I hope you're doing great

I'm looking to add a few songs to the top end of my song catalog.

I hope I haven't written my best song yet.

so I'm searching for a few new collaborators.

But I have a few questions first.

Are you excellent on your instrument?

Do you have a decent voice?

Do you write songs often?

Are you a performing artist or a producer?

Have you written and demoed more than 100 songs?

Do you create fresh interesting melodies and music?

Are you seeking well written hook laden lyrics?

Do you own a home studio?

Can you easily make and email MP3 files?

Do you have a FAST internet connection?

Are you easy to get along with?

Are you a fair and honest person?

Are you getting cuts?

Are you interested in writing exceptional songs that get cut by artists?

If you answered
YES!
to most of these questions

maybe we should talk

you can read my bio at
www.AndeRasmussen.com

you can hear part of my catalog at
http://www.songramp.com/ande

Ande

My primary emphasis in song writing and composition is for the Gospel. That of course can include a large variety of styles and genres from CCM to Gospel to Praise & Worship, and more!

I find that the biggest challenge in successfuly matching good lyrics with music is that quit often the best lyrics also demand the best written compositions. Without a great composition, even the best crafted lyrics will fall short.

If you have any great gospel or scripture based lyrics, please feel free to give me a try sometime!

Thanks & God bless.
Michael Borges

P.S. Please send e-mail if you need more details, thanks!

http://www.mp3.com/michael_borges

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ande Rasmussen:
hey there,

I hope your doing great

i'm looking to add a few songs to the top end of my catalog.
I hope I haven't written my best song yet.

Do you have a home studio?

Are you excellent on your instrument?

Do you have a decent voice?

Do you write often?

Have you written and demoed more than 100 songs?

Do you create fresh interesting melodies and music?

Are you seeking strong hook laden lyrics?

if you answered yes to most of these
maybe we should talk

below is my bio

Ande

Ande Rasmussen's Songwriting Bio as of July, 2002

I don't sing very well. I don't play anything musical.
I don't write music. I don't read music.
I will never be a performing artist.
Despite all the above, I am a lyricist.

I get terrific ideas for songs all the time and I write them down. Because of this some of my co-writers call me a "Hook Machine" or "Captain Hook" I write country, pop, and adult contemporary songs. I prefer to write positive uplifting lyrics, but hey, I'll write risqué and cheating songs. I keep a journal and write every day. Unless inspiration strikes, writing a lyric is like solving a difficult word puzzle. I have always been pretty good at solving puzzles, mainly because I refuse to give up until I solve it. I always begin a song with a strong hook or an interesting story.

Once I have a solid song idea, my goal is to take it from idea to polished demo. I do this by assembling teams of talented writers. At this point I have a growing world wide network of talented collaborators.

Lyrically, I like strong hooks, fresh imagery, active verbs, concrete nouns, interesting rhymes, interesting stories, and being unpredictable.
I love catchy melodies.

The artists who select songs literally have a mounds of good songs. So to get a song cut, it must 1) get in the pile and then 2) jump out of the pile.
It's gotta be catchy and unique.

My goals at this point are to
1) Keep writing when the muse strikes, (daily)
2) Collaborate with outstanding composers, songwriters, lyricists, artists, and producers.
3) Get cuts, and
4) Hear my work on the radio.

I do 97% of my songwriting by email.
My cowriters and I take a hook and develop it into a lyric.
I've had most success writing lyric first, and not much writing a lyric to music,
though i have written some really good songs to an existing melody track.

About me:

I have a family.
Married for fourteen years to my wife, Beth,. We have 2 children, Dane and Tess.
I live in Martindale, TX. But I've lived in Austin, The Live Music Capital of the World! most of my life. I continue to work in Austin.

I work at Merrill Lynch as an Assistant Vice President.
I help people to properly build, manage, protect, and transfer their wealth.

I'm a Competitive Swimmer.
Wanna Race? You can to find me training for and competing in Masters Swimming competitions. At different times I have been the fastest person in the country in my age group. Lately I have been just maintaining. I worked hard and long to accomplish what I did in swimming, now I've redirected the passion and systematic approach I used in swimming towards writing great songs.

I am a author.
I wrote a little book called "Ideas that Inspire!" I have an agent and we hope to find a publisher for it, soon. It has received some gracious endorsements from wonderful people. Here's what a few have said.

