5 Things You Need to Know to Get Your Songs Signed by a Publisher

I'm not positive how many songwriters are actively pitching material at any given time- I've seen estimates of well over one million- but the port of entry for most will be with a music publisher. Here are 5 things every songwriter needs to know to get a song signed:

1. Music publishers don't purchase songs. They sometimes offer an advance against royalties but they don't outright buy songs. If you approach them as if your unpublished songs are surefire hits and offer them for sale you'll only mark yourself as a total amateur and hurt your chances of getting your song added to their song catalog.

2. Music publishers don't do a lot of publishing, that's making songs available to the public and it's usually record companies that do that. The term "publisher"is a carryover from the days when the main release of a song was through printed sheet music. Those days are long gone, today's music publishers are more involved with copyright administration and/or promoting songs signed to their catalog. To help get your song signed, approach them as if they are talent scouts, not manufacturers of product.

3. Music publishers are typically swamped with submissions and they've heard it all, you can not hype your way into a contract. Let the high quality of both your song and your demo recording speak for you.

4. Music publishers are people. They all think they know what constitutes a potential hit but most are wrong more than they're right. And few properly acknowledge the role that both personal taste and personal experience plays in their decisions. The lesson? Don't take rejection personally. Figure that the reason your song, "I Love My Girlfriend Nearly As Much As My Harley" was rejected has nothing to do with it being crass, unfunny and insensitive. It's because the female publisher's biker ex-boyfriend spent a little too much time with his Road King.

5. Music Publishers have certain criteria: Songs no more than four minutes long, clever titles, possibly a specific artist they need a song for- whatever their particular parameters are- but largely it's a numbers game. A high quality song with a stellar demo production pitched to a sufficient number of publishers equals success!

Bill Watson is the owner of http://www.playitagaindemos.com which is a demo service for songwriters and song publishers. He has also written magazine articles for publications as diverse as Small Business Opportunities, Entertainment Weekly and Sports Afield. His book "Guitar Shop: A Beginner's Guide To Learning Rhythm and Lead Guitar" was #1 in its category on Amazon.com for nearly two years.

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