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OUTSIDE SONGWRITER vs. INSIDE
SONGWRITER-
The Pop Song Industry Has Changed
I've been involved in the profession of songwriting for well
over twenty-five years now and have seen a lot of water flow under
the bridge (verses, choruses and prehooks as well). Having been
weaned as a child on the classic songs of Tin Alley Alley (30s,
40s, 50s standards) and then having embraced the "golden
age" of Motown and the Beatles as a teenager, I've seen the
pop music industry change radically in the past two or three decades.
Styles have come and gone in and out and back into fashion. I
fondly remember the great hit songs of hot 60s singles writers
like Lennon-McCartney, Smokey Robinson, Holland-Dozier-Holland,
Simon & Garfunkel, and the mellower 70s singles writers like
Carol King and James Taylor. These songwriters consistently rode
the charts in a way unmatched by writers today. General song-oriented
recordings that ensured longevity and record sales seems to have
been replaced by the niche artists of today who sell some great
albums but not that many hot singles. With the exception of Diane
Warren and Babyface, there are few writers producing hits today
on a consistent basis. In the search for self-contained artists
whose specialized styles appeal to more and more splintered audiences,
the recording industry has created a noticeable shortage of what
has heretofore been the mainstay of pop music through the years
--- the outside songwriter. Instead, the opportunities are going
more to the specialized or what I call the inside songwriter.
In earlier times songwriting was a distinct profession. New York
and Hollywood (and Nashville) were centers where writers would
gather around in community centers like the Brill Building in
New York City or the Sunset Strip in LA and work at crafting songs
that many artists would record. Record companies had A&R men
who knew that the A for artists was dependent on the R for Repertoire
in order for performers to get on the charts and to stay on the
charts. A performer would occasionally write or co-write a song,
but that was rare. Professional singers perfected their voices
and performing skills while songwriters spent their time studying
and practicing hit songcraft. With the advent of rock groups the
artists themselves did their own writing but were still encouraged
by industry professionals to write universally to reach large
audiences. Many of their songs would then be covered by others.
Beatles and Rolling Stones songs are constantly being remade into
hits today.
In the past, the industry valued and nurtured these outside and
universal songwriters. Every publishing company had a staff of
professionals who were salaried to work forty hours a week doing
nothing but writing hit songs. And every production staff knew
that what would keep their artist popular would be pouring through
a wide variety of material and picking the very best songs, no
matter who wrote them. The financial rewards of a classic hit
song that lasts can far surpass even a hot selling album that
disappears into the woodwork after a few month's trip in the pop
spotlight. A widely appealing hit song today still can establish
an artist far beyond their specialized niche. Good examples would
include Toni Braxton's crossover into the pop market with Diane
Warren's song "Unbreak My Heart" and the Fugees remake
of "Killing Me Softly".
With the advent of disco and punk styles in the 70s and early
80s, dance, R&B, and rock records began to emphasize production
and sound hooks over well written lyrics and melody. These non-song
values gave pop recordings a new freedom of more abstract and
more primitive expression but sacrificed many of the qualities
that would give them lasting appeal. Just as microwave meals replaced
home cooking and disposable dishes replaced what one would wash
and recycle, recordings and recording acts became more disposable
too. Industry representatives began placing higher priorities
on radio feel, sound hooks, and visual appearances (as videos
became an important marketing tool) and decisions of what to release
and prioritize were made more by specialized demographics rather
than by gut instinct of what most people would respond to and
enjoy over and over. This change of priorities in the 80s has
become an established reality in the 90s. Another thing influencing
this trend is that record companies in their quest for increasing
royalties encourage groups to write their own songs so that the
companies can retain a piece of the publishing. This has created
a market saturated with narrowly defined self-contained artists
and less songs with genuine wide appeal.
Where does that leave us as songwriters today? It is true that
there are fewer acts looking for outside material and they will
go to the Warrens and Babyfaces first before looking at songs
from untried and unknown writers. This doesn't mean placing material
with established acts is impossible, just more challenging. However,
the other side of the coin is that inside writing opportunities
abound. If one is willing to aim at a larger slice of a smaller
pie, writer-performers, writer-producers and songwriters for TV
and film are finding new and unusual niches. Underground and small
independent labels are always releasing original and sometimes
very original acts into record stores and on the internet. The
quest for alternative styles including alternative R&B and
alternative country is giving us more choices on the recorded
information superhighway. Also, somebody's got to write a song
for that cooking show or weather channel special on Cable TV.
Somebody's got to write children's show themes, video game tunes
and CD-ROM material, and that specialized song that makes a feature
film cross over to a wider public.
One can mourn the lessening of importance of the outside songwriter
in today's song market just as we as a society feel nostalgic
for many lifestyle changes in today's fast evolving world. However,
one would be foolish to ignore all the emerging possibilities
of inside or special niche songwriting. If we put our hearts and
minds to it we can create a renaissance of great songs both outside
and inside and keep the pop airwaves a vibrant and exciting place
for all of us.
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