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T H E M O S T T R U S T E D G U I D E T O G E T T I N G P U B L I S H E D
INCLUDES MANY NEW EDITORIAL FEATURES
Worksheets bull Venues List bull Sidebars bull 983094983088-Minute Webinar
HILLARY SCOTT lead
singer of Lady Antebellum
and 6-time Grammy winner
shares her writing journey
ANDY HUNT owner of Wide
Studios gives advice to nov-
ice producers and chats with
mentor Jacquire King
SARAH GAVIGAN accom-
plished music supervisor
explains how to get your
music licensed
983091 983093 T H
A N NU A L
E D I T I O N
ldquoStarting out in the music business can be very overwhelmingSongwriterrsquos Market is an invaluable resource and a must-havefor any aspiring songwriter looking to improve their craft andadvance in their careerrdquo mdashERNIE HALTER accomplished indie artist
M O R E T H
A N
983095 983093 983088 983088 983088 983088 C O
P I E S S O L D
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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GETTING STARTED
HOW TO USE
SONGWRITERrsquoS
MARKET
Before you dive into the Songwriterrsquos Market listings and start submitting songs willy-nilly
itrsquos a good idea to take the time to read the following information By educating yourself
on how to best use this book yoursquoll be better prepared when you actually do send off your
tape or CD
Letrsquos take a look at what is actually inside Songwriterrsquos Market why these articles were
put into the book in the 1047297rst place and why they can actually help you in your career
THE LISTINGS
Beyond the articles there are eleven sections in this book from Music Publishers and Re-
cord Companies to Contests amp Awards Each section begins with an introduction detail-
ing how the different types of companies functionmdashwhat part of the music industry the
work in how they make money and what you need to think about when approaching them
with your music
Tese listings are the heart of Songwriterrsquos Market Tey are the names addresses and
contact information of music biz companies looking for songs and artists as well as de-
scriptions of the types of music they are looking for
So how do I use Songwriterrsquos Market Te quick answer is that you should use the indexes to 1047297nd companies who are interested
in your type of music then read the listings for details on how they want the music submit-
ted For support and help of all sorts join a songwriting or other music industry association
(see the Organizations section of this book) Read everything you can about songwriting
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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3
(see the Publications o Interest section at the back o this book) alk to other songwriters
Tatrsquos a good start
How does Songwriterrsquos Market work
Te listings in Songwriterrsquos Market are packed with a lot o inormation It can be intimidat-ing at 1047297rst but they are put together in a structured way to make them easy to work with
ake a ew minutes to get used to how the listings are organized and yoursquoll have it down in
no time For more detailed inormation about how the listings are put together skip ahead
to the Where Should I Send My Songs section
Te ollowing are general guidelines about to how to use the listings
1 READ THE ENTIRE LISTING to decide whether to submit your music Please do not
use this book as a mass mailing list I you blindly mail out demos by the hundreds
yoursquoll waste a lot o money on postage annoy a lot o people and your demos will
wind up in the trash anyway
2 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE ldquoMUSICrdquo SECTION IN EACH LISTING Tis will tell you
what kind o music the company is looking or I they want rockabilly only and
you write heavy metal donrsquot submit to that company Tatrsquos just common sense
3 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS shown under How to Contact
and ollow them to the letter A lot o listings are very particular about how they
want submissions packaged Pay close attention I you do not ollow their instruc-
tions they will probably throw your submission in the garbage I you are conused
about their directions contact the company or clari1047297cation
4 IF IN DOUBT CONTACT THE COMPANY FOR PERMISSION TO SUBMIT Tis is a good
general rule Many companies donrsquot mind i you send an unsolicited submission
but some will want you to get special prior permission rom them Contacting a
company 1047297rst is also a good way to 1047297nd out their latest music needs Tis is also a
chance to brie1047298y make contact on a personal level
5 BE COURTEOUS BE EFFICIENT AND ALWAYS HAVE A PURPOSE to your personal con-
tact Do not waste their time I you call always have a reason or making contactmdash
permission to submit checking on guidelines ollowing up on a demo etc Teseare solid reasons to make personal contact but once you have their attention do
not wear out your welcome Always be polite
6 CHECK FOR A PREFERRED CONTACT A lot o listings have a designated contact person
shown afer a bolded Contact in the heading Tis is the person you should contact
with questions or to whom you should address your submission
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4
HOW TO USE SONGWRITERrsquoS MARKET
7 READ THE ldquoTIPSrdquo SECTION Tis part o the listing provides extra inormation on
how to submit or what it might be like to work with the company Tis is just the
