If you want to go commercial with your songs

[junkyard bennie]

I was once told it was not a good idea to publicly post your songs if you want to go the commercial route with them. What do you guys think about this?

[hypcollector]

songs are made for hearing.

[blue2blue]

Well... anything can happen.

 

But I've been paying attention for a long time and, while I've seen plenty of dirty dealing, backstabbing, fraud, you name it, about the only unknown folks getting songs stolen than I've heard about were in situations where former bandmates and/or collaborators had split up and there were conflicting claims to ownership. People play a song over and over in a band and sometimes start thinking they contributed more to a song than their soon-to-be-former mates think they did. That's why it's a good idea to be absolutely clear in a band who owns what, who contributed what. Make that part of bringing a new song into your repetoire: a quasi-formal thing where everyone acknowledges everyone else's credit -- or hashes it out then and there. Down the road, when the album comes out -- or the band breaks up -- is not the time to sort those things out.

 

People who steal things steal them because they don't have the capability to create them themselves.

 

And those people are usually people of small intellect and limited imagination -- they tend to steal things they already know have a chance of success -- and, laughably often, that means a song that's already sold a bunch of copies.

 

Song thieves don't tend to steal unknown artists for the same reason that the label droids don't sign them -- they don't have the vision of what's going to be a hit. So labels sign artists that sound just like other successful artists and song thieves steal songs that have already proven they can be hits.

 

(Of course, there is the possibility that there's more theft of unknown or little known artists' music than we realize -- but we never find out because no one ever hears it, except by the oddest of flukes, since these song thieves typically have no chance of making it, no matter how good a song they steal.)

 

 

Now, of course, that's all related to songwriting issues. Perhaps the OP was more worried about putting up a finished recording for free DL and then, down the road, starting to charge.

 

Everyone's fan base is limited, even if it's a big one. If your fans all DL'd the song while it was free, yes, that might cut down on sales later.

 

But you can't sell songs in the first place unless a) people know about them and b) people want them. But, in all likelihood, most folks will be totally unaware of your music and have never heard it. So you've got to get yourself in front of people and get them to hear your songs enough to fall in love with them enough to buy them.

 

That doesn't just happen. You don't suddenly put up a website -- or a page on Reverbnation or Bandcamp or put your songs up for sale on Amazon or iTunes or whatever -- and have lots of people suddenly start buying your music.

 

You've got to build awareness for yourself, your band, your music. You've got to get out in front of people, have them hear your music, and then maybe figure out how to get their own copy -- if they're sufficiently moved.

 

Think about your own music buying practices and those of your friend. Really think about what goes into your being aware of a band, hearing their music and finally deciding you want to own copies. The decision to buy may be split second -- but a lot of things have to have happened to get you to that point.

 

 

If no one knows about your music, no one will know they want to buy it.

[rockinrobby]

I've stolen several songs from bennie myself. They weren't "posted" on the Internet so to speak? I placed a contact mic on his living room window with a wireless transmitter and picked them up that way. I haven't made any money off of them yet? Maybe I can sell them back to him? Hummm.

[blue2blue]

New songwriting tool?

 

http://www.epinions.com/prices/EA_Sports_Spion_Orbitor_Electronic_Listening_Device_Tm_341_1ea

 

http://www0.epinions.com/prices/Poof_Slinky_Slinky_Science_Bionic_Ear (same thing packaged as a toy, for 1/3 the price)

[Stackabones]

I've got a song on the internet!

 

Prince says the internet is over.

 

 

[blue2blue]

Ergo...

[rockinrobby]

Yeah, also? If someone ripped one of my tunes? And it made money? And I got wind of it?... Well? It would not bode well for them :-( The trick would be to do it in a way as not to be linked to it? But I'm "very" ingenious... I would see to it that they were treated like a king? "Rodney" King... It would not bode well for them...

 

I would get medieval on someone... Like they did on Z in Pulp Fiction? It would not be pretty... But I'm not sure I could control myself.

[Marshal]

If somebody stole one of my songs and made a million bucks, I'd scream bloody murder, raise a ruckus, and be famous as the guy who sued XYZ for stealing his song that made a million bucks.

 

Then maybe somebody'd pay attention to the next song.

 

. . . , maybe.

 

(More than pay attention now).

[BuildingCastles]

Just submit them to the copyright office and post away. I mean, the more people that hear them, the better. What are you going to do - never play live?

[eddieboston2]

Yeah, can be the best thing that happens to a songwriter. Take my songs... please!

[nuclear arsenal]

here's a song about heartbreak, drug abuse, and franks hot dogs. they plump when you cook em.

[TeeDupree]

All Im going to say is if the internet is a resource to get your music out there, then why hold back. the super dupper iconic rock band Journey found their new vocalist in the name of Arnel Pineda through a YouTube video that he posted, which was later on discovered by Journey and asked Pineda to audtion, and the rest is history. And not to mention Justin Bieber, who was also discovered through the internet ORIGINALLY by Justin Timberlake and later on signed the contract with Atlantic via Usher. So, yeah.. want to be noticed? The internet is your playground.

[choydogs]

 

All Im going to say is if the internet is a resource to get your music out there, then why hold back. the super dupper iconic rock band Journey found their new vocalist in the name of Arnel Pineda through a YouTube video that he posted, which was later on discovered by Journey and asked Pineda to audtion, and the rest is history. And not to mention Justin Bieber, who was also discovered through the internet ORIGINALLY by Justin Timberlake and later on signed the contract with Atlantic via Usher. So, yeah.. want to be noticed? The internet is your playground.

 

 

I totally i agree.. There's this guy from taiwan who got discovered singing whitney houston song. Posting songs is easy. Marketing it is a different story.

[Cyprusg]

 

Yeah if you really want to go commercially you shouldn't post your songs publicly if you do so then any one can steal your song, its upto you you can prevent this thing from happening.

 

 

That's ridiculous. There are a million songs out there that nobody wants to steal from. As long as you copyright your songs you have nothing to worry about. Hell, let them steal it, if someone steals it and makes a million bucks from it you sue them in court and get the money.

 

I'd be honored to have tunes out there that people actually want to steal.

[Stackabones]

That's ridiculous. There are a million songs out there that nobody wants to steal from. As long as you copyright your songs you have nothing to worry about. Hell, let them steal it, if someone steals it and makes a million bucks from it you sue them in court and get the money. I'd be honored to have tunes out there that people actually want to steal.

 

That's even a longshot. The million-sellers won't steal your song. If they steal, it's from other million-sellers -- not from unsigned, unknown songwriters. It's hard enough to get songs heard by friends and family or even on a songwriting forum. I think we're on the same page here.

 

Every song you've ever written has a copyright -- it's a natural right. Registration of copyright is a legal action done through the US Copyright Office (or where you live). Unsigned songwriters registering copyright is like getting flood insurance when you live on top of a mountain. I imagine that it is a cash cow for the US Copyright Office.

[GtrProductions]

You have to get your music heard by as many people as possible, that's the main yardstick of success. So yes, put your songs everywhere you can and promote the hell out of yourself!

[HCFDataminer]

An indie with a following has more leverage at negotiations.

So don't hold back on gathering a following for yourself before being "signed".

 

Just calmly examine the materials facts, often enough the conclusions are obvious. Just trust your judgement when you see that the emperor is naked, he is naked inspite of what others says.