JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Song Plugger Agreememts....buyer please beware.

I'm annoyed and concerned by an outbreak of pro song pluggers that are telling my clients that LOTS of their songs are fabulous and ready to pitch...for a fee of course. (I'm not a plugger so I'm not being threatened buisness wise or anything. That's not what this is about.) The weird things is these are in fact pluggers with big track records and big cuts. But they're taking songs that I reviewed and deemed absolutely, positively not ready to be pitched, and they're raving about them and saying they're ready to be pitched 'as is' . This isn't a difference of opinion we're talking about here...these are songs which are presented to me as poorly recorded demos with pitchy vocals, and songs with humongous intros and long guitar solos. And that doesn't even touch on the songs themselves. These are songs that break many many basic songwriting guidelines. The writers themselves are saying everyone else passed on their songs too...until now...until 'this plugger, who has a GREAT reputation' told them their songs were the best thing since sliced bread.

I did some talking around town and I'm pretty sure I know what's up. First of all, some background info. You need to know that it's almost impossible to get a cut right now. You HAVE to write with the artist or the producer. ALL The artists are 'writing' their own songs, which means cowriting with Nashville's most tried and tested and successful writers. WHy? Because mechanicals dried up. CDS aren't selling because everyone steals their music now. It's easy. Ask any college kid when's the last time he paid for a download or bought a CD? THe money (or what's left of it) is in copyrights. SO, they're going where the money is...writing.

What's that look like? A major lable artist who's never written before calls the BMI songwriter of the year and says, "I have an idea about a girl who's in love with a guy. Wanna write it?" The BMI songwriter says, "hell yeah!" They get together and 'co-write" the song. Not hard to imagine how happy the BMI songwriter of the year must be about this, even if they may have done the lion's share of the work. After all, 50% of something beats 100% of nothing any day. Talk about having an edge on getting a cut on the next CD!

SO, what's this got to do with pluggers? Simple. They can't get cuts either because they're all inside jobs now. NOBODY can get cuts unless they write wit the artist. SO people are doing what they can to make a buck. Somr...and I emphasise NOT ALL...pluggers have found a way to make extra cash by entering into plugging agreements with unknown writers with songs that aren't ready for prime time. But you ask, "Won't they ruin their reputations if they pitch bad songs?" No, and here's the punchline: THEY DON'T PUT THEIR NAMES ON THE PACKAGES. THey put the WRITERS name on the package. They pitch off the tip sheet by dropping off...no sit downs obviously, and in one case they offered no documentation on their pitches unless the client spent another $800 for the 'documentation package'! WHAT????!!!! Are you KIDDING ME? A song plugger's LIVELINE is in his/her documentation. It's meticulous because it has to be; if a song gets picked up they have to be able to prove that they're the ones that got the cut! Even with extensive documentation arguments come up all the time.

So, there you have it. If you're hearing from a plugger that your stuff is 'the best stuff I've heard in a long time" and that YOU, the writer, are "the best unsigned writer I've heard in years!" (an actual quote in once case with one of my cients), I'd advise you to consider this old adage: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Concerned in Music City,

Bill Renfrew
www.writethismusic.com

The average song writer should not pay a song plugger to pitch songs. Most likely the song plugger will get rich and the songwriter will get poorer.

Find a Publisher or pick up a Current Copy of the Songwriter's Market. Don't expect much luck but keep trying.

Reminds me of the guy who gave his friend ten bucks every week to play his numbers in the lottery. One week the lottery was up over 12 million and all this guy's numbers came up. That's when he found out that his friend never bought the tickets.

My cowriter and I got a song that was taken by a major label last week to be pitched to two of its new acts. It took personal relationships and years of networking. It wasn't dropped off in an envelope. We didn't use a songplugger. The song won't be pitched to one of their majors, who, we feel, would be a perfect fit. But, we're not complaining. The majors have songwriters they've been working with, maybe we can get in with the new acts. Money we've invested in the song? Zero. Money I've invested in the music business? If you count the money I could have made in any other business? Incalculable.

It costs money to play the lottery, just make sure you're getting the ticket.

I just looked an Artist I sent songs for 2 years ago. As near as I can tell the artist still has not released an album. It makes you wonder if much is happening in Music City.

It's one of the most hotly debated topics around. "What good are songpluggers?"

