WHY DON’T RADIO STATIONS PLAY MY SONG? – A Songwriter’s FAQ

                Why don’t they play my song? It’s very good, at least that’s what my mother said so!

 That was my question back then, when I was still clueless about what is really going on in the music industry. Back when I was very much unaware of the business side of music, I was a young, idealistic, singer-songwriter who only wished to hear his songs everywhere he goes—in public transport, establishments, and households.

Fast-forward to the present, now I am very privileged, lucky, you can say, to have a sort of “dual citizenship” in the music world, at least here in the Philippines. Aside from being a songwriter, I’m also working in a radio station. So I see both sides of the coin. On one hand, there are the music content providers—the composers, record companies, indie labels, and recording artists. And on the other side, there are those who provide the medium for the music to be heard, at least traditionally— i.e. radio stations. And I am very, very lucky to belong to both worlds.

As such, I understand and share the frustration and heartaches of many artists, songwriters, and album producers in not having their songs air on the radio. But on the other hand, I also understand the position of radio stations and why they don’t play ALL songs submitted to them. Aside from the obvious limitations (i.e. we only have 24 hours right?), there are certain considerations in choosing which songs to air that unfortunately, the songwriters or even the album producers are seemingly not aware of. So hopefully, this humble article will shed some light—and more importantly, give “clues” to songwriters on how they can actually use certain elements in increasing the possibility of their songs to air in radio stations.

Dichotomy of Radio Stations in the Philippines

In the Philippines, there exists a "dichotomy" of radio stations. That is, you can classify radio stations in the country into two groups. One is what we call HIGH END. These stations cater to the Filipinos who are in the "higher bracket" of economic classes. Simply put, they appeal to the rich and the upper-middle class.  Filipinos in this bracket enjoy the "American" style of radio programming, that is, the DJ’s speak in English and they play Billboard Top 40 music.  Currently, these radio stations belong in this group:

Magic 89.9

Wave 89.1

RX93.1

Mellow Touch 94.7

Jam 88.3 and others.

The other group is, of course, the LOW END. This type of radio stations cater to the general masses. These are the radio stations that belong in this group:  

90.7 Love Radio                 93.9 iFM

101.1 Yes FM                    101.9 Tambayan  

91.5 Big Radio                   107.5 Win Radio

102.7 Star FM                    103.5 Wow FM and others

The low end stations can be easily recognized, the jocks use Tagalog as medium, they play recorded jokes and their music format is called Hot Young Adult Contemporary. Or simply put, amix of old and current popular songs, including OPM.

By the way, the frequencies of the above-mentioned radio stations are for Manila only, and they may vary in the south/provinces (that is, most of the radio stations I mentioned have local/provincial counterparts too).

Now notice that I used the word “cater”. Because that is precisely what radio stations do, they SERVE what the audience wants. Therefore, the songs that radio stations play are actually dictated by the preferences of their respective “customers”.

What does all this hoolabaloo have to do with songwriting? A LOT.  If you are a songwriter, it is very helpful to identify what the different “customers” of the radio stations look for. While I already talked about the elements that you can add to your song to make it more “radio friendly” in my free ebook THE SECRETS OF RADIO HIT SONGS AND 10 TIPS ON HOW YOU CAN USE THEM WHEN WRITING YOUR OWN SONGS (you can get it for FREE just by subscribing to this blog, i.e. enter your name and email address), it is also helpful to understand the preferences of the listeners of the two kinds of radio stations.

Likewise, it is also good to review and analyze your own song as to its “appeal”. If your song sounds “too Foreign” or too technical, chances are it won’t get played on Low End stations. What do I mean with “too Foreign”? I AM NOT REFERRING TO THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCTION OR THE RECORDING OF THE SONG. Some people might mistake foreign sounding for high quality. I beg to disagree. There are many locally-produced songs of high quality.

So what do I mean with “too Foreign” sounding? Well, it could be the topic of your song, the idioms and some insinuations in it that many Filipinos (the general masses) may not be able to relate to. To give an example, the songs by U2, Nelly Furtado, John Mayer, among others, are very good, excellently made and of very high quality. That is why their songs are mainstays in many high end stations. However, many Filipinos who belong to the C,D,E classes are not able to relate with them, that is why you never hear them in Low End Stations.

