Founded 1967

Home • Interviews • Writing A Song • Obituaries International Songwriters Association Writing A Song The Knowledge "The Knowledge" is a 12-part, 30-minute free course covering copyright, song titles, lyrics, and melodies. It also looks at promotion, selling songs, the internet, movies, and money! Click here, and begin with Lesson 1 - "The Basics" Frequently Asked Questions How difficult is it to make money writing songs? How can I stop my songs being stolen? Can songwriting be taught? How good does my demo have to be? How do I build up the contacts? Songwriting Basics I have my song written. Now what? What should I look out for in a publishing contract. What is a shark music publisher? Do I need a music publisher? Is there a free songwriting course? Music Publishers Well all know that a music publisher is a company or individual that acts as an intermediary between songwriters or composers, and the music industry. But what exactly do they do? Song Copyright Should I copyright my song? Can I copyright just words without any music? How much does copyright cost? Can I copyright online? Suppose I don't copyright? What if my song is stolen? Song Plagiarism What is song plagiarism? Who decides that a song has been plagiarised? Can I use an out-of-copyright melody in my own song? What is a good defence against song plagiarism charges? Writing Song Titles How impprtant is the title? Sometimes thinking up song titles can seem more difficult than it needs to be. Here are a few tips to put you in the right direction next time you need a title Writing Song Lyrics Although there is no "proper" way to write song lyrics, there are some basic elements that most songs do have in common. (1) Hook (2) Slant (3) Chorus (4) Verses and (5) Bridge Writing Song Melodies Songwriting is about doing two main things - writing a good story for your audience and then crafting the chords, groove, and melody so as to deliver and effectively enhance that story Selling Your Song How can I sell my song? Can I sell it to a singer? Can I sell it to a music publisher? Can I sell just words without music? Can I sell my songs online? How much money can I hope to make? Promoting Your Song Despite what you may hear, there are no "magic bullets" - no "secret methods". Sadly, most promotion remains hit or miss, and what may work on one outlet may not work on the next Your Songs On The Web There are three important factors to consider if you want to put your songs up on the web - Credibility, Money and Time. Here we examine the several varied options available to you Your Songs In Movies To sit in a darkened cinema, and hear your song played over the opening credits, is magic! It is also something which most songwriters just dream about. But is is not all that impossible! Money Matters You started songwriting hoping to make some money. But instead, people are trying to get money from you! When this happens. it is time to ask a few pertinent questions of your own How Much Money Do Songwriters Make? 100 years ago, a songwriter had just one source of income, namely sales of his song in sheet music format. Nowadays there are so many sources, that some songwriters can miss out! Songwriting & Artificial Intelligence It's been here for a while. but recently AI or Artificial Intelligence has made great strides in the music biz. Can it help you write that elusive hit? There is only one way to find out Crowdfunding For Songwriters You need money to release your own record? Well, banks will not help. But you could always consider the crowdfunding model. Just make sure you have covered all possible consequences The Songwriter & Social Media "If you build it - they will come". But how will they come, if they don't know anything at all about it? Social Media may provide some of the answers to this question - or it may not! Your Own Publishing Company At some stage, most songwriters will think of setting up their own music publishing firm. The former Head Of Copyright at EMI Music, Dennis Sinnott tells you exactly how to go about it ISA • International Songwriters Association (1967) internationalsongwriters@gmail.com Cookies Policy • Privacy Policy • Copyright Legal Notice This site is published by the International Songwriters Association, and will introduce you to the world of songwriting. It will explain music business terms and help you understand the business concepts that you should be familiar with, thus enabling you to ask more pertinent questions when you meet with your accountant/CPA or solicitor/lawyer. However, although this website includes information about legal issues and legal developments as well as accounting issues and accounting developments, it is not meant to be a replacement for professional advice. Such materials are for informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current legal/accounting developments. Every effort has been made to make this site as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an "as is" basis and the author(s) and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained on this site. No steps should be taken without seeking competent legal and/or accounting advice Home • Interviews • Writing A Song • Obituaries