As the year begins to wind down (all the weasels are packing their bags and running for the airport– probably trying to avoid the blizzard of oncoming pink slips flying around the office), it’s a good time for songwriters to take a day or two and assess where they are in their career, where they’re going, and what it will take to get them there. As to the last point, I’ve already got one good suggestion to consider:

Songwriters– You need a publisher.

Some of you probably already know this. Some of you might already have a publishing deal. Undoubtedly, some of you are probably asking the obvious question: “Why? Why would I need a publisher?”

In order to answer that, we actually have to circle back to the first two topics of consideration: where are you in your career, and where do you want to go? If you’re a songwriter, I’ll assume that you probably have some songs. Most songwriters don’t have a shortage in that area. What most songwriters lack are songs that generate income– that make money. If that’s where you are, and you’d like to get to a point where your songs can be the basis of a business, then a publisher is exactly what you need. Because that’s what publishers do.

Songwriting itself is not a business. It’s a sort of avocation. It’s just something you do. You create songs. This would explain why most of the time songwriters have a closet full of demos, and not a lot in the way of income.

Music Publishing, on the other hand, is indeed a business. That’s all it is. It is the business of deriving income from songs. When I wrote my book on music publishing, I called it “Making Music Make Money”. Songwriters create songs. Music publishers take those songs and figure out how to turn them into money, by getting the songs on records or the radio, in films or television shows, in advertisements or onto sheet music.

Sound good? I thought so. The goal then for 2008 is to find a publisher. There’s only one drawback. If your songs aren’t generating much in the way of income at the moment, it will be almost impossible to find a publisher who will be interested in representing you. Music publishers are primarily interested in representing writers who have already demonstrated at least the potential for commercial success. Bummer.

But don’t despair. The good news is that you already have a publisher. This person has been with you since you completed your first song. This person knows your catalogue note by note, and is unwavering in his or her belief in your talent. Before you go searching around the studio to find this person, and start yelling at them about why you’re not getting more cuts, let me clue you in:

You’re it. YOU are your publisher. The minute you complete a song, you are not only the writer of it, but you are also the publisher of it– and you remain the publisher until you assign those rights to someone else. The problem with most songwriters is not that they don’t have a publisher– the problem is that they’re not very good publishers. They’re doing the job as songwriters, but they haven’t learned how to take that work, and turn into into something that creates income. The real resolution for 2008 is not to find a publisher. It’s to learn to become a good publisher.

It’s not as easy as it sounds, nor as hard as you might fear. It does mean gathering a certain amount of technical knowledge about how royalties are computed, how money is collected and distributed, and how licenses are negotiated. It means learning to research projects, develop contacts, and pitch your songs. In order to be effective, it requires learning to listen to your own music critically, and making judgments about which songs are commercially viable, and which ones need work. If that sounds like a dirty job, then here’s the reality check:

Someone’s gotta do it. And you’re the only one who will. Until you can begin to work your songs into situations that at least have the potential to generate money, no publisher will suddenly be dropping by your apartment, wondering if you have any tunes that he or she can exploit. It’s up to you to get the ball rolling, and until you do, nothing will happen. Songwriting without publishing is a hobby.

The goal then for 2008 is to foster your inner music publisher. How do you do it? Study. Read “Making Music Make Money: An Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Music Publisher” if you want a place to start. Check out Music Publishing 101 at Berkleemusic.com. The whole course is designed to walk you through the set-up of your own music publishing business.

Then while you’re studying, start doing. Pick up Billboard and start figuring out where your music fits into the market. Pick up tipsheets like “New On The Charts” to figure out who’s looking for songs. Pick up the phone, and start dialing for dollars.

The good news and the bad news is the same: it’s all in your hands. No one is going to turn your music into money– you have to show that it can be done. Trust me, once you do, there will be no shortage of large and small music publishers who will be happy to partner with you. But your first, and best publisher, will always be you. If you’re looking for one thing that can change your life as a songwriter, then this year’s goal is well-within reach. You need a publisher. And you’re it.