Low End radio station audiences enjoy listening to catchy songs. They don’t care much about the technicality of the song, the riffs, the chord-shifts, etc. They only want to be ENTERTAINED. And by entertainment, I mean singing along with the song, relating to the lyrics or the story, and being able to ride the emotional journey it provides. The name of the game in Low End stations is how catchy is your song. How much of it sticks to the listeners after hearing the song means a lot.

                Does that mean a “high end” song will never ever air in a Low End station? NO! There are several instances that prove the contrary. Some songs initially aired over High End stations but were later on picked up by Low End stations simply because the general masses embraced them. This “phenomenon” is what we refer to as “CROSSOVER”.

                There are many hit songs that made the crossover from High End Stations to Low End ones. Here are just some of them:

You’re Beautiful (James Blunt)  

Billionaire (Travis McCoy feat. Bruno Mars)

I’m Yours (Jason Mraz)                            

This Love (and other Maroon 5 songs)

Just The Way You Are (Bruno Mars)       

Someone Like You (Adele)

Yeah! (Usher)     

Where Is The Love (and other Black Eyed Peas)

And many, many more.

There are also several OPM songs that started airing in High-end radio stations and also ended up airing in Low end ones, such as:

The Day You Said Goodnight (Hale)

The Way You Look At Me (Christian Bautista)

Jealous (Nina)    

A Little Bit (MYMP)

Wag Na Wag Mong Sasabihin (Kitchie Nadal)

And more.

What made the “crossover” possible? Well, there are several factors like the frequency of airing of the songs. Sometimes, when a song is played frequently, it gets stuck to your head. Another reason is the totality of the song itself. It may be foreign sounding in that the lyrics is not too Filipino, but the melody is SUPER CATCHY, so much so that any radio listener would quickly grasp it. Ever heard of “Baby” by Justin Bieber? Love it or hate it, IT JUST STICKS TO YOUR HEAD! Or the current hit by Taylor Swift, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”—even if a listener from the Low End station doesn’t understand the lyrics, what the heck the song is so EASY TO RECALL. That says it all.

So if you’re still wondering why your songs don’t air over the radio, maybe it’s time to analyze them and compare vis-à-vis the ones you hear all over. Maybe your song doesn’t fit the format of the station. Or maybe your material is not really radio-friendly to begin with. And if you’ll ask again, “what is ‘radio friendly’ in the first place?”, then I suggest you get my free Ebook, just sign up to this blog.

Keep on writing songs!

May you be successful in your musical venture,

Robster Evangelista

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.

HOW A SONGWRITER GETS PAID: FROM STEP 1 TO KA-CHING! (The Studio Album Route)

This article is borne out of a question from one of my subscribers. She asked, “Hey Sir Robster, how does a songwriter get paid?”. Well, there are several ways that a songwriter can earn money from writing songs. And this is just the first in a series of blogs about the subject matter.

This article is about earning money via the studio-album route. I opted to write a full blog about the entire process for you to visualize the things you have to go through so you would understand each step.

1. Make a demo of your song.

Make sure that it is of good quality, clear vocals and at least one instrumental accompaniment. If you can afford to hire services of an arranger, do so. It will help make your song sound “professional”.

Some would disagree with this. “I thought you said ‘make a demo’? Then why do you need to make it sound as if it is already professionally recorded?”. The answer is one word: COMPETITION. My friend, making a good quality and clean-sounding demo is not impossible anymore, what with the advent of highly-advanced but cheap recording gadgets and workstations. Gone are the days of recording via tape recorders with barking dogs as background noise. Most amateur composers nowadays have home studios that can rival some old-fashion set up.

When you’re done, submit your demo to A&R People of Recording Companies or Independent Album Producers (for Indie Artists/Singers who don’t really write their own songs).

You may want to research on them. Nowadays, with many social networking sites available, finding relevant people in the Music Industry is fairly easy.

Star Records – Jonathan Manalo

Warner Music – Neil Gregorio

EMI Polyeast – Chito Ilacad

GMA Records – Alwyn Cruz

MCA Universal – Francis Guevarra

Able Music – Bernie Refuerzo

And a lot more..

2. Your song will be evaluated by the A&R Manager or the
     Album Producer

The role of the A&R or Artist and Repertoire people is to choose the songs that would fit certain artists. The songs that will be chosen from among the submissions will be included in the album that will be produced professionally.

Now expect that there will be other songwriters who will submit their demos, much like in a songwriting contest. The difference is your song will not be adjudged whether it’s good or not. On the contrary, A&R People will evaluate whether your song FITS the artist who will be recording the album.

