Bagley "Fanfare"

Rochelle Bartram (Bucher) "My Own Two Feet"

Rochelle Bartram (Bucher) "I Believe in You Instru"

Tom Bohn "LIFE!"

Germain Brunet "CLIMB (Uptempo)"

Chad Calhoun "Feel Free"

Chad Calhoun "The Effects Of Rain"

Chad Calhoun "What If I'm Broken"

Anthony Campbell "I Just Want You To Know"

Anthony Campbell "Friday Night"

RITA CASE "THE LADY'S IN LOVE"

Bill Ekhoff "What You Gotta Do - Track"

Bill Ekhoff "Feelin' the Feelin' - Track"

Sue Fabisch "We All Fall Down"

Jerry Glidewell "RACHELS ROSE (instrumental)"

Jerry Glidewell "DREAMER"

Jerry Glidewell "BE STILL"

Jerry Glidewell "SWEPT AWAY"

Jerry Glidewell "BEYOND PRAISE (track)"

Brian Hartzog "Fast Girl in A Pretty Car Instrumental"

Bev Herrema "Run"

Heidi Huettner "We Were Here"

Heidi Huettner "Follow Your Sunflower"

Shelley Jacobson "Quick & Dirty"

Shelley Jacobson "Extreme Overkill"

Shelley Jacobson "Can't Stop Me Now (Instrumental)"

Scott Jarman "That Drive"

Moker Jarrett "All Fades Away"

Moker Jarrett "Right in Front of Us"

Moker Jarrett "The Apple Barn"

Moker Jarrett "Ready to Fly"

Christopher Jones "Dreamy Town"

Ken Joniec "FDBK130-Wild Ride"

Ken Joniec "Undertow"

Adrienne Leopold "Make the Most of It"

Adrienne Leopold "Don't Mind Me"

Joe Lickteig "Leave it All on the Field DEMO"

Troy McMullen "Prelude in B"

Troy McMullen "Prelude in G No. 2"

Troy McMullen "Polso Difettoso"

Troy McMullen "Prelude in D Flat"

Elizabeth Milcarek "TURN IT AROUND ON A DIME - final demo"

James Oliver "Bad News Blues"

Donna Opfer "The Power of the Dream"

Rebecca Peaden "Terminal Towers"

Rebecca Peaden "Down On the Bayou"

Rebecca Peaden "I'm Still Kickin'"

Yvonne Perkins "I GOT THE POWER"

Ande Rasmussen "ain't gonna stop"

Steven Richards "Make A Big Splash--TraxMix"

Gerri Rowan "ALL I COULD EVER LOVE"

Keith Sasser "Slab Town Boogie [Instrumental]"

Bruce Scism "Guide Me Home (Instrumental)"

Bruce Scism "River of Regret (Instrumental)"

Bruce Scism "Two Hearts (C) Instrumental"

Bruce Scism "Brighter Days (Instrumental)"

Michael Shield "Dawn Parade ©2008 Cummings, Shield, Marcus"

Gary D. Smith "FISH 'TIL WE'RE BLUE"

Jamie Southworth "You've Already Won"

Steve Thompson "Passages"

Dempsey Watson "A Train To The Blues (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "Don't Sing Like An Angel (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "Only Songs And Movies (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "How You Come From The Box (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "I'd Forget To Know Better (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "Fifth Cup Of Sorrow (Inst)"

Greg Wilson "True, Love? (instrumental)"

Kenn Wolfe "Don't Bother Me"



#378 -Country Rock. MALE. This independent artist is looking for

rockin country and a great male/female duet and expressed interest in

the following members songs.

Scott Hamilton "Oorah Up"

Lee Johnson "Gettin' Up to No Good"

Rick Keane "Crank It Up"

James Eric Myers "As Good As It Gets"

Donna Opfer "This Time"

Rolf Schnyder "Last Teardrop"



#379 -R&B/Pop. FEMALE. This UK based artist is only 17 years old and

looking for strong material to record her first album. She expressed

interest in the following members songs.

Lorna Flowers "Captivated"

Rolf Schnyder "My heart is crying out for you "

And last but certainly not least, a round of applause to those

members who have had songs forwarded for recent street pitches.

Tom Bohn "I SOULD BE SO LUCKY"

Moker Jarrett "Even the Candles Cried"

Paul Jarvis "Heard It On The Radio"

Mike Todd "Live, Love and Learn"

Lorna Flowers "Like I Know The Rain (female vox)"

Kent Forward "Hearts Break In Waves"

Steve Hostetler "Eleven Fifty Nine"

Marc Kuchner "Start Now "

Joe Lickteig "Slip Into Something Mexico (09/07 Demo)"

Elizabeth Milcarek "Y CHROMOSOME - VERSION 2"

carey moore "Rose In The Rain"

Chad Calhoun "Hold ON"

David Kraut "Don't Listen (demo)"

Dempsey Watson "Ripple Free"

Keith Dean "THE OTHER WAY AROUND"

Lorna Flowers "What Don't Kill You Makes You Stronger"

Kent Forward "Outrun The Sun"

Moker Jarrett "Even the Candles Cried"

Marc Kuchner "Jack Nicholson "

Joe Lickteig "I've Died and Gone To Tulsa DEMO"

Lance Sims "Elbow Room"

Dempsey Watson "Fifth Cup Of Sorrow"

Bob Beckley "He's Still Living In Virginia"

Sue Bennett "I COULD LIE"

David Kraut "A Day Job and a Dream (pro demo)"

Rebecca Peaden "God's Country Roses (Female Version)"

Belle Schneiderman "The Woman In Me"

Mike Todd "Live, Love and Learn"

Lance Sims "Got My Country On"

James (Jim) Smith "Just A Song"

James (Jim) Smith "This Red Neck of the Woods"

Ed Williams "You Got Country"

Kent Forward "Outrun The Sun"

Ryan Hydro "Jack Nicholson (Best of Song U)"

Joe Lickteig "The Color of a Collar DEMO"

Lance Sims "Good To Be Anywhere"

James (Jim) Smith "Color of a Collar"

James (Jim) Smith "Just A Song"

Jill Spencer "BEST FRIENDS"

Jill Spencer "ONE HELL OF A RIDE"

Germain Brunet "THAT FIRST KISS"

Kent Forward "Above Ground"

Joe Lickteig "First Last Kiss DEMO"

Rebecca Peaden "Men in Texas Ain't Sexist - Best of SongU!"

Jill Spencer "BEST FRIENDS"

Mitch Townley "On My Family Tree "

Bob Beckley "He's Still Living In Virginia"

David Kraut "A Day Job and a Dream (pro demo)"

Marc Kuchner "I'm Still Growing Up"

Tom Bohn "THE SHAPE OF A CROSS"

Tom Bohn "LIFE!"

Steve Hostetler "My Woman on the Line"

Elizabeth Milcarek "GROW SLOW- new demo for male pitch"

Ray Phillips "She Takes My Breath Away rch"

James (Jim) Smith "THIS EMPTY CHAIR"

Jill Spencer "BEST FRIENDS"

Richard Bassett "I Like It Like That (Tic TacToe)"

Bob Beckley "He's Still Living In Virginia"

Lorna Flowers "The Trouble With Me "

Pat Kelley "I Enjoy The View (Best Of SongU)"

David Kraut "A Day Job and a Dream (pro demo)"

Marc Kuchner "I'm Still Growing Up"

Bill Osofsky "It's Not You, It's Me"

Jamie Southworth "I'm That Girl-Co-write with Jim Kruse"

Jill Spencer "I DONT WANNA WISH"

Tina Tufts "TAKE YOU THERE"

Terri Fann "Too Much Country "

David Kraut "Don't Listen (demo)"

Rebecca Peaden "Even the Candles Cried"

James (Jim) Smith "Just A Song"

James (Jim) Smith "Pink Fuzzy Dice"

Bob Beckley "He's Still Living In Virginia"

Marc Kuchner "Start Now "

Elizabeth Milcarek "Y CHROMOSOME - VERSION 2"

Mike Blottenberger "This Ain't My Boyfriend's Truck"

Sharon Hunt "Damage"



www.SongU.com/ifs



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~ ~ ~ ~ ~



here's more about

www.songu.com/ifs



This is a special "Gold Stars" edition of the SongU.com Campus News

to celebrate our members recent successes this year. Get ready to

read for awhile because this is the biggest list of successes we've

ever had!  In fact it's so huge, I have to send the file in two parts

for our mailing list program!



All I can say is WOW!  Actually, I did say that many times while I

was compiling this list (as Sara at the desk next to me can attest

to) . From Grand Prize Winners to major achievements in songwriting

contests like the American Idol Songwriting Competition, to signing

licensing agreements for use with NBC Sports and the upcoming

Olympics (stay tuned for a special press release on that!) -- to

having songs on hold with major label artists like Rodney Atkins and

Hank Williams Jr. or Top 20 singles that scored on major charts like

R&R, including a #1 on Disney Radio -- our members have made it

happen!  We're so proud of you guys for getting out there, connecting

with each other and working hard. You'll likely notice that many of

the songs below were co-writes with other SU members or came through

Spin N' Pitch listings. So keep reaching out and writing with one

another and keep pitching those songs. You never know what will

happen.

Ok, without further adieu, maestro, please cue the fanfare music (and

apologies to anyone whom I've accidentally overlooked)...



PART I -- GOLD STARS: January-April 2008



High-Fives to our members who won or placed in a songwriting contest

recently:



Donna Aylor ("Live Like You Love") - Top five at

SongwriterUniverse.com Best Song Of The Month� Contest.



Bonnie Barbey ("Come and Break My Heart", cowritten with SU member

Kay Crawford) - Top 10 at the NSAI Symposium. Kay and Bonnie got an

honor's award for "A Mother's Prayer" in the Great American

Songwriting Contest this year while Kay got another honor award for

her song, "Captivated".



Paul Hunnecutt ("I confess" and "He did it") - The USA Songwriting

Competition. Finalist in the 2007 competition



Steve Johnson (""Road To Glory"") - Great American Song Contest.

Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting Gospel. Also Steve's

song, "White Crosses" received an honor award from the Great American

Song Contest for the special category: Patriotic



Marla Lewis ("Mighty Jackie, the Strikeout Queen") - The Great

American Song Contest. Her song was the GRAND PRIZE WINNER. Marla

also received Top 5 honors for two more of her songs: "I Love to Talk

to Plants" and "Whenever Celia Sings". Check her out at:

www.marlalewis.com



Roy McCoy ("Old Jack Daniels") - Empire Music Song Festival honorable

mention.



Elizabeth Milcarek ("TURN IT AROUND ON A DIME", cowritten with Rich

Howland) - 2007 INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION (ISC). Semi-

finalist in the Children's Music Category. Betsy's song "Grow

Slow"(co-written with SU member, Bob DeWald was an honorable mention

in the SongDoor 2007 International Songwriting Competition. Honorable

Mention in the Country Category and a Top 5 Finalist in the 8th

Annual CMT/NSAI Song Contest.



Barb Murrin ("There") - Great American Song Contest 2007. Category:

Christian/Gospel Placement: One of the Top Finalists who scored near

the top of their respective categories.



Barb Murrin ("ONLY YOU") - Co-written with Eva Wilson was a finalist

in the recent SongDoor International Songwriting Contest.



Howard Pavane ("Together, Forever") - American Songwriter Magazine

Lyric Contest. American Songwriters Magazine Lyrics Contest,

Finalist, March/April 2008, Smoke and Fire.



Yvonne Perkins ("DON'T WRECK THE TRAIN") - Finalist in the Song of

the Year contest.



Debbie Rice ("They Chose Me") - 11th Annual Unisong International

Songwriting Contest honorable mention.



Rolf Schnyder ("A Moment") - Top 5 in the SongwriterUniverse Best

Song Of The Month� Contest in January.



Perry Smith ("You Believed In Me") - American Idol Songwriting

Competition. Currently in the Top 20 out of tens of thousands of

entries.



Donna Valentine ("On My Family Tree"). Co-written with SU member,

Mitch Townley) - Song Door International Songwriting Contest

finalist. Also, Donna's song, "I Can't Breathe For You", cowritten

with SU member, Jen Mangum grabbed 2nd place in the Country Category

of the Billboard World Songwriting Contest.



Mark Winborn ("The Long Road") - International Narrative Song

Competition first place winner in the "self-discovery/spiritual

identity" lyric category.





Hats off to those members who signed a song with a publisher or had a

song licensed:



Cheryl Ashton ("Ride the Wind") - AudioBrain for NBC Broadcast of the

Olympics. Hey we received our sync license agreement and will be

included in the database for NBC! Cheryl's song "Rocks Across The

River" has also been signed with publisher Pitchfork Music.



Anthony Campbell ("Friday Night (soundtrack)") - Signed contract for

use of my soundtrack in the 2008 Olympic Games with NBC sports. Also,

Tony's song, "His Great Love" was signed with a print company out of

California that does hymns for Churches as well as Gospel music. The

song will be available on CD/Print Music later this year.



Sharon Hunt ("Damage" and "The Only One") - Signed To RDSD Publishing



Pat Kelley ("I Wanna Go Down South") - Signed to America's New Artist

Music.



Ken Matejka ("Ain't No Wrong Way to Do What's Right", cowritten with



SU members, Anastasia Matejka and Dan Robinson signed to Brandon

Hills Music.



James Oliver ("Bad News Blues") - Signed to Audiobrain Music.



Rolf Schnyder ("Picking Cherries") - Spectrum Music. I signed a

contract with Spectrum Music. Song: "Picking Cherries" with your

help!!! Thanks a lot!! All the best, Rolf Schnyder



Bruce Scism ("Guide Me Home", "River of Regret", "Two Hearts"

and "Brighter Days") - Signed with AudioBrain Music for use in NBC

Sports library.



Michael Shield ("Dawn Parade") - Co-written with SU member Linda

Marcus and signed to AudioBrain music.



Gary D. Smith ("Fish Till We're Blue") - Audiobrain/New York, City

for 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS for NBC SPORTS. Very excited to be accepted

for this event. More than likely the music track only will be played

in certain spots but that's awesome too!!!



Todd Thompson ("Never Give Up") - Signed to My Three Kids Music.



Dempsey Watson ("Your Eyes Are No Place For A Running Heart") - Co-

written with SU member Bill Ekhoff signed with SMD Music.

A round of applause to those members who had a song on hold or one

recorded:



Paul Hunnecutt ("The Rok and Roll Yodel and I Always Cry When It

Rains") -  Ashley Nicole Wheeler, a 15 year old female who is nearing

a major label deal recorded two of Paul's songs for her next album.



Bruce Scism ("Lonely Fool") - On hold for male artist Jonathon

McCuen.



James (Jim) Smith ("Pink Fuzzy Dice") - On hold for Oklahoma singer

Darrel Lee. Also, Jim's song "More Than That" is on hold for John

Kiger.



Joe Lickteig/James (Jim) Smith ("Color of a Collar") - On hold for

Hank Williams, Jr.. This song has also been on hold with Jason Aldean

and Rodney Atkins.



Allison Lynn ("Real Big Fan") - Allison Lynn. This is a solo CD,

featuring 3 songs I wrote myself. I moved from Toronto, Ontario

(Canada) to Nashville a year ago. Recording a Nashville CD, with

professional Gospel musicians and writers, was one of my main goals

in moving here. It was an amazing experience and I'm thrilled with

the results. Thanks, Allison Lynn www.allisonlynn.com



Germain Brunet ("Read between the Lines") - Recorded by Shari Lynn on

her CD "You don't know Jack" . Also Dexter Edwards has recorded three

of Germain's songs ("The Way To Your Heart"," You Change The Beat Of

My Heart" and "Never Been So Wrong""). Dexter is currently getting

airplay right now on "The Way To Your Heart".



Anthony Campbell ("I Don't Have Time" album name is "A Great

Collection"  cowritten with SU member Heather Cowles) - Available on

E-Music CD. This is one of several songs that E-music has added to

their collection CDs. While there are two versions of this song they

released the original version with Heather singing and Tony playing.

Also, Anthony songs "Don't Have The Time" and "Rather Drive" have

been recorded by independent artists BJ Barett who was in the Top 20

of all country Internet radio at the end of last year. And finally,

talented Arizona singer, Jennifer Corine Bogan will be recording 6 of

Tony's songs on her upcoming solo CD.



Bob Clay (""If It Hadn't Felt Like Rain" ") - Recorded on Australian

country artist Billy Bridge's new CD "Doin' OK".



