The Structure of the Music Business (directed toward song writers). The music business in the U.S. revolves around three major hubs: New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. Power is concentrated in those areas because that’s where most record companies, publishers, songwriters and performers are. Many people trying to break into the business move to one of those three cities to be close to the people and companies they want to contact. From time to time a regional music scene will heat up in a non-hub city such as Austin, Chicago or Seattle. When this happens, songwriters and performers in that city experience a kind of musical Renaissance complete with better-paying gigs, a creatively charged atmosphere and intensified interest from major labels. All this is not to say that a successful career cannot be nurtured from any city in the country however. It can be, especially if you are a songwriter. By moving to a major music hub, you may be closer physically to major companies, but youj’ll also encounter more competition that you would back home. Stay where you’re comfortable; it’s probably easier to conquer the music scene where you are than it is in Los Angeles or Nashville. There are many smaller, independent companies located in cities across the country. Most international careers are started on a local level, and some may find a local career more satisfying, in its own way, than the constant striving to gain the attention of major companies. Making Contact. If you are interested in obtaining a record contract, you will need to make contact with A&R reps, producers, publishers and managers. Getting you material to these professionals and establishing relationships with as many people in the industry as you can should be your main goal as a songwriter. The more people who hear your songs, the better your chances of getting them recorded. A&R reps, producers and managers. Consumer support, in the form of money spent on records, concert tickets and other kinds of musical entertainment, keeps the music industry in business. Because of that, record companies, publishers and producers are eager to give the public what they want. To stay one step ahead of public tastes, record companies hire people who have a knack for spotting musical talent and anticipating trends, and put them in charge of finding and developing new talent. These talent scouts are called A&R representatives. “A&R” stands for “artist and repertoire,” which simply means they are responsible for discovering new talent and matching songs to particular artists. The person responsible for the recoding artist’s product-the record-is called the producer. The producer’s job is to develop the artists work and come out of the studio with a good-sounding, saleable product that represents the artist in the best way possible. His/her duties sometimes include choosing songs for a particular project, so record producers are also great contacts for songwriters. Managers are interested in developing an artist’s career as a whole, and are typically on the prowl for material suitable for the performers they represent. Music Publishers. Producers, A&R reps, and managers are aided in their search for talent by the music publisher. A publisher works as a songwriter’s advocate who, for a percentage of the profits (typically 50% of all earnings from a particular song), attempts to find commercially profitable uses for the songs he represents. A successful publisher stays in contact with several A&R reps, finding out what upcoming projects are in need of new material, and whether any songs he represents will be appropriate. Royalties. When a song is recorded and released to the public, the recording artist, songwriter, record company, producer and publisher all stand to profit. Recording artists earn a negotiated royalty from a record company based on the number of records sold. Producers are usually paid either a negotiated royalty based on sales or a flat fee at the time of the recording. Publishers and songwriters earn mechanical royalties and performance royalties, which are based on radio airplay and live performances. Look at the royalties flow chart above. It shows where royalties come from and where they go before landing in the songwriter’s pocket. As the chart shows, a music publisher is an invaluable resource for songwriters to earn royalties. Submitting Your Songs. When it comes to presenting you material, the tool of the music industry is a demonstration recoding-a demo. Tapes have been the standard in the music industry for decades and have now been taken over by CDs because of its simple playback feature. Songwriters use demos to present their songs, and musicians use them to showcase their performance skills. Demos are submitted to various professionals in the industry, either by mail, person or via email/internet. Demo Quality. The production quality of demos can vary widely, but even simple guitar/vocal or piano/vocal demos must sound clean, with the instrumental in tune and lyrics sung clearly. Many songwriters invest in home recording equipment, such as multitrack recorders, and record demos themselves. Other writers prefer to book studio time, hire musicians, and get professional input from an engineer or producer. Demo services are also available to record your demo for a fee. It’s up to you to decide what you can afford and feel most comfortable with, and what you think best represents your song. Once a master recording is made of you song, you’re ready to make cassette companies and start pitching your song to the contacts you’ve researched. Some companies indicate that you may send a video of your act in performance or a group performing your songs, instead of the standard cassette/CD demo. If you do your research of companies that accept unsolicited demos you will find their requirements.