"Brilliant ideas and thought-provoking insights will stab your spirit alive as you read and absorb the wisdom in this book." ~ Mark Victor Hansen
Co-author, #1 New York Times Best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series

"Ideas that Inspire is a wonderful and fascinating book that only fully reveals itself in the last half of the book. I was surprised and delighted! I highly recommend it to anyone seeking truth and wisdom."
~ Jack Canfield
Co-author, #1 New York Times Best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series
(16 other well known people have endorsed this little book
you can read them at
www.jigsolve.com

I also write an e-newsletter called
"Inspirations for Songwriters" it goes out to over 1,800 songwriters.
at least once a week

http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/DIFS

http://www.yahoogroups.com/messages/DIFS

If you want to subscribe send an email to
difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

About my younger years, I attended and graduated from the
University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance.
I was a walk-on member of UT's Varsity Swimming Team and earned a letter. When I was growing up, my father worked as an officer in the Air Force.

I have always loved music and thought,
"I know I can write the words to songs."
and now I hope to prove it.

My biggest problem at this point is too many good ideas.

Anders Rasmussen (ASCAP)
Lyricist / Songwriter
Austin, TX
anderasmussen@aol.com
http://www.andersrasmussen.com/

---

I am not getting into the topic I just wanted to let you know that if you click on the reply to the post at the BOTTOM instead of the icon at the top, then the previous message is left out. Everybody does it the icon way the first few times, but it makes reading the responses easier if you click on the reply phrase at the bottom.

Great credentials. Bow, bow, bow...

I wonder why you're posting here. Perhaps you are looking for diamonds in the rough? If so, rough diamonds may not have all the qualifications you ask. For example I do not fall into the category of having done a 100 demos - have not even written a hundred songs! But I've had one cut and one on hold. Do I then qualify? If so, please look at http://www.mp3.com/stan_loh.

Congratulations! You just made the longest post in the history of JPF!

I sent you an email.

Cheers

Nige

I'll repsond to each one of you in this post.

hi michael,

Welcome to JPF! I enjoyed reading your post and also listened to a number of your songs at your various music sites. You have truly achieved some great results with your creative lyric and (co-write) song writing.
~~~~> thank you

My primary emphasis in song writing and composition is for the Gospel. That of course can include a large variety of styles and genres from CCM to Gospel to Praise & Worship, and more! I find that the biggest challenge in successfuly matching good lyrics with music is that quit often the best lyrics also demand the best written compositions. Without a great composition, even the best crafted lyrics will fall short.
~~~> taht's true
you need great lyrics, melody and music

If you have any great gospel or scripture based lyrics, please feel free to give me a try sometime!

Thanks & God bless.
Michael Borges
~~~~> I don't have any at this moment
but please stay in touch

ande

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

hello rick h,

I am a little confused by your post. I don't understand what owning a home studio, being excellent on an instrument, and being able to sing well have to do with writing great melodies.
~~~> it's just what I was looking for with this particular post. Currently I have many wonderful collaborators. I just think it's a good idea to find more.

All my melodies are constructed in my head. When I am finished with the melody I then find the proper chords to go with that melody. If you write with an instrument you tend to construct a melody that fits a certain chord pattern, rather putting chords to a fresh,original melody. I recently read JASON BLUMES new book and realized he and many other top composers write this way. JASON BLUME will be the first to tell he cannot sing and can barely play an instrument. I bring this up because you say you want to work with great composers, but I believe the criteria you have set up for yourself will limit your opportunities to work with alot of great composers. FOOD FOR THOUGHT!
~~~> that's true
I don't particularly care if my cowriter write with hi instrument or not
I'd prefer NOT, so she can find melodies that are interesting and unique

but I prefer if cowriters can create
strong demos in their own studio
it saves a step

What I'm trying to avoid is placing a great idea and lyric with a composer who can't do it justice.

Ande

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

hi 3daveyO3

I don't see any confusion... Ande is a lyricist and he's looking for people to put music to his lyrics. He has a high standard of what he expects to hear melodically. And as far as owning a home studio, I'm sure the people that Ande has collaborated with in the past don't all live where he does so as the song is being written and demoed at it's various stages, they probably email it back and forth as it go through re-writes on both ends.
~~~> that is true
I have a formula I follow
and if a cowriter doesn't fit
it slows things down and the song suffers.
I assemble songwriting teams to write great songs

