Live coverage from Canadian Music Week in Toronto. The
ten commandments for aspiring publishers.
Panelists
Ian
James - Managing Director, Mushroom Music Publishing, Melbourne
(moderator).
Catharine Saxberg - Executive Director, CMPA
(Canadian Music Publishers Association), Toronto
Diane Lamarre -
GM, Professional Music Publishers' Association, Montreal
Mark
Jowett - Music Publisher, Nettwerk Music Group, Vancouver
Patrick
Curley - President, Third Side Music, Montreal.
Jodie
Ferneyhough - Managing Director, Universal Music Canada, Toronto
John
Rudolph - CEO, Bug Music Inc., Los Angeles
The
ten commandments are...
(1) Size does not matter.
(2)
Time and money are required.
(3) Have great songs.
(4)
Attract great writers.
(5) Create a good story.
(6) Broker
good deals.
(7) Widen your horizons.
(8) Build value.
(9)
Be persistent.
(10) Get lucky.
The discussion...
(1)
Size does not matter.
Saxberg, "well over 100
thriving publishers" in Canada at this moment.
(2)
Time and money are required.
Rudolph: Bug
Music is 35 years old, as a perspective. The company creates a fund for
its writers and helps to expand their worlds. Also, publishers are
now playing a greater role developing and growing the music, a role
traditionally assumed by record labels over the past few decades.
Administrative aspects are very important and will remain so, but major
creative opportunities lie ahead.
Canada offers more support for
ramping up publishers.
(3) Have great
songs.
Ferneyhough: The song is important, "if
your song doesn't work at 7 in the morning on the radio, it may not be
that great of a song."
Jowett: Amazing songs have
tremendous lifespans, through first recordings, various covers and
samples, etc. The creative aspect is "the inspiring part of it."
Rudolph:
a song can be sung and cut a million different times, unlike
pre-set recordings. "We've been used to licensing our works any
possible way we could," a potential explanation for why publishers are
faring better than their recording counterparts.
(4)
Attract great writers.
Ferneyhough: sometimes
"you just stumble upon something," sometimes the process of
investigating and seeing an act can take a year-and-a-half. And
sometimes, artists being developed or scouted are scooped by another
publisher.
Where to find good writers?
Curley,
talks about thenextbigsound.com, shows where things are reacting and
growing.
Rudolph: Important to "look a writer in the eye'
before striking a deal," and a good work ethic and ability to create
relationships are also components of success. The best songwriters
are constantly plugging, and great self-promoters. Also, answer the
question of who the writers are writing for, themselves or someone
else. And, give lots of real feedback.
Jowett: writing is a
slog, the best are tireless and can take rejection and do not take
it personally.
Curley: success relies on a law of averages,
like hockey, the more shots, the greater the chances of making a goal.
Saxby:
also, a writer with lots of business knowledge is wonderfully
attractive to a publisher, sub-publishing deals etc.
(5)
Create a good story.
Why do writers need to be with you
instead of the competition? Advantages?
Jowett:
limited or conditional terms can help to encourage a flexible, good
partnership.
Curley: important to show writers that contacts and
pitching opportunities exist.
Saxberg: "Labels are our
customers'
Lamarre: education for songwriters is important
(6)
Broker good deals.
Rudolph: the big corporate
m&a deals tend to be more civil, but publisher and writer deals can
be more contentious. If you really believe in a writer, really
communicate that with the writer directly, that is often overlooked.
Saxberg:
Lawyers are not the dealmakers, they are servicing who the deal is
really between, so "remember who the deal is between".
Ferneyhough:
yes, the writer relationship is key. And, understanding what a writer
can deliver is critical. Avoid making deals that call for more output
than the writer can actually do.
(7)
Widen your horizons.
Curley: the stigma of doing
big sponsorship deals is mostly gone, now this a major avenue to get
more exposure, money, and a break. "Grey's Anatomy" is notorious for
launching careers," and "synch licensing is a great way to sneak up the
middle."
Jowett: work together with the label and management to
really try to grow an artist. Now, publishers can actually get involved
in tour support, marketing budgets, etc.
Rudolph: on the
synch world, "don't let that be your saviour, it takes time to get to
that." Games (console, iPod, iPad) also offer another huge field.
The
session starts to run out of time...
(8) Build value.
James
talks about the "creeping decrease' in song value, while challenging
the notion that free or freemium is somehow a good model.
(9)
Be persistent.
James: it took years for David
Gray to get going, stay with your writer and remain confident that
this person has serious quality.
Rudolph: Kings of Leon
started as two country writers, and "it just kept going and going," it
didn't come from nowhere.
BigChampagne's Ultimate Chart (a/o February 10th):
1. “What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger),” Kelly Clarkson
2. “Set Fire to the Rain,” Adele
3. “Turn Me On,” David Guetta
4. “Rack City,” TYGA
5. “Good Feeling,” Flo Rida
6. “Smooth Criminal (Glee Cast Version),” Glee Cast
7. “Young, Wild & Free,” Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa
8. “Domino ,” Jessie J
9. “Sexy and I Know It,” LMFAO
10. “Ass Back Home ,” Gym Class Heroes
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