What It Takes to Be a Professional Songwriter
by Drew Kolar
The art of songwriting goes way back in time, before songs were even written down. Word of mouth and singing accompanied by one or two instruments is how epic poems and stories were originally spread. In the 21st century, however, songs have become generally short, verse-chorus-verse recordings, with simple understandable lyrics. So what does it take to be a songwriter?
Professional songwriters have been around for decades. Many well-known singers have paid for writers like Cole Porter, Carole King, Diane Warren and Amanda Ghost to help write - or completely write - songs for performance. The professional songwriter generally makes their living off of having their works performed by others.
The singer/songwriter movement that began in the 60s and 70s, however, has shown that these professionals can also have careers of their own. Take Carole King for example. Her album Tapestry features King's own renditions of the songs "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," popularized by The Shirelles, and "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman," which went down in history as one of Aretha Franklin's greatest hits.
Today, Amanda Ghost, who has written songs for Beyoncé ("Beautiful Liar" and "Satellites") and James Blunt ("You're Beautiful") has made a major name for herself in the industry, especially after recently being named president of Epic Records. This, of course, is an extreme example of how important and influential songwriters can be, but the career is indeed very profitable and important to the music industry even without such major promotions. The best bit about Ghost is that she always mentions, in her website updates, where her own music career stands. Like most good songwriters, her career is what she eventually wants to focus on.
Obviously, the songwriters mentioned so far - especially Ghost and King—are my idols. One important part of being an aspiring songwriter is to have someone to look up to, both career-wise and style-wise. After all, it's definitely good to know what sells if you plan on selling songs, or at least what is popular within the genre you are working with. The real work, however, is the songwriting process, regardless of if it's for eventual sale, or for private use.
Songwriting isn't for everyone, but anyone can, in theory, write a song. Sometimes, there are songwriting partnerships that work better (i.e. one person for lyrics, one for music). We'll just assume you're doing both parts. Rather than going into an entire lecture on how to write good lyrics though, maybe it's best to assume that you can already do this bit. But believe it or not, there is always revision. The first rule is to be happy with your finished songs, or at least the demos.
Take my good musical friend Kate Havnevik, as an example. Her latest single, "Show Me Love," has gone through multiple incarnations, two of which have surfaced on the internet. The first version had completely different lyrics-other than the chorus-than the finished one. And the music of the new one is upbeat with a horn section and poppy chorus, different from the slow, chilled out electronics of the first. The song's style could change when the song is sold. Versions of Amanda Ghost and Carole King's songs went through such a change when the songs were popularized by other artists.
Beyond the writing and revision is the persistence to get the song out to the public. As Kate's advice to me in an email says it best - persistence pays off, whether you want to work with a producer, or have a specific publisher handle the song. She told me to "try to avoid just sending them a demo, even if they say that's what you have to do" and to "find a name of someone who works there and ask specifically for them." Above all, though, the most important part is to meet them in person.
One other great piece of advice is to get songs copyrighted. It's somewhat expensive if you do it by song, but as a compilation, a full CD can be copyrighted for around $35 or so (although http://www.copyright.gov should explain the process better). It is, however, a worthy investment, especially if your music is in the hands of multiple people.
The biggest bit of being a songwriter, however, is always audience interaction. Writing just for money may eventually profit, but writing from your own experiences-as a couple of industry workers have told me in my constant questioning-is what really pays off in the end. People want something to relate to, even if it's as simple as Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" (because sometimes people can relate to the feeling of, well, just wanting to dance, right?).
So in the end, it's best to write for yourself before anyone else, then find out who you want to work with and how you want to get the music out there-through yourself or through other vocalists. Of course, as a songwriter, it's always nice to keep it simple and start small. Sharing music with friends and family that understand what you're talking about might be the most rewarding experience of all-and the best way to get feedback. Good luck, and happy writing, no matter where it takes you!