Jeff Moxcey ("What This Woman Wants To Hear", "Love Is A

Rollercoaster", "Burn Your Memory Down") - Recorded by artist Dawn

Hardee on her latest CD titled Welcome Inside. Also, Jeff's

song "Here For The Beer" has been recorded by artist Dale Williams on

his CD There's A Home. And his song, "Angels In The Snow" has been

recorded by female artist, Carly Henry.



Bruce Scism ("Darling I Do" and "Two Hearts") - Have been recorded by

artist Yasmin Tanriverdi



James (Jim) Smith ("This Red Neck of the Woods") - Recorded by Troy

Wykle. This song has also been recorded by the Kiger Band and has now

been recorded by 4 artists and released on a 30,000 CD release for

Digital Rodeo alongside other artists like Aaron Tippin. Also, Jim's

song, "Just A Song" has been recorded by Chad Williams and his

song, "One Too Many" has been recorded by Australian artist Marie.

And we should mention that Jim's song, "This Empty Chair" has been

recorded by Indie artist Gary Evan from Washington and his song Gary

D. Smith (""Not No, But Hell No"") - ETNC Publishing- Joe Quaranto -

Artist - Barbara Dex/European . Song will be released as a "single"

in September 2008.



Congrats to our our members who have recently gotten airplay:



Elizabeth Axford ("Big Screen TV") -  Her song "Big Screen TV," co-

written with Lisa Chaddock, will be used in the infomercial for Dr.

Tabor's Diet and will start airing May 15, 2008. Also, Liz's

arrangement/performance of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" was used

in an Obama ad on CNN during this past Christmas season.



Donna Aylor ("Watch Where We're Going") - Heather Wilkin's debut

single "Watch Where We're Goin'" hit radio last week and is already

being played nationally. You can call your local stations and request

the song. It's on CDX #445.



Arlon Bennett ("Be the Change") - Arlon Bennett new CD 'Summer's

Voice'. The song 'Be the Change' from the record 'Summer's Voice',

came in as the 9th most played song on Folk radio in the US for all

of 2007!



Bill Ekhoff (""What I Didn't Want To Know"") - European Country Music

Association AIRPLAY LIST. The song reached #13 in the National Top 40

in Spain.



Bill Ekhoff ("The Code" and  "What I Didn't Want to Know") - NORWAY

Top 30 - February 8, 2008.



Sue Fabisch ("I Don't Think About It") - Sue's song sung by Emily

Osment of Hannah Montana fame, went #1 on the Radio Disney Charts!

The song has also been included on "Radio Disney Jams 10", a

compilation CD of hit Disney songs along with Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus,

The Jonas Brothers and more (so she's in pretty good company).



Jerry Glidewell ("Be Still") - Co3. "Be Still" single by Co3

(Christian Contemporary) reached # 18 on the R & R charts. The song

was written by SU member Jerry Glidewell and is on the Co3

album "Determined" (Flagship Records).



Paul Hunnecutt ("The Two Trails Album") - The artist is Carl Acuff

Jr.. In December 2007 Carl Acuff jr recorded 9 of Paul's songs for

his next album. His first release, "I'm gonna' Be Bad Today" will be

distributed to 1500 radio stations in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas,

Mississippi, New Mexico and in Europe.



And cheers to those members who have other good news to share:



Kathe Beaver ("COVER GIRL") - Kathe has released her new 12-song CD,

Cover Girl, on TAM Records



Debbie Rice ("By Faith CD, and latest single "They Chose Me"") -

Indieheaven.com Momentum Awards. Debbie L. Rice & Faith:REFINED are

pleased to announce that they have been nominated for Contemporary

Artist of the Year at the 3rd Annual "Momentum Awards" sponsored by

Indieheaven.com.



Donna Valentine - Donna is one of the first inductees into the

SongRamp Hall of Fame.

www.songu.com/ifs





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



SAVE THE DATE:

June 28, 2008

Marshall, Texas

Time & Venue - TBA



Opportunity to work hands on with a hit Nashville writer!

3 - hit writers  - Woody Mullis (Adelida); Mike Geiger (Darlene); and

Brice Long (Nothin On But the Radio)

--- 1 day workshop -- followed with a songwriter round concert!

covering:

writing

co-writing

publishing

pitching

and more!!



Limited number

Sponsored by the Marshall - Ark-La-Tex NSAI -

$150 to NSAI member; $175 non-members

Make your reservation now

email for registration form:

katdavidson459@...



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



have you read ASCAP's Songwriters Bill of Rights





Here's the text:



Just as citizens of a nation must be educated about their rights to

ensure that they are protected and upheld, so too must those who

compose words and music know the rights that support their own acts of

creation. Without these rights, which directly emanate from the U.S.

Constitution, many who dream of focusing their talents and energies on

music creation would be economically unable to do so - an outcome that

would diminish artistic expression today and for future generations.



At this time, when so many forces are seeking to diminish copyright

protections and devalue artistic expression, this Bill of Rights for

Songwriters and Composers looks to clarify the entitlements that every

music creator enjoys.



1. We have the right to be compensated for the use of our creative

works, and share in the revenues that they generate.



2. We have the right to license our works and control the ways in

which they are used.



3. We have the right to withhold permission for uses of our works

on artistic, economic or philosophical grounds.



4. We have the right to protect our creative works to the fullest

extent of the law from all forms of piracy, theft and unauthorized

use, which deprive us of our right to earn a living based on our

creativity.



5. We have the right to choose when and where our creative works

may be used for free.



6. We have the right to develop, document and distribute our works

through new media channels - while retaining the right to a share in

all associated profits.



7. We have the right to choose the organizations we want to

represent us and to join our voices together to protect our rights and

negotiate for the value of our music.



8. We have the right to earn compensation from all types of

"performances," including direct, live renditions as well as indirect

recordings, broadcasts, digital streams and more.



9. We have the right to decline participation in business models

that require us to relinquish all or part of our creative rights - or

which do not respect our right to be compensated for our work.



10. We have the right to advocate for strong laws protecting our

creative works, and demand that our government vigorously uphold and

protect our rights.





(from: http://www.ascap.com/rights/billText.aspx)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



BroadJam's Song placement: what works?



Delivery Tips

Here are some tips on how to optimize your song's chance of being

selected for placement. For information on Deliveries and how they

work, check out Tuesday's newsletter in the What's New section of

Broadjam.



1. Read the request carefully

Although Providers are limited in the amount of information they are

able to share - especially for shows and films that are still in

production - the details they do provide can be very telling. A

movie's genre communicates a lot about its tone; submit music with a

similar feel. Most importantly, don't submit music that does not

match the request (i.e. unapproved explicit lyrics, wrong genre,

vocals for an instrumental listing).



2. Review each other's submissions

These reviews are often a major factor in the song selected, so it is

a great way to help each other out and ensure that the best, most

appropriate song is selected. Take the time to give your input. This

is also a great way to get an idea of how your song compares to the

other songs being submitted.



3. Don't wait until the last minute

Destination Providers are allowed to view submissions in real time,

which means if a Provider is curious, they could be listening to

submissions every day and hear your song multiple times before the

deadline. If you wait until the last minute to enter, your song will

be heard for the first time with every other song after the

opportunity closes. Also, submitting at the last minute means your

song will not have time to collect a significant amount of reviews.



4. Visit the Artist Showcase

Songs that have been selected for placement can be found in the

Artist Showcase. Listen to them to get an idea of the types of songs

that are doing well in the current film and TV market.



Scroll down to read comments from one of our Destination Providers

about why he chose the songs he did.





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Aimee Mayo's SONG-WRITING ADVICE



Wednesday, March 12, 2008



SONG-WRITING ADVICE



I GET LOTS OF MESSAGES ON HERE ASKING ME SONG WRITING ADVISE AND

SECRETS ETC. ---------

SO, I DECIDED TO JUST PUT UP A LITTLE BLOG TO TRY TO HELP PEOPLE

SINCE I CANT SIT AROUND ALL DAY ANSWERING ALL THE QUESTIONS. DONT

HAVE ENOUGH FINGERS TO TYPE BACK TO EVERY ONE THAT CONTACTS ME ON

HERE.



FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS MOST SONGWRITERS ARE NOT GOING TO WANT

TO LISTEN TO YOUR SONGS SINCE WE WRITE EVERYDAY AND MOST OF US WHO

ARE SUCCESSFUL HAVE WRITTEN THOUSANDS OF SONGS AND CHANCES ARE WEVE

WRITTEN SOMETHING THAT IS CLOSE TO WHAT YOU ARE SENDING US. FOR LEGAL

PURPOSES I DO NOT LISTEN TO PEOPLES MATERIAL.



HERE IS WHAT I KNOW:

TELL THE TRUTH IN YOUR SONGS. THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME EMOTIONAL TRUTH

IN WHAT YOU SAY. I LIKE TO LOOK AT A LYRIC TO A BALLAD AND IF IT

LOOKS LIKE A LETTER TO SOMEONE THAT IS A GOOD THING.



UPTEMPOS ARE DIFFERENT- I AM NOT A MASTER AT THIS, BUT STUDY THE

SONGS THAT YOU LOVE THAT ARE UPTEMPO AND TAKE THEM APART AND FIGURE

OUT WHAT MAKES THEM TICK AND WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THEM. THEN TRY TO

RECREATE YOUR VERSION OR WHAT I LIKE TO CALL ... A SONG THAT MAKES

YOU FEEL THE WAY THE SONG YOU LOVE MAKES YOU FEEL. IF YOU CAN GET

GREAT AT WRITING UPTEMPO SONGS YOU WILL GET RICH. ALMOST EVERYONE

LOOKING IS LOOKING FOR UPTEMO, SO, IF YOU HAVE A UNIQUE IDEA TRY TO

FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT TEMPO. WRITERS AND ARTIST USUALLY, NATURALLY GO

TO BALLAD WORLD BECAUSE IT IS EASIER, EVERYBODY WANTS TO WRITE WHEN

THEY ARE SAD- ITS A VENTING SYSTEM. WRITE WHEN YOU ARE HAPPY, AFTER A

FIRST DATE, AFTER A GREAT MOVIE, GO OUTSIDE ON A SUNNY DAY AND BOTTLE

THE FEELING.



TAKE SONGS YOU LOVE AND STUDY THEM, WRITE OUT THE LYRICS AND LEARN

THE CHORDS AND TRY TO CAPTURE THE MAGIC-



A GOOD EXAMPLE... PAUL MCCARTNEY LOVED THE SONG " BRIDGE OVER

TROUBLED WATER" BY SIMON AND GARFUNKEL .... SO, HE TRIED TO WRITE A

SONG THAT MADE HIM FEEL THE WAY THAT SONG MADE HIM FEEL AND IT

WAS "LET IT BE"

A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SONG WAS BORN.



I AM NOT SAYING STEAL THE MELODY- I AM SAYING TAKE THE EMOTIONAL

CONTENT OR THE DRIVING GUITAR RIFF AND SEE WHERE YOU GO IN YOUR

VERSION.



ANOTHER THING I THINK NEW WRITERS NEED TO REALIZE IS THE LISTENER

DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING BUT WHAT YOU TELL THEM SO BE CAREFUL WITH

STORY SONGS -BECAUSE THEY CAN GET CONFUSING UNTIL YOU LEARN WHAT YOU

ARE DOING. MAYBE DON SCHLITZ CAN POST SOMETHING BECAUSE HE IS A

MASTER AT STORY SONGS. THE ONLY ADVISE I KNOW IS YOU NEED TO MAKE

THINGS CLEAR AND REMEMBER WE ARE HEARING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME AND

HAVE NO BACK STORY ON ANYTHING YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.



ANYONE THAT TELLS YOU, THEY CAN TELL YOU -HOW TO WRITE A HIT SONG IS

LYING. EVERY TIME I PICK UP A SONG WRITING BOOK IT FREAKS ME OUT

BECAUSE MY PROCESS IS DIFFERENT AND I ALWAYS THINK IF THIS PERSON IS

SUCH A GREAT SONGWRITER AND GENIUS WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD OF THEM?????



THE ONE BOOK I WOULD RECOMMEND IS

"SONGWRITERS ON SONGWRITING" LOTS OF INTERVIEWS WITH LOTS OF WRITERS"

THERE IS A LOT TO LEARN FROM THAT BOOK.



ANOTHER THING THAT IS VERY HELPFUL IS TO GO TO CMT.COM AND CHECK OUT

THE

UNPLUGGED AT STUDIO 330 SESSIONS....

LISTEN TO THE WRITERS TELL HOW THEY WROTE HIT SONGS AND TRY OUT THEIR

TRICKS. MOST OF THEM WILL TELL YOU THEY DONT KNOW WHERE HIT SONGS

COME FROM. IF WE KNEW WE WOULD DO IT EVERYDAY AND IT WOULD BE EASY.

ITS LIKE TRYING TO PREDICT A SHOOTING STAR, THEY JUST HAPPEN OUT OF

NOWHERE.



SONG WRITING IS KIND OF LIKE FISHING, THE MORE YOU FISH AND THE

LONGER YOU FISH THE MORE FISH YOU CATCH. THE BEST WRITERS ARE PEOPLE

WHO HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE BOAT. SOMETIMES YOU REEL IN A

TIRE AND SOMETIMES A CATFISH THE SIZE OF A MICROWAVE. YOU JUST HAVE

TO BE OPEN AND PUT IN THE HOURS. WHERE DO IDEA’S COME FROM????? I

HAVE NO IDEA????? BUT A GOOD PLACE TO LOOK-



READ, READ, READ THAT IS ONE PLACE YOU WILL FIND INSPIRATION AND

WATCH MOVIES AND LISTEN TO MUSIC THAT INSPIRES YOU.



NOT THAT I AM IN ANYWAY COMPARING MY SONG WRITING TO MICHELANGELO

BUT, I LOVE HIS QUOTES



" IF PEOPLE KNEW HOW HARD I HAD TO WORK TO GAIN MY MASTERY,

IT WOULD NOT SEEM WONDERFUL AT ALL."



"The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the

greatest artist has."

Michelangelo



IF YOU HAVE SONGS INSIDE OF YOU GET THEM OUT. I WRITE PRETTY FAST.

MOST OF MY BIGGEST HITS WERE WRITTEN FAST. TRY NOT TO GET IN THE WAY

OF YOUR MUSE, TRY TO TURN YOUR EDITOR OFF.... RECORD YOUR

SUBCONSCIOUS THEN GO BACK AND EDIT IT. SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS I

HAVE WRITTEN I DO NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN. I LOVE LYRICS BY

STEVIE NICKS AND BERNIE TAUPIN AND THEY ARE NOT SPOON FED TO THE

LISTENER...THEIR LYRICS ARE LITTLE DREAMS SET TO MUSIC... SO IF YOU

CAN WRITE LYRICS LIKE THAT FORGET WHAT I SAID IN THE STORY SONGS

PARAGRAPH. SEE, THE MORE I TRY TO GIVE ADVISE THE MORE CONFUSED I

GET. EVERY ONE WRITES DIFFERENT AND THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING. HUGH

PRESTWOOD TAKES HIS TIME AND ONLY WRITES A HANDFUL OF SONGS A YEAR

BUT THEY ARE GOING TO BE A FIST FULL OF PERFECTION.



FIND YOUR PATH ....



WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE AND WRITE SOME MORE.



KNOW SOME OF THE RULES SO YOU CAN BREAK THEM. LIKE THE STRUCTURE OF A

SONG- VERSE, CHORUS, VERSE CHORUS BRIDGE BREAKDOWN CHORUS WORKS MOST

OF THE TIME... ITS A GOOD PLACE TO START -BUT ONE OF MY PET PEEVES IS

DONT PUT A BRIDGE IN A SONG JUST TO HAVE A BRIDGE. IF YOU ARE NOT

SAYNG SOMETHING NEW THAT HASNT ALREADY BEEN SAID IN THE SONG GO FOR A

MUSICAL SECTION INSTEAD OF A BRIDGE OR SOME KIND OF RELEASE.



ANYTHING IN LIFE IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH YOU WILL FIND A WAY TO GET

IT.

THATS MY QUOTE, SWEET, SIMPLE AND TRUE.



KEEP WRITING, GOOD LUCK AND GOD

BLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=69146587&blogID=366242593



http://www.myspace.com/littlebluetypewriter







~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



hi cindy,



just send myspace invites to whoever you want

most people will accept



but don't send big writers lyrics or post lyrics as a comment

most big writers have warnings like



"Please do not send me lyrics or post them in my comments. If you do,

I'll have to delete you."