It will be a BIG HELP if you have a clue as to WHO will record the song/album, since you will have an advantage of studying his/her style before plunging into action.

3. The A&R Manager or Album Producer will call you

You might want to venture into some other activity, or you may write songs for others as this stage takes a long time--sometimes, two to three months, depending on the volume of demos they need to listen to. But they will call you if your song is selected. NOTE: don’t call them, they don’t like follow ups. Or you may try (at your own cost haha, just kidding). Some A&R people are really nice, just don’t catch them at a time when they have listened to over a thousand songs.

4. They will ask if your song is already assigned to a publishing company

They would want to make sure if your song is available for usage. If it is already assigned to a publisher, they might change their minds. Commonly, A&R managers are employed by record labels that have their own publishing company.

What exactly is a publishing company? It is a company that publishes. Genius. Seriously, it handles the right to MAKE USE of your song according to terms indicated in your agreement.

If your song is not yet assigned to any entity, they will ask you to sign a publishing agreement with them. For newbies, these publishing companies would push for 10 year-exclusive agreement.

There are pros and cons to this. Ten years is quite a long time for your song to be handled by a company. And that would mean you will have to SHARE with that company any earnings (normally 50%) from your song for 10 years. The good thing is, if you happen to sign with a good publishing company, then you are assured that you will receive royalties accordingly for 10 years.

CAUTION: Double check the contract, if you find the words PERPETUAL or IN PERPETUITY, be on the alert. This means you are assigning the rights to your song to them FOREVER, yikes!

5. Your INITIAL PAYMENT is indicated in the Publishing Agreement

Once you agree on all the terms, you will be informed how much you will be paid initiallu. This is called your Advance Payment or Royalty.  This normally ranges from P3,000 to P5,000. For seasoned composers, figures may vary, and normally they are higher.

6. You get paid, congratulations!

This will happen while the album is already in production phase. But this will just be the start of your earning potentials. After the album that contains your masterpiece is done, the Producers will choose the carrier single of the album—the first song to be released publicly in different media (hopefully it’s your song)—and market the entire album.

7. Additional Earnings

If the album generates sales, and or your song is used in TV Series, commercials, or in a movie, you will have to be paid again. And this is stated in your contract, the when and how much (whether annual/quarterly or semi-annual). Remember, any earnings from your song will be shared (50%) with the publishing company.

Thirty (30) days before the expiration of your contract with the publishing company, you have the choice to opt-out, meaning severe ties with the company. So you have to take note of the expiry date of your contract because some have an AUTOMATIC RENEWAL clause for another few years if you fail to notify them of your intent to end the contract.

If you decide to terminate the contract then you will have COMPLETE CONTROL over your song onwards. Meaning if for example, a giant Shampoo manufacturer wishes to use your songs in their commercial, then they will talk directly to YOU and you will get 100% of the payment (after taxes of course).

But the catch is: this RARELY HAPPENS for beginners. Most songwriters don’t have the training to market their own songs. In this case, I would advise that you get the services of trusted LICENSING MANAGERS whose role is to find deals for your songs without you having to surrender your ownership rights to them. I would write about music licensing in other another blog so watch out for it.

Again, the studio album route is just one way of earning from your songs. Sadly, because of piracy, this route is getting bleak. Although it still puts some money in the pockets of songwriters, the earnings from sales of albums is not the same as it used to be, back in the days when buying pirated music is synonymous to being CHEAP (because pirated copies back then are cheap in price and in quality).

Nevertheless, as brave producers continue to believe and invest in this route, you can still try your luck submitting your songs. After all, it’s better than just letting your stuff rot in your hard drives or worst, in your notebooks, right?

May you be successful in your musical venture,

Robster Evangelista

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.

P.S.2
I also invite you to join the group "Talented Amateur Pinoy Composers" in Facebook, so you can meet other songwriters who wish to learn more from and share music with each other. Just go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/418221114902149/ .

WHAT KIND OF SONGWRITER ARE YOU?

Why do you write songs? 

What do you want to achieve or get from writing your own music? 

The answers to these questions will determine what kind of songwriter you are and your place in the music industry.

  

I have written some general and common characteristics and mindset of each kind. Each type has its upsides and downsides. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ll have an understanding of where you are as a songwriter now and where you want to be in the future.

