the AMP Issue 19

"People ask me how I make music. I tell them I just step into it. It’s like stepping into a river and joining the flow. Every moment in the river has its song."
— Michael Jackson

In This Issue... [9 pages, approx 13 1/2 minutes to read] You'll Get...

• RECOMMENDS—  Jason Blume: "Success is not easy – but it is possible."

• the 100 GREATEST SINGER SONGWRITERS— Hank Williams

• TALKABOUT— To Have a Facebook Group or... Not?

• GUEST ARTICLE —  How to "Sell" Your Songs by Jason Blume

• PS from PS— A Few Thoughts About Facebook Groups

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Here’s the playlist

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• RECOMMENDS— Jason Blume: "Success is not easy – but it is possible."

"There are no rules in Songwriting— but there aretools that can help you achieve your goals."

Jason Blume is a songwriter with more than 50 million album sales. He's had singles on Billboard’s Pop, Country, and R&B charts, and his songs have been recorded by  Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, the Oak Ridge Boys, K-Pop & J-Pop artists, and many more. He's composed the background score and songs for an Emmy-winning TV show and another that was Emmy-nominated. His songs have been heard in top TV shows and movies, and as a songwriting expert, Jason has been interviewed by the New York Times, Rolling Stone magazine, and on CNN, the BBC, and NPR. 

And his passion is teaching songwriting. As a songwriting instructor Jason said,"I study successful songs in various genres. By identifying the tools that cause some melodies to stick in listeners’ brains— and the techniques that cause some lyrics to resonate with millions— we can incorporate these proven methods into our own work ... with our own, unique spin." 

"Success does not happen by luck or coincidence," Blume said. "There are no magic answers or quick roads to songwriting success; steer clear of anyone promising them. But, with hard work, practice, and perseverance, I’ve seen my students write #1 singles, sign staff-writing deals and record contracts, publish their songs, place their music on TV and in films, and win international contests.

"Success is not easy – but it is possible”

There's nothing in the world," Jason said, "like hearing our songs on the radio and in TV & Films." 

Jason's books, instructional recordings, workshops, articles, and critique service will help you to achieve your songwriting goals. Be sure to check out his "Magazine Articles/Songwriting Tips" page on his website and Subscribe to Jason's email list and receive his FREE video: "3 Things You Must Do For Success" by tapping JasonBlume.com  http://www.jasonblume.com/

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• the 100 GREATEST SINGER SONGWRITERS of All Time 

We're adding a new feature to the AMP. Each week we'll profile one of the 100 Greatest Singer Songwriters of All Time from Rolling Stone's list published back in 2015. We'll also publish our weekly selection in the NewMusicLives™ Group on Facebook, along with one of the artist's most memorable tracks.

HANK WILLIAMS 

Candid. Passionate. Captivating. Hank Williams set the stage for the modern country star. Williams sang brutally honest songs about his life in the language of the everyman. His straightforward approach earned him a following that has stayed loyal throughout the years.
— Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987)

An American singer, songwriter, and musician, Hank Williams is regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that reached No. 1 (three posthumously). 

Born and raised in Alabama, Williams was given guitar lessons by African-American blues musician Rufus Payne in exchange for meals or money. Payne, along with Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb, had a major influence on Williams's later musical style. Williams began his music career in Montgomery in 1937, when producers at local radio station WSFA hired him to perform and host a 15-minute program. He formed the Drifting Cowboys backup band, which was managed by his mother, and dropped out of school to devote his time to his career. When several of his band members were drafted during World War II, he had trouble with their replacements, and WSFA terminated his contract because of his alcoholism. 

Williams married singer Audrey Sheppard, who was his manager for nearly a decade. After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. In 1947, he released "Move It on Over", which became a hit, and also joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. One year later, he released a cover of "Lovesick Blues", which carried him into the mainstream. After an initial rejection, Williams joined the Grand Ole Opry. He was unable to read or notate music to any significant degree. Among the hits he wrote were "Your Cheatin' Heart", "Hey, Good Lookin'", and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". 

Years of back pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse severely compromised Williams's health. In 1952, he divorced Sheppard and married singer Billie Jean Horton. He was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry because of his unreliability and alcoholism. On New Year's Day 1953, he suffered from heart failure and died suddenly at the age of 29 in Oak Hill, West Virginia. Despite his relatively brief career, he is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century, especially in country music. 

Many artists have covered his songs and he has influenced Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, George Strait, Charley Pride, and The Rolling Stones, among others. Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. The Pulitzer Prize jury awarded him a posthumous special citation in 2010 for his "craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life".

Tap to listen to Hank Williams' Lost Highway

To visit the 100 Greatest Singer Songwriters of All Time on the MusicThisDay.com . 

• TALKABOUT—  To Have a Facebook Group or Not?

So... Are You Using a Facebook Group? We'll skip all the fakaka opinions pro and con, and go for the facts of the matter. Here's why you should consider having a Facebook Group from Baidhurya Mani, the founder of Sell Courses Online, taken from his article: 12 Facebook Group Statistics That Will Blow You Away… (Tap the link to read the entire piece.)

Here are the 12 Stats

1. 1.8 Billion People Use Facebook Groups
2. 400 Million People Are in Groups They Find Meaningful
3. 50% of Facebook Users Are Part of Five or More Groups
4. There Are Tens of Millions of Facebook Groups
5. There Are 70 Million Group Admins and Moderators
6. 98% of Members Say They Feel a Sense of Belonging
7. The Top 10 Facebook Groups Have 43 Million Members
8. Top Groups Have an Engagement Rate Above 80%
9. 74% of Creators Use Facebook Groups to Build Their Community
10. Facebook Live Achieves 6 Times More Interactions
11. 81.8% of Users Only Access Facebook via Mobile
12. 88% of Creators Using Facebook Groups Want to Switch Platforms

And here's the one we think is most important for Singer Songwriters...