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NOTE: THANKS TO THE SUE-HAPPY PEOPLE OF THE WORLD I CANNOT LISTEN TO

MATERIAL. I SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE ALL, BUT I WILL NOT GO TO YOUR SITE

AND LISTEN. I'M SO VERY SORRY THAT THIS IS THE WORLD WE LIVE IN, BUT

IT IS.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<



you can invite anyone as a friend you like and i suggest you read and

subscribe to their blogs

below are some artists you might enjoy



Ande



http://www.myspace.com/montewarden



http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=51157416



http://www.myspace.com/jasonblumesongwriter



http://www.myspace.com/kdioguardi

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=99668840





http://www.myspace.com/bergsong



http://www.myspace.com/nicolewitt



http://www.myspace.com/lisacarvermusic



http://www.myspace.com/cheleytackettmusic



http://www.myspace.com/tonylanemusic



http://www.myspace.com/riversrutherford



http://www.myspace.com/bobdipiero



http://www.myspace.com/ejwmusic



http://www.myspace.com/bigloudshirtmusic



http://www.myspace.com/chriswallin



http://www.myspace.com/horseandwriter



  http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomhillarylindsey



http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=68978684

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=68978684

http://www.myspace.com/littlebluetypewriter

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=69146587



http://www.myspace.com/moonscarmusic



http://www.myspace.com/karynrochellesongs



http://www.myspace.com/dvincentwilliamslive





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



MASTER SONGWRITING CLASS WITH PAT PATTISON



WHAT: The Dallas Songwriters Association (DSA) and Absolute Rehearsal

Studios team to support local musicians.



WHEN: On Saturday and Sunday June 7th & 8th, 2008 from 10am to 4pm.



WHERE: The event will be held at Absolute Rehearsal Studios,



2607 Walnut Hill Lane @ Shady Trail intersection, Dallas , TX 75229



214-295-2673



WHY: As an educational music organization we promote events which

bring local songwriters/musicians, and music industry professionals

together to strengthen the Dallas music community through education

and networking.



WHO: The DSA will sponsor "Pat Pattison Weekend", in a songwriting

workshop presented in a Master Class Format.



Pat Pattison is a Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he

teaches Lyric Writing and Poetry. In addition to his three books,

Writing Better Lyrics, The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and

Structure, and The Essential Guide to Rhyming, Pat has developed three

online lyric writing courses for Berklee's online school, available

through www.patpattison.com. He has written over 30 articles for Home

& Studio Recording Magazine, and Performing Songwriter. Pat continues

to present songwriting clinics across the US , Canada , Australia ,

New Zealand and the UK . Several of his students have won Grammy's,

including John Mayer and Gillian Welch. For more info visit Pat's

website at: www.patpattison.com.



DSA is a 501 C-3 non-profit educational organization which was founded

in 1987. DSA's mission is to enhance the overall personal and

professional growth of its members.



For additional information contact Jos� Volante 214-929-5558, or email

jose_v_75006@...



COST & REGISTRATION:



COST: $125 @ person. $100 for the first 20 Dallas Songwriter

Association Members to register. It's only $50 to become a DSA member.

Join today! Please pre-register!



REGISTRATION:



Complete, Print and Return With Payment To:



Dallas Songwriters Association Pat Pattison Workshop



Sammons Center for the Arts



3630 Harry Hines Blvd. Box 20



Dallas, TX 75219



First name:_____________



Last name:____________



Street Address:_______________________________



City:____________ ______



State/Province:_________ Zip Code:_________



Country:_______________



Phone:________________



E-mail:________________



Dallas Songwriters Association

% Sammons Center for the Arts

3630 Harry Hines Blvd. Box 20

Dallas , TX 75219



Register online at the DSA Store:



http://store.kagi.com/?7TE_LIVE&lang=en



Absolute Rehearsal Studios,



2607 Walnut Hill Lane @ Shady Trail intersection, Dallas , TX 75229



214-295-2673





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Write on,





Ande



Does anyone ever read IFS to the VERY END?

Take YOUR Songwriting to a WHOLE NEW�LEVEL

Drop by



http://www.SongU.com/ifs



Where you can:

+ PITCH your songs

+ Receive Professional critiques

+ Get Mentoring from industry pros

+ Network with talented songwriters at SongU and



TAKE a FREE songwriting course at

http://www.SongU.com/ifs



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Every songwriter should have a songwriting library

Drop by:

http://astore.amazon.com/ifsande-20

find what's missing from yours

I recommend books by Jason Blume and Sheila Davis



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Many artists say the INDIE BIBLE

is a wonderful tool for independent artists

drop by

http://www.indiebible.com/swb

to check it out



The Folks at INDIE BIBLE just released a brand new directory called�

The Indie Venue Bible.



The Indie Venue Bible is a unique, comprehensive directory of live�

music venues. It is in electronic (.pdf) format and lists 26,000�

venues and 2000 booking agents in the US and Canada. The�

listings are arranged by area, making it easier for artists to�

route and plan their tour.�

check it out at:

https://nt4.magma.ca/bigmeteor/ivbaras_order.cfm



~ ~ ~ ~ ~�

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Dear IFS Readers,



I hope this email finds you well.



It's been entirely too long since I've launched an IFS issue



How's your songwriting going?

Really write me and let me know



Last month I went to LA  and NYC

had a nice dinner with Alan O'Day and his wife



I am seriously considering going to the Durango Songwriting Conf in

Colorado Springs



Had a nice swimming development

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/18266.asp



I wish you the best with your writing



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~





here's a question I got from a myspace friend

followed by my reply

what else should I have told her



Ande



~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Hey Ande



It is always great to get on to  your music myspace and listen to

your music!  Keep the songs  coming!



last time you sent me a message you gave me the website on how to

create a music myspace.  I think it has been so long that it has

changed or something... cause it didn't work.  You sent me this link:



http://signup</a>.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandjoin



I am moving to Nashville to persue my  dream of becoming a pro

songwriter.  Any suggestions?  I am moving from Katy, TX.  I am

really excited, but scared.  Do you have any pointers on how to be

successful and not give up.  I fear I will get there and think it is

too hard.  I hope I don't do that.  What do you think of the NSAI?

What do you think about all those songwriting contests out there?...

you know... the ones that charge a ton of cash just to enter one

song.  Have you ever done the nashville thing... or have you just

stuck to your Texas roots?



Anyway, any feedback would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!



~Andi



~ ~ ~ ~



my reply:



hi Andi



make sure there are no spaces in the URL

http://signup.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandjoin



so you're moving to Nashville to persue your dream of becoming a pro

songwriter.



you asked

Any suggestions?

many

I've written about this often at www.songwriterblog.com

read the message archive



here are more



1) join songramp

http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=8001



2) read marc alan barnette's forum in it's entirety

http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=57759



read Building an Artist. The REAL DEAL

http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=59333



3) join NSAI and go to events



4) take a Marc Alan Barnette tour

http://www.marcalanbarnette.com/tours.htm



5) do a write up with Marc Alan Barnette

http://www.marcalanbarnette.com/writeups.htm



6) read MAB's do's and don'ts

http://www.marcalanbarnette.com/dosanddonts.htm



7) sign up for nashville muse

http://nashvillemuse.com/

meet doak turner

got to his 3rd sunday  events



8) talk with other songwriters and friend them on myspace



9) find talented up and coming writers

meet the top writers in nashville but don't ask them to cowrite

study their songs, hear their stories



10) check out

http://www.myspace.com/bergsong

and send friend invites to his top 40

listen to how great his songs are and those of his friends



11) understand that songwriting in nashville is very VERY competitive

there's a chance you could go there and have no success for years if

ever

your songs have to be awesome

your relationships need to be real and solid



12) get a great day job to pay your bills and have extra money to

invest in your music



13) go to durango songwriters expo

http://www.durango-songwriters-expo.com/

learn from  the pros and meet the attendees



14) participate on online songwriting communities like

songramp.com http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/

jpfolks.org  http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php

tunesmith.net  http://tunesmith.net/forums/

lurk at first

read who goes on

then start critiquing and commenting on lyrics and songs

then start posting your own

listen to songs people post on songramp

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/index.php

and offer comments



15) get to where you can write incredible songs

make or have made awesome demos

network and write with amazing artists, writers and producers



16) don't bother pitching till your songs and demos are top notch



17) join www.songu.com/ifs



18) what else?



Do you have any pointers on how to be successful and not give up.  I

fear I will get there and think it is too hard.  I hope I don't do

that.

LEARN WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN

BE A SPONGE

WRITE INCREDIBLE SONGS

COWRITE

NEVER GIVE UP

help people



What do you think of the NSAI?

GREAT ORG

JOIN PARTICIPATE



What do you think about all those songwriting contests out there?...

you know... the ones that charge a ton of cash just to enter one

song.

MOST CONTESTS ARE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY DESIGNED TO MAKE MONEY

FOR THE BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION OFFERING IT

WRITE INCREDIBLE SONGS AND COMPETE FOR CUTS

CONTESTS CAN HELP YOU FIND TALENTED COWRITERS AND ARTISTS



Have you ever done the nashville thing... or have you just stuck to

your Texas roots?

I WENT TO NASHVILLE IN MARCH 1999

TO REALLY HAVE SUCCESS YOU NEED TO BE THERE OR GO THERE OFTEN

many of my friends and cowriters either live there or go there



Anyway, any feedback would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!



HOPE THIS HELPS,



write on,



ANDE





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Marketing & Promotion

Radio Airplay

Learn, Laugh & Interact with www.vocalist.org.uk



Airplay is one of the best ways to get your music heard. Why? because

whilst radio broadcasting cannot show the visual vibrancy of your

performance, it can promote your music to a wide audience who you

would be unlikely to reach using normal avenues.



So you have to have a record deal to get airplay right?

Wrong!! So lets look at some examples.



The track 'I'd rather go blind' which was a hit for a complete

unknown was sent in as an unsolited demo to a morning Television

programme.   More recently a gifted singer from America had a huge

hit - despite having died over 2 years ago - Eva Cassidy's rendition

of 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' was heard and subsequently searched

out for airplay and television broadcast.



So how do you get the presenters to listen to your music and give you

airtime?

First be aware that LUCK does play a large part in this but HARD WORK

and DETERMINATION should bring you some significant results.



Second - be prepared for REJECTION, Unreturned Demos & Completely

Disregarded letters!!! This business is tough and you must try not to

let negative results get you down. Don't give up if your demo remains

unheard by the resident radio guru, keep trying!!



1. Research your local radio stations - does your style of music fit

their play list - if not you have little or no chance of it being

heard.



2. How 'community friendly' is your station? - For small local RSL's

(restricted service license) and community radio stations, it's worth

noting that they are often granted their license on the basis that

local people and community groups will be actively involved or events

promoted. If you are unsure, contact the station manager or the Radio

Authority for confirmation.   This doesn't guarantee that you'll get

your masterpiece played, but it should keep radio stations aware of

what their potential customers want.



3. Once you've found a station and presenter who is new/local artist

friendly contact them for their submission requirements. Most usually

require your demo on tape or cd with a breakdown of who is in the

band, where you play & what type of music.



4. Before you send the demo make sure the quality is excellent!!

Hiss, pops, feedback and muddy sounds will make you sound awful and

your demo will be rejected!! Aim to Impress - not Depress your live

music presenters, so keep your letter brief, friendly & informative.

Relying on your fab music to wow the program editor is NOT ENOUGH -

first you have to get them to LISTEN to it!!



5. Remember you have approximately 30 seconds (60 if your lucky).

That is the average listening time most A&R, Presenters & Reviewers

give a demo....... No REALLY..... so the tracks you send must be your

very best effort.... lack of demo clarity is sometimes overlooked but

inadequate quality of performance and talent is not!



6. So what makes an impact? Catchy tunes, memorable lyrics are often

popular but subject to the taste of the listener, however, music

played with passion, songs performed with heart and soul plus that

intangible 'something' are difficult to ignore even when the style or

genre of music is not to the listeners taste.



7. Packaging is important. Give your CD or Audio Cassette a nice eye-

catching cover, mark the track listings clearly, make sure they are

easy to read and include a Contact Name and Number on the sleeve and

on the cassette/cd!!   If a letter gets mislaid or your masterpiece

filed for future referance your details will always be available.



8. Keep a record of who you have contacted, when & rough notes on the

conversation. If you receive a positive reply it's great to refer to

a successful approach to re-use again! Feedback of any kind should

always be filed for referance & follow up letters, phone calls or

visits to interested presenters should be a 'must do' in your

marketing strategy.



9. Pick your stations & presenters carefully. Take note of those who

provide a new or community band/artist show. Check the type of music

they are prepared to play & then make your initial request for

airplay.



10. Some programs actively request your demo's, for instance, 104.9

XFM has a great indie & rock show highlighting unsigned bands (London

& surrounding areas), whilst Jazz FM has provided Paul Jones with an

opportunity to promote the occasional new Blues Band.



11. There has been an encouraging tendancy for many radio programmes

and stations to broadcast live music, dj's and band gig or event

dates. Most need these to be sent 7 - 14 days in advance but it's

another great avenue for new acts to get free promotion.



12. For every 100 letters/tapes you send it is most likely that you

will only recieve 1% - 5% of replies or acknowledgements, out of

which most will be polite rejections from people who haven't even

bothered to listen to your demo. So don't despair - keep sending 'em

out - polite persistance and a love of making music may not make you

a 'Super Pop Star' but it will go a long way in helping to get you

noticed!!











~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



I always enjoy reading the

stories behind the songs



what do you think?



http://www.theboot.com/category/story-behind-the-song/

then click NEXT



http://www.theboot.com/2008/05/21/story-behind-the-song-i-saw-god-

today-george-strait/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/05/14/story-behind-the-song-still-feels-

good-rascal-flatts/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/05/07/story-behind-the-song-73-jennifer-

hanson/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/04/30/story-behind-the-song-all-american-

girl-carrie-underwood/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/04/23/story-behind-the-song-im-still-a-

guy-brad-paisley/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/04/16/story-behind-the-song-sing-you-back-

to-me-trisha-yearwood/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/04/09/story-behind-the-song-better-as-a-

memory-kenny-chesney/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/04/02/story-behind-the-song-something-

about-a-woman-jake-owen/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/03/26/story-behind-the-song-long-black-

train-josh-turner/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/03/19/story-behind-the-song-silent-house-

dixie-chicks/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/03/12/story-behind-the-song-long-trip-

alone-dierks-bentley/



http://www.theboot.com/2008/03/05/story-behind-the-song-our-song-

taylor-swift/





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



congrats to IFS reader

As you know, I had my first major cut in Korea back in 2006 with Park

Jung Ahs' solo album "YEAH". The song I had gotten placed on that

record was "Fly Away", which is track 5 on her solo album.



It is now 2008 and I have a 2nd major cut that has released in Korea

on May 22, 2008 with TaeYangs' solo album HOT. The song I cowrote

that made it on his album is "Dating Game", which is track 4

entitled "Sinners".



You can go to www.yesasia.com and purchase a copy of his album if

you'd like (TAEYANG solo mini album HOT 2008).



For a preview of the songs, you may visit this website that I

stumbled upon while looking up info on the artist:



http://www.bebo.com/MusicAlbum.jsp?

MusicAlbumId=6704101819&MemberId=4059387840



Let me know what you think.....



"Dating Game"

written by Drew Ryan Scott/Michael Snyder/Gregory Watton/Sean

Alexander/Gabe Lopez

(C)copyright 2007 (ASCAP)



Best wishes,



Gregory Watton





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



need a quick website



Google Page Creator is a free online tool that makes it easy for

anyone to create and publish useful, attractive web pages in just

minutes. ...

www.pages.google.com/



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



if you're in Austin be sure to check out monte warden's

concerts at The Saxon Pub and the Platinum Songwriter's Series,

ASG presents a two-hour private songwriter workshop with  Monte

Warden.



not sure when or what the next one will be but it's great stuff



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~





This singer has a quick welcome video (very simple, personal and not

flashy) on her home page



http://charicepempengco.com/



What a great welcome to a web site.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~





here's my answered to your  question in this JPF  thread



an Indie artist is interested in recording some of your songs for a

demo and for open mics, with the possibility of a cd later.

