Day 3 Song Summit (Final) – Meet the Publishers
Dear Minions
Last post from the Song Summit. Took awhile because of the rabid rabbits.
Day 3 – SS3
Big Day. Actually no. It’s been a big couple of days. The house looks like a bomb shelter. Meanwhile, a furry beast also in the fridge that was once a tofu is now calling me “Ma”
My study is a glitter of CD cases and papers from multi-press kit creation.
Meet the publishers
Last day at the song Summit and there’s nothing more distracting than the impending “Meet the publishers” speed dating session coming later in the day.
Not looking forward to it and looking forward to it to be over. It’s a strange feeling.
We’re meeting publishers.
1430 hrs and there’s a horde of songwriters/ musicians/ managers in tow. Time to meet the publishers. We’re told this:
Here’s the room with the publishers. Wait till you are called. Sit in your designated chairs meet your designated publishers.
You cannot choose your publishers, You cannot choose your seats, You have 5 minutes, when the bell rings. You must go.
And no, you there, you signed up too late. You must leave, this forum is full. There’s no room for you. Next.
No you too. Look people, if you don’t have your name on this list you cannot enter, the publishers will not see you. No…no exceptions, please make way for those on the list.
Yes…that goes for you too.
You enter the publishing room and it’s an awash of activity. There’s a long line of about 20 publishers sitting in a pretty little row. All waiting for you to tell them that you are the next best thing. Yes you rock, yes your songs are going to make everyone millionaires, and yes, my dear…
You have 5 minutes to make me believe you.
So Lee and myself are at the back of the line, we watch the others approach. We watch the others leave. We watch people being shuffled….and we get shuffled along. It’s all an automated system. To a pitch we go.
“You remember your pitch?” says Lee. “Yeah I remember. I’m fine, yes…don’t worry. We’ve rehearsed this…well sort of.”
So I watch. On the publishers’ tables the CDs stack up. Each little piece of plastic holds a world of hopes for a musician who wants to make it. What’s making it anyways?Such a vague romantic notion that is probably popular because it’s vague.
I’m pretty specific about what I want from this. Right now I want my album finished, and I want it out and about into the hands of music supervisors who will then put it in films. No I’m not shy about telling you I want to monetize my music. Then I want the music to travel to places…and me along with it and make a whole heap more music. I want to work with people I’ve long wanted to work with (I have a list) and I don’t just mean musicians. Then I want to make more music and create until my fingers bleed into my zithers and I melt into my keyboard and my drums. I want to meet my minions hug them all and tell them thanks very much for making this happen. Then I want to make some more music.
I want to be paid a decent wage for my craft and then make some more music until my body no longer twitches and I am ash. That’s what I want. I don’t know about making it. I just want to make music…lots of it and leave behind a pile of nice sounding notes and hopefully some appreciators who will continue humming the songs when I cark it.
then if there’s music in the afterlife….if there’s one…Well…I’ll see you there.
what’s your version of making it? What’s their version of making it? I wonder? Is it the same? Or is making it a vague idea for most that never looks good on close inspection and people just ask other people to help them make it because it sounds nice and it sounds like a plan?
So it’s my turn and I realise I only have 5 minutes. All social filters go down. I’m no longer shy and I’m no longer interested in telling you that I might be good. I tell you that I’m very good and will get better. I tell you that these are the things that are happening for the album. Yes, the deals surrounding the album are unique and you’ve never seen this before. I tell you that…yes I write to briefs and yes I’m a bloody fast songwriter, I really really do write in most genres. Yes my music video is mid creation. Yes I work with great film people, check out my last film clip. I’m a fast writer and I’m good and I tell you that what’s holding me back is the resources to record.
That’s why the album’s taken so long…because we want it to be good. Yes, amongst many things this is where you come in and this is what I;d like you to do….we don’t have much time. Oh yes…and since you ask, this is where we are recording at the moment and of course we would like to meet with you further if you are interested in hearing more. Can’t give you the full picture…we don’t have time, it’s your move after this.
I’m trying not to listen to Lee’s spiel as he’s pretty pitching the same thing to another publisher just beside me. We don’t have time, it’s a mad dance. In Lee’s words we talk fast, we listen fast. 3 minutes into time everything slows because I’m a fly in an uber fast capsule and it speeds up again as I make sure my contact details are in my album.
Bing
the bell goes off.
Don’t call us we’ll call you.
Next.
Please don’t drag your heels.
Make way for the next.
Out you go. I’m sure you made a good pitch. good luck
There just like that…it was all over.
That was officially the end of Song Summit for us, needed 2 glasses of champagne to calm things down a notch since the neurons were firing in uber time and that wasn’t a good thing mentally in the long run.
Lee had managed to chuck a short meeting with the legendary Sebestian Chase to talk about a few things to come. It was good to finally meet Sebestian in person, and even better to see that this is a person who really didn’t believe in all the doom and gloom currently sprouting about in the panels. Good…actually Great. What a bloody breath of fresh air. The music industry is dead my arse.
We’ll show you.