In almost any case, if this is all a "mail it in" prodcedure, you are wasting money.

The song plugger I use, provides an office on the Row for his writers and encourages them to come in, write in the office, meet other writers in Nashville,helps in making writer's appointments, makes appointments with artists, and is always on the look for new talent coming to town. Just the same as a publisher.

The result, as I am going to start on another thread today, is that one of the writers he and I have worked with for a while, has just signed a major publishing deal with one of the top publishers in town.

Did he get her cuts? Some. Mostly independents. But he did get her some great writing appointments. And it allowed her to come to town, write continuously, even help her along with her other songs that he didn't even pitch.

Yes, there are those blowing smoke. Far too many. Every out of work songwriter is trying to be a song plugger. Just like everyone is trying to get into the "teaching game." Makes all of us look bad when some shark swims up and takes a bite.

That is why you have to look at song plugging as just one part of the overall puzzle. If you are not writing inside the market you are trying to get, with new artists, with established writers, with people who are motivated, have great attitudes, etc. You are not going anywhere, regardless how much money you spend. This is NOT and has never been a MAIL in business.

That is the problem I have with all these "Will pitch your songs" businesses. Unless you get to know the person representing you IN PERSON, you are lining yourself up for losing money. Period.

Good post Sir William

MAB

Thanks Marc, likewise back at ya as always. You always narrow it down and make it understandable.

The town is about relationships. Period. Onward and upward.

Bill Renfrew
www.writethismusic.com

Yup. Relationships. You and Marc said it and I second it. And I've found that even if the primary goal doesn't pay off (such as getting a profitable cut) there are almost ALWAYS new, equally (if not more) valuable relationships made, valuable things learned, and valuable resources gained as a result of taking those steps.

What's frustrating is we all want to hear positive feedback on our stuff. When someone gives it to us it's hard not to listen and put at least a little faith in what they're saying.

On one hand I naturally want to say that people who prey on that need are scum sucking losers. But sometimes I wonder if that's actually the case. Why? I've thought about it a little bit:

When I'm negative in a review many of my clients say thanks, ignore my suggestions, and keep shopping until they find someone that will tell them what they want to hear. So in that light I guess I can't totally blame people who take money to say nice things and offer hope. After all, if that's what some people really want more than anything out of the music business, how can I criticize those that fulfill that need?

I don't REALLY subscribe to that kind of thinking, even though I just said it (just in case you're getting worried.) But it is another way to look at it. Where there's a need, there will always be people that will fulfill that need for a price. So in the end, if someone looking for praise feels like they got ripped off, who's really at fault, the plugger who took the money or the writer who shelled it out?

I offer rewrite consults on less than 10% of the songs I receive. I could probably make a lot more money telling people I love their stuff when I actually don't or tell them there's hope there when I don't think there is. I'd be lying if I said I'd never considered offering a little more false hope, especially when I get the impression that that's what many people really want. The times I've thought about it have happened on those days when I'm paying bills and there's just not enough money. But the God's honest truth is I just can't work on something I can't get into. I'd rather program computers for a living than pretend I'm into a song that I can't get behind. I hope it goes without saying that I also don't think it's generally a good thing to lie to people. But the first reason is the one that puts that kind of thinking to rest.

Jim Allison told me that he believes a truly great song will find it's way. I believe that. If I didn't I'd have given up a long time ago.

Bill Renfrew
www.writethismusic.com

Bill,

There is another way to look at it. I don't want to say it is right,because it isn't, but it is another way. You know the mind set of a lot of writers out there. Some have been on these pages.

"I am so great, and everyone is so stupid that they just don't see my incredible talent and I AM going to Make it and THEY ARE ALL GOING TO SEE. Wait'll the get a load of ME!!!!!"

They swagger on everything they do. They talk about how much they know, who they know, who they can get songs to, etc. They do things like buy tour buses in expectation of their ship coming in any day. They have the clothes, the looks
(They think), they do every workshop, every convention, every songwriter's event. They enter every songwriting contest 20 times. They JUST KNOW that they have it ALL! Just have to get it to the right people.

Those people you couldn't convince if you told them how bad they suck.They are going to do what they are going to do regardless of what any one says. I would venture to say that one out of ten writers are like this. Delusional.

