A "song" means both words and music. If you write just words, you will have to find someone to write the music for you. You will also need a recording of your song, so music industry professional can hear how it sounds. This recording is called a demonstration recording, or a "demo" for short. You can make this recording yourself, if you are capable. Or, you can have Empire Music Company's songwriting and recording service do it for you. Music publishers are most interested in hearing the words and melody to your song. The vocal should be "out front", so the words can be clearly heard. On a demo, instrumental sections should be kept to a minimum. Do not include long solos. A guitar/vocal recording may be adequate for a ballad. But when possible, especially for more up tempo songs, you should use a full band demo. The addition of drums, bass and harmony vocal will vastly improve your demo. And the better your demo, the better your song’s chance of getting published. SUBMITTING YOUR SONG TO MUSIC PUBLISHERS: Once you have your song, demo and register the copyright, you are ready to submit your songs to music publishers. You can do-it-yourself, or Empire Music Company's Song Marketing Service can do it for you. Music publishers are in the business of working with songwriters and trying to get their songs recorded. They have contact with recording artists and other professionals in the recording industry. Legitimate music publishers do not advertise in magazines. In order to find publishers looking for songs, get the latest edition of the book Songwriters' Market published by Writers' Digest Books. It's available at bookstores and some public libraries. It tells you which publishers are looking for songs, and what type of songs they handle. Follow each publishers guidelines exactly. Most publishers request your demo, lyric sheet and a self-addressed stamped reply envelope. Include a cover letter telling them your goal. Are you looking for a publishing deal, a job a staff writer, or do you want to be a recording artist? Your submission to a publisher should be neat and professional. Type everything, and make sure your name, address and phone number is on every item you send. Legitimate music publishers do not ask for a cash payment from songwriters. Instead, they receive a portion of the song's royalties in return for getting your songs recorded. The percentage can vary. The details of a publishing contract can be very complex, so always consult an attorney that specializes in Entertainment law before signing. Music publishers receive hundreds of songs to review. They accept only the very best of them. Do not be discouraged if your song is not accepted right away. Keep trying. A rejection of your song does not necessarily mean your song is bad. It may just mean that your song was not the right tempo, or not about the subject the publisher was looking for that day. More than one song was repeatedly passed over until someone recognized its potential. Even the Beatles got rejected when they first started out! Music publishers have told us they accept one out of a hundred songs they receive. Some accept as few as one out of every several hundred! So, it is essential that a writer not take rejection personally. Successful songwriters have been writing and learning their craft for years. It is unrealistic to expect instant success from your first attempts at songwriting. Keep improving your craft and eventually you will get a break. ROYALTIES: The money your song earns is called the royalty. The publisher of your song is entitled to a share of the royalty. The gross royalty is split into two halves: the "Publishing" and the "Writers". The writer should always receive 100% of the "Writers" share. Songwriters with a track record of successful songs can even obtain a portion of the "Publishing", but beginners can not. COPYRIGHTS: In order to protect your work from being copied without your permission, you should claim copyright to everything you write. You do this by writing the copyright symbol © followed by the year your work was created and your name. For example: © 2004 John Smith Merely having the copyright notice on your song is not enough. Before you begin submitting your song to music publishers, you should register the copyright with the Copyright Office in Washington, DC. You can also order the forms by calling 202/707-9100. Use Form PA for songs. The current price is $45.00 per registration. You can register one song at at time, or to save money you can register as many as you want as a compilation for that same $45.00. We have noticed that another website is giving out misinformation regarding copyrights. They advocate that songwriters use the so called "poor man's copyright". It works like this: Put your lyrics in an envelope and mail it to yourelf by registered mail. Leave the songs in the unopened envelope. This supposedly offers copyright protection. WRONG! The "poor man's copyright" has not stood up in court. In fact, a court will not even let you file a case if all you have is an unopened envelope. Do not waste your time. We advise songwriters to register their songs with the U.S. Copyright Office on Form PA after the words and music are completed. It offers the best protection. © 2006 Empire Music Company United States Copyright Office