| It used to be said that the tune was the
biggest part of getting a hit record. If you had the the tune you were well on the
way towards a hit record. You would have a copyright that could also make you a lot
of money in the future, with other artists "covering" the tune. |
| The industry today is, however, much more
diverse. Because of this it is a lot more difficult to center in on the tune
per se or on any one particular aspect of the successful record. People
are creating productions from the home environment at extremely low cost and yet can make
a tremendous amount of money. The industry doesn't look at songs in the same way
that it used to. Record company executives are looking at lot more at the ideas and
gimmickry today than they used to. |
| In the past, record companies relied on radio
air play as the main method of marketing. Today you have a vast interest in other
types of marketing. Today there is increased activity in "street
marketing" (where representatives place posters, flyers and giveaways in retail
stores), billboards, concert promotions, and of course the Internet. Artists today,
themselves, can and do market their own product using some of these avenues. This is
because there is a lot of talent out there and too few national independent record
companies. |
| The record company executive of today
(independent or major) is not so much interested if there is a song there but are there
dollars there. The question asked is: Will the project make money now? An
example of product that can be making money without a strong song is the rap and the
gangster rap. |
| Before the record companies usually
controlled the copyright and publishing. But because writers (as artists) started
doing their own thing, they became publishers as well. As a result, major companies
had to cut deals for split publishing just so that they could have some participation in
that aspect (the song income aspect) of the record, making publishing less of their
main concern. Companies also realized that many of the things being produced would
not be re-recorded and not make additional money down the line - it is the here interest
now without that traditional long-lasting appeal. |
| The makeup of a song (in the traditional
sense) is that it has to be melodic and it has to be something that other people can sing.
Most of the things out today are not along that line. There are a few newer
things that fit this description such as things by Brittany Spears, Backstreet Boys,
'Nsync and 98 Degrees; but the majority of songs written today are very short term
and they're based on how many sales can be generated right now and companies are
much less concerned about down the line. As a record company executive you would
have to look at what is the true value of a song today, compared to yesterday. |
| When people bring me a song I will listen to
it, but the my focus is a little different because of looking at how it would fit into
today's market. So if today you submit a song without an artist attached, you
are definitely incomplete. Because of the way the groove changes today, because of
the beat and the syncopation in the vocals today, I have to look at the song as how it
would be done in today's market. Just because I like it, just because it has a good
melody and a good story and all that, it doesn't mean that it will sell. But if I
like the idea, the melody and lyrics I have to find a current producer of today that can
take that idea and break it down for today's listening ears. That means that the
song may have to be broken down into different segments than the song writer originally
heard in it. The original way may not fit in today's market. |
| After you are done the song doesn't have the
same value as a it once did. How is this song now going to be a good copyright, and
who else is going to re-do it like that after it has been broken down for today's market?
Its no longer structured in a form that makes a good copyright down the line.
A producer will re-make it into something that will work today. |
| You can, however, circumvent some of this
challenge by working in other genres, such as adult contemporary and perhaps smooth
jazz. Here you are dealing with songs and situations that are melodic and there is
an acceptable market that will buy the product. The issue is whether that is the
quickest way to get your record company (or independent production company) successful and
profitable. The majors have an advantage with this because they are set up to
deal with a five or six different styles of music. They may allocate a million
dollars (for alternative styles) and if one of those is successful it may
bring in 8 to 16 million dollars. As a result, they can budget money to produce
different genres. The independent record company can't afford this type of
activity and have to zero in on one or two different styles at the most. |
| The larger record company also can swamp the
independent and not only push different styles but also will have proven artists.
The independent company needs to time their releases differently than the majors to combat
this and give their releases a chance. The Internet is also a new major force for
today's independent record company. |
| With these factors, to be successful, you will have to adjust your
thinking and your presentation to fit today's market. |