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: http://www.music-career-guide.com

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Maybe its the Kerouac thing– but writers love to hit the road. In the last week, I sent one songwriter from the Midwest out for a week of collaborating with artists and writers in Stockholm, another from the Midwest went to Nashville to co-write with some of the top Country and Christian music writers (both genres are centered in Nashville), another writer came from Dublin to work with urban writers in Philadelphia and New York, and still another flew in from London to work with some of New York’s best singer/songwriters.

This is part of what publishers do– helping their writers to find new collaborators around the world, and then getting those writers across the globe with the hopes of making magic and creating a hit. Not a bad deal for the writers, who get to see new places (albeit usually they only see the inside of a recording studio), meet new people, and even write a song or two in the bargain. Not such a fun thing for the publisher. We tear our hair out making the arrangements, deal with last-minute cancellations, hope we picked out the right collaborators, foot the bill, and then cross our fingers for one or two songs that make the whole effort worthwhile.

So what does make it work? What are the keys to creating a successful writing trip? Here’s some tips from a writer turned publisher. Just wish I knew then what I know now.

1. When In Rome…
Learn how writers and publishers work in different places, and adapt to it. In Nashville, everyone treats their calendar like it’s writ in stone, and people schedule 3-4 weeks ahead. In New York, no one knows what they’re doing until a week before. In London, writers like to spend a couple of days together in order to write a song. In Sweden, it takes about three hours. In NY, you work all night. In Nashville, you start at 10am.

We all have our ways we like to work. But the point of a writing trip is to try something new. So don’t cling to the old. Learn the local customs.

2. Don’t book. Overbook.
As a publisher, the one thing I learned quickly that has proven constantly true is that when planning writer trips, you can always expect the worst. Someone will get sick. Someone’s studio will break down. Someone will suddenly be approached to collaborate with a budding superstar, and you will be dropped from that very carefully arranged calendar in an instant.

When I book writing trips, I like to try to schedule two writing sessions a day– one in the day, and one in the evening. That way, if someone cancels, the day is not lost. Of course, if no one cancels, then the writer is doing daily doubles for a week, which can be pretty grueling. But that’s why they call it a job.

3. Never Arrive Empty-Handed.
Come with some ideas in your head. If you primarily write tracks, then bring some new tracks with you. If you’re a lyricist, come armed with some title and concept ideas. If you write melodies, have a few tunes in your head, in case no one knows where to start. Those first few minutes of a writing session, once the hellos and airport stories are done, can be excruciating. You always feel better if you’ve got a few ideas to break the ice. Even if you don’t wind up using any of them, you’ll be more relaxed with a few ideas up your sleeve.

4. Don’t Slight The Nightlife.
I know– after two writing sessions a day, who is going to want to go out at night? But if there’s an opportunity to go hear some music, meet other songwriters, hear the hot local band, or just go support an artist that you’ve been working with, take advantage of the opportunity to make the scene. Part of the value of writing trips is the chance to establish yourself in a new musical community. You need to take any opportunity to meet other musicians and writers while you’re in town.

The best writing trip I ever saw involved Stargate, now one of the hottest production teams in the industry, with hits like “Irreplaceable” for Beyonce and “So Sick” for Ne-Yo. When they arrived in NY, they were a well-established production team in the UK and Scandinavia, but almost unknown in the US. By the time they left a month later, they had written some of the biggest hits of the year. Much of the credit goes to their managers, Tim Blacksmith and Danny Poku, who not only set up the calendar, but also spent their day doing A&R meetings, while the guys worked in the studio. Much of the credit also goes to Stargate, whose strong work ethic had them turning out a song or two each day– for a month.

And of course, a lot of credit goes to Luck. Stargate met Ne-Yo by chance at the studio– that impromptu meeting led to “So Sick”. But that’s the point of a writing trip. You put yourself in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. And then you write. And write. And write some more.

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: http://www.music-career-guide.com

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