I have sat down with them that before they have played one song they go through a twenty minute discription of how their tour is going to be and how they are going to get to the top. They usually have at least one overblown project going on, some song to "save the world' that they are getting to radio and promoting to the world (That usually sounds like WE ARE THE DUMB! WE ARE THE USELESS) they almost always have a screen play or a book they are working on at the same time, and they met a "guy who is the third cousin of the valet from the Beverly Hills hotel who will "hand deliver" this to Gary Coleman's former manager".

THESE are often the people that find their way to the people you are talking about. A constant source of money (they always seem to own companies, and are very sensible in everything else)they just think they can throw money at something and it will sell. Or they are the good looking wife of someone who owns companies. Think that money will sell anything. What do you know, some of the people on these threads think the same thing.

I had one guy that had sold his defense contracting business for $110 million dollars. He had bought an airplane to fly back and forth to Nashville(a one hour driving trip for him) he was building a huge studio in his basement, was taking guitar lessons, voice lessons, and recording a CD. And NOT ONE of his songs were even passible.
At the end of the day I told him, "I can tell you how to make $55 million overnight in the music business." "How?" he asked.
"Start with that $110 million."

People like that find their way to studios, publishers, producers, song pluggers. They set themselves up for it.
Like you, I could probably make a lot more money stringing those people along, (actually several of my people started like that, but I can help them actually write songs and see things for what they are,(Reality) thereby slowing them down)but that is a fact of life of how some people do business.

So I think that some of the people you are talking about may be taking advantage. But the people being taken often set themselves up for it. Goes both ways.

MAB

MAB,

What people like that need is a team. Now, I don't mean an entourage: a group of obsequious "yes men" sycophants who will agree with them and laugh just a little too hard...I mean a team. People whose goal is to succeed, to win the game.

The big mistake people make is thinking it is all one part of the equation. Some folks think all it takes is great songs...wrong. Some think all it takes is a positive attitude...wrong. Some think all it takes is a good connection, a songplugger/manager/publisher/agent type of person...wrong. Some think all it takes is friends in the business...wrong. All it takes...is ALL of them, and more. All of those things are just the ticket in to the game. Once you have those all together, then the game starts, you have to keep working it until something hits...and even at that point there's no guarantee that it will.

There's no magic pill. It takes talent, work, perseverance, love and luck. It takes the type of person who would do it even if they knew they'd never have a hit.

It's like the difference between someone who learns to play golf with the clubs they have, only to switch to better ones when they are better than the clubs they own...and someone who doesn't play well but would rather buy some super ergonomic high tech club than practice their swing. Who will be the better golfer?

Yep, all good thoughts.

I really think it comes down to life experience. If you've always been around it, then through experience and good mentors, you're able to make a reasoned judgement decision.

I'm not doing very much at all in this industry, but, having grown up with it, am able to tell the real from the fake. ( Or so I think ! LOL )

Personally, I'm trying to get a film project together. It's taken 3 yrs so far just to get to get to development stage. I can pay Jo Blow $5k to re-write the script to "Hollywood standard". I can pay Mr Studio to re-record the music. I can hire a publicist to "do the rounds" and "get in there"....that's not how it works.

That's a total load of nonsense. It will fail or succeed on it's own merits, and eveyone whos' anyone knows that.

Is it the best thing since sliced bread ? You bet ! Is it going to make a trillion ? You bet ! Am I delusional ? ......

Perhaps......

But there's plenty of folks here to keep me in line, and I tell you one thing I won't do, and that's throw money at the pretenders who think they know someone.

If you're doing it, then you're doing it, and don't ever pay money for an introduction. It demeans both those who are asking, and those who are being asked.

cheers, niteshift

Ditto to Mikes comments..... ( crossed paths while typing )

cheers, niteshift

Dang, Marc,
JUST when I get my hopes up, you come along with this P.T. Barnum bit! I am sure I am going to be a Star, what do you know. Gee Whiz.

My publisher just called and said he has gotten placements for 3 more songs plus the 2 he told me about before. Not my songs. Maybe this is the year. A few years ago he told me about this guy that spent something like 14 thousand dollars to make a 2 song demo, in Nashville. He advised the guy to not do it but the guy went ahead anyway. So you can't always help people but you try. I'm still doing things the hard way, I may never get a cut but if I do, it will be because I worked for it. Besides I don't have enough money to do it any other way.