Big Jim Quote---

[i]The reason there are two camps is because lyric writers generally have no idea as to the amount of work that goes into writing music and recording a song in comparison to writing just lyrics.....[/i]

Jim its those last three words that show the contempt that some musicians have for lyricists. writing just lyrics.

It is no secret that lyrics can be penned in a matter of minutes.....many hit songs have been written on a bus.......big difference in writing music.

Sure the above is true in many cases.. BUT NOT OFTEN and NOT ALWAYS.

Sometimes a musicator has to almost rewrite the lyrics to get it to meter.

Sure in some case again, but other time the lyrics have been written so well that the music side is much easier to do.

Try to imagine some of the recent chart hits performed as a simple guitar/voc.....it just would not happen.....folk would laugh at the crap words and melody.

Those of us who pay to have music written and full blown demos made pay the price that is asked of us. We dont complain if after 20 years 50 plus songs and many $10000s spent if our songs dont make it. We carry on and we never blame the studio or musicians.

The studios / musicians or demo singers would never say, are well, YOUR SONGS never made it, have some money back. And I know at times the amounts are small but they add up.

I remember back in 1964 here in the UK paying 3000 for a demo
cause that was the going rate at that time.

And never once has a studio given an opinion as to wether the song was good enough to demo or not. It's always been, "what you give us we will do", "and you pay the fee". Simple really.

Actually (I have had the opposite happen once) where the studio said, 'Roy, you have to have this done'.

We also generally pay in advance and what we get is what we get.
So the only looser would be the lyric writer.

Sure it's a gamble and given that the odds of gettng anywhere are virtually nil, we normally own 100% of something that is worthless.

And we keep on doing it and paying studios, hoping that we beat the odds.

I note that lyricists defend an equal split despite knowing that musicians work is harder and more time consuming.....

The above is never set in stone, and anyway it has become the norm as AGREED for years.

If the amount of money that went through studios last year was added up, I suspect that 99% of it was from those who write lyrics and 100% of it went to musicians and studios. And it is big business. Us Lyric writers who take extra jobs to pay for demos, who work all day and then write all night dont complain we carry on.

Sure tough lyrics require a lot of the composers time, thats obvious, but great lyrics would be easier to work with.

I am sure that you yourself have said somewhere, As soon as I read the lyrics, the tune came into my head.

Anyway this is not a pop at anyone or their views.

I am so so thankful that for me, the studio I use has always created great music for me and thats my opinion. But I paid for that service and should I be succesfull I would not expect to give them a percentage of the song, just as they would never give me any money back, that I have spent over the years on songs that don't make it... lol

Anyway thats my views and I am sure some will agree with somethings that I have said.

God Bless Roy and Helen

'You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs To Find A Prince'