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Songwriter's Guide
by Gary Schuster
Webpage Introduction
This material was first written as a book in 1988, just as I was finishing law school and after four years of working at The Songwriters Guild of America. Just like a songwriter shopping a tune, I sent the manuscript around to a number of publishers. I found no takers. Maybe because of the extremely boring title. Anyway, after I'd had enough rejection I just let it lay on a bookshelf and got on with my life. Nearly ten years later, the cyber-revolution motivated and enabled me to dust it off and "publish" it on-line. The floppy disc it was written on (remember floppy discs?) had disappeared. The one remaining hard copy was faint and fuzzy so scanning wouldn't work. I bit the bullet and re-typed the whole thing, taking the opportunity to edit and re-write as I went.
I still think that getting the first
record
is important enough that you should
be willing to put up with a
lot.
In reading the material I wrote so long ago, I noticed something of a bias. A lot of my advice to writers seems to be telling them to be happy with their contract; don't demand too much; don't expect to much; get yourself a few records, anyway you can, and worry about improving your contracts later. I suppose I still believe that for new writers. It's so very hard to get a first record, and getting a first record is so very important, that I do think you should put up with almost anything to get that first record. After you have some success, you can be more demanding. For a lawyer like me, the fun part comes, not when you're trying to beg and plead and yell and bully for a minimally fair deal for someone new, but when you're making lots of exotic demands for someone successful. Nevertheless, this material is aimed at the new writer, and I still think getting the first record is important enough that you should be willing to put up with (i.e., give away) a lot.
That said, one should certainly strive for the best deal possible, and in that context there's an old phrase I like to use: "You don't ask, you don't get." You never get anything without asking for it. And there's no harm in asking. All they can do is say no. You might even gain a little respect by showing that you know enough to ask.
Naturally, I must make the usual disclaimer. This material offers certain general legal facts and opinions, but cannot and should not be used by a reader as legal advice for any particular situation. A reader with a legal problem should consult a qualified attorney.
Finally, for helping me to learn everything that I have written here, I would like to thank my parents, teachers, bosses, mentors, colleagues, clients and adversaries.
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