Let me make it clear that I am not saying that one category is better than the other. You as a songwriter have the freedom to choose which path you would take. As long as you are happy with what you’re doing, then it’s fine! And for all we know, you can be a combination of two or more kinds.

So, read on!

THE HOBBYIST

Just like any hobbyist, you belong to this type if you love writing songs simply because you feel good while and after doing it. This kind of songwriter doesn’t care so much if he will get any financial reward or payment for his works. Just the thought of having your songs heard and appreciated by people is enough to keep you writing more.

Although you dream of making it big as a songwriter, you are somehow stuck with dreaming because you are more focused on something “more important”, like a job, studies, girlfriend/boyfriend (just kidding), etc. Your music can wait. You can relate so much with these words: enjoy, relax, therapeutic, share or sharing, free time.

Most songwriters begin this way. And a lot also remain in this category. The advantages of being a hobbyist-songwriter are:

1. No pressure when you write songs – hey it’s just a hobby,    

    right?

2. You get to express yourself in any musical form or style that you want (bahala na si Batman!)

Here are the downsides:

1.  Your audience is limited to people you know

2.  You get no financial rewards for your songs – but you don’t care about this anyway!

THE PURE ARTIST

You belong here if you put too much emphasis on “creating your own” sound. You are also your own artist. Meaning, you sing your own songs. Songwriters who belong in this category do not really care about the money. They don’t like to compromise on what is “in” or what is the latest music. Mainstream doesn’t appeal to you.

For the pure artist-songwriter, what is most important is to remain “artistic” and express this artistry. Your goal is to “enrich” the listening habits of the majority. You like to change the world through your music.

This type of songwriter also enjoys the technical aspects of writing songs: the instrumentation, the riffs, the chordal shifts and progression. These words make sense to you: freedom, expression, artistry, deep, experimental, progressive, and more.  

There are so many independent songwriters who belong in this category, and I respect their vision and commitment to their music.

Advantages:

1. You are your own boss – nobody is telling you what to do when you write songs

2.  You get to experience deep appreciation of music as an art

Disadvantages:

1. You have a relatively small audience – although you can upload your songs on the internet, only a few people will “dig” your style. This is also called “niche” music.

2.  Earning money from your music is an option, not a motive

3. The production of your music depends on how deep your pocket, resources, patience, and support are.

THE COMMERCIAL SONGWRITER

This kind is easy to identify. If you are contracted to write a song, and you are getting paid for it, then you belong here. You understand that music is used in businesses. In fact, it is clear in your mind that music IS business.

The commercial songwriter is always conscious on what is hot, trendy, and in-demand. He or she takes into consideration the capabilities of the artist who will record his or her song. You have more leverage if you are a SINGER-SONGWRITER because you sell yourself and you have better understanding of the appeal your song has to have.

The commercial songwriter doesn’t really care whether his or her song will be “intellectual” or “deep” for as long as it will “move” the audience to feel whatever emotion he/she would want them to feel.

Songwriters in this category are the jingle writers, mainstream composers, TV/movie scorer. The words that make sense to commercial songwriters are: appeal, royalty, production cost, hook, airplay, etc.

Advantages:

1. You receive remuneration (MONEY) for your songs

2. You appeal to a broader audience (that’s why it’s called MAINSTREAM)

Disadvantages:

1. There is pressure from restrictions like length of song, topic, range, artist, genre and budget from someone else, THE CLIENT. Your challenge is to satisfy the needs of the client in the most creative way possible, considering the limitations.

2. You tend to be accused of feeding “trash”, “formulaic” music to the general masses

Again, I am not saying that one is better than the other. It is up to YOU to choose which path you would take. After all, each of us is unique and we have our own preferences and goals in life.

So, what kind of songwriter are you?

May you be successful in your musical venture,

Robster Evangelista

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.

THE SECRETS OF RADIO HIT SONGS AND HOW YOU CAN USE THEM WHEN WRITING YOUR OWN SONGS

This is my shortest blog so far, but the most informative and hopefully helpful to you especially if you are just a beginning songwriter.

Like most of you, I started songwriting at a young age, never cared if I’ll earn money from it or will get famous. I just dreamt of hearing my songs everywhere I go, with people singing along with them.

So I recorded my songs and offered them to different record companies or to anyone who would listen. But I got rejection after rejection after rejection. That was 17 years ago.

Now, I have been getting calls from producers (independent and major labels) to submit songs to them. Now I hear my songs over the radio and at times, on TV. And I get paid too! How did I do that?

