These days it’s quite common to see four to twelve co-writers on a song. Apparently if you create a background track or come up with a bass or guitar line, this qualifies you to be considered one of the writers of the song. Producers are also commonly being listed as co-writers. Is this right and is this justified? In my opinion the answer is a resounding NO!
The ability to write songs is a God-given gift and should be respected as that. That being said, the ability to earn a living writing songs is a serious challenge and a goal that very few writers manage to achieve. What makes this even more unfortunate and frustrating is that there are a great many gifted songwriters who for whatever reasons fail to succeed at doing what they love most. This is a very difficult profession where talent is not always enough, you need a lot of luck and it doesn’t stop there. You need to learn to handle rejection because you’re going to experience it ninety percent of the time. Rejection can undermine your confidence, enthusiasm, and determination so you need to learn how to handle that. A lot of things have come together in addition to your talent in order to succeed. But in the end luck plays a big part and being in the right place at the right time is something you have to hope for. The other thing to consider is even if you’re successful, there are only so many hits most of us will write in our careers. So with all of this in mind you should be careful who you give writer credit to unless they actually had a part in writing the song
I have been a songwriter since I was in high school and that was a long time ago. I am fortunate to be among the precious few that have managed to succeed at doing what I love most. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years but I always found a way to adapt and succeed. Today, I’m just another old songwriter who still loves music, who has wisely stepped aside to let the new young songwriters have their day. I rely on the royalties I receive from the hit songs I’ve written in the past to continue to live a nice life. I don’t think this would be possible if I had to share these royalties with six or seven co-writers.
But let’s take money out of the equation and look at it through a different lens. In my career there is no way I can properly acknowledge and thank the talented musicians whose extraordinary contributions to the musical track were so important to how the song was presented, not to mention the exceptional producers and the artists who sang the songs. Everybody had a job and a hand in the making of a hit and they were usually the best at what they did. At that time It never occurred to me nor did it occur to the talented people I worked with that being a contributor to the instrumental track, producing or singing the song, entitled them to be considered co-writers on a song that I wrote.
Today the music business has experienced a huge and sudden change in how we listen to and buy recordings. It is still in transition and a little confusing which is why it is so difficult to find the path to success. The roles of the songwriter, musician, and producer have melted together and give new meaning to the song “Blurred Lines”. Their roles and who is entitled to what, have certainly become blurred and not to the songwriter’s benefit.
These are uncertain times and there is a certain desperation to succeed. I believe the people who write the songs, the people who create the musical tracks, and those who produce and sing the songs should stay in their own lanes. What’s happening today shouldn’t be happening, so as a songwriter, try and hang tough and don’t give away your birthright unless it is deserved.
Photo by Natalie Parham on Unsplash