One of the biggest trends in the creator economy is building an online community. Facebook has become the most popular platform for hosting communities, with 74% of them being built using the Groups feature.

The most cited reason by creators for using Groups was that the "platform connects to the rest of my work as a creator."

Facebook was already used by creators in other areas of their work, allowing for seamless transitions and smooth integrations.

The large user base, combined with the platform’s Groups features, were the second and third most cited reasons why creators use the platform.

Facebook has over 2.5 billion active monthly users and is available in 156 countries, making it the largest of all social media platforms. Creators can invite and grow a community without forcing members to sign up, as most will already have accounts.

 Connect > Engage > Enroll. Having a Facebook Group is a powerful way to get it done.

ⁱin partnership with the Jim Parker Songwriter Series

• GUEST ARTICLE —  How to “Sell” Your Songs
Posted in The BMI Weekly on April 14, 2017 by Jason Blume 

The question I am most often asked by Songwriters is, "How do I sell my songs?" The misconception underlying this question is that recording artists purchase the songs they record. But that is not the way it works. The more appropriate question would be, "How do I get my songs recorded by artists and included in TV shows and movies?" Songwriters typically achieve these goals by publishing and licensing the rights to their songs- not by "selling" them.

The relatively rare instances in which writers create songs or instrumental pieces with the intention of selling them outright are designated as works made for hire. As it applies to Songwriting, a work for hire (as it is typically called) can be defined as a song, melody, or lyric specifically created on someone else's behalf in exchange for payment. In these instances, the creator relinquishes all rights to ownership, and may or may not forego any revenue the work might generate.

Works for hire are sometimes created by the employees of advertising agencies, jingle production companies, in-house composers, and theme park employees. There are also instances in which someone is commissioned to create music on a work-for-hire basis for a television show, movie, video game, website, or another audiovisual work.

There is an additional scenario in which Songwriters sell their work. Writers with a proven track record of hits might sell their back catalog— existing songs that may or may not have been commercially released— to a music publishing company. But these scenarios are not what most people have in mind when they ask me how they can sell their songs.

As stated above, successful Songwriters typically publish and license their work, as opposed to selling it. A common fallacy is that by publishing a song a writer will become wealthy, the song will be recorded by a successful artist, and sheet music will be produced and sold. Publishing might indeed be the first step toward achieving these outcomes, but they are neither guaranteed nor typical.

What publishing a song really means is conferring specific rights to the publisher— primarily, the right to issue licenses and collect income on the writer’s behalf. The licenses that publishers issue include mechanical licenses (sometimes referred to as recording licenses), synchronization licenses (to grant the right to have a song included in a film or TV show), and print licenses (which permit reprinting sheet music and/or lyrics). Publishers earn all— or a portion— of the publishers’ share of most of the income a song generates. In the U.S. the publishers' share is typically 50%. The writers retain the writers' share, the remaining 50% of the income. 

One of a music publisher's primary functions is to market and pitch the songs they represent to recording artists, and in some instances to those who choose music for television, film and other uses. When a publisher places a song with an artist they grant a mechanical license, which specifies, among other things, the royalty that will be paid for each unit that is sold.

Songwriters also earn money from the public performance of their works, for example, performances on radio, television, Internet, and additional venues where music is performed or broadcast. By affiliating with a performing rights organization (sometimes referred to as a PRO), such as BMI, the writer engages the PRO to issue licenses and collect performance royalties on their behalf.

In summation, Songwriters rarely "sell" their songs. They (or their publishers) issue licenses permitting the sale and pubic performance of their work. Their income is derived from royalties earned as a result of sales and public performances.

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Jason Blume is the author of 6 Steps to Songwriting Success, This Business of Songwriting, and Inside Songwriting (Billboard Books). His songs are on three Grammy-nominated albums and have sold more than 50,000,000 copies. 

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• PS from PS— A few Thoughts About Facebook Groups

First don't let you personal opinion of Facebook cloud what a powerful platform it can be for you— I did. Once. But 1.8 billion with a 'b' is a lot of people.

I'll wager your Fans and TrueFans are all Facebook users— okay, 'most all'— and that they are members of groups, too. So, don't let opinion cloud your judgement. New Music Lives™ has a Group: The AMP is weekly. The Group is DAILY. I encourage you to join and jump in with both feet. Comment and post. The NML Group is YOUR .comUnity.

Here's a much overlooked statistic: How many friends does the average Facebook user have— 100, 200, more? The actual number is 338. Why is this figure important? 

If you have 338 friends and they each have 338 friends your music could be reaching 100,000 people (338 x 338 = 114,244). How? Simply by Connecting and Engaging in Relationship, Friendship and Partnership with your 338 Friend-Fans and asking them to share your music. 

You can reach over 100,000 people for FREE simply by asking your friends to tell their friends. 

Okay. You say they will not all share— and you're right. They won't. But assume that 20 percent will. That's 67 friends sharing you and your music. Those 67 have the average of 338 friends, so you'll be reaching 22,646 people. People you didn't know.

Now imagine for a moment 20 percent of these people become your TrueFans. You'd be adding 4,529 new TrueFans to your list. And it costs you NOTHING other than the time invested in asking your friends to share your music. Not all MARKETING is expensive. A Facebook group is the bargain of the decade!

Thanks for reading. Give us your feedback.

And PLEASE, if you've got any Singer Songwriter friends, pass the AMP on, because... It’s Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time...