Great



How do I handle this and still retain rights to the song?

it's your song

you wrote wrote it or cowrote it

you can allow an artist to record a not for sale demo of your song

you just say

sure go right ahead and do so

I just ask you to

1) credit the writers and publishers,

2) provide us with a copy of your recording

3) know that this is a not for sale demo recording so you may

perform it,

give CDs away, no charge,

put it on your website and myspace, preferably streaming, not

download.

should you decide to include it on a for sale CD,

please contact us and we'll send you a mech

understand that we continue to pitching this song to other artists



can I have her look at me as a WORK FOR HIRE and she pay a use fee

for the songs?

I wouldn't do that

some writers charge the artist if the artist wants to use the writers

track but I really prefer for artists to get custom tracks made for

them. The other thing is, if you hired a demo studio to make your

demo and they provided you with the demo and track, then the artist

wants to use the track the demo studio made, it's fair to ask the

demo producer for permission to use their track, unless you hired the

studio to produce a MASTER RECORDING for you where you would own the

demo track. (it triples the musicians rates) I often refer the artist

to the demo producer to help them produce a track for them.



some of the songs are collabs

so how would that all work?

bring your cowriters into the discussion and get them on board

if it's a cowrite you can't make all the decisions without cowriter

approval



Do I need to have her sign a license?

not really

it's pretty simple

just get her to agree to your terms



ande





http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/624800

/page/3#Post624800



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



-----Original Message-----

From: Alan O'Day

To: Ande Rasmussen <anderasmussen@...>

Sent: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:50 pm

Subject: Hi from Alan O'Day





Hey Ande,



I've noticed that your newsletter no longer appears in my inbox.

Have you stopped emailing it, or did I somehow fall off your list?

If so, please put me back!



Chordially,



Alan



(Currently in Nashville, finishing my new artist CD!)





~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Hi alan,



great to hear from you

I don't send the newsletter out as much as I used to but I still do

launch it and there's been some great stuff in it, lately it's been

like once a month



you can put yourself back on the email list by

sending an empty email to

difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

then approve when they send you a confirmation email



SPAM BLOCKERS

you might also need to allow emails from

anderasmussen@...



to read previous IFS issues

you can go to

www.SongWriterBlog.com

then click on Messages

they are all archived there





congratulations on your album

look forward to hearing it

are you working with denny



I may be in LA Wed July 9th - Mon July 14th

the trip is not totally firm yet



I still very much appreciate meeting you when I was in LA back in

2007

I'd love to hear what all you've been up to lately



I hope someday we can cowrite a song, I'd be honored



take care my friend



Ande Rasmussen





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



From: Rita Engelhardt [mailto:rberox@...]

Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 11:09 AM

To: conniemims@...



Hi Connie,







My name is Rita Engelhardt and I'm looking for more traditional

sounding country songs for my recording project.



I want to use a lot of steel guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and Floyd

Cramer styled piano.



Anything from quirky and up-tempo, (example, Redneck Woman), to a

waltz, to a tear-jerker, as well as something spiritual, but

not "churchy".







Just a few of the artists I like are Patsy Cline (of course), Tammy

Wynette, LeeAnn Womack, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, early Reba,

Tammy Cochran (didn't make but one CD I think), Alan Jackson, George

Strait, Conway Twitty, Ray Price.







I hope this gives you an idea.  If you need more info to help narrow

down the selection, please don't hesitate to email me.







Thank you so much.







Rita Engelhardt



2650 Shady Acres Landing



Houston 77008







~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Every song I write, even if it's fiction, I have to draw from

something in my life to connect it with before it rings true, ...

Early on in my career, I had points where I felt like I may have run

out of ideas. Now I know that if I'm short of ideas, I need to take

some time off and let the well fill up ... and live life because

that's where the best songs come from

- Allen Shamblin





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



excellent derek sivers interview



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDloYl9TzaM







~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Hey Connie, can you give me any numbers or website addresses to

writers? Or, can you give me a website address that lists writers and

samples of their songs. My step daughter has had some interest in

her. She needs country songs along the lines of Carrie Underwood or

Miranda Lambert. That's her style. I would really appreciate any help.

Lynn Logan

521 Sharon

Humble, Tx.  77338

lynnsinger1@...





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



here was the pitch opp songu offered



Film/TV/Advertising/Media.



Pitch to Music Supervisor. NY-based company, Audiobrain, is compiling

original musical content for NBC Sports and NBC Olympics for use in

their broadcasts, website, and VOD. Music selected will receive the

highest priority for airing. They have agreed to listen to 2 songs at

a time from members on an ongoing basis.



What type of songs should you pitch?

They must be master/broadcast quality demos.

Instrumentals and background music will have the highest priority.

Orchestral and rock music are widely used as well.

However, any genre and tempo, male or female, will be considered as

long as the lyrics fit an emotion of sports (i.e. Champion, Reach for

the Gold, Stronger).



Important:

You must own the material, master recording and publishing AND you

must be clear of obligations from other talent that may be performing

on your track. In other words, you must have signed clearances from

all musicians and vocalists who perform on your demo, or they must

have been paid at Master rate.



What's the deal?

You will retain all your writer and publisher rights and revenues.

However, since the music may go across multiple platforms writers

will be asked to sign a "zero dollar waiver", meaning that you

1) understand that there may be re-broadcast on another medium such

as the NBC sports website, and

2) there are no additional payments that will be made for sync and

master licenses for the other medium except in a for-sale product. Re-

broadcast is usually for a very limited timeframe.

NBC will submit music cue sheets to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC for any use

where applicable. You will be paid the performance royalties directly

from your performing rights society. Royalties are variable based on

how many markets the piece airs, whether or not it is primetime, etc.

MEMBERS: This is great opportunity for you. Please pitch

appropriately.



here was a note from danny



7/15/08 -- Biting Flies At NJ Shore Pave The Way To The Olympics For

Over 75 SongU.com Member Songs



SongU.com member songs are headed to the Olympic games!! Our members

had outstanding success with our exclusive pitch to the company in

charge of providing the music library for all NBC network sports and

upcoming Olympics coverage. In the past three months, this NY based

sound branding and design company has chosen over 75 songs from our

members for the NBC Sports Music library!



The strangeness of how this SongU.com pitch came about is as

interesting as the success it has spawned for our members. It begins

a little over two years ago when my wife, Sara, and I decided we

would book a few days at the NJ shore after visiting family with our

then 3-year old daughter, Mia. She was still a little leery of the

ocean so we were hoping this trip to our old Jersey shore stomping

ground would change her feelings about going to the beach. It was a

hot day in July 2006 when we arrived at our hotel by the shore. We

all hurriedly put on our bathing suits and walked the two blocks to

the beach. But as fate would have it, a rare weather pattern made it

a perfect environment for a mass of biting flies to install

themselves along the shore for a few weeks. As we approached the

beach, the bubble of excitement floating in the air suddenly burst as

Mia let out a piercing scream (as only 3-year old girls can) and the

biting flies forced us to make a hasty retreat back to the indoor

pool at the hotel.



While we were at the pool, Sara struck up a conversation with a woman

named Audrey who was at the pool with her nephew. As they talked, we

learned that Audrey ran a cutting edge music company in NY with a

staff of several composers that licenses music for sporting events

like major league soccer on ESPN. We told her about our songwriting

and the educational site we now run, SongU.com. We found it strangely

coincidental that we all had the music industry in common at this

little NJ shore hotel. Over the next few days, we continued to bump

into each other in the hotel lobby, the indoor pool or on the

boardwalk. Before we returned home to Nashville, we exchanged phone

numbers and email addresses and said we'd stay in touch with each

other and perhaps someday we would find a way to all work together.

Audrey mentioned that she had a project in the works that might be a

good fit for us. But as with most things in the music industry, it

was not definite and quite a ways off from being realized.

Usually the story would conclude at this point by saying something

like "we emailed each other once or twice but then stopped

corresponding after a while". However, this story has a different

ending. After returning home to Nashville, Sara and Audrey kept in

correspondence every few months checking in with each other. As 2006

rolled into 2007, SongU.com was growing with more members, courses,

coaches, faculty and upgrades -- and Audrey's NY-based company was

getting some great press being heavily involved in the Microsoft Zune

rollout providing and licensing music in addition to landing

placements with ESPN and other sporting events. As another year went

by and 2007 drew to a close, Audrey wrote in an email that they were

closer to finalizing the project that she had mentioned to us back at

the NJ shore some 18 months ago. And in early 2008, an email arrived

from her saying that her company had landed the contract to overhaul

and license the entire NBC Sports music library. One of the main

projects on their front burner became seeking songs and music for the

upcoming Olympic games. Audrey said she would be working with the

major publishing companies she previously had relationships with as

well as her staff of composers. But she also wanted to give SongU.com

members a shot at this (we had previously let her hear some of their

songs and she had been impressed by the level of writing from our

members). So Sara set up a listening page for her in our online "My

Pitching" area and Audrey and her staff began listening to our

members songs on a regular basis. In the past three months their

company has now accepted over 75 songs for inclusion in the NBC

Sports Music library.

I guess the moral of the story is that you never know where, when, or

how something is going to happen that will affect the trajectory of

your songwriting career. Often, it involves some amount of luck.

The "luck" in this case came via Mother Nature and our timing at the

NJ Shore. But like most things in the music industry, nothing

happened immediately. Sara nurtured a relationship over 2 and 1/2

years with Audrey. Audrey worked for well over two years to secure

the exclusive NBC agreement. Our members kept improving their craft

and their songs, taking classes and working with our faculty and

coaches so that when this opportunity presented itself, they were

ready for it. Amazingly, all the stars lined up correctly and

everyone's hard work paid off.

They say that the race is not always won to the swift, but to those

who keep on running and never give up. And with that, I'd like to

extend a round of applause to all our SongU.com members who keep on

running and make us proud. The following members have signed

licensing agreements for the use of their songs or music in the NBC

Sports Music library. Way to go guys!

So with that, I'd like to extend a round of applause to all our

SongU.com members who have been offered (or signed) licensing

agreements with AudioBrain for the use of their songs or music in the

NBC Sports Music library. Way to go guys!

Cheryl Ashton "Ride The Wind"

M. B. "CHEMISTRY CLICK"

M. B. "HOTROCKS (instr)"

M. B. "Fanfare"

Rochelle Bartram (Bucher) "My Own Two Feet"

Rochelle Bartram (Bucher) "I Believe in You Instru"

Tom Bohn "LIFE!"

Germain Brunet "CLIMB (Uptempo)"

Chad Calhoun "Feel Free"

Chad Calhoun "The Effects Of Rain"

Chad Calhoun "What If I'm Broken"

Anthony Campbell "I Just Want You To Know"

Anthony Campbell "Friday Night"

RITA CASE "THE LADY'S IN LOVE"

Bill Ekhoff "What You Gotta Do - Track"

Bill Ekhoff "Feelin' the Feelin' - Track"

Sue Fabisch "We All Fall Down"

Jerry Glidewell "RACHELS ROSE (instrumental)"

Jerry Glidewell "DREAMER"

Jerry Glidewell "BE STILL"

Jerry Glidewell "SWEPT AWAY"

Jerry Glidewell "BEYOND PRAISE (track)"

Brian Hartzog "Fast Girl in A Pretty Car Instrumental"

Bev Herrema "Run"

Heidi Huettner "We Were Here"

Heidi Huettner "Follow Your Sunflower"

Shelley Jacobson "Quick & Dirty"

Shelley Jacobson "Extreme Overkill"

Shelley Jacobson "Can't Stop Me Now (Instrumental)"

Scott Jarman "That Drive"

Moker Jarrett "All Fades Away"

Moker Jarrett "Right in Front of Us"

Moker Jarrett "The Apple Barn"

Moker Jarrett "Ready to Fly"

Christopher Jones "Dreamy Town"

Ken Joniec "FDBK130-Wild Ride"

Ken Joniec "Undertow"

Adrienne Leopold "Make the Most of It"

Adrienne Leopold "Don't Mind Me"

Joe Lickteig "Leave it All on the Field DEMO"

Troy McMullen "Prelude in B"

Troy McMullen "Prelude in G No. 2"

Troy McMullen "Polso Difettoso"

Troy McMullen "Prelude in D Flat"

Elizabeth Milcarek "TURN IT AROUND ON A DIME - final demo"

James Oliver "Bad News Blues"

Donna Opfer "The Power of the Dream"

Rebecca Peaden "Terminal Towers"

Rebecca Peaden "Down On the Bayou"

Rebecca Peaden "I'm Still Kickin'"

Yvonne Perkins "I GOT THE POWER"

Ande Rasmussen "ain't gonna stop"

Steven Richards "Make A Big Splash--TraxMix"

Gerri Rowan "ALL I COULD EVER LOVE"

Keith Sasser "Slab Town Boogie [Instrumental]"

Bruce Scism "Guide Me Home (Instrumental)"

Bruce Scism "River of Regret (Instrumental)"

Bruce Scism "Two Hearts (C) Instrumental"

Bruce Scism "Brighter Days (Instrumental)"

Michael Shield "Dawn Parade 2008 Cummings, Shield, Marcus"

Gary D. Smith "FISH 'TIL WE'RE BLUE"

Jamie Southworth "You've Already Won"

Steve Thompson "Passages"

Dempsey Watson "A Train To The Blues (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "Don't Sing Like An Angel (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "Only Songs And Movies (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "How You Come From The Box (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "I'd Forget To Know Better (Inst)"

Dempsey Watson "Fifth Cup Of Sorrow (Inst)"

Greg Wilson "True, Love? (instrumental)"

Kenn Wolfe "Don't Bother Me"

That's all for now. See you "on campus" ;-)



Best wishes,



-Danny



here's an article about audio brain



http://adage.com/songsforsoap/post?article_id=127348







~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



I'm so excited about my new website for songwriters that I'm telling

everyone I can.



The address is www.Cowriterconnection.com and it's a convenient,

inexpensive way to find people to cowrite with - kind of like

a "Match.com" for songwriters.



When you sign up for

www.Cowriterconnection.com, you create your own profile with a link

to any place that your music can be heard on line, your contact info,

a picture (optional) and whatever information you want to give about

your own writing and what you are looking for in a cowriter.



Once you are signed up you can search the list of writers for ones

who have the qualities you are looking for and view the profile of

anyone you may want to contact.



I got the idea for this when I realized that, as a songwriting

teacher, one of the questions I am asked most often is "How can I

find people to cowrite with?" I believe this will be a really helpful

tool, and for $25, why not?



Barbara Cloyd

www.barbaracloyd.com





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



I found this from a songplugger



Loretta Martin is the Creative Director of VB Three Music Group. She

currently represents the catalogs of several Music Row writers, many

with multiple cuts. She currently plugs for E L Music (Clay Walker,

M. Jason Greene, Chris Cagle, Brock Goodwin and Cary Stone), Bill

Riddle Music Publishing (Jan Linville), Identical Entertainment (Ken

Harrell and Greg Johnson), and VB Three Music Group (Chip Martin,

John Goodwin, Julie Burton, Jason Eustice, Scott Sean White, Deanna

Harper, Rob Harris, Bryan Fogle, Erin Cody, Norm Kerner and Tom

Stipe). Loretta's latest accomplishments include a cut by

International Sony/BMG Artist Timothy James (Norm Kerner and Anita

Winters, Writers), as well as a song placement in the HBO

Documentary "Thundercars of Indiana" (Tom Stipe, Writer). Loretta

also landed a song in the successful German independent

film "Bummm!", and has also secured cuts by Peabo Bryson, Mark Wills,

Randy Meisner of the Eagles, Billy Dean, Billy Paul and countless

independent artists. In addition, her clients and their co-writers

have cuts by Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, Travis

Tritt, Diamond Rio, Alabama, James Otto, Celine Dion and Barbra

Streisand, just to name a few. Originally from Atlanta, Loretta now

resides in Nashville. In addition to her songplugger and publisher

titles, she is also a voice actor, singer, songwriter and musician.

Her jingles, voice overs and cartoon characters have been heard on

radio and television all over the southeast. As former president of

the Georgia Music Industry Association, Loretta was involved in

furthering music industry education via television interviews and

public speaking engagements. She coordinated songwriting showcases

and fund raisers, as well as hosted music business panels and

songwriting critique sessions. Loretta is also an accomplished piano,

percussion, saxophone and keyboard player. While in college, she

majored in Voice on a vocal scholarship, and majored in Music

Performance and Education with minors in piano and saxophone. She

studied ope ra, classical piano and jazz sax, and for many years

fronted high energy dance bands for conventions, trade shows,

corporate events, mitzvahs and weddings. ..







Before you ask me to listen to or pitch your songs...