beginning For more detailed inormation about the listings see the next sectionmdash
Where Should I Send My Songsmdashand check out the sidebar with the sample list-
ing called A Sample Listing Decoded
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do these companies get listed in the book anywayNo company pays to be includedmdashall listings are ree Te listings come rom a combination
o research the editor does on the music industry and questionnaires requested by compa-
nies who want to be listed (many o them contact us to be included) All questionnaires are
screened or known sharks and to make sure they meet our requirements
Why arenrsquot other companies I know about listed in the bookWe may have sent them a questionnaire but they did not return it were removed or com-
plaints went out o business speci1047297cally asked not to be listed could not be contacted or
an update etc
Whatrsquos the deal with companies that donrsquot take unsolicited submissionsIn the interest o completeness the editor will sometimes include listings o crucial music
companies and major labels she thinks you should be aware o We want you to at least have
some idea o what their policies are
A company said in their listing that they take unsolicited submissions But mydemo came back unopened What happenedSome companies needsrsquo change rapidly and may have changed since we contacted them or
this edition o the book Tis is another reason why itrsquos ofen a good idea to contact a com-
pany beore submitting
So thatrsquos it You now have the power at your 1047297ngertips to go out and become the proes-
sional songwriter yoursquove always wanted to be Let us know how yoursquore doing Drop us a line
at marketbookswmediacom and tell us about any successes you have had because you
used the materials ound in this book
Donrsquot forget your webinaro access the webinar that is included with your book go to writersmarketcom2012sm
and learn how to 1047297nd new placements or your music
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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GETTING STARTED
WHERE SHOULD I
SEND MY SONGS
It depends a lot on whether you write mainly or yoursel as a perormer or i you only write
and want someone else to pick up your song or his or her recording (ofen the case in coun-
try music or example) Are you mainly a perorming songwriter or a nonperorming song-
writer Tis is important or 1047297guring out what kind o companies to contact as well as how
you contact them (For more detail skip to the Submission Strategies section)
What if Irsquom a nonperforming songwriter
Many well-known songwriters are not perormers in their own right Some are not skilledinstrumentalists or singers but they understand melody lyrics and harmony and how they
go together Tey can write great songs but they need someone else to bring their music to
lie through skilled musicianship A nonperorming songwriter will usually approach mu-
sic publishers 1047297rst or access to artists looking or songs as well as artistsrsquo managers their
producers and their record companies On the 1047298ip side many incredibly talented musi-
cians canrsquot write to save their lives and need someone else to provide them with good songs
to perorm (For more details on the different types o companies and the roles they play or
nonperorming and perorming songwriters see the section introductions or Music Pub-
lishers Record Companies Record Producers and Managers amp Booking Agents)
What if I am a performing songwriterMany amous songwriters are also amous perormers Tey are skilled interpreters o their own
material and they also know how to write to suit their own particular talents as musicians In
this case their intention is also usually to sell themselves as a perormer in hopes o recording and
releasing an album or they have an album and want to 1047297nd gigs and people who can help guide
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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6
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
their careers Tey will usually approach record compa-
nies or record producers 1047297rst on the basis of recording an
album For gigs and career guidance they talk to booking
agents and managers
A smaller number also approach publishers in hopes ofgetting others to perform their songs much like non-
performing songwriters Some music publishers in re-
cent years have also taken on the role of developing
artists as both songwriters and performers or are con-
nected to a major record label so performing songwrit-
ers might go to them for these reasons
How do I use Songwriterrsquos Market to narrow
my searchOnce yoursquove identi1047297ed whether you are primarily interest-
ed in getting others to perform your songs (nonperform-
ing songwriter) or you perform your own songs and want
a record deal etc there are several steps you can take
1 IDENTIFY WHAT KIND OF MUSIC COMPANY YOU
WISH TO APPROACH Based on whether yoursquore a
performing or nonperforming songwriter do
you want to approach a music publisher for a
publishing deal Do you want to approach a re-
cord producer because you need someone to
help you record an album in the studio Maybe
you want to approach a producer in hopes that
an act hersquos performing needs songs to complete
his album
2 CHECK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON LOCATION Maybe you need a manager located
close by Maybe you need to 1047297nd as many Nashville-based companies as you can be-
