YOU CAN EARN MONEY FROM YOUR SONGWRITING TALENT! HOW? READ ON!

Let’s face it. There are only a few who would become a Vehnee Saturno, Ryan Cayabyab, or a Gary Granada, Rico Blanco, or even a Lito Camo—composers who will be paid hundreds of thousands of pesos (or even millions) for their songs.

But does that mean that you, an aspiring, average, songwriter cannot earn money from your God-given talent? NO. Because nobody has monopoly of talent and more important, dyaraaannnn: CLIENTS.

Just like any product, your song has its audience or market. All you need to do is to find them. And in finding your audience/client, you will need a lot of patience and persistence.

Someone told me (my brother, actually) that in whatever he does, whether it be basketball, playing the guitar, singing, or even playing—all of which he does very well—he always meets someone better than him. That’s why he is so frustrated to pursue any of his talents as career. But I told him this: SO WHAT?

Let me tell you a little about myself. I’m not Lito Camo. But I have clients calling me up to make jingles for them. I’m not Vehnee Saturno or Ryan Cayabyab, but I get inquiries and requests from producers and artists to write songs for their albums. Why? Three things: 1. I have developed over the years the skills needed to write songs that are easy to recall. 2. I have developed a network of people who know about my songwriting abilities, and 3. I always put additional VALUE to my work. Allow me to elaborate them one by one.

I started writing songs at the age of 16, upon learning how to play the guitar. Almost everyday, I would write melodic lines and lyrics that by the age of 21, I have written over 200 songs. Never mind if none of them aired over the radio or became hits. Never mind if I’m the only one who appreciated all of them. I DID NOT CARE.

I just wrote and wrote songs. One day, I just found myself singing my songs in front of people at my university and getting flattering response from the audience.

Now, I’m 33 and I haven’t stopped writing songs. 17 years. Now I’m reaping the benefits of building my songwriting skills and my confidence over the years. Back then I was wondering why we pay doctors thousands of pesos for a few minutes of consultation just to tell you that you have a fever so you need to take up paracetamol. Now I know. They have developed their knowledge and skills to determine your sickness. They continue harnessing their expertise by continuously attending seminars and conferences and practicing their profession, such that every minute of their day is VALUABLE, hence we pay them hundreds or thousands of pesos.

DEVELOP YOUR SONGWRITING SKILL SOME MORE. Write as many songs as you can. Listen to hit songs and popular jingles. No matter what genre, and it doesn’t matter if the artist is male or female. Just listen and immerse yourself to the melodies and lyrics that became famous and you’ll find yourself becoming familiar to melodies and lyrics THAT PEOPLE LOVE. Then write your own. Record them. Compile them.

Next, BUILD YOUR NETWORK. Meet new people related to your passion. Let other people know about your MUSICAL GENIUS, your gift from above. Spread the word that you can weave wonderful melodies and catchy lines out of thin air. There are two things that will happen if you do this. One, you will get feedback about your work (positive or negative). Two, one of them (your audience) can be someone who knows someone who is a relative of someone who needs a song for his/her album or a jingle for their company or product.

Make song and jingle demos and then submit them to producers or marketing department of several companies even without initial payment. Give them your contact number.

Be humble if you get turned down. Remember this: it’s not no, it’s just NOT NOW. Believe me, you’ll be remembered. And when time comes that they need a song or a jingle, they might consider your services. JUST CONTINUE BUILDING YOUR NETWORK.

While building your network, FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN GET DEALS FOR YOU. He or she will come, just continue being passionate about what you do: songwriting. Initially, you will need to learn to negotiate for yourself. This will be uncomfortable because it’s always a shame to us Filipinos to put a price on our works.

Never mind, JUST DO IT. Research on current rates. Sooner or later you’ll find someone, an agent or a manager, who can negotiate on your behalf.

So there, feel free to post your comments below and watch out for more information about songwriting in the Philippines. You may ask me questions, and who knows, the answers could be YOUR OWN KEY TO MAKING MONEY OUT OF YOUR TALENT. Also, don’t forget to put your name and email on the upper left part of this blog to get more updates on monetizing on your songwriting talent.

May you be successful in your musical venture!

P.S. 
Get my Ebook THE SECRETS OF RADIO HIT SONGS AND 10 TIPS ON HOW YOU CAN USE THEM WHEN WRITING YOUR OWN SONGS for FREE!!! Just sign up on the upper left corner of this blog or below and you will receive an email with instructions on how you can download my FREE EBOOK.