I said that not to brag to you but to tell you that your dreams can come true too! Also, I’d like to share with you something that I have discovered after 17 years of writing songs and 8 years of working in radio. And it is this: RADIO HIT SONGS HAVE COMMON FEATURES.

Upon knowing these common denominators, I applied them to my songwriting and guess what, I eventually landed recording deals.

And that is what I would like to share with you now. You don't have to make the same mistakes I made. You don't have to wait for 17 years either!

I have written a short ebook entitled “THE SECRETS OF RADIO HIT SONGS AND 10 TIPS ON HOW YOU CAN USE THEM WHEN WRITING YOUR OWN SONGS”. Here's how it looks like:

You can have it for FREE. Yes you read it correctly, WALANG BAYAD.

Just put your name and email on the upper left side of this page or below and you will receive an email giving you instructions on how to download my FREE Ebook, THE SECRETS OF RADIO HIT SONGS AND 10 TIPS ON HOW YOU CAN USE THEM WHEN WRITING YOUR OWN SONGS.

Enjoy learning and continue writing songs!

May you be successful in your musical venture,

Robster Evangelista

HOW TO WRITE COMMERCIAL JINGLES

Do you catch yourself humming a melody from a very popular advertisement either on the radio or on TV? Have you ever experienced LSS (last song syndrome), with a certain tune playing again and again in your head? Sometimes, some people find this annoying, but guess what, the melody and words served their purpose: TO STICK TO YOUR BRAIN.

These simple tunes that promote brands or services are what we call commercial jingles. And writing them is one way a songwriter can earn money from his or her songwriting talent. And I do mean serious money.

I would have to admit that writing jingles is not as easy as it sounds. But with determination, patience, and practice, it will become easier eventually.

I still remember the very first jingle that I made: Xtreme Magic Sing (NO not the one sung by Manny Pacquiao, it was done by Lito Camo; I did their FIRST radio jingle).

Back in 2005, an officemate asked me if I know someone who writes jingles because his client is looking for one. I told him without batting an eyelash, “you are looking at one”. He knows that I write songs so he entrusted me with the project.

At home, I asked myself: what did I get myself into? I write about courting girls, being heartbroken, and a lot of EMO stuff but come on, HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO WRITE A SONG ABOUT A MICROPHONE?!?

So without having someone to coach me, I started listening to OTHER JINGLES. I studied how they go, what the elements are. I also read about Xtreme Magic Sing, the features and the benefits, and called up my officemate to ask what his client wants to achieve through the jingle. I wrote all that I learned and I came up with TWO PAGES OF NOTES!

Now, the next challenge is: HOW IN THE WORLD AM I SUPPOSED TO FIT ALL OF MY NOTES IN 30 SECONDS?! Because that’s what they asked for, a 30-seconder jingle. More so, they requested for 2 versions! But I still went through it, revised, rewrote, until finally I was able to do the two versions of the jingle. I submitted them and had the client choose one.

How much did they pay me? Twenty thousand pesos, plus my own Xtreme Magic Sing! It was the start of a very profitable “hobby”. Until now, I still consider jingle writing as my bread and butter as a songwriter. And of course, I can charge higher now because of the experience I gained and the quality of the jingles I produce.

I believe that any songwriter can make money from writing jingles. Let me give you some hot tips how to. These are not hard rules but they can serve as guidelines that can help you turn your songwriting talent to a profitable venture.

Make Extensive Research on the Product/ Brand /Company

You should keep in mind that jingles are advertising materials. They are not your usual songs that you write for a girl or for yourself. You have to MOVE OUT OF YOURSELF and YOUR UNIVERSE. You will be SELLING the brand or the product through your music. In effect, in that span of time that you will be writing the jingle, you will be PART of the company. You should embrace their company philosophy, and put yourself in the shoes of their salespeople.

What is very special about the product or service? What do you get when you buy it? WHAT DOES THE COMPANY WANT TO PROMOTE AND ACCOMPLISH?

Know their target audience or the people they want to reach or sell to. Is it the working class? Or the upper bracket of society? Is the product for the youth? Or for the elderly? Answers to these questions will give you idea on WHICH WORDS TO USE for your lyrics. Ask if they already have a tagline or battle cry. Example: for Nike: JUST DO IT; for M&M: Melts in your mouth not in your hands, etc.