I recently did a co-write with a lyricist from Texas and I wrote the music to her lyrics, which I tweaked a bit (with her permission) to fit my musical idea, and I mailed her a rough acoustic demo. She is in the process of re-writing and fine tuning the lyrics which she'll email to me and then I'll go back in my studio and use the same acoustic guitar track to sing the rewritten lyrics over. It'll go back and forth until we both feel like it's the way we want it and then I'll do a demo with drums, bass, guitar etc... Technology makes the distance thing easier than ever to co-write with someone you have never met before. I do agree with you about getting the melody in your head. I do that when I write alone. Obviously if Ande played an instrument, he'd probably "hear" melodies in his head much easier. The other side of the coin would be someone who writes and arranges music very well but can't express themselves in lyric. Oh, well...just some thoughts.
davey O.
davey O. music (ASCAP)
davey3o@cs.com
http://daveyomusic.freehosting.net
www.cdbaby.com/daveyo1
www.cdbaby.com/daveyo2
~~~> that's it davey O

ande

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hi jt wojahn,

i'm just curious as to the typical split of potential income and/or what you're offering
~~~> its funny you ask that
sometimes it's
2 writers 50/50
3 writers 33/33/33
4 writers 25/25/25/25

i also understand when someone says
music is 50% and lyrics are 50%

We tend to work it out up front.
what's funny
is you shouldn't be concerned with how the profits are split, that's the rare exception. what's more likely to be the case is how are the EXPENSES split.

how you plan to copyright
~~~> i tend not to copyright a song until it is about to be cut by a recording artist

and things involved in the business side.
i meet your criteria, but have written country, bluegrass,and blues only thus far. so let me know if i can help and what the deal is.
jt
~~~> good send me an email and let's chat

ande
anderasmussen@aol.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

hi Lagusaya

Great credentials. Bow, bow, bow...
~~~> thank you

I wonder why you're posting here. Perhaps you are looking for diamonds in the rough?
~~~> yep i'm trolling for talent
i like surprises

If so, rough diamonds may not have all the qualifications you ask. For example I do not fall into the category of having done a 100 demos - have not even written a hundred songs! But I've had one cut and one on hold. Do I then qualify? If so, please look at http://www.mp3.com/stan_loh.

BTW, it's good to read that you're active in business while pursuing this as a paying hobby/business. I am trying to achieve the same. Only difference is I run companies.
~~~> songwriting is hard slow and long
it won't come close to paying my bills

ande

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

hi NigeQ

Congratulations! You just made the longest post in the history of JPF!
~~~> thank you
I didn't sit down and type it at once
it's a bio I update from time to time