cause you write country music and most country publishers are in Nashville In thiscase start with the Geographic Index You can also tell Canadian and foreign list-
ings by the icons in the listing (see ldquoA Sample Listing Decodedrdquo on the next page)
3 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON THE TYPE OF MUSIC THEY WANT Some companies
want country Some record labels want only punk Read the listings carefully to make
TYPES OF MUSIC
COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate
songs for commercial potential fi
nd artists to record them finds oth-
er uses for the songs such as film or
TV collects income from songs pro-
tects copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign art-
ists to their labels finance record-
ings promotion and touring releas-
es songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashworks in
the studio and records songs (in-
dependently or for a record com-
pany) may be affi liated with a par-
ticular artist sometimes develop
artists for record labels locates or
co-writes songs if an artist does
not write their own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING
AGENTSmdashworks with artists to
manage their careers fi nds gigs
locates songs to record if the artist
does not write their own
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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7
sure yoursquore maximizing your time and sending
your work to the appropriate markets
4 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON HOW OPEN
THEY ARE TO BEGINNERS Some companies
are more open than others to beginningartists and songwriters Maybe you are a
beginner and it would help to approach
these companies f irst Some music publish-
ers are hoping to find that wild card hit
song and donrsquot care if it comes from an un-
known writer Maybe you are just starting
out looking for gigs or record deals and
you need a manager willing to help build
your bandrsquos career from the ground up
A SAMPLE LISTING DECODED
What do the little symbols at the beginning ofthe listing meanTose are called ldquoiconsrdquo and they give you quick infor-
mation about a listing with once glance Here is a list
of the icons and what they mean
Openness to SubmissionsS means the company is open to beginnersrsquo sub-
missions regardless of past success
T means the company is mostly interested in
previously published songwriterswell-es-
tablished acts but will consider beginners
U these companies do not want submissions
from beginners only from previously pub-
lished songwriterswell-established acts
R companies with this icon only accept mate-
rial referred by a reputable industry source
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Songwriterrsquos Market
lists music pub-
lishers record companies producers
and managers (as well as advertisingfirms play producers and classical per-
forming arts organizations) along with
specifications on how to submit your
material to each If you canrsquot find a cer-
tain person or company yoursquore inter-
ested in there are other sources of in-
formation you can try
The Recording Industry Source-
book an annual directory publishedby Norris-Whitney Communications
lists record companies music pub-
lishers producers and managers as
well as attorneys publicity firms me-
dia manufacturers distributors and re-
cording studios around the US Trade
publications such as Billboard or Vari-
ety available at most local libraries and
bookstores are great sources for up-to-date information These periodicals list
new companies as well as the artists la-
bels producers and publishers for each
song on the charts
CD booklets can also be valuable
sources of information providing the
name of the record company publish-
er producer and usually the manager
of an artist or group Use your imagi-
nation in your research and be cre-
ativemdashany contacts you make in the
industry can only help your career as
a songwriter See the Publications of
Interest section
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8
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
TYPES OF MUSIC COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate songs for commercial potential find artists to record
them find other uses for the songs such as film or TV collect income from songs
protect copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign artists to their labels finance recordings manage pro-
motion and touring release songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashwork in the studio and record songs (independently or for a
record company)mdashmay be affiliated with a particular artist sometimes develop artists
for record labels locate or cowrite songs if an artist does not write his or her own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING AGENTSmdashwork with artists to manage their careers find
gigs locate songs to record if the artist does not write his or her own
Other iconsA means the listing is Canadian
E means the market is located outside of the US and Canada
L means the market is new to this edition
J means the market places music in 1047297lmTV
T RUSTIC RECORDS
6337 Murray Lane Brentwood TN 37027 (615)371-8397 Fax (615)370-0353 E-mail rust icre-
cordsamaolcom Website wwwrusticrecordsinccom President Jack Schneider ExecutiveVP amp Operations Manager Nell Schneider VP Publishing and Catalog Manager Amanda Mark
VP Marketing and Promotions Ross Schneider Videography Photography and Graphic Design
