Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Why Aren't You Turning Your Lyrics Into Money?

A close up black/white photo of a pen laying on a open notebook.

What's up world, it has been a while but I have been finalizing the touches on 2 projects I have been producing for the better part of a year (will post details and links to both projects soon). Well during several conversations with artist over the years about ways of exposing their projects, I have asked the question of "have you typed up your lyrics yet?" Well, the initial response was normally no, but was accompanied with a curious look. I usually went on to inform them about how many times I have heard a song but didn't remember anything but some lyric and that is the very lyric I would do a Google search with. 9 times out of 10, I found the song on some lyrics site or the artist's on site. SEO benefit aside, typing up your lyrics is always important especially if you are looking to submit songs to artist for them to record your song. When I say "type" I am referring to using a text editor like MS Word or Notepad but of course there are tons of note taking apps for your phone and tablet (which a lot of artist use to record their lyrics) but not many are not typing up and digitally archiving their lyric sheets for publishing purposes, copyrights etc.

My opinion on submitting your music to placement companies is to contact a handful of those you want to target, that work with style of production and songs you create, and inquire about any current opportunities that have. Next, get all the information about their submission process and criteria that you can. It is also helpful to find out about any of their recent clients to get a feel for what turns them on currently. Then go do as much research on those clients as you can as you may uncover for tips on how to get your music placed or licensed. Now of course, if you have your own plug or connection on direct submissions, that allow you to bypass the rigorous landscape many artist face today, then you have several ways to play it. One being the ability to negotiate a higher publishing percentage and the other being the ability to license out not only your music but the songs of other songwriters or producers who you'll essential represent. Like I said, there are several ways all songwriters who fully represent and exploit their portfolio properly.

It is also very helpful to upload your lyrics to as many lyric websites as possible (copyright them first) to increase online visibility and potential profit. Google itself has even shown it recognizes the importance of uploading your lyrics and has started making them available in search results, further giving your fans a way to connect with you instantly. Just do whatever you can to secure online visibility and also do not forget to use your split sheets also to ensure all parties are aware of their contributions. While many may understand the importance of this, many still do not and many still do not take the time to type them up.

After realizing this fact, I decided to post an example of what a lyric one sheet could look like...



Song Title



Songwriter / Songwriter / Songwriter



VERSE 1


Lyrics go here

Pre-Chorus can be indented here

This leads to the...

CHORUS


Chorus lyrics here


VERSE 2


Verse lyrics go here

Just like VERSE 1

You do not have to write out the entire Chorus. Just type "Chorus"

CHORUS


BRIDGE (usually 8 bars)

Bridge lyrics here


CHORUS


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