Write the message first and be clear about it!

The message is not to be mistaken for the lyrics. It is just your RESEARCH NOTES SIMPLIFIED. The message will guide you as you mold the lyrics and fit it to the melody you will make.

When you write the lyrics, rhyming is a very powerful device that you can make use of. It helps IMPRINT the message to the brain because it is easier to recall rhyming lines. Also, always add to your lyrics the call to action: e.g. TRY IT, BUY NOW, TASTE IT, GO NOW, PLEASE COME IN, etc. Subliminally, the listeners will experience a certain impetus to perform this call.

Likewise, the product name should also appear in the lyrics as frequent as possible to achieve recall. To some this will be annoying, but remember, YOUR CLIENTS WANT THE NAME OF THEIR PRODUCTS TO BE IMPRINTED in the brains of the listeners.

Make the lyrics simple. Imagine your jingle to be a poster or a billboard. The more details you add, the more your audience will get distracted hence, muddling your message.

Make a lilting melody

Lilting melody means the jingle should sound jolly. Just imagine if you sing about JOLLIBEE to the tune of MY IMMORTAL of Evanescence?! It won’t fit! Normally, jingles are upbeat and use MAJOR KEYS or chords. As much as possible, avoid MINOR chords because these sound gloomy and might kill the joyous mood that your client wants to project. Your melody should have a rhythmical swing, flows beautifully and has cadence. I suggest you make a list of all the jingles that you remember, listen and study them. Believe me one reason why you remember them is because they HAVE LILTING MELODIES.

Another powerful way to make your jingle easy to recall is to make a MELODIC LOGO. It is the signature tune that contains the brand name and/or the tagline. Example, I’m sure most of you can sing this line: Sa Jollibee, bida ang saya! Or how about this: Here at SM, we’ve got it all for you! THAT is the melodic logo of the jingle.

Test your jingle by having it listened to by someone objective. PLEASE, don’t use your mother as the barometer. She loves you and everything that you do, NO MATTER WHAT. So get objective opinion.

Record your jingle roughly to achieve the desired length

The standard lengths of jingles are 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute, or a Full Song, depending on the requirement of the clients. Of course, the longer the jingle, the higher the pay!

While writing the jingle, you cannot expect to get the desired length right away, it is actually a test and see thing. Usually for a 30 seconder jingle, I use 4 to 6 lines, much like a chorus of a song. For a 1-minute jingle, I normally write a verse and a chorus. It will be a big help if you can record your raw jingle using the recorder function in your cellphone so you will have a rough estimate of how long it will run.

Produce the Jingle

If you are just a greenhorn songwriter and is not adept with music production, I suggest that you collaborate with people who are good at it. I started that way, I paid someone to help me with the instrumentation and recording. Not only was I able to share what I earned, I also gained VALUABLE inputs from that person and eventually learned from him the process of recording and mixing.

Now I can do all those things on my own. But since I am doing a lot of things, I went back to working with people whom I trust: they are my superstar teammates. I wrote about this in another blog (click here).

Some more tips

If you are just starting out and you don’t have any connections yet, I suggest you do some practicing. Go to a supermarket near you and look at all the brands around. Some of them are potential clients! Write jingles about them, get their contact numbers and ask them if they are interested to have a jingle written for them.

Since they don’t know you yet and you still don’t have a portfolio, what you can do is this: write a jingle and submit it to them, without charging anything (YET). You want to earn from your talent right? Then you should INVEST first. Ask them what they think. If they like it then that is the time to talk about money. Many jingle writers get frowned upon by potential clients because they center on the COST first before SHOWING THE CUSTOMERS THE VALUE THEY WILL GET IN RETURN by transacting with you.

If they didn’t like your demo jingle then FINE! It’s their LOSS, go to another prospect and make another one. While you may get rejection after rejection, trust me, you WILL GAIN more experience and you will be improving your songwriting skills in the process.

Now, when you get your first approval, then congratulations! While there are industry standards in the prices of jingles, you may want to ask your client “what is your budget”? If you are just starting out, maybe you can charge a few thousand pesos to cover your production cost and make you a little profit as you build your portfolio (i.e. your resume as a jingle writer). Or, you may want to look for marketing savvy individuals to do the “money talks” on your behalf and split the profit with them.