Current mood:  working

Category: Music

I have been asked hundreds of times to listen and pitch songs from

others' myspace pages, and usually respond individually.  To keep

from typing the same responses, I have put all the info into one blog.



Many writers think their songs are hit songs when, in many cases,

they aren't pitchable.  Most "country" writers who live out of town

and don't come to Nashville often aren't aware of the Nashville

formula, and most songs I hear from out-of-town writers are

dated...sometimes by 10-20 years.  Just because someone's family and

friends think their songs are hits, doesn't make it so.  Some of the

best songwriters in the world live in Nashville, and the bar is very

high here.  For me to pitch someone's songs, they would have to be

better than what I'm already pitching.  Nashville is home to the

Jeffrey Steeles and the Hilary Lindsays and the John Riches and the

Craig Wisemans and the Bob DiPieros and the Aimee Mayos... and the

list goes on.



I am asked my opinion of songs pretty often, and writers may not be

prepared to hear it.  Sometimes when I give my honest opinion (which

ALWAYS comes from kindness), a writer might become offended.  I don't

want to be asked my opinion, nor do I want to critique songs.  If a

writer wants their songs critiqued, they would be better served by

attending critique sessions at NSAI and other songwriting

organizations, and also meet with a rep from one of the Performance

Rights Associations - ASCAP, BMI or SESAC.



If you write country songs but don't live in Nashville or visit

Nashville often to co-write with others and play writers' nights out,

then I recommend the following "to do" list before asking anyone to

pitch your "country" tunes:



1)  Join NSAI.  (www.nashvillesongwriters.com).  If you don't have a

chapter where you live, they can show you how to start one.

2)  Read Penny Dionne's and Troy McConnell's "Songplugger:  The Cuts

and the Bruises".

3)  Read Jerry Vandiver's and Gracie Hollombe's "Your First Cut:  A

Step-By-Step Guide to Getting There".

4)  Come to Nashville several times a year for a few days, and get

involved.  Network, meet people, start co-writing and performing in

writers' rounds.



If you are a great writer (according to your PRO rep) who lives in

Nashville and co-writes with others, I will listen.  If I like your

songs and want to pitch them, I will certainly send you a message

stating that.  I've actually found some wonderful writers through

myspace who I now represent...but these are people who live here,

have paid their dues, and have been working on their craft for many

years.



Some writers are born with the gift of writing hit song after hit

song, and others have to work at it.  Even if someone isn't a natural

hit writer, they can still learn the tools of the trade and learn how

to craft better songs, in the hopes of one day getting a cut, or at

least writing with someone who has had cuts.



Best wishes to you on your musical journey.



: )



at: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=185662811&blogID=418589772



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~





Write on,





Ande



Does anyone ever read IFS to the VERY END?

Take YOUR Songwriting to a WHOLE NEW�LEVEL

Drop by



http://www.SongU.com/ifs



Where you can:

+ PITCH your songs

+ Receive Professional critiques

+ Get Mentoring from industry pros

+ Network with talented songwriters at SongU and



TAKE a FREE songwriting course at

http://www.SongU.com/ifs



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Every songwriter should have a songwriting library

Drop by:

http://astore.amazon.com/ifsande-20

find what's missing from yours

I recommend books by Jason Blume and Sheila Davis



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Many artists say the INDIE BIBLE

is a wonderful tool for independent artists

drop by

http://www.indiebible.com/swb

to check it out



The Folks at INDIE BIBLE just released a brand new directory called�

The Indie Venue Bible.



The Indie Venue Bible is a unique, comprehensive directory of live�

music venues. It is in electronic (.pdf) format and lists 26,000�

venues and 2000 booking agents in the US and Canada. The�

listings are arranged by area, making it easier for artists to�

route and plan their tour.�

check it out at:

https://nt4.magma.ca/bigmeteor/ivbaras_order.cfm



~ ~ ~ ~ ~�

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Dear IFS Readers,



I hope this email finds you well.

How's your songwriting going? Really write me and let me know



First I'm looking for an AWESOME singer songwriter who

went to the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

please write me if you are one or know of one



Got a royalty check at my office for a cut I got on

Sendero by Stop the Truck for a song called

The Honky Tonk Zone



I've got a new demo up on Songramp



Hotter than the Hinges on the Gates of Hell

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=66899

cowrote it with Donna Aylor and Brock Goodwin



here's Brock's original version

Title: Hotter than the Hinges + Brock Goodwin

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=14489



I'm looking for an AWESOME singer songwriter who is in Rotary, has a

relative in Rotary or has ever been involved with Rotary.



Ande



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



There's an interesting thread going on at Songramp

http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?

thread_id=59333&page=4



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Hey Ande,



I've updated my demo / arranging company, Masterscore Music.



www.MasterscoreMusic.com - arranging/demo



EC

-------

Eric Copeland, President/Lead Producer/Composer

Creative Soul Companies, Inc

www.CreativeSoulRecords.com - label

www.CreativeSoulOnline.com - production

www.MasterscoreMusic.com - arranging/demo

Franklin, TN | 615-400-3910

-------

Get your free weekly jolt of Creative Inspiration

Written especially "For the Creative Soul"

http://www.FortheCreativeSoul.com



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



IFS READER Megan Conner is a finalist in

GAC STAR



HAPPY SUNDAY!. 3 1/2 days left!!  Please keep voting and PLEASE pass

this email along.  If everyone passes this along to someone or



a group of people - WOW!!!!!  THANK YOU so much for your

support!!!!



http://www.gactv.com/star



http://www.meganconner.com



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



joe@...

Sent: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:39 pm

Subject:

Pat Pattison Advanced Songwriting Workshop -

October 11 and 12th in Austin TX



Saturday October 11th and Sunday, October 12th

"Advanced Prosody Songwriting Workshop with Pat Pattison



Workshop description:  Pat will help you develop your songs from

title, through the boxes into section, focusing on prosody and

contrasting section including building bridges that strengthen your

song. He'll also expand the focus on the elements of structure and

creating motion and momentum to sup port your song.



"I took a class with Pat Pattison, a really great teacher... I

learned a lot of stuff in that class, and I still read Writing

Better Lyrics. I've still got it on the tank of my toilet ... I

think it's great." --

Grammy winning artist/songwriter John Mayer, 2004"



Pat Pattison is a Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he

teaches Lyric Writing and Poetry. In addition to his three books,

Writing Better Lyrics, The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and

Structure, and The Essential Guide to Rhyming, Pat has developed

three online lyric writing courses for Berklee's online school,

available through www.patpattison.com. He has written over 30

articles for Home & Studio Recording Magazine, and The Performing

Songwriter. Pat continues to present songwriting clinics across the

US , Canada , and the UK . Several of his students have won Grammys,

in addition to John Mayer and Gillian Welch.



Cost?

$100 per person. Current Berklee College students and alumni pay $

75.  Added bonus! You bring a friend at full price and you can take

20% off ($80 for non-Berklee students and $60 for Berklee students!)

for your admission! Please make checks payable to Pat Pattison.



Meals/Accommodations:

On your own. We may order in for lunch - depending on the group's

preference. We're planning on another "field trip" Saturday night,

depending on the quantity of homework - last October's trip to Opal

Devine's was a lot of fun for everyone.



Location:

St. Edward's University, Austin. Details will be sent to class

participants.



Time: 10 am - 5 pm both days.



Class size:

Limited to the first 30 who send a check payable to

"Pat Pattison".



Mail checks to:

Pat Pattison Workshop,

c/o Joe Strouse,

P.O. Box 80444 ,

Austin, Texas 78708-0444



Questions? Contact Joe Strouse @ joe@...



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Have you written a very special song

consider offering a free download of it on your site



like karen taylor good did of her cause song

Precious child  on

http://karentaylorgood.com/free_mp3_downloads.html

where she writes

Precious Child (mp3)



I wrote this song to honor my nephew Paul, who "left too soon", at

age 21. I'm honored that it has been adopted by The Compassionate

Friends, The Shaken Baby Alliance, and other groups and individuals.

Please feel free to use it at a memorial service, or on a website

honoring your "Precious Child".



To save this song to your hard drive, right click (ctrl click on

Mac) and select "Save Target As".



Allen Shamblin cowrote a Beautiful song called Why

After his friend Richard Roddy committed suicide.



You can hear it at:

http://www.richardroddymusic.com/Music/why1.mp3



or see the video to celebrate his life at:

http://www.richardroddymusic.com/richard_roddy_video%20tribute.htm



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



check out Allen Shamblin's performance of

I Can't Make You Love Me

at

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?

fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=9793065





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



are you going to the Durango Songwriter Conference?

http://www.durango-songwriters-expo.com/



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Country Music Star John Rich Performed

'Raisin' McCain' at Republican National Convention



John Rich to Join Presidential Hopeful John McCain and Perform

Original Anthem at "Road to the Convention" Rallies in Pennsylvania

and Missouri





Last update: 12:21 p.m. EDT Aug. 28, 2008

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug 28, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Music star

John Rich today announced he will perform "Raisin' McCain" -- his

original song in support of Republican presidential candidate John

McCain -- at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN on

Sept. 3. In addition to his performance of the rock-infused anthem,

Rich is also slated to perform "Our America" with Gretchen Wilson

and Cowboy Troy at the Convention on Sept. 3.

In advance of the Convention, Rich will make special guest

appearances with Senator McCain at two official campaign events.

Rich will be on-hand at the "Road to the Convention" rallies outside

of Pittsburgh, PA (Aug. 30) and outside of St. Louis, MO (Aug. 31)

to fire up voters and offer his endorsement of McCain building up to

the nominating convention.

Rich wrote the music and lyrics to "Raisin' McCain" as a "fight

song" to energize Americans and declare his support. The song

celebrates McCain's maverick spirit and is a call-to-action for all

Americans to exercise their right to vote. "Raisin' McCain" is

available to the public for free download at www.johnrich.com.

John Rich is a singer, award-winning songwriter and acclaimed

producer. The Texas native is most recently known as one half of the

multi-platinum Warner Bros. Records duo, Big & Rich. Additionally,

Rich served as a judge and mentor on NBC's music competition

series "Nashville Star," and has returned as the host and judge of

CMT's "Gone Country 2."

To schedule an interview with John Rich in advance of, or on-site at

the Republican National Convention, please contact

Courtney McCraw (212-582-0375 / courtney.mccraw@...) or

Casey Klurfeld (212-616-5552 / casey.klurfeld@...).

      PERFORMANCE DETAILS:



      Saturday, August 30th

      Road to the Convention Rally

      with Senator John McCain

      and Cindy McCain



      Consol Energy Park

      1 Washington Federal Way

      Washington, PA

      Doors open: 3:00 p.m.



      Sunday, August 31st

      Road to the Convention Rally

      with Senator John McCain

      and Cindy McCain



      T.R. Hughes Ballpark

      900 T.R. Hughes Blvd

      O'Fallon, MO

      Doors open: 2:00 p.m.



      Wednesday, September 3rd

      "Our America" Performance

      with Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy

      & "Raisin' McCain" Performance



      Republican National Convention

      Xcel Energy Center

      St. Paul, MN

      (time to be announced)



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Gretchen Peters said

"I think great songs are born. They are born with all the urgency of

childbirth, born out of pain, anger, joy, wit, and delivered by

instinct, skill and love."



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Going to West Coast Songwriters?

28th annual Music Conference coming up September 12-14

The Conference Handbook, which takes the place of the September

Newsletter, has been posted on our fab new website. It lists all the

seminars, guests, performances, one-on-ones, details etc for the

whole weekend. Please check it out. We are still allowing those who

haven't signed up to get the last pre- registration price - $225 for

members and $250 for non-members. We are also offering a special

price of $60 for the weekend for Under 21's, and giving a $25

discount to ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, NSAI, TAXI, Recording Academy, and

Other Songwriter Association Members. Come to the biggest event of

the WCS Calendar year!

http://www.westcoastsongwriters.org/pdf/ConfHandbook2008.pdf



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



We would like to extend an invitation to you to attend a small

private party fundraiser for Austin Music Foundation featuring one

of Austin's premiere artists in one of Austin's coolest musical

spots.



Austin's own Kellye Gray delivers a powerful and classic jazz sound

that will delight your ears. The kind folks at The Recording

Conservatory of Austin have offered to host this event for us in

their sparkling new recording studios with scenic views of the Hill

Country. Food and drinks will be provided.



Please join us for this special occassion.



WHAT: Fundraiser for Austin Music Foundation



Your suggested minimum donation of $50 directly supports AMF

programs

that empower musicians and fuel Austin's creative economy.



WHERE: The Recording Conservatory of Austin



ADDRESS: 4615 City Park Road, Austin TX 78730



WHEN: Sunday, September 7



TIME: 5:00 - 7:00 pm



BAND: Kellye Gray



Space is limited, so please RSVP to vip@...



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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My name is Andrew Fromm. I'm a published singer-songwriter who also

plays piano. Currently, I have a co-publishing deal with Universal

Music Publishing and have written songs for quite a handful of acts

over my career. I started in this business about 14 years ago

singing and playing at open-mic nights around NYC. After doing a few

performances such as appearing on Star Search and landing a national

Folgers commercial early on, my songwriting has gained me the most

recognition up to this point. I've been blessed and fortunate enough

to have my songs appear on over 45 million albums world wide. Some

notable acts Ive written for are Backstreet Boys, Marc Anthony,

Nsync, Kci & JoJo, Jesse McCartney, Westlife, Corbin Bleu, Francesca

Battistelli, Clique Girlz, Gareth Gates (Pop Idol UK), Billy Gilman,

Luis Fonsi, David Charvet, Ray Roc Project, Kristine W, OPM,

2Gether, Soluna, Nobody's Angel, Daniel Rene', Judith Lefeber,

Christian Bautista, Reymond Sajor, Nikki Webster, C21, Hiromi Go,

Fey, Rosa and others. I frequently collaborate with some of the

industry's leading songwriters and producers. I wanted to come on

here and share some of the songs I've written, co-written and/or

sang. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I did creating

them.



For the record, being I'm somewhat established in this crazy

business, I'm totally open to discovering new talent as well. If you

TRULY think you have what it takes then feel free to email me on

here and I'll do my best to check out your site. I've already

discovered a few exceptional acts on here and have aided them in

their procuring major production, publishing and/or record deals.

Due to the sometimes overwhelming response this site can generate,

it's quite difficult to respond to everyone. What I usually do is

show some industry friends your page. If they love what you are

doing and see the potential, either myself, or they will contact you

back personally.

www.myspace.com/andrewfromm



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Most of the Nashville locals probably read this article, but for the

out-of-town folks...

An article in the Tennessean regarding a new artist, Sunny Sweeny,

and a "pitch" session with song pluggers trying to get songs they

represent on her album..



Song pluggers savor pitches to artists

By CINDY WATTS • Staff Writer • August 22, 2008



The path a song takes from writer to radio can be long and winding,

like the five years it took for the Clay Walker/Kimberly Locke

hit "Fall" to make it to the airwaves. Or it could be a fast trip,

like Glenn Sutton's song "What's Made Milwaukee Famous." Sutton

wrote the song one night and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded it the next

day.



Either way, much of the work associated with getting a song cut is

often assigned to a song plugger, someone generally employed by a

publishing company or songwriter who specializes in that process.

And local pluggers agree it's usually best �" and fastest �" to

pitch the song directly to the source: the singer. Those

opportunities are fairly uncommon.



So when Big Machine Records recording artist Sunny Sweeney announced

plans in mid-July to hold pitch meetings at BMI in search of

material for her next record, it was no surprise when more than a

dozen publishers responded with interest.

Seated at the end of a long conference table in a back room at BMI

with her manager/husband Brandon Allen, Sweeney spent the entire day

meeting with song pluggers who hoped to land one of their publishing

company's songs on her new record.



"Most of the time I'm pitching songs to A&R executives and

producers," said Nathan Nicholson of Nathan Nicholson Music. "The

advantage of meeting with the artist is you don't have to guess

about what the singer might like. Or the executive or producer

you're playing songs for otherwise doesn't have to guess about what

the artist might like."



In this situation, Sweeney left very little room for guesswork. A

bulletin was sent to many of the businesses beforehand explaining

what the traditional country singer wanted: up-tempo story songs.

Some pluggers took the direction to heart while others faltered.



"We were told tempo, but we didn't stick to that at all," said one

representative as he handed her a CD of songs from writers at his

company.



"Did you include any up-tempos?" Sweeney asked as she put the disc

in the player and scanned through the five or so songs, giving each

somewhere between 15 and 45 seconds of listening time.