Wayne Hall Image consultant Jo Ann Rossi Independent traditional country music label and
music publisher (Iron Ski llet Music ASCAP Covered Bridge BMI Old Town Square SESAC)
Estab 1979 Staff size 6 Releases 2-3year Pays negotiable royalty to artists on contracts statu-
tory royalty to publisher per song on record
DISTRIBUTED BY CD Babycom and available on iTunes MSN Music Rhapsody and more
HOW TO CONTACT Submit professional demo package by mail Unsolicited submissions are
OK CD only no mp3s or e-mails Include no more than 4 songs with corresponding lyric sheets
and cover letter Include appropriately sized SASE Responds in 4 weeks
MUSIC Good combination of traditional and modern country 2008-09 releases Ready to
Ridemdashdebut album from Nikki Britt featuring ldquoC-O-W-B-O-Yrdquo ldquoDo I Look Like Himrdquo ldquoLong
Gone Mamardquo and ldquoIrsquom So Lonesome I Could Cryrdquo
TIPS ldquoProfessional demo preferredrdquo
EASY-TO-USE
REFERENCE ICONS
E-MAIL AND
WEBSITE
INFORMTION
TERMS OF
AGREEMENT
DETAILED
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
WHAT THEYrsquoRE
LOOKING FOR
INSIDER ADVICE
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
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40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
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41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 214
GETTING STARTED
HOW TO USE
SONGWRITERrsquoS
MARKET
Before you dive into the Songwriterrsquos Market listings and start submitting songs willy-nilly
itrsquos a good idea to take the time to read the following information By educating yourself
on how to best use this book yoursquoll be better prepared when you actually do send off your
tape or CD
Letrsquos take a look at what is actually inside Songwriterrsquos Market why these articles were
put into the book in the 1047297rst place and why they can actually help you in your career
THE LISTINGS
Beyond the articles there are eleven sections in this book from Music Publishers and Re-
cord Companies to Contests amp Awards Each section begins with an introduction detail-
ing how the different types of companies functionmdashwhat part of the music industry the
work in how they make money and what you need to think about when approaching them
with your music
Tese listings are the heart of Songwriterrsquos Market Tey are the names addresses and
contact information of music biz companies looking for songs and artists as well as de-
scriptions of the types of music they are looking for
So how do I use Songwriterrsquos Market Te quick answer is that you should use the indexes to 1047297nd companies who are interested
in your type of music then read the listings for details on how they want the music submit-
ted For support and help of all sorts join a songwriting or other music industry association
(see the Organizations section of this book) Read everything you can about songwriting
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 314
3
(see the Publications o Interest section at the back o this book) alk to other songwriters
Tatrsquos a good start
How does Songwriterrsquos Market work
Te listings in Songwriterrsquos Market are packed with a lot o inormation It can be intimidat-ing at 1047297rst but they are put together in a structured way to make them easy to work with
ake a ew minutes to get used to how the listings are organized and yoursquoll have it down in
no time For more detailed inormation about how the listings are put together skip ahead
to the Where Should I Send My Songs section
Te ollowing are general guidelines about to how to use the listings
1 READ THE ENTIRE LISTING to decide whether to submit your music Please do not
use this book as a mass mailing list I you blindly mail out demos by the hundreds
yoursquoll waste a lot o money on postage annoy a lot o people and your demos will
wind up in the trash anyway
2 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE ldquoMUSICrdquo SECTION IN EACH LISTING Tis will tell you
what kind o music the company is looking or I they want rockabilly only and
you write heavy metal donrsquot submit to that company Tatrsquos just common sense
3 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS shown under How to Contact
and ollow them to the letter A lot o listings are very particular about how they
want submissions packaged Pay close attention I you do not ollow their instruc-
tions they will probably throw your submission in the garbage I you are conused
about their directions contact the company or clari1047297cation
4 IF IN DOUBT CONTACT THE COMPANY FOR PERMISSION TO SUBMIT Tis is a good
general rule Many companies donrsquot mind i you send an unsolicited submission
but some will want you to get special prior permission rom them Contacting a
company 1047297rst is also a good way to 1047297nd out their latest music needs Tis is also a
chance to brie1047298y make contact on a personal level
5 BE COURTEOUS BE EFFICIENT AND ALWAYS HAVE A PURPOSE to your personal con-
tact Do not waste their time I you call always have a reason or making contactmdash
permission to submit checking on guidelines ollowing up on a demo etc Teseare solid reasons to make personal contact but once you have their attention do
not wear out your welcome Always be polite
6 CHECK FOR A PREFERRED CONTACT A lot o listings have a designated contact person
shown afer a bolded Contact in the heading Tis is the person you should contact
