Demos and Records
Demos and Records
How do I get my song heard?
That question has been asked by every songwriter who ever picked up a pen. I've never met a writer yet that wanted to stock pile his or her tunes in a closet, piano bench or dresser drawer, and never let anyone hear them. When I teach songwriting classes in the summer, I usually have several students that have only written one or two songs, but they are already looking for a way to get them heard. And that is a good thing. If they are looking for honest feedback that will help them improve in their craft of writing, they will surely find it.
Writing the song is only 50% of the work that faces a songwriter. Once the song is written, it needs a demo. Then it must be published, recorded, sent to radio and put on the charts.
Wow! Maybe writing the song is only 15% of the work.
My advice is to test the song first. You must build a network of objective listeners who will give an honest opinion about the song. It would be best if some of those listening are professional individuals who already make a living at picking good songs for an artist or record label. Most beginning writers don't have those kind of contacts at their fingertips. But you can find other songwriters where you live that can give you a better perspective on your music and lyric than your own friends and family. Friends and family, who are not in the music business will usually love anything you write, because they love you. But that is not an objective opinion of your song. It's perfectly fine to sing your song for them, but don't take their praise to seriously. On the other hand, if you perform your new song to a friendly group of your acquaintances, and get a less than positive reaction, you could be dealing with a really bad song. If friends and family don't like it, you can be pretty sure that the music industry professionals won't be too impressed with it either.
So let's assume that you have written your new song and performed it for several local writers. You have received positive feedback and constructive criticism. You have made some changes to the song because of the reaction you received and now the song is the best it can possibly be. Great! Now you are ready for step two.
You have to make a demo.
When I began pitching my songs twenty five years ago, a simple piano/vocal, or guitar/vocal was all you needed in Gospel Music. It has remained that way in Southern Gospel music until just recently. Although it is still possible to get your song cut with a simple demo like that, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get a song recorded that way. Pop, R&B, and Country music started requiring fully produced demos that sound like a finished record, several years ago. And now I am finding that more and more producers, artists and record companies are looking for a finished product. They want to hear what the final recording can sound like.
I read recently read that even as far back as the 1980's this became true in the R&B field. When the Pointer Sisters recorded their mid '80's hit JUMP, their vocals were simply added to the music track from the demo. The writers received co-producing credit on the final record. But they pitched a demo that was used for the final recording.
I heard a similar story to that in the 1990's with a country record by Holly Dunn. She had written a song and produced a demo for her producer and record company to hear. The song was placed on the project, but it was not re-recorded. The actual 16 track demo was what was released on the final project. That song became the single. It was her demo that was actually being played on the radio.
What I'm trying to tell you in a soft way is that the stakes are getting higher in the Southern Gospel industry. What used to work for a songwriter demo is becoming less and less successful. That means we have to dig down in our pockets and start producing better demos if we want to stay competitive in this business. Hopefully you can land your song with a publisher who will bear part or all of that expense.
We've gotten away with demos recorded on our home boombox for many years. But those days are ending, if they are not over completely. But their is good news. A great song will usually find a way to the top. But just keep in mind that once you have written it, it's probably going to take some time and money to get it heard.
Until next time, keep on writing!
Daryl Williams
http://www.darylwilliamstrio.net
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[5] Comments
Good info to be aware of, thanks! I had been receiving mixed messages, but then again, my experience and info is starting to span some years! Your recognition of changing times and the alert to writers is much appreciated!
Written: 10/01/2007 
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The Songwriter
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