In less than five minutes Sweeney determined that four songs

are "just too pop" while one might be what she's looking for. She

thanked the song plugger, who left, to be followed two minutes later

by the next appointment.



"I was extremely specific in what I wanted," she said later. "I'm

not polite. If I don't like it, I'm not going to sit there and waste

my time and your time listening to it. I want to make the record I

want to make."



Some pluggers made more thoughtful song selections than others, and

by the end of the day, Sweeney had heard about 120 songs and culled

around 20 she said were "really good." But a CD normally averages

about 12 songs, and Sweeney, also a songwriter, has also penned a

few songs for her project. So, most of the songs probably won't make

the cut.



Carla Wallace from Big Yellow Dog had one of the more successful

pitch sessions that day, with Sweeney opting to keep most of the

songs Wallace delivered. But the plugger understands the odds

against all those songs landing a slot on the record, and said that

a big part of her job was keeping her fingers crossed.



"Hopefully you get the cut," she said. "Hopefully it makes the

record. Hopefully the record comes out. Hopefully the artist keeps

the record deal. Hopefully it comes out as a single. There are no

fast rewards when you're a plugger. It might take a year or more for

you to get a song cut and the pat on the back."



For new songwriters who don't have publishing deals, the process of

getting a song cut is even harder.



Wallace said the first thing new songwriters should do is contact

Nashville Songwriters Association International or a performing

rights organization like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC for help.



Writers who don't have publishing deals often struggle the most,

according to Wallace.



"They don't know the routes," she said. "They don't know what kind

of music strikes a chord with the A&R person. Always go through one

of the performing rights channels first because they're going to be

able to find out more about you as a writer and gauge whether you're

ready to go to the next level as far as pitching your songs to a

publisher."



Wallace said writing camps and artist co-writes tended to be other

fast ways of getting songs cut.



Regardless, writers still have to wait on singers and record label

executives to make up their minds about which songs they want.

That's what Wallace, Nicholson and the other pluggers who succeeded

in pitching songs to Sweeney are doing now.



And, as often happens, they could be waiting a while. According to

BMI, Sweeney hasn't started recording yet and a release date hasn't

been set.



http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008808220368



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Hi from Barbara Cloyd.



I'm writing to all my Ready for the Row friends because I want to

let you know about my next Play for Publishers Workshop. It's for

songwriters who want to get cuts in the major-label Country market.

Lots of participants from past workshops have open doors to major

publishers because of it and some have gotten single-song contracts



You have to apply and sixteen people will be selected to present

songs (live or a demo ) to six top Nashville publishers.. As a group

we listen to the songs and the publishers give feedback on their

craft and commercial potential.



These publishers aren't paid " they come because they have a sincere

desire to discover and nurture new talent. They are all successful

pros with the ability to sign staff-writers and pitch to top

artists. Writers who aren't accepted to present their songs are

still welcome to attend and take advantage of the intense learning

experience



The workshop is in Nashville October 16-18. The application deadline

is Wednesday September 10th. If you go to the workshops page of www.

barbaracloyd. com you can read the bios of the publishers and get

complete details on the workshop and how to apply.





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



"Sometimes a glance, a few casual words, fragments of a melody

floating through the quiet air of a summer evening, a book that

accidentally comes into hands, a poem or memory-laden fragrance may

bring about the impulse which changes and determines our whole life."





~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



The 4th Annual Texas Songwriters Cruise is leaving Galveston Texas

on February 1, 2009, aboard the Carnival Conquest, with ports of

call in Jamaica, the Grand Caymans and Cozumel. We received an

extension on our group rate from Carnival, so you can still lock in

current rates with a down payment $250 per person by September 1,

2008!!!!! It is very likely that Carnival will be raising their

rates so lock in your cabin now. If something comes up for you, you

can still receive a 100% refund on your down payment by October,

2008.

Go to: www.txsongwriterscruise.com

This is going to be our best event ever! Rumors that this year's

cruise may not happen are completely false. Meet songwriters from

all over the world in an intimate setting with some of the biggest

music industry pro's in the world. Pitch your songs to publishers

and receive feedback on your songs. MORE THAN 16 PUBLISHING DEALS

HAVE BEEN SIGNED WITH OUR ATTENDEES AS A RESULT OF THEIR SONG

PITCHES ON THE CRUISE!!! (Congratulations to Jennifer Adan, 2006

Attendee, who has the next single coming out on Blake Shelton's

album!).

Here are some of the music industry pro's that you'll meet on the

cruise:

Jason Blume

Hit Songwriter, Best Selling Author

Jason's credentials are endless! He is one of those rare individuals

to ever achieve the distinction of having songs on the Country, Pop,

and R&B charts- all at the same time. His songs are on albums that

have sold more that 50 million! His songs have been recorded by

artists including Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, John Berry,

Steve Azar, Jesse McCartney, J'Son, Collin Raye, The Oak Ridge Boys,

and on and on. He is one of the nation's most respected songwriting

teachers and is the author of critically acclaimed songwriting books.

Steve Seskin

Hit Songwriter, Teacher

Steve Seskin is a successful songwriter who has written seven number

one songs, including Grammy-nominated "Grown Men Don't Cry,"

recorded by Tim McGraw, and "Don't Laugh at Me," winner of NSAI Song

of the Year and Music Row Magazine Song of the Year in 1999 as

recorded by Mark Wills. His other #1 hits are "No Doubt About It"

and "For a Change," both recorded by Neal McCoy, "No Man's Land"

and "If You've Got Love," both recorded by John Michael Montgomery,

and "Daddy's Money," recorded by Ricochet. Other chart toppers

include "I Think About You," recorded by Colin Raye, and "All I Need

To Know," recorded by Kenny Chesney.

Eddie Galan

Producer, A&R, LA

Known in industry circles as 'Eddie G.', Eddie Galan has worked with

some of the industry's hottest superstars such as the Backstreet

Boys, B5, O-Town, Myra, Jesse McCartney, Nina Sky, Steven Tyler, and

the Young Bloods. As a producer/songwriter, Eddie G. has received

gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales awards for his work on

various major label projects. He has achieved 4 Billboard #1's in

one year (2006), with his work on High School Musical (#1 Highest

Selling Album of 2006) and Hannah Montana (#8 Highest Selling Album

of 2006), to go along with his Billboard Award Nomination (Album of

The Year), Billboard Award Win (Soundtrack of The Year), and

American Music Award Nomination (Album Of The Year). In 2007, Eddie

placed 100+ songs on albums, TV, film, video games and more.

Wil Nance

Songwriter, Nashville

Wil recently hit the top of the R&R and Billboard with his Brad

Paisley smash, "She's Everything", which stayed at #1 for 3 weeks.

He also received a BMI award for "Round About Way", a #1 hit single

for George Strait. The same song also landed on other George Strait

albums including George Strait's Latest Greatest Hits and Strait's

50 Number Ones?over 7 million in sales and counting. Wil received

another BMI award for his Joe Nichols single, "Cool To Be A Fool".

He has had cuts with numerous other artists including Tracy

Lawrence, Rhonda Vincent, Lisa Shaffer, John Michael Montgomery,

Gene Watson, Craig Morgan, McHayes and Diamond Rio.

Holly Hefner Nance

Vice President/Creative Director for Nance Music Group

After becoming runner up in 3 Miss Wisconsin preliminary pageants,

Holly moved to Nashville to seek an artist career. She has opened

for many major acts including George Jones, Lorrie Morgan, and Keith

Urban and performed on national television shows including the

National Anthem on ESPN, TNN's "Be A Star", the Charlie Daniels

Show, and Nashville Star 3. She has been featured in a number of

music videos on CMT, GAC and VH-1. As a songplugger and Creative

Director for various music publishing companies in Nashville, she

has landed catalog songs with Hank Williams Jr., Restless Heart,

Tracy Lawrence, Rhonda Vincent, and many others. In addition to

running the day to day operations of NMG, Holly recently accepted a

position with Music Central, a new Nashville Record

Label/Publishing/Production Company.

Tom Luteran

EMI Music Publishing

Tom began his music career working in the Finance Department of RCA.

Three months after that he was hired as Creative Director at Music

Genesis Music Publishing. There he worked with five staff writers

including the lead singer of the platinum band Lonestar, Richie

McDonald. His next stop was Zomba Music Publishing for five and half

years. The world's largest independent music company had just signed

a new 14 year old singer from Louisiana named Britney Spears. There

he worked with Gary Baker, Mutt Lange, George Teren, Jason Blume,

Kerry Kurt Phillips and more. Zomba was on the top five Billboard

Country singles publisher list back to back years during his tenure.

After a short stint at Acuff-Rose, he has spent the last 6 years at

EMI Music Publishing. He works with Jamey Johnson, Tom Shapiro,

Kelley Lovelace, Shane Minor,Dallas Davidson and others. Over his

career he has been part of 175 major label cuts including:

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere, Honky Tonk Ba DonkaDonk, Real Good Man,

I'm Already There, Girls Lie Too, Ladies Love Country Boys, Don't

Forget To Remember Me.



Shannan Neese

Writer / Publisher Relations, SESAC, Nashville

Shannan serves in Writer/Publisher Relations at SESAC, Nashville,

where she assists songwriters and publishers in the administration

of their musical works and signs new affiliates to the performing

rights organization.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Hi Ande,



Thanks for your note. How are you these days?



All's well in Nashville, though I'm on the road here in the

Northeast for the next couple of weeks (gigging and catching up with

family & friends). I've been slowly but surely playing some songs

for publishers, mainly via ASCAP, but I haven't gone ahead with any

new demos/singers just yet, so my revised "Lifeline" is on-deck, so

to speak.



It's been a year, and I'm still getting to know as many people as

possible in town. Unlike other writers or performers, I hadn't made

regular trips to Nashville prior to my move, and I'm also a bit more

cautious when approaching anyone in the industry (given my past

experience working in artist management and record label

publicity/promotion). That said, I've joined NSAI and enjoy their

weekly workshops, play live at Brown's Diner every month, and work

closely with the Americana Music Association as well.



I do have a song called "Hopeless and Free" which I'd love to share

with you once I get past the bare-bones guitar/vocal demo. Having

been a relatively low-tech artist up till now, I'm getting the hang

of more tech-stuff thanks to my friends (everything from my website

to recording) and working from there. Like songwriting, it's an

ongoing process... 8=)



Hope you're doing well and by all means please keep me posted if

you're coming to Nashville... it would be great to meet in person!



All the best,

Guy



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Remember Andi's Question in the last IFS Issue

here's Marc Alan Barnettes response



Andi,



                 Hello. My name is Marc-Alan Barnette. I am a

singer/songwriter/teacher/consultant based out of Nashville, Tn. I

have been involved with the music industry in Nashville since 1988.

I got a “cut” (song recorded) by major recording artist and

Grammy Award winner Shelby Lynne, on my first night in town. I have

experienced pretty much everything the industry has to offer from

publishing deals, major concert openings, songs recorded, etc.

everything except the major single deal that we all crave. For the

past 9 years I have developed a business teaching and consulting

songwriters, artists, and others who desire knowledge on an

entertainment career.



                 I became aware of you through Ande, who has been

communicating with you through the Internet. He and I are involved

with an online songwriting community, Song Ramp.com. We are part of

an international community that post songs, have conversations and

share information regarding the music industry. My role is as an

advisor to them through forums where they ask questions and I do my

best to develop the conversations.



They are mostly interested in the world I have resided in for 20

years so most of my answers come from first hand experience.



                 Recently Ande posted one of your questions asking

about Nashville and a possible move. While we have covered this in

some of our forums, I thought I might encapsulate some of my answers

for you in an effort to help you in your queries.



                 A professional songwriting career in this day and

age is vastly different than just a few years ago. There was a time

where a writer could come in, meet with publishers, develop

relationships and at times even be paid to write songs and develop

his or her craft over a period of time. Most of that era was done

away with around 10 years ago with the advent of song downloading

and the Internet. Songwriting has always been at best, a VERY hit

and miss career, with most missing. The truly successful can be

counted in a very small list and any study into musical history can

reveal those. Rodgers and Hammerstein, George M. Cohen, Carol King,

Neil Diamond, Stroller and Lieber, Lennon and McCartney, Elton John

and Bernie Taupin, the majority were writer/artists, and the field

has always been very crowded to say the least. But one thing always

remains constant, the ability to make a living from writing is

directly attributable to one’s ability to sell product. And in an

era of free music, that ability has been drastically reduced on all

fronts.



                 The Nashville songwriting community consists of

around 48,000 members all attempting to do the20exact same thing,

write, record and promote songs and artists. Out of this, the entire

music community employs around 3600 people at the maximum, who make

a living or primary part of a living from music. This includes the

artists you see and hear on the radio, the behind the scenes record

people, writers, publishers, accountants, management people, t-shirt

venders, recording studios and musicians, promoters, pluggers, you

name it, that is our industry. Of those in the purely songwriting

part of the community, there are never more than around 75

individuals that actually make their living from music.



                 Some, the Jeffery Steele’s, Craig Wiseman’s,

Tony Mullins, Bob Diepero, etc. get approximately 75% of all the

income from songwriting.  You are much more likely to win the

lottery than to ever see any significant income from the music

industry. In fact, most writers will never receive more than $2000

in their lifetime and probably 80% will never see a dime. And even

in the aforementioned closed circles, many of those will receive

more income from teaching, touring, books and other methods than

actually their publishing income.



                 There are essentially two types of people who are in

the industry and seem to succeed at any level.

Those are the young 25 and under singer wanna-be’s, (most who

resemble the bad American Idol auditioners)

And the over 30 set who have been here for many years putting in the

necessary time, expense and efforts to build the network, learn the

craft and manipulate scenarios in their favor, a process that

usually takes a minimum of 10-12 years to show any level of

progression. The reason for the length is that it is not just about

the songs that someone writes, but the multi-level relationships

that have to be nurtured to even get to a point where they are heard

by anyone in a position to further a career. Remember, the lines are

very long to even get in the door.



I describe it best to my clients (the majority of which are from out

of town) is to imagine what type of business they do for a living.

Imagine the years that it took, educational requirements, low level

grunt work,

Slow building of any significant success. Then imagine someone who

just shows up at their hard earned work site or office, and say “I

never have really done this but it looks like fun and I would like

to do it. You don’t mind if I slip in line in front of you, take

your clients and money do you?” Of course you would mind. You

would never allow that to happen, this is your livelihood. Yet,

everyone that has ever written a song, sung on a Karaoke night,

participated in a talent contest or had a Mother or teacher who told

them how good they are, and convinced them they should move to

Nashville, Los Angeles, or New York and become stars, seems to

believe they can do just that.



                 The reason I am sharing all this with you is because

you seem to have a relationship with Ande, who is what I consider

“one of my flock=E 2, as all the Song Ramp community is. My role

is not to discourage, but to encourage, but I do this by

“injecting reality into dreams.” If you care enough to be a part

of online chats and Learn what you can about the craft and

opportunities involved, I feel it is important, to share some

information that might help you in your decision whether to move or

not.  Most all of this is something you have to assess on your own.

Each person’s experience is going to be shaped by drive,

perseverance, and pure plain luck.



                 There are around 100 people who move to Nashville

each week. That is offset by around 300 people a week that move out.

The average stay is 6 months. By that time, they have exhausted

their money, realized that no matter what they do it is a very long

ride and more often than not will never receive much in the way of

monetary or professional compensation. Particularly if they are not

some of the new model looking, multi talented youngsters that are

moving in on a continual basis. These people demonstrate, like all

people who are successful at this, a single20mindedness of purpose,

focus and willingness to do anything.



                 Record companies are now interested in the young,

writer artists. That means that less and less writers have

opportunities and those that do guard those opportunities like life

itself, because sometimes it is. That is what we are all up against.

Myself included.



                 Now, again, the reason I share this with you, is not

to ward you off or try to get you to discontinue your musical

journey. Quite the contrary, I wish you to investigate, and decide

for your self, but do it first hand, not from someone else, even

from myself. Ande sent you a few very good suggestions. A simple

fact finding trip first can help you a lot in making some

determinations. One of my tours, an NSAI workshop or other options

could give you other ideas. There is an event in Sept. called

“SongPosium:” which is sponsored by NSAI, that feature ar ound

60 classes ranging from writing to publishing to recording, that you

might find enlightening.



                 I suggest at least 4 trips before one starts

deciding on whether or not to make the move. Assessing your own

needs, job opportunities, and desires are first and foremost. It

should be looked at as if you would never make a professional dime

at it would you still make the trip and can you afford to put your

life, loves, and desires on hold for ten years or more.



