HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A SONGWRITER

Do you have a back catalogue of awesome songs? And you want to start earning money from them? Of course you do! That's why we asked Rocket Songs to give us their advice when it comes to getting paid as a songwriter and outline the ways you can maximize the value of songs you have (or haven’t) written throughout your musical career.

 Nearly everything in music these days spins out of the written song. Many careers are started as singer/songwriters. No matter what, in today’s fragmented landscape it’s good to know what you can do with the great songs, or what you can do with a great song others have written.

How to make money from songwriting

 The list below is a 3-step outline that should put you on the right track toward a professional songwriting career.

 1.  GO TO SCHOOL
Some have their eye on becoming a lawyer, a doctor, an electrician, a truck driver.  To enter these careers, one must first obtain  specific and proper training.  Songwriting is no different.  People are not born as hit songwriters any more than they are born Vice Presidents of Corporations or Rocket Scientists.  Even so, I am frequently approached by people who have just written their first song, and they absolutely believe it has potential to be a hit … if only the right people would hear it.  (I built a volcano for the science fair in grade school, but that did not mean I immediately deserved a career as a volcanologist.)

Some emerging songwriters choose to take composition and arranging classes at colleges and universities.  Formal training is wonderful and I encourage it, but the school I’m talking about here is “home school”.  The point is that you need real training to develop your craft.  And if you can get it from professionals, that’s how you’ll learn the quickest.  There are many ways to educate yourself on the craft of songwriting and it will take a few years, not a few months or a few songs.  There are a myriad of  books, videos, websites, seminars, workshops, classes and even personal mentorship available to you.  Learn from these sources.  Practice.  Break down hit songs and seek to learn what makes them work.  See what type of lyric and melody writing devices these hit songs utilize and compare that to what you may be studying in books, classes, etc.  Invest time and money into training, just like you would for any other career.


2.  GRADUATE
To graduate from school, you must first pass the final exam.  In the same way, as you learn different writing techniques, have your songs reviewed and “graded” by someone schooled in the craft and business of songwriting.  Through seminars, workshops, classes, mentorships and even online, you can have your songs critiqued by professional writers and publishers.  Now if you’re a parent, you know how difficult it is to grade your own child’s homework.  If we’re not doing trigonometry every day, then we should leave it up to the trig teacher to both educate and grade the child’s work.  So don’t give your songs to family members or friends for real critique and review, if they are not accomplished songwriters.  (You’ll always get an “A” from friends and family.)  Take your “grades” to heart, and work to improve them until you can pass with flying colors.

3.  GET AN ENTRY LEVEL JOB
You’ve studied long and hard to learn the subject matter.  You’ve practiced and improved your craft to a level that you graduated the school of songwriting.  Now it’s time to put your skills to work.  When I graduated college, I wanted to be a top executive of a music company.  But for obvious reasons, those jobs were not being offered to me right out of the gate.  I had to take an entry level position in an area of the business that was not my first choice.  I was happy to be working, and over time I proved myself and worked my way up the corporate ladder.
So by now, I’m sure you’re getting my comparisons.  Maybe your goal is to write songs for the biggest artist on the planet or for the next block-buster film.  Maybe you want your songs to be sung by choirs in thousands of churches.  Setting long-term goals for yourself is a must.  But what are the steps to get there?  Local and regional artists are a great first step.  B and C level national artists are easier to get songs to than those artists already at the top.  Find these artists, meet them, develop relationships.  Write for local projects, local churches, local radio, local advertisers, local television.  Maybe you can find a nearby artist or producer that will co-write with you regularly.   Maybe you have connections with local arrangers or church leaders who would be willing to work with you on choir arrangements for the choirs in your area.  These are just a few of the ways to “enter” a career of songwriting.  It’s rare that anyone can start at the top.  So baby-step your way up.  One cut leads to another, and another.  And although the money may not pay your bills initially, you’re building a reputation and improving your craft along the way.  Eventually, you’ll hit a home-run and promotion to the major leagues can come very quickly.

Sync Licensing

The sync licensing business is very popular these days. “Syncing” your songs places them into TV, film and advertising projects. You can solicit these opportunities yourself or by joining a music library. You are compensated when they are used. Learn more about joining music libraries and getting your music into TV and film here.

Publishing deals

There are many roads to this destination. Submitting songs usually through lawyers or managers to labels and publishing houses or by making a name for yourself through self-publishing/self-promotion. Once you are signed you may get a monthly advance against future royalties and get help exposing your songs. You might need to give up a share of your royalties, but it could be worth it.

Mechanical licensing

Artists across the globe are hungry for well-written songs. There are a few marketplaces where you can put your songs up for others to record. You generally see revenue when licensed, but be aware many don’t allow you to retain ownership. You can do this at Rocket Songs, a digital marketplace offering songwriters the chance to make money by exposing their quality songs to a global market of musicians.

Record and distribute

Everyone knows about this one, but we’re just going to itemize the different types of royalties that you are entitled to if you go this route: mechanical, publishing, streaming, performance and maybe even digital print royalties. Remember, you can start releasing music on Spotify, iTunes and more with Ditto Music.

---

 What kind of songs are people looking for?
If you have a catalogue of songs you have written, think about the following before putting them into marketplaces for public consumption. Right now the industry trend in terms of most sought-after genres are:

Afro - hip pop

Alternative pop

Indie/alternative rock

Hip-Hop/Pop

Country

Also keep in mind that a lot of artists and singers looking for original songs come from overseas, where music sensibilities are slightly different. What this means is that if you have a lot of one of the aforementioned genres put a wide swath of songs up.
Finally, a note on quality. There are lots of ways to define a song’s quality: lyrics, how it was engineered, production values, it’s melody and/or it’s lyrical quality. What we have found at Rocket Songs is that because songs are listened before licensing, the quality of the recording is particularly important when it comes to getting paid for your songs.

---

Should you record a song you didn’t write?
It might not be for everyone, but recording a song you didn't right is commonplace amongst many of the world's biggest artists. Here are some of the reasons you should consider it as an option.

1. To Explore New Genres: Different genres offer a new direction and an opportunity to stretch yourself creatively. If you’ve thought about dabbling in a new genre, your best bet may be to find an “outside song” and experiment.
2. Learning Sessions: Every good songwriter has his/her own tricks and styles. By recording or simply studying someone else’s high-quality song you can find new tricks and trades to improve your own skill.
3. Something Borrowed, Something New: For your live performances, use new “outside songs” to change up your show. More important than this, is that new songs create new experiences for your fans. Fans LOVE new sets.
4. Record and Release: The reality of the music’s new streaming economy is based on hits. The more good, well-written songs the better the opportunity. You can only write so many hits, and even with someone else’s song you still can receive a great portion of the revenue, including performance, streaming and distribution royalties. 

This is a guest blog by Rocket Songs, the original song marketplace. It's the only place online or in the world where professionally written songs that have long remained the unattainable property of songwriters or Music Publishing Companies are made available to musicians everywhere, it’s also the place where you can offer up your songs to the same global audience.