I sent you an email.
you did?
I didn't see it

ande

If anyone here is not registered with DIFS, I can certainly recommend it, it’s free and well worth doing
~~~~> thanks for the plug
i enjoy sharing it
to get it
send an email to

difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

thanks

Thanks for your response. I have re-sent my original email to you. If you don't get this one I think you need to have words with aol

Cheers

I'm still looking
send me an email
also if you sent me an email
and did not get a response
please send one again

in the subject field
please put JPF

that is a song cowritten with a writer who answered this ad.
It's pretty good.

I'm still looking
also if i've been slow in responding to you
please send another email
in the subject field write
JPF

thanks

ande rasmussen

http://www.buzzsawmusic.com/ande/default.asp

what do you think?

Cool news
I was just voted to serve as
president for Austin songwriters Group
in 2003

Ande Rasmussen
www.tonos.com/ande
AndeRasmussen@aol.com

AndeRasmussen@aol.com

Ande

I'm still looking

i've been busy attending a few SXSW events

updated my bio website
http://hometown.aol.com/anderasmussen/myhomepage/profile.html

here's another song
written with Paul Lopez Feb 03
who found me cause of this ad
http://www.buzzsawmusic.com/index.asp
Keep Austin Weird

I'm still looking for talented folks to cowrite with my and my other cowriters

loaded a few new songs on
www.tonos.com/ande

good luck with your writing
maybe we might wanna work on a project
also please follow up with me
i get tons of email each day

Ande
AndeRasmussen@aol.com

I know you are very busy, but since you are still looking for co-wirters and I am looking for new co-writers, I thought I'd add my name to the potentials list. My co-writer that I have done most of my writing with is moving clear across the country. I'm trying to look on it as a good thing...an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and write with other writers. I already have one new song written with a new co-writer...so my anxiety is lessening.

I also wanted to take a second to congratulate you on your the thanks you received from John Arthur Martinez on national television last week. How great is that? Was it Amor, Amor that you were the co-writer on. I think so. At any rate, a great song.

Well, here's my link...

I just subscribed to "Inspirations for Songwriters" and am looking forward to it. I read some of the recent posts & it looks like a wonderfully welcome addition to my email box.

nice to hear from you

please send me an email

ande rasmussen

Are you just surfing, and hoping to find that one great songwriter who has a HIT song....... that you can align yourself with?

I've wanted to co-write with you... but I see you continually on this search for your perfect co-writer.

Only problem is , noone can nail you down for five minutes. hahahaha

Just an observation.

i'd love to work on something with you
we just gotta keep sending email back and forth till we finish one

let's try again

ande
AndeRasmussen@aol.com

Ande, I know you're trolling for talent.. but.... you must have had hundreds of replies by now. So does that mean they don't meet your standards.... or you just can't find someone who writes well with you.. or what?
Are you just surfing, and hoping to find that one great songwriter who has a HIT song....... that you can align yourself with?

I've wanted to co-write with you... but I see you continually on this search for your perfect co-writer.

Only problem is , noone can nail you down for five minutes. hahahaha

Just an observation.

Kindest regards
kay-lynn

I'm still looking
to talented artists and songwriters
who are looking for
compelling lyrics and interesting cowriting opportunities because of my vast network of artists and songwriters

I don't know why I'm good at it... because it's not from music theory or a degree... but I've NEVER had a bad comment on my melodies...

we just need to keep emailing each other and get something going

let's rebegin, NOW

Ande
AndeRasmussen@aol.com

Did you get my T-mail at tonos?

Thanks,
Wendell

wonderful to hear from you two

please email me at

AndeRasmussen@aol.com

ande

thanks for writing
got anything else beyond that?

ande

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ande Rasmussen:
hi paul,

thanks for writing
got anything else beyond that?

Yes, go see Paul T Wentworth at SOUncclick.com

ande

---

Sorry it's taken me a while
Thanks for responding
last week I was in New Orleans for two days
then I was gone most of Saturday

please email me

acoustic you wrote:

"How do you define outstanding?"
~~~> I define "outstanding" as aiming to write songs and create demos that actually have a chance to get cut by major label artists.

That's the standard I strive for.

Working on a song till I love every word and note.

Outstanding songs move people emotionally.
I'm not saying that evey lyric I write is incredible. I just strive to find great song ideas and write them as well as I can.