                 In the meantime, Myself, Ande, and others are an e-

mail away from specific questions you might have. Some, like your

question on contests, are easily answered. Contests succeed only in

making money for the entities putting the contests on. A hit song

has never come from a contest. It is for amateurs which exclude the

professionals who actually make a living at it. And regardless of

the intentions and abilities of amateurs, they simply don’t

preclude those professionals in any vocation. It just doesn’t

happen that way. Even those biggest of contests, American Idol, have

very little actual success apart from the few individuals, Kelly

Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and a very few others who have managed

careers after the footlights of the contest wear off. It should tell

you something that the last few winners, Ruben Stoddard, Clay Aiken,

Taylor Hicks, have not been able to sell enough product to justify

being resigned to their record labels. When you are seen by 100

million people over a period of months, then cannot sell over

400,000 units in the market place, that should say it all about what

contests actually can do for a career. And it is much less with song

contests.



                 A music career in any form is a long, slow build. It

takes years of work, and is actually much more dependent on

networking and political skills than it is the actual writing,

recording or performing of songs.

We are all willing and able to help you with your interests. Please

feel free to e-ma il me at MBarne4908@... if I can help you. For

more on myself of my services, www.marcalanbarnette.com might be

helpful. I encourage you to learn as much as you can, utilize the

tools others have mentioned and investigate your desires. Join NSAI

and attend monthly meetings in an area close to you. Associate with

writers and artists in your area. Conquer your local areas first

before you move to bigger and harder targets. At the end of the day

it will save you money, frustration and the possibility of years

wasted that could have better been devoted to your own life.



                 Good luck to you and I hope this has helped.



Sincerely, Marc-Alan Barnette



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Hi Ande,



Thank you in advance for spreading the word about the services of

Denny Martin Music.

After a total redesigning of the site, we're on line as of yesterday.

dennymartinmusic.com.



My team of musicians and singers and I believe we offer one of the

best values in Nashville.

Many times other studios are set up to crank out demos or artist

projects almost like a factory.



At Denny Martin Music, we prefer the "personal touch" and taking

the

time that's needed to do the project right.

The adage "fast is good" is simply not correct. Arranging,

engineering and producing are all about attention to detail.

We've found that our most successful productions are always

proceeded

by careful, meticulous pre-preproduction.

We also offer consultation with the writer or artist/writer

regarding

their song before we even start on the project.



Thanks again and keep up the good work with your newsletter.

You continue to inspire so many of us.

All the best,



Denny Martin 615 361 6073

dennymartinmusic@...



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



First Song, Part One: Writing the Song



Posted on August 4, 2008



by Christine

Posted in Songwriting Note: I appreciated NancyCz's comment in the

last post about how listening to these songs in advance will change

the overall listening experience of the CD.



It most certainly will.



So, you can listen to this song and decide whether or not to keep

listening to others. Or I can open up, say, SIX of the songs to

you " and save the rest, or whatever.



(And Nancy " you can hit the play button on the song below and plug

your ears and go, LA LA LA LA LA!” really loud so you can't hear

it.



VIRGINIA (Part One)

Okay, our first song is Virginia.

(This is Part One because I first wanted to share a little about the

writing of this tune.)



I first wrote this song in about three hours. I wrote it for my

niece (Virginia) on her birthday while sitting in my hotel room.

These are the first lyrics scribbled on my hotel writing pad before

I went to her big birthday party�







The song was about a little girl waking up on her birthday. And the

hook was Before you even blink your eyes Virginia is growing up.



Bringing in a Co-writer



Then, about a month ago, Steve Seskin and I spent two solid days

writing together in Nashville. The whole point of this was so I

could play my new songs for Steve, who would help me re-write any of

the ones I was stuck on. Steve is very good at this.



I played Virginia " and he liked it. But it was in that dog-hears-a-

high-pitch-head-tilting way. Not in a Whoa-what-a-great-song! way.



So, we tore the song apart . It took almost the full day " and at

one point the lyrics were so bad that we made a parody song that

changed my original hook line from Virginia is growing up to

Virginia is growing pot. We found this hysterical and wasted lots of

time adding new lines that sent us into fits of laughter.



Then, at Steve'�s suggestion, I let go of the song being about a

little girl, and let it be about someone a little older. The song

began to move effortlessly. The second verse is totally word-for-

word what I said out loud to Steve when he asked me to describe this

adventurous girl. It was Steve's idea to lose the hook line

altogether " which is why, at the end of the chorus " it goes

“Virginia and leaves the thought hanging and moves right into the

second verse.



Where's that Confounded Bridge?



Steve and I didn't write a bridge for the song.



(FYI: A bridge is the one section in a song that is totally

different from the other sections  musically, lyrically, whatever.

So, say, in Jimmy Buffet's song Come Monday, it's the part where he

sings

I can't help it honey,

you're that much a part of me now



Not every song needs a bridge. But often, you simply know when a

song does need one.



So, when Steve was out of the country and unreachable, I came up

with the bridge. It's unfinished in the version of the song below.

The bridge I wrote switches the song into first person. This kind of

thing drives Steve nuts about my songwriting. When he first heard

this bridge, he wasn't convinced.



Then, while I was walking through LaGuardia Airport on my way to

record, my cell phone rang. Steve was calling to tell me that the

bridge had grown on him, and that it was a very Christine-ish

bridge. (Read: This song has no chance of becoming a hit.)



I've since come up with the last two lines of the bridge

" and you'll hear that later. In this version of the song, and in

tomorrow's version - I will la la la through the missing lines.

(There are always a few re-writes when you record a CD - and always

a few unfinished lines.)



So here's the song. Please know that this version of the song is me

at my kitchen table singing into Garage Band on my computer. It's

VERY rough - with flubbed chord changes and bad singing. Tomorrow, I

will post the first round of work that Ben and I did on this. For

now, just get acquainted with the song



http://bemyrecordlabel.com/2008/08/04/first-song-part-one-writing-

the-song/



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAYLOR SWIFT'S SOPHOMORE CD, FEARLESS,

TO ARRIVE IN STORES ON NOVEMBER 11TH

PRE-SALE LAUNCHES AUGUST 22ND,

FANS GET A CHANCE TO HAVE THEIR OWN PHOTO INCLUDED IN ALBUM ARTWORK

Nashville, TN " August 8, 2008 " Taylor Swifts highly-anticipated

sophomore CD will arrive in stores on November 11th, 2008, just over

a20month before her 19th birthday. Entitled FEARLESS, the album will

be released by Big Machine Records and contains 13 tracks, all

written or co-written by Taylor. Taylor co-produced the project with

Nathan Chapman, and a first single from the new record will arrive

at radio in early September.



In addition to the title track, the disc includes

Change one of a few songs used as the soundtrack for daily video

highlights shown during this summer's Olympic broadcast. The song

was selected by Team USA and NBC for its lyrical content about

overcoming challenges and achieving victory, and is available on

iTunes starting today, with all proceeds benefiting Team USA. Also

on the CD is Breathe, a collaboration with Colbie Caillat, and

Fifteen a poignant, coming-of-age ballad that Taylor premiered last

fall at the Country Music Hall of Fame's All For The Hall event in

New York City.



Starting on August 22nd, FEARLESS will be available for special pre-

sale on the soon-to-be-launched site www.TheTaylorNation.com, and a

very unique opportunity will exist for Taylor's biggest fans to have

their own picture included in the album artwork and on the packages

CD ROM. There will be a special deluxe box set edition of FEARLESS

available that includes the CD, a FEARLESS leather bracelet, a

FEARLESS t-shirt, a FEARLESS picture book and a The Taylor Nation

decal -- all packaged in a special carrying case. The first 10,000

fans who purchase the limited box set and upload their photos will

have their pictures included in a mosaic image in the album artwork

and on the CD.

Taylor's self-titled debut CD was released in October of 2006, and

has since been RIAA certified Triple Platinum (more than 3 million

sold), and spent 24 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Country CD Sales

Chart. Earlier this summer, Taylor became the only female solo

artist in the 44-year history of the Billboard Country Chart to

score five Top 10 singles from a debut album. Taylor first secured

her place in the country music history books when at the age of 17,

she became the youngest person ever to single-handedly write and

sing a number-one country single entirely on her own ("Our Song"

spent 6 consecutive weeks at #1 atop Billboard's Country Singles

Chart), and she is also the first female solo artist in country

music history to write or co-write every song on a platinum-selling

debut CD.



Since the release of her debut CD, Taylor has:



Surpassed the 54 MILLION mark for music streams on MySpace, where

she is consistently ranked Country's #1 artist.



Won the CMA's 2007 Horizon Award, the 2008 ACM Award for Top New

Female Vocalist, and was named the Nashville Songwriters Association

International's Songwriter / Artist of the Year in 2007.



Won 2008 CMT Music Awards for Video of the Year and Female Video of

the Year, and won the 2007 CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of

the Year.



Won the 2008 Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakthrough Artist.



Won the 2008 Young Hollywood Award for Superstar of Tomor row,

making her the first musician to ever receive this prestigious award.



Scored a 2008 GRAMMY nomination in the all-genre Best New Artist

category.



Been awarded two RIAA Digital Platinum certifications (1 million

downloads), two Digital Gold certifications (500,000 downloads), and

Gold Mastertone certification for more than 500,000 ringtones.



Been named Country Music's Hottest Female Artist of 2007 by AOL

Music and Best New Artist of 2007 by the editors of iTunes.



Appeared on the covers of Rolling Stone, Billboard, Seventeen,

Blender, USA Weekend, Southwest Airlines' Spirit, and Justine

magazines. Taylor was named one of People magazine's 100 Most

Beautiful People of 2008, and was featured on Maxim's 2008 Hot 100

list.



Appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, MTVs Total Request Live, New

Years Rockin Eve, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis &

Kelly, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, Dance

War, America's Got Talent, the Academy of Country Music Awards, the

CMA Awards, Christmas at Rockefeller Center, Entertainment Tonight,

Access Hollywood, Extra, CNN, E!, Fox & Friends, CMT Music Awards,

Grand Ole Opry Live and the ground-breaking series GAC Short Cuts./



www.taylorswift.com

www.myspace.com/taylorswift

www.bigmachinerecords.com



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Write on,





Ande



Does anyone EVER read IFS to the VERY END?

Take YOUR Songwriting to a WHOLE NEW�LEVEL

Drop by



http://www.SongU.com/ifs



Where you can:

+ PITCH your songs

+ Receive Professional critiques

+ Get Mentoring from industry pros

+ Network with talented songwriters at SongU and



TAKE a FREE songwriting course at

http://www.SongU.com/ifs



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Every songwriter should have a songwriting library

Drop by:

http://astore.amazon.com/ifsande-20

find what's missing from yours

I recommend books by Jason Blume and Sheila Davis



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Many artists say the INDIE BIBLE

is a wonderful tool for independent artists

drop by

http://www.indiebible.com/swb

to check it out



The Folks at INDIE BIBLE just released a brand new directory called�

The Indie Venue Bible.



The Indie Venue Bible is a unique, comprehensive directory of live�

music venues. It is in electronic (.pdf) format and lists 26,000�

venues and 2000 booking agents in the US and Canada. The�

listings are arranged by area, making it easier for artists to�

route and plan their tour.�

check it out at:

https://nt4.magma.ca/bigmeteor/ivbaras_order.cfm



~ ~ ~ ~ ~�

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Dear IFS Readers,



I hope this email finds you well.

What's new with you and your songwriting?

Please write and let me know



I have several new songs in the works



Got a new cut

Blue Holiday is the 3rd track on Halie Loren and Matt Treder's

Christmas CD

Many Times, Many Ways - A Holiday Collection

you can hear a 2 minute clip at:

http://tinyurl.com/blueholidayhalie

http://cdbaby.com/cd/lorentreder/from/ande



been busy swimming

The Austin Paper ran an article about me yesterday

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/12/19/121

9centex.html

went to Long Beach and Tempe for meets recently.



Met with Harold Payne when I was in Long Beach



Had a nice lunch with Gary Powell



are you on facebook

send me an invite

www.facebook.com/people/Ande-Rasmussen/7921551



Write On,



Ande



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Jason Blume has a new CD it's called



Taking Care of Business with Jason Blume,

Volume 3



74 Minute Audio CD. Topics include:

How to "Sell" and Publish Your Songs,

Understanding Single Song Contracts,

Staff-Writing Deals,

PRO's,

Performance and Mechanical Royalties,

Licenses,

Holds,

Copyright,

Pitching Your Songs,

Songpluggers,

Placing Your Songs in TV & Film, and

lists of resources that will allow to get your songs to international

and U.S. artists,and film/TV libraries & music supervisors.



Everything jason does is excellent and I highly recommend it



http://www.jasonblume.com/221643.html



~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~



stevenbacon

Casual Observer



Registered: May, 18 2005



Loc: westbrook, maine, usa  Hi fellow JPF folks,

I wanted to share a story about some success that I've had in the

past week. Since the "big event" that i'll go into shortly, i've been

contacted by a number of industry types and am continuing to have

exciting things happen everyday. I'll keep you all updated to the

follow up things that have been happening, once I've posted the main

story.



I also want to say that I've been talking on the phone with Brian

Austin Whitney who is helping me plan out my strategy for how to

harness my recent success and how to build on it. Brian is AWESOME,

and he's given me a well thought out list of things to do next, which

you better believe I'll be following up on.

so here's the story:



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

Steven Bacon and Glen Hansard: THE REST OF THE STORY

(there are pics of the event at http://www.stevenbacon.com)



As some of you already know, I make me living as a subway performer /

street performer.

A recent independently produced movie has given me great inspiration

and the much needed strength to keep on keeping on.... The movie is

called "ONCE" and stars Irish singer songwriter Glen Hansard (lead

singer of "The Frames"), as a down and out street performer, with big

dreams (sound familiar?). Glen costars with songwriter Marketa

Irglova who plays the nontraditional love interest with hopes and

dreams of her own.

One of the many amazing things about this movie is that the stars,

Glen and Marketa, wrote and performed all the music in the movie.

Although this movie only had a budget of $150,000, Glen and Marketa

went on to win an Oscar for best song in a movie (for Falling

Slowly), and a Grammy as well (all in 2008)

So how do I fit in with all this? Well, when I heard they were coming

to town (Boston, Agannis Areana, 9-19-08), I bought tickets and when

the day of the concert came (last Friday) I set up my street

performing gear outside of the arena and proceeded to play all day in

hopes of meeting Glen and Marketa.

After about 3 hours of playing I met a kindred spirit named Peter

Olson. He had met Glen at a previous show and wished me well with my

adventure. Soon after, the arena security staff politely kicked me

off the premises, since it's against policy to have street performers

on BU property. They were cool and said "we don't care if we hear

you, it's just the policy of where you are... why don't you go across

the street and no one will bother you". I gotta say that's the most

pleasant getting kicked out experience i've had to date! I was

thinking about just packing up and leaving, but I decided to keep

soldiering on, so I found a condemned shop with garbage bags covering

the windows and set up outside of there, thinking I would be safe for

a few hours here.

About 10 minutes later, I'm singing and playing with my eyes closed

and when I open them I see Glen and Marketa Standing in front of me

with big smiles and kind eyes. Glen throws me a tip, we talk about

busking, I blabber incoherently about how much of an inspiration he

is to me and tell him I have tickets to the show. Glen and I shake

hands and he asks if I'll have all my gear inside the show and then

says, "We'll see you inside!", and I say "I'll see you inside, but

you probably won't see me!" and we both laugh. It turns out that

Peter Olson, who I had just met in the previous hour, ran into Glen

and Marketa and sent them my direction. Peter also followed them and

took pictures with his iphone of our encounter. Afterwards Peter said

if I hadn't moved (aka gotten kicked out), Glen and Marketa probably

wouldn't have found me. SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE.......

So I play for a few more hours, and I'm on cloud 9... (it's now been

5 or 6 hours of busking....can't feel hands, gotta pee, losing my

voice, ... all the usual stuff..). Finally it's time to see Glen and

Marketa perform so, my wife and I head off to see the show.

My wife is pretty concerned they won't let me in with all my gear

because she went and checked while I was playing and saw the list of

non-allowed items, and I had about half of them (like large bags,

metal poles aka my mic stand etc...). I have a feeling they'll let us

in so off we go to find out.

