Comments for What kind of classes before and in collage should I take to become a songwriter ?

Jul 19, 2010
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Getting Started
by: Anonymous

Hopfully I can shed some light...

If you are in high school or school period your music teacher can direct you to the correct classes to take if you are planning to study music in college. But you are not too young to become a songwriter if your songs are good. The key is believing in your work first.

Second, recording your songs for demo. If you don't have an at home studio you may have to pay for studio time. An alternative could be to ask your parents to buy a laptop, recording software (protools), and a microphone. Closets are good places to record. Again if you don't have the money for home recordings, you may have to pay for studio time, or you might luck up and find a producer that likes your voice enough to just record you and will allow you to write and record to some of his/her tracks for nothing. If you work with a producer, make sure you have an agreement stating the terms of your collaberated work and 50/50 split on ownership of the songs. (producer owns 50% and you own 50%) Research this further if you don't understand.

Third make sure you have copyright to all you material before recording, and before sending out demos.

Fourth sign up with a performing rights organization (ASCAP,BMI,SESAC, etc). Register your songs. Keep in mind you can collect your own royalties for publishing. But if you seek a publishing deal, send your demo to creditable publishing companies. Again research.

Fifth send your demos to record labels, publishing companies, etc. I recommend researching how to submit demos to record labels and publishing companies. Google... Google... Google.

A good site to check out is Taxi. It doesn't hurt to sing some of yours songs on youtube.com.

Lastly, if someone is interested in buying your song. Never sign anything with out first letting a lawyer review the terms of the agreement, and never sell your copyright.

Some key advice to help you along the way: Learn as mucha as you can about this business through research. Build relationships a long the way and keep writing. Don't be afraid to ask questions about things you do not understand. A good source to start is your music teacher. Your music teacher may know someone that can help you get started with recording. You never know who a person may know. A lot of times we already know someone that knows someone, that knows the right person. All you have to do is ask.

I hope this helps. Good luck and don't stop writing.