If you had to pick two important qualities for songwriters who want to succeed in the contemporary music industry, what two would you pick? Many people would focus on things like originality in their approach to music, or the ability to anticipate new trends. But let’s take a look at those.
While originality can be a great thing, it isn’t really essential. Okay, I hear those cries of anguish. But if you listen carefully to the music that is finding its way into television and movies, you’ll probably agree that most of it is not highly original. And the commercial opportunities to place your music that you’ll see do not typically ask for something original. More often that not, what music supervisors wanted is something exactly like, but not a copy of, something already popular or that was popular at some specific time in the past. Sort of a known unknown. Sounds contradictory, but true. A movie looking for a Sinatra style song, was in one recent tip sheet. Another asks for traditional Middle Eastern music. Another wants “southern rock like Lynyrd Skynyrd and dance club music like Black Eyed Peas. And yet, another, well you should get the point here. If you want more examples, get the free Taxi listings or go to the public listings at New On The Charts .
Being able to work accurately within existing styles is going to go a long way toward getting placements—much further than originality, which can actually be a hard sell. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be innovative, just that you can’t expect to sell your work simply because it is different and original. Good is more important than original.
As a side issue here, you need to be sure you understand what music supervisors mean when they say “like.” If the call ifs for a replacement for Satisfaction, by the Rolling Stones, don’t send a Reggae styled version of that song or something you think the Stones will want to record if they ever hear it. What is wanted is a very similar song. The vibe you hear, the tempo, the feel of it, is what is wanted. Of course your riff is better than Keith Richards’ (you’ve been able to learn from him after all), but what you are being told is that they want Satisfaction but can’t afford it. Don’t send in curry chicken when they send out for Chinese. You won’t satisfy anyone.
Okay, back to our main theme.
Anticipating trends can be important when you are pitching songs to artists. But you better be right. You cannot expect to set the trends—see the discussion of originality above. If, like me, you scratch you head at the latest and greatest, you won’t be successful in trying to outguess the market. If you are part of the movement, however, go for it. But again, don’t expect a big career in movie and television placements.
So what qualities would I pick?
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Patience, and
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Be Among The Willing
Patience is important because, typically, everything in this business takes a long time. (Until someone needs something yesterday, of course. But we are talking about breaking in, here.) It takes people a long time to make up there mind—and they might not tell you their decision at all if you are not the chosen one. It takes time for cue sheets to be filed. It takes a long time for royalties to come in. It takes a long time for CDs with your songs on them to be released. If you are not patience you will go nuts. Cultivate patience, and like a good fisherman you will eventually manage to be in the right time and place to make a great catch.
About all you can do to keep your sanity is submit things and forget about them. If you hear back, great. If not, you should be busy with the next project.
Being among the willing is based on the idea that successful people get that way by choosing to work with the willing. So you put yourself in that path. This is a bit of a variation on “the customer is always right,” in that it includes they idea that you are going to do whatever you can to help them get what they want. Even if it means referring them to someone else. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, and always deliver what you promise. That is what the willing do.
Of course, that isn’t the end all of the music business, but it will help a great deal. And it might keep you on an even keel while you work at it. Those of us who are ex sailors like to be on an even keel, because the alternative is not fun.
So keep doing what you are doing, but all the while being patient and placing yourself squarely among the willing—the helpful.
Another way to look at this came from Dale Carnegie, I believe it was, who said: “Be nice to people on the way up, because you meet the same people on the way down.”
Tags: music career, music success, Songwriting
About the Author
Ed Teja
Ed Teja is a musician, composer, and book author who writes, arranges, and performs a variety of music.
Last 5 posts by Ed Teja
- Avoiding the long, sharp teeth of song vampires - February 9th, 2010
- Modeling a nonexistent industry? - February 2nd, 2010
- Adapting to changes - January 25th, 2010
- Narrow your focus - January 2nd, 2010
- The year end refocus - December 30th, 2009