Lastly, use the bird dog strategy. Was your client happy with the jingle that you made for them? Then ask for their help to REFER YOU TO OTHER COMPANIES! That way, you will be able to build your portfolio that you can use to offer your services to BIGGER COMPANIES. Let me show you mine:

So start earning from your songwriting talent! 

  

May you be successful in your musical venture,

Robster Evangelista

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.

6 REASONS WHY MANY SONGWRITERS IN THE PHILIPPINES ARE POOR

Songwriters don’t get praised a lot. Oftentimes, the artist or the interpreter gets the credit. Let’s take a test. Can you name at least 10 Filipino songwriters? Gotcha!

I bet most Filipinos never even knew who Levi Celerio is, our National Artist for Music (1997), who wrote over 4,000 songs and recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the only man who could play music with a leaf!

But more painful than not getting enough credit is not getting off financially. Only songwriters who have direct access to record companies, TV shows and production, very popular boxer, err personality pala get rich. Does that mean they are the only GIFTED songwriters God has ever created?

NO! The fact is there is no scarcity of songwriting talent and genius in our country. Someone who used to work for a giant record company (that recently closed shop) even told me that if I were a songwriter in the US, I would have been a multi-millionaire right now, because of the popularity some of my songs gained.

So why is it that many songwriters in the Philippines are poor?

I can cite six reasons why and maybe you can relate to one or all of them:

1. RAMPANT PIRACY AND GROSS DISRESPECT FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Piracy in the Philippines is very rampant and we can unanimously say it affects many businesses including the Music Industry. In fact piracy has gravely pulled down the Music Industry that several Record Companies which had their heydays in the 80s and 90s closed down. Some of the bigger companies merged just to survive. I don’t own the copyright for these good articles (they are written by different bloggers) but you can check them out if you want to know more details about music piracy in the Philippines:

-Music Piracy and the Philippine Government

-Piracy and its Impact on Philippine Music Industry

-Who Killed The OPM Radio Star

Some record companies have evolved with regard to their marketing and selling strategies. Instead of dwelling on losses from piracy of physical albums, they focused more on managing artists and organizing live shows/concerts. Good for them, they can still earn. 

But how about US, songwriters? Our main avenue for earning is slowly getting sucked up dry by piracy. It is not a lack of good songs or quality of production that created the monster that is Music Piracy. As Dave Aguila, a musician/entrepreneur said in our conversation, it is TECHNOLOGY that is making piracy so hard to stop.

It is so easy to download, burn, and share music nowadays. No one seems bothered because almost everyone is GUILTY. But the truth is THIS: for every song that we copy and share, the songwriter loses profit. Profit that could have motivated him/her to create and produce more beautiful songs. 

But don't lose hope! For every problem, a new opportunity arises. I will talk about it at the end of the blog so please read up till the end (hanggang sa P.S. section hehehe).

Issue of Intellectual Property Rights

Many songwriters don’t see their songs as PROPERTIES. They think of their songs as mere products or commodities. Let me tell you this, your song is borne out of your CREATIVITY. It is VALUABLE! Think of it as a house. You can rent it out for a lower price, but if someone wishes to OWN it, the buyer has to pay a BIG amount because you will be selling to the buyer ALL THE POTENTIAL EARNINGS FROM YOUR SONG. This leads to another reason why most songwriters are poor.

2. MANY SONGWRITERS ARE IGNORANT OF THEIR RIGHTS

When I started writing songs, I didn't think of earning money from it. My dream was just to hear my songs on the radio or on TV. I never realized that as creator of the song, I am entitled to certain rights. Rights that have to be respected and paid for should someone use my song. 

I was very fortunate to have met several people from the music industry who introduced me to these concepts. One of them is Rico Soliman of the group Father and Sons, who became famous in the 90s for their hit song Miss na Miss Kita. He in turn introduced me to Ms. Christine Bendebel, a Song Licensing Manager and herself a prolific composer (Kung Maibabalik Ko Lang and Urong Sulong, both by Regine Velasquez). 

They told me to be careful of any publishing contract that I will sign, specially the fine prints (sections of the contract that needs magnifying glass to read!). Be watchful of the word PERPETUAL or the phrase "in perpetuity". Because it means you are assigning your rights to the other party FOREVER— which in effect means you don’t own the song anymore (yikes!).

Many songwriters are not aware of these rights:

Mechanical Rights – the right to record your song in a particular format and medium (digital/physical CD). You should get paid for this, first through an “advance” payment that has to be recouped or made up and deducted from future earnings of the CD or digital file.