with questions or to whom you should address your submission
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 414
4
HOW TO USE SONGWRITERrsquoS MARKET
7 READ THE ldquoTIPSrdquo SECTION Tis part o the listing provides extra inormation on
how to submit or what it might be like to work with the company Tis is just the
beginning For more detailed inormation about the listings see the next sectionmdash
Where Should I Send My Songsmdashand check out the sidebar with the sample list-
ing called A Sample Listing Decoded
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do these companies get listed in the book anywayNo company pays to be includedmdashall listings are ree Te listings come rom a combination
o research the editor does on the music industry and questionnaires requested by compa-
nies who want to be listed (many o them contact us to be included) All questionnaires are
screened or known sharks and to make sure they meet our requirements
Why arenrsquot other companies I know about listed in the bookWe may have sent them a questionnaire but they did not return it were removed or com-
plaints went out o business speci1047297cally asked not to be listed could not be contacted or
an update etc
Whatrsquos the deal with companies that donrsquot take unsolicited submissionsIn the interest o completeness the editor will sometimes include listings o crucial music
companies and major labels she thinks you should be aware o We want you to at least have
some idea o what their policies are
A company said in their listing that they take unsolicited submissions But mydemo came back unopened What happenedSome companies needsrsquo change rapidly and may have changed since we contacted them or
this edition o the book Tis is another reason why itrsquos ofen a good idea to contact a com-
pany beore submitting
So thatrsquos it You now have the power at your 1047297ngertips to go out and become the proes-
sional songwriter yoursquove always wanted to be Let us know how yoursquore doing Drop us a line
at marketbookswmediacom and tell us about any successes you have had because you
used the materials ound in this book
Donrsquot forget your webinaro access the webinar that is included with your book go to writersmarketcom2012sm
and learn how to 1047297nd new placements or your music
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 514
GETTING STARTED
WHERE SHOULD I
SEND MY SONGS
It depends a lot on whether you write mainly or yoursel as a perormer or i you only write
and want someone else to pick up your song or his or her recording (ofen the case in coun-
try music or example) Are you mainly a perorming songwriter or a nonperorming song-
writer Tis is important or 1047297guring out what kind o companies to contact as well as how
you contact them (For more detail skip to the Submission Strategies section)
What if Irsquom a nonperforming songwriter
Many well-known songwriters are not perormers in their own right Some are not skilledinstrumentalists or singers but they understand melody lyrics and harmony and how they
go together Tey can write great songs but they need someone else to bring their music to
lie through skilled musicianship A nonperorming songwriter will usually approach mu-
sic publishers 1047297rst or access to artists looking or songs as well as artistsrsquo managers their
producers and their record companies On the 1047298ip side many incredibly talented musi-
cians canrsquot write to save their lives and need someone else to provide them with good songs
to perorm (For more details on the different types o companies and the roles they play or
nonperorming and perorming songwriters see the section introductions or Music Pub-
lishers Record Companies Record Producers and Managers amp Booking Agents)
What if I am a performing songwriterMany amous songwriters are also amous perormers Tey are skilled interpreters o their own
material and they also know how to write to suit their own particular talents as musicians In
this case their intention is also usually to sell themselves as a perormer in hopes o recording and
releasing an album or they have an album and want to 1047297nd gigs and people who can help guide
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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6
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
their careers Tey will usually approach record compa-
nies or record producers 1047297rst on the basis of recording an
album For gigs and career guidance they talk to booking
agents and managers
A smaller number also approach publishers in hopes ofgetting others to perform their songs much like non-
performing songwriters Some music publishers in re-
cent years have also taken on the role of developing
artists as both songwriters and performers or are con-
nected to a major record label so performing songwrit-
ers might go to them for these reasons
How do I use Songwriterrsquos Market to narrow
my searchOnce yoursquove identi1047297ed whether you are primarily interest-
ed in getting others to perform your songs (nonperform-
ing songwriter) or you perform your own songs and want
a record deal etc there are several steps you can take
1 IDENTIFY WHAT KIND OF MUSIC COMPANY YOU
WISH TO APPROACH Based on whether yoursquore a
performing or nonperforming songwriter do
you want to approach a music publisher for a
publishing deal Do you want to approach a re-
cord producer because you need someone to