"And how will you find these people if you never correspond?"
~~~> sorry I've been busy
please email me
I've found many cowriters, but I continue to look for more, I just think it's good to write songs with many different people.
when you do, you end up finding several really talented people. Through this ad I found Paul Lopez, we've written several songs I'm quite happy about.

ande
AndeRasmussen@aol.com

acoustic soul
Casual Observer
Posts: 10
From:
Registered: Dec 2003
posted 01-24-2004 17:40
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am interested in collaboration. I am concentrating on the Nashville contemporary
country music market exclusively this year.
I made this decision mid year , last year.
I have signed two single song contracts already this year , ( with the help of my co-writer ) and the publishers can't wait to hear more. I am a singer / songwriter musician , who works for a studio as a multi-instrumentalist / vocalist, so the only question that gets a no response is " do you have your own studio".I do get great deals on demos, as I am the main talent behind the recordings.The demo quality is well accepted by industry pros.I live and breath music, music, music.E- mail mm2cap@iquest.net to persue the issue of collaboration, etc.
You can get a little more insight about my career at www.seeyourshadow.com which is owned by one of my co-writers. My name is Richard Murray.Click on my pic for details.
Thanks. J. Richard Murray aka ACOUSTIC SOUL

[This message has been edited by acoustic soul (edited 02-03-2004).]

IP: Logged

Paul T Wentworth
Serious Contributor
Posts: 560
From: Media, PA
Registered: Jul 2003
posted 01-27-2004 16:48
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Ande Rasmussen:
hi paul,
thanks for writing
got anything else beyond that?

Yes, go see Paul T Wentworth at SOUncclick.com

ande

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IP: Logged

acoustic soul
Casual Observer
Posts: 10
From:
Registered: Dec 2003
posted 02-03-2004 23:04
------------------------------------

Or are you not interested?

Last chance.

did you email me?

I have heard some of your songs - great stuff!!

You can hear my music here:
http://w1.1868.telia.com/~u186802780/JensBaekNielsenEnglish.htm
(and eventually follow the link to AcidPlanet)

My songs are very melodic, uses many chords in a usually quite even mix of major and minor chords - and are perhaps a little old-fashioned.

Take care.

Jens Baek Nielsen

I have heard some of your songs - great stuff!!

You can hear my music here:
http://w1.1868.telia.com/~u186802780/JensBaekNielsenEnglish.htm
(and eventually follow the link to AcidPlanet)

My songs are very melodic, uses many chords in a usually quite even mix of major and minor chords - and are perhaps a little old-fashioned.

Take care.

Jens Baek Nielsen

------------------
Ande Rasmussen
AndeRasmussen@aol.com
http://www.AndeRasmussen.com
http://songramp.com/ande
http://www.soundclick.com/anders
http://www.MySpace.com/anders

Please read my criteria and write if you feel you qualify.

Ande
AndeRasmussen@aol.com

In answer to your questions (which I can't repeat here):

1. Pretty good on the guitar. Don't ask me to play the banjo in public.
2. One octave, but I know how to use it.
3. Pretty often.
4. "Performing artist" may be stretching it. I play in public to expose my material. I do okay.
5. No.
6. Hope so.
7. Maybe.
8. Sorta. I have a spare bedroom which is filling up with recording stuff, and I'm slowly learning how to use it.
9. Yes.
10. No. Good dialup is the best I'm going to have.
11. Probably if you ask anybody but my wife and daughter, the answer will be yes.
12. I do hope so--but really, if I wasn't fair and honest, would I admit it?
13. Nope.
14. Yes.

I made an "all the lovely stuff I done" list this morning of all my "keepers" and realized I had 24 of them. Some are posted on my Soundclick site, some not. They run a whole gamut of styles, but mostly fit in one genre-box--sort of a "how many different ways can you say 'country'?"

And I have written music to lyrics written by others on three different occasions the past two years, and in two of those cases, the lyricists acted like they liked what I did. One was "About Love" by Marge "Kiddo" McKinnis, the other "The Devil's Radio" by Bob Young. It was an interesting exercise for somebody with what Bob calls "burned-out hippie ears," and it's not one I could promise to repeat on command.

Interested? Let me know somehow. Thanks.

When I collaborate with other lyricists, I like exceptionally strong ideas, great titles, interesting lines, strong starts, clear powerful imagery, catchy choruses, great transitions. I'm pretty good at editing and rewriting. I also think it's important to get professional feedback and set aside started lyrics for a few days, weeks or months to gain perspective.

Anyway let me know if you're interested.
Let's write some GREAT songs!

Ande

------------------
Ande Rasmussen
AndeRasmussen@aol.com
http://www.AndeRasmussen.com
http://songramp.com/ande

http://www.MySpace.com/anders

Editor Of "Inspirations for Songwriters"
Message archive:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/messages
To receive IFS,
SEND an EMPTY email to:
difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

As I songwriter and producer, I find it a little difficult to get into the "I'm a bunch of lyrics, find me a home" kind of mode. Lyrics are exceptionally important to the piece (oh, duh!) and I appreciate the importance they hold, but find it really difficult to write a piece of music to a set of lyrics, as i have a brain which seems to do both at the same time. You know, see the picture, write the song, tell the story.
I don't write great lyrics, more concerned with music, so am happy to write the song and then collaborate with a lyricist to actually make it work, smooth out the wrinkles so to speak. Have a song posted on the mp3 board at the moment, give me your take on it, I accept all constructive criticsm in all it's varied forms. You've got one great work ethic there mate, don't know if I could keep up with ya though,