Synchronization Rights – composer should get paid if the song is used as background for TV shows, commercials or movies.

Performance Rights – whenever your song gets played either live or recorded in enclosed venues (particularly malls, bars, and concerts), you are entitled to be paid since it was used for commercial purposes and not for personal consumption. FILSCAP is an organization in the Philippines that acts as a collecting body for songwriters. You might consider joining it, just go to their site.

Print Rights – remember those songhits and song magazines wherein the chords and lyrics of a song are printed? A songwriter should be paid for it too!

I will deal with the above including the details in another blog.

3. MANY SONGWRITERS DO NOT GRADUATE FROM THE FIRST STAGE

I have written about the different stages of songwriting in another blog (click here). Some songwriters remain financially hard up or have not even earned anything from their talent because they do not go beyond the first stage of songwriting or the realization stage. This is supposedly your springboard to a more successful and profitable venture as a songwriter, when you realize that you can actually write songs. Most songs that you create while in this stage are all about yourself and your experiences.

The problem with remaining in this stage is you become stagnant in your own universe. Your talent will not grow if all you can write about is and for yourself. That’s it, you don’t care if nobody can relate to what you are saying. What matters is you are happy with what you’ve done.

But that’s a problem if you want to earn from your songwriting talent. You will have to be sensitive to what others can relate to. Because like any other business, the question you should ask yourself as songwriter is this: do I have a market for my song? In order to have a bigger business and earnings, your song should also have a BIGGER AUDIENCE. You should not only be a plain songwriter. You should be a SONG SELLER! (try saying it, "I am a Song Seller!").

4. MANY SONGWRITERS ARE NOT AGGRESSIVE

This is very much related to number 3. Since some songwriters live in their own universe, they don’t go out and meet people who can help them. They don’t look for mentors who can coach them to improve their songwriting skills. So what they do is write songs about themselves and wait for THE break or opportunity, hoping that it would be given to them on a silver platter.

Or if they submit demos and get turned down they easily get demoralized. If they join a songwriting contest and don’t win, they get discouraged. Trust me, these songwriters will not succeed.

Just like in any aspect of life, you should not lose hope. You should learn to hustle. As author-preacher Bo Sanchez said, if eleven doors are closed, you should look for the 12^th door that is open. There is opportunity out there if you open enough doors! 

Sadly, like Juan Tamad, many songwriters in the Philippines opt to just wait for the fruit to fall down their wide open mouths.

5. MANY SONGWRITERS WORK ALONE

I have also written about this topic in this blog. Most songwriters don’t earn money from their gift simply because they like doing things on their own. They write the melody and lyrics. They play the instrument, sing and record it. They then look for record companies or independent album producers to give their demos to. They do it ALONE.

This is okay if you are an ULTRA GIFTED songwriter/ musician/ singer/ arranger/ mixer/ publisher/ and hustler. But I have seen songwriters and heard demo songs fail simply because either the lyrics is bad, or the vocals doesn’t fit the song, or the song is good but there is no one to market it.

STOP WORKING ALONE!

Find superstar teammates whose strengths are your weaknesses. You’ll be amazed by the results.

6. MANY SONGWRITERS ARE FINANCIALLY IGNORANT

Okay this point is a bit encompassing because it includes even seasoned songwriters who already earned a lot from their songs but are still complaining that they don’t have enough or they are still not financially free.

Let’s say you earn a hundred thousand pesos from your song or jingle, or even a million. Now what? What are you going to do about it? In fact that is not the question many Filipinos ask themselves when they have money in their hands. It is this: WHAT AM I GOING TO BUY?

The truth is many Filipinos, songwriters or not, do not know anything about money. We are generally a FINANCIALLY IGNORANT people. I personally only learned about Financial Education just recently after reading books by Robert Kiyosaki, Robert Allen, Napoleon Hill, Larry Gamboa and Bo Sanchez.

I have earned money from songwriting for the past few years but I wasn’t growing my money and letting it work for me, simply because I don’t know how to! But now, I know more. And I am continuously expanding my content and context.

So there, I encourage YOU to read up on the authors I mentioned, while improving your songwriting skills. I also invite you to become a member of the TRULY RICH CLUB, founded by Bo Sanchez. I’m a member, and you can gain tons of great stuff about improving your core gift and how to handle money. Just click on this link.

May you be successful in your musical venture,

Robster Evangelista

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.