When we get to the entrance, the security guard gives me what I think

is a "great, another one of these guys" looks. Instead of showing me

the door, he pauses and says.... "Oh hey, are you the guy who's been

playing outside?.... is that a Martin guitar you were playing? I play

one too... you sound great! Yeah... this guy is alright, let him in."

So, no problem getting in and I've got a new friend to boot.

We finally manage to get to our seats in the dark, no small feat with

all my gear, and we enjoy Patty Griffin's opening set.

Next, Glen and Marketa come on with Glen's band the Frames. They are

astounding, amazing, mind blowing, beautiful, inspiring, original,

soulful, full of depth and raw talent. They play some of their big

hits (including Falling Slowly) and then everyone leaves the stage

except for Glen. He plays a solo song and then says: "So, we were

walking around Boston today and we met this busker. He was

fantastic... I think his name was Steven.... now everyone please be

quiet for a second.... Steven are you here?"

Yeah.. I'm here!... I stand up and lift my guitar high over my head

like an Olympic weight lifter (caught up in the moment, I was...).

The crowd begins to cheer and Glen says... "LET"S HAVE A REAL BUSKER

UP ON THE STAGE! STEVEN COME UP AND SING US A SONG!"

I think this was the point were I my heart stopped beating and I

began to choke on my giant pretzel...

So, the crowd keeps cheering and I run up to the stage. I make eye

contact with about a zillion people on the way who are as caught up

in the moment as I am. The guards let me on stage... and there's Glen

to great me with a warm smile. I hug Glen and the crowd cheers. Glen

says "Hey, do you want to use my guitar, it's already plugged in..."

Side note, this is the guitar Glen played in the movie, and it's

famous.... I dream about that guitar... Do I want to play it? Yeah, I

want to play it! I want to marry it and raise saplings together... I

want to fight crime with it... I want to take it to the zoo, take it

to the movies, knit sweaters for it , paint it's picture, and

celebrate Arbor Day with it.....(ok i'll stop there). Of course Glen

knows how exciting playing his guitar would be for me, and it's

another kind and thoughtful gesture on his part.

After fumbling through my guitar case to find my Harmonica and capo,

I approach the mic, and the crowd is going wild. In a fog akin to

deer in the headlights syndrome I say something, to the crowd,

probably something I would regret if I could remember what it was....

I do remember saying... "ok I'll stop talking and make this quick...

you guys didn't pay to see me." That went over well. Hmmm... maybe a

little too well. But seriously folks...

As I struggle to get my heart rate back under 300 bpm, I play the

opening chords of my song "Charlie wants to run".... Charlie is a

metaphorical reference to the subway in Boston, aka the Charlie

train. I play the intro with guitar and harmonica. I think after I

played the progression through the first time I got big cheers, maybe

because people were happy after all the buildup of this moment that I

didn't totally suck. I sing the first note and realize... uh-oh my

voice is gone from my 6 hours of busking in the cold today... still

can't feel my hands... DANGER WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!.. then i get a

hold of myself and start to relax and take in the moment. I notice

that everyone is clapping to the beat. I realize how to connect with

the audience halfway through my song and I start to make eye contact

one by one with everyone who is close enough for me to see. Each

person I look at seems to get that I'm looking at them and we smile

at each other, having meaningful and happy, albiet breif, exchanges.

I can see how inspired they are by this moment and how excited they

are for me. I've never felt more love and support in a performance

setting in my life. I know that feeling will stay with me always.

At this point I realize I've gotten lost in the crowd and my song

structure has flown south for the winter. I realize I've sang the

chorus 3 or more times in a row .... time to stop! I somehow manage

to end the tune as thousands of Swell Season fans rise to their feet

to give me a standing ovation. Glen runs up to me and gives me a big

hug and says to the audience "That was F---ing Great!"

On the way off stage I get to thank each member of the Frames and

Marketa. Big giant security guard gives me a hug. Everybody wants to

shake my hand as I wander, lost-dazed and confused, trying to find my

seat, and process what I'm pretty sure has just happened.

Afterward, I signed autographs for the first time in my life and set

up my gear outside the Arena and played outside until 2am... this

time I didn't even notice the cold.. I stopped when my amp died in a

horrible barking way that only busker's amps can die.. I think I

might have fried it, but perhaps I can fix it. If you see me busking

in Park Street or Davis station Wednesday afternoon then you'll know

the amp made it through another round of meatball surgery.

If you would like to be involved in the upcoming chapters of this

story, please help me make the most of this big break by forwarding

this email to your friends, your press contacts (Newspaper, Magazine,

TV, Radio, the Web), anyone you know who you think might be

interested in booking me at their venue or house concert, any

songwriter agents, recording industry types, ...etc!!! I have never

asked anything of the sort in the past, but I believe this story can

inspire others to go for their dreams and I am excited to share it

and see how it all plays out.



Edited by stevenbacon



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ever heard of

http://www.ayanahaviv.com



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thought these were interesting



best cheatin songs

http://www.theboot.com/2008/08/15/countrys-best-cheating-songs-no-20/



best drinkin  songs

http://www.theboot.com/2008/03/04/best-country-drinking-songs-br-no-

25/



best flat broke songs

http://www.theboot.com/2008/10/21/flat-broke-songs-no-10/



best ptriotic songs

http://www.theboot.com/2008/07/02/countrys-greatest-patriotic-songs-

no-10/



stories behind the songs

http://www.theboot.com/category/story-behind-the-song/



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Subject: I'm looking for songs.



Joani Tabor Ministries

"Nothing's Going To Steal My Joy"

Website: www.joanitabor.org

If you wish to become an email prayer partner,

email us.



-----Original Message-----

From: GJTabor@...





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American Songspace is



A site for WRITERS to market their songs Through opportunities for

song placements and interactive contests, we hope to advance the

careers of songwriters.



A site for INDUSTRY to find songs

By introducing songs to music industry professionals we help discover

songs and put them in their place



A place for EVERYONE to connect.

We're a media company devoted to the craft and business of songs,

bringing writers and industry together in one place.

WWW.AMERICANSONGSPACE.COM



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this is outstanding



every song has a journey

every song has a story



here are 3 you ought to know



please watch these



Bring On the Rain

Song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWYRfsjBNQk

Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqe94TdV3tw



Never Alone

Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnNK4Alwbsw

Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clu6TLnzals



Time of My Life

Song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt4aTMTGZPM

Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxwbeL4i0zo



by  http://www.youtube.com/user/sbtsong



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http://www.songwriterforums.com/forums/



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When I first met Bob Mulloy I was petrified...scared to death, shy

and at the tender young age of 18 years old. Bob was the Director of

the Belmont Reasons at Belmont College..which is now Belmont

University in Nashville, Tennessee.



The Belmont Reasons was a group of singers and musicians whose job it

was to promote the college and encourage young high school students

to come to Belmont. Well, when the Reasons came to Franklin High

School..and I saw three of my friends already in the group... I

thought to myself....that's it.. I have to be in that group, I have

to sing and dance in that group... I have to be a Reason!



The summer after I graduated from high school.. there was an audition

to be in the Reasons...and I went to the college¹s huge stage..and

sang my heart out. And Mr. Mulloy at first thought I was a huge

snob...because I was so quiet...but he had no idea that I was so

nervous, and painfully shy ... To make a long story short, I found

out that I passed the audition 2 months later....and 2 weeks before

Reasons ³training camp². Mr. Mulloy put me through the baptism of

³FIRE². I thought he hated me...he would make me practice over and

over again...read the theory...recite it back to him..and the torture

went on and on! BUT...oh the things that I learned from this Man!



The Reasons performed Pop shows for the various high schools across

the state and then we would also have a Gospel show for the

churches.... It seemed that every weekend...we were on the road

traveling back and forth to various concerts and events. We had

different outfits for the different shows...had to learn 10-15 songs

per show..using no notes...and everything was fully choreographed. I

had never gotten so much exercise in my entire life. We eventually

recorded several records in the Belmont recording studio...which gave

me such invaluable experience in the studio..how to sing with others

and blend...stage presence..and how to work with a team of others.



I spent 5 years under the leadership of Bob Mulloy...who very quickly

became a dearly loved father figure after my first year..when my

father died very suddenly during that summer break! Bob came to the

funeral and knelt down and told me that he was there for me..and then

we were locked into each other¹s heart from there on! He took me

under his wing like no other person that I had ever encountered, he

grew me up...he "kicked my butt" as he would say, forced me to learn,

forced me out of my shell! And he changed the course of my life

forever. Had I not passed that audition back in 1979, I never

would¹ve attended Belmont, for it was also a partial scholarship,

which I desperately needed. And I definitely would not have had the

skills or the confidence to pursue my dreams of singing today. Mr.

Mulloy passed away several years ago from cancer...and his passing

affected us all who passed through his life. I'm more sad for the men

and women that will never know him and his influence that I could

ever be for myself. He was a life changer! Some of the folks that he

influenced during his time at Belmont University were myself, Steven

Curtis Chapman, Dann Huff, David Huff, Gary Lunn, Gordon Kennedy,

Tricia Yearwood..and the list goes on.



If there is someone in your life, even your own child....that you can

mentor, whether it be spiritually, physically, musically..creatively

or artistically...whatever...then take them under your wing...support

their dreams, be there for them...be honest with them....and light

their heart!



You will find the blessing of being poured out..and being Jesus to

someone else...who will eventually take your baton into the next

generation! So whatever else you do in your life.....

Mentor, Mentor, Mentor!

http://www.lisabevill.com/mentoring.html



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study steve seskin



We're Not Waiting (for the World to Change)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2p95OJImuA



Steve Seskin 2  USE MINE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq_QZGx_1qA



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The GRAMMY Museum is more than just a celebration of the music

industry's most prestigious award. It's a one-of-a-kind experience

where music fans are invited to look behind the curtain at how

today's music is created and produced. As a GRAMMY Museum Charter

Member, your support will be instrumental in shaping the future of

the Museum, as well as music around the world, starting right here in

Los Angeles.



In this exciting year of firsts, your membership will be your

backstage pass to explore a world of intimate performances, lectures,

classes and events. Plus as a Recording Academy member you will

receive a 20% discount!



In order to get your 20% discount please enter the promotional code

CHARTER when applying for membership.



There are four easy ways to join:



1. Call the membership office: 213.765.6800 (press 3 for Membership)



2. Send us an e-mail: membership@...



3. Join online: www.grammymuseum.org/membership



4. Send a check to: Membership Department

714 W. Olympic, Suite 200

Los Angeles, CA 90015



Charter Membership Benefits

- Free admission for one year

(Tickets are scheduled, so advance booking is suggested.) - Preferred

ticketing to The GRAMMY Museum-hosted programs, events and

performances

- 72-hour advance notice for The GRAMMY Museum-hosted events -

Invitations to members-only events, previews and shopping specials

- Subscription to members exclusive e-zine On The Record

- 10% discount in The GRAMMY Museum Store

- Personalized membership card(s)

- Commemorative art piece commissioned by The GRAMMY Museum

Student/Senior/Educator/Traveler - $32, Regularly $40 Students,

seniors, educators, and out-of-state applicants must present valid ID

- All the benefits of Charter Membership for one adult - One

personalized membership card

Emerging Artist - $40, Regularly $50

- All the benefits of Charter Membership for one adult - One

personalized membership card Debut - $60, Regularly $75

- All the benefits of Charter Membership for two adults - Two

personalized membership cards

Opening Act - $72, Regularly $90

- All the benefits of Debut including Admission for up to four youths

(ages 6-17)

- PLUS free admission to monthly family education programs Headliner -

  $100, Regularly $125

- All the benefits of Opening Act - PLUS four one-time use guest

passes ($60 value!) Nominee - $200, Regularly $250

- All the benefits of Headliner - PLUS an invitation to an exclusive

members evening on the GRAMMY Sound Stage

Award Winner - $400, Regularly $500

- All the benefits of Nominee - PLUS Invitation to "Curator's

Perspective" (an evening tour, discussion, and reception)

- Eight one-time use guest passes ($120 value)

Icon - $800, Regularly $1,000

- All the benefits of Award Winner - PLUS free PRIORITY admission for

two adults and four youths (ages 6-17) - Membership to L.A. LIVE

Ticketing Club

- Invitation to dinner with the Museum's Executive Director -

Eligible for Museum Travel Program *Benefits are subject to change







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Pitching Feedback From A Street Pitch Guest:

The pitch guest for # 459 Gary Allen emailed us to say, “One of the

reasons I'm passing on so many songs is that I'm finding that

sometimes even though a song has lyrics that are cool or very

interesting, the melody is a letdown or kind of generic. I think that

it would be great if the songwriting students would be working and re-

writing melodies just like they do on their lyrics. I'm sure that the

SongU courses on melody writing and coaches can speak to this topic.





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The countdown to Music's Biggest Night has started! The 51st Annual

GRAMMY Awards will take place on Wednesday, February 8, 2009. The Pre-

Telecast awards ceremony begins at 1 p.m. PST in the Los Angeles

Convention Center, immediately followed by the GRAMMY Awards global

telecast at 5 p.m. PST in STAPLES Center, broadcast live on CBS.

As a member of The Recording Academy, you are invited to attend the

51st Annual GRAMMY Awards and The 2009 GRAMMY Celebration after

party. The GRAMMY Awards ceremony is not open to the public and is a

benefit of your membership in The Academy. Beginning Wednesday,

December 17, at 9 a.m. PST, GRAMMY Awards ticket order forms will be

available on the exclusive membership pages of GRAMMY.com.

To obtain a ticket order form, please log on to GRAMMY.com, input

your member number and password, and the link to the form will be

near the bottom of the page. If you do not have your password, please

use the "Forgot My Password" button to have your password emailed to

you. If you need further assistance in obtaining your password,

please email meminfo@....

Traffic on GRAMMY.com may be unusually high. It is strongly

recommended that you obtain your member password prior to the

December 17 on-sale date.

All information regarding pricing, maximum ticket allowances, seating

levels and GRAMMY Celebration Party tickets will be available on the

ticket form. Please remember that tickets to both the GRAMMY Awards

telecast and GRAMMY Celebration Party are non-transferable. Please

reference the ticket form for The Recording Academy's policy

regarding ticket transfer.

The next 50 is here! We look forward to you joining us as we, along

with a global television audience, celebrate Music's Biggest Night!







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Hey Ande,

Hope you are doing great!

I created a new internet rhyme finder/dictionary for songwriters

and thought your members might make good use of it. It's free:

http://www.perfectrhyme.com

What's different about it? First, perfect and near rhymes organized

from closest to most remote. Second, a dictionary that is mostly

words found in actual songs, few archaic or useless words.

Third, users can get rhymes for slang and other words it doesn't know

yet, just by typing an exact rhyme.

By doing so they improve the service for others.

Take care now,

Adrian

__________________________________

Do, or do not. There is no "Try".

-Yoda

Check out my music at:

http://www.adriannye.com





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a songwriter wrote this to me

Sent: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 7:08 pm

Subject: Need a little help



Hello,



I am new to you're group and I have some question I am hoping that

you can help me on.

I am song writer, I write songs not the music, since I got hurt I

can't play my guitar ( but that's another matter.)

My manger/agent is telling me that I have to pay for everything, and

that I

need to be the one that talks to other agents and mangers. Know I am

not a

good talker with other agents, I tried once and they ask me were my

agent was.

I also had to pay for ASCAP which I don't know what they are for are

what

they can do to help me. I have not got a copyright yet cause they

want me

to pay 350.00 for the apps. I also had to pay for my web page which my

agent not doing nothing with. You can check it out at

www.davidmasonlryics.com. I don't know which way to go, my agent

wants me to go to Austin, Texas to

talk to other people while he stay at home.

Is that the way agents are suppose to do, my agent has the money and

he is

a better talker than I am.

Any advice you can give me I would be gratefully cause I am lost, I

love to

write and I want my song out there, I not doing this for the money, I

write

to make people happy and they can relate to my song.

Thank you for having the time to read my letter and I hope that you

can get

back with me on my problem.

Thank you



my reply was



Dear David,



nice to hear from you



when you write lyrics you need to find melody writers to set your

words to music, don't hire a business to do it



most songwriters don't have agents

be your own agent



you don't need to pay ascap $350



i suggest you read the message archive at

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/messages





participate on online communities like

jpfolks.org

songramp.com

http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=57759





read books by jason blume

www.jasonblume.com



consider joining songU

www.songu.com/ifs

nice to hear from you

wish you the best with your writing





Consult with Marc Alan Barnette





wish you well



ande rasmussen





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Write on,



Ande



Does anyone EVER read IFS to the VERY END?