It’s really funny. Every musician I’ve ever met has had that dream at one time or another. But the truth is that there are really no clear ways or information available that tells you how to get a record deal as a songwriter. You are a bit lonely here. But I’d like to try to point you in the right direction at least, so that when you get to the point where you want free band promotion, or songwriting tips and resources, you’ll at least know where to turn. instead of trying to pin the tail on the donkey of music with the blindfold on.

Composers are actually a dime a dozen. It seems that everyone I know is a songwriter, or would like to be. My mother has even written a few lines on a napkin here and there, but at least she never claimed to be a songwriter. She thinks she is a poet. Songwriting is a very demanding field. There are a lot of things you need to learn before you can start writing a good song. Structure, rhythmic elements, not to mention being able to find a word that rhymes with affection. But all these things CAN be learned from various places. Online courses are everywhere, and I can’t count the number of books available on the subject.

And then there are the natural ones. Those people who have just been born with the talent to write good songs. Do you know one? Will it be that guy (or Gal) who plays guitar and sings at parties, and when he’s done everyone says “who sings that?” and of course he’ll say “I wrote that,” and everyone is absolutely blown away by that. Assuming it’s early and the barrel is still full, that person is probably one of the naturals.

But enough of that. You want to know how to get a record deal as a songwriter, right? Well, the fact is you can do it, but it won’t be easy. First, you must be one of the naturals, or have been educated to the point where you can pretend to be one. Sorry, but NOT EVERY SONG has the potential to be a top ten hit. I know you may think yours does, and hey, it very well may. But be realistic about his odds at first so you don’t get disappointed in the end.

Songwriting is an extremely competitive market. Not only do you have to worry about other songwriters getting ahead of you, but you’re up against all the successful songwriters in existence who already have a track record behind them. In the music industry, it is truer than ever that “it’s not what you know, but WHO you know”.

Because of this fact, I’m going to reinforce what you’ve probably heard 1000 times before, and that is that if you’re serious about your music and it deserves to be taken seriously, then you absolutely need representation. There are music row lawyers who do nothing but buy songs from major record companies and publishers around the clock. Agents are in a similar situation, they’re already connected within the industry, so it’s ten thousand times easier for them to get the A&R department to listen to a song than to try to do it on their own.

Publishing houses are one avenue that the independent artist CAN use to get their music into the right hands, but all of these methods are based on one key element, and that is how you approach these people. You just have to have a professional attitude and demeanor when dealing with Nashville, Los Angeles or New York. Wherever you are, these people are professionals, approach them with a less professional appearance and you’ll be toast. If you don’t remember anything else, remember that.

Prepare your professional imaging materials long before you need them. Your bio and promo package should be up and ready to ship before you get on the phone and start connecting. Use a professional designer for your materials if you can afford it. This is a business, whether we like it or not, and it will require a small investment, just like any other business where you plan to make money. If you don’t know what’s included in a biography or promo package, that just means you’re not ready to start promoting yourself in the music industry. Go find out these things.

You’ll need a music industry directory for contact information, because you’re going to be calling a LOT of people. Everyone’s submission policy changes almost weekly. When they get a certain number of submissions, they shut down for a while, sometimes they just check what they already have, then at some point they start requesting submissions again.

NOBODY in the major hubs of the music industry accepts unsolicited material, so don’t even try. It will mark you as an amateur, and it will be even harder for you to get over that, than if you had called and asked permission in the first place. Well, maybe there’s a guy who does, but trust me, you don’t want to get involved with him.

That brings up another point. Never pay someone to listen to your music. They are not in the music industry. They are in the business of listening to your music for money. No one who is legit will ask you to pay them, which is why it’s so hard to get them to listen to you! These people are just looking for top ten hits, album cuts are just filler for your CD when you burn it.

As I said before, if you have a trusted attorney or agent representing you, it means that these people believe in you, because you are not paying them up front. That gives them much more motivation to buy your songs for you. They also don’t get paid until the song sells. Also, if you are involved with a lawyer, you are much less likely to be taken advantage of regarding your contract. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to, but you never know.

Independent record labels are another source of information on how to get a record deal to write songs. These companies are much less strict in their shipping policies (you have to call first), so reaching the decision maker is a little easier than with the big ones.

I recommend calling first for two reasons. First, it gives you an idea of ​​whether they’re actually accepting submissions at the moment, who you should send it to so it doesn’t end up in the pile with 100 others, and what actual formats and materials they require. And two, if you can actually talk to the person who will be reviewing your songs, you can impress them before they even get your CD. It won’t always happen, but sometimes it will.

One last thought for this article. You’ll have much more success calling record companies and publishers if you know the name of the contact person and can ask for them, rather than lamely saying to the secretary, “Can I speak to someone from A&R?”

Also, keep very good notes while you make your calls, they may not need anything right now, but they can tell you when to call back and check again.

There are some great music industry contacts here: Free Resource Directory for Musicians [http://www.iimusica.com/directory.html]