help you record an album in the studio Maybe
you want to approach a producer in hopes that
an act hersquos performing needs songs to complete
his album
2 CHECK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON LOCATION Maybe you need a manager located
close by Maybe you need to 1047297nd as many Nashville-based companies as you can be-
cause you write country music and most country publishers are in Nashville In thiscase start with the Geographic Index You can also tell Canadian and foreign list-
ings by the icons in the listing (see ldquoA Sample Listing Decodedrdquo on the next page)
3 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON THE TYPE OF MUSIC THEY WANT Some companies
want country Some record labels want only punk Read the listings carefully to make
TYPES OF MUSIC
COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate
songs for commercial potential fi
nd artists to record them finds oth-
er uses for the songs such as film or
TV collects income from songs pro-
tects copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign art-
ists to their labels finance record-
ings promotion and touring releas-
es songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashworks in
the studio and records songs (in-
dependently or for a record com-
pany) may be affi liated with a par-
ticular artist sometimes develop
artists for record labels locates or
co-writes songs if an artist does
not write their own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING
AGENTSmdashworks with artists to
manage their careers fi nds gigs
locates songs to record if the artist
does not write their own
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 714
7
sure yoursquore maximizing your time and sending
your work to the appropriate markets
4 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON HOW OPEN
THEY ARE TO BEGINNERS Some companies
are more open than others to beginningartists and songwriters Maybe you are a
beginner and it would help to approach
these companies f irst Some music publish-
ers are hoping to find that wild card hit
song and donrsquot care if it comes from an un-
known writer Maybe you are just starting
out looking for gigs or record deals and
you need a manager willing to help build
your bandrsquos career from the ground up
A SAMPLE LISTING DECODED
What do the little symbols at the beginning ofthe listing meanTose are called ldquoiconsrdquo and they give you quick infor-
mation about a listing with once glance Here is a list
of the icons and what they mean
Openness to SubmissionsS means the company is open to beginnersrsquo sub-
missions regardless of past success
T means the company is mostly interested in
previously published songwriterswell-es-
tablished acts but will consider beginners
U these companies do not want submissions
from beginners only from previously pub-
lished songwriterswell-established acts
R companies with this icon only accept mate-
rial referred by a reputable industry source
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Songwriterrsquos Market
lists music pub-
lishers record companies producers
and managers (as well as advertisingfirms play producers and classical per-
forming arts organizations) along with
specifications on how to submit your
material to each If you canrsquot find a cer-
tain person or company yoursquore inter-
ested in there are other sources of in-
formation you can try
The Recording Industry Source-
book an annual directory publishedby Norris-Whitney Communications
lists record companies music pub-
lishers producers and managers as
well as attorneys publicity firms me-
dia manufacturers distributors and re-
cording studios around the US Trade
publications such as Billboard or Vari-
ety available at most local libraries and
bookstores are great sources for up-to-date information These periodicals list
new companies as well as the artists la-
bels producers and publishers for each
song on the charts
CD booklets can also be valuable
sources of information providing the
name of the record company publish-
er producer and usually the manager
of an artist or group Use your imagi-
nation in your research and be cre-
ativemdashany contacts you make in the
industry can only help your career as
a songwriter See the Publications of
Interest section
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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8
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
TYPES OF MUSIC COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate songs for commercial potential find artists to record
them find other uses for the songs such as film or TV collect income from songs
protect copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign artists to their labels finance recordings manage pro-
motion and touring release songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashwork in the studio and record songs (independently or for a
record company)mdashmay be affiliated with a particular artist sometimes develop artists
for record labels locate or cowrite songs if an artist does not write his or her own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING AGENTSmdashwork with artists to manage their careers find
gigs locate songs to record if the artist does not write his or her own
Other iconsA means the listing is Canadian
E means the market is located outside of the US and Canada
L means the market is new to this edition
J means the market places music in 1047297lmTV
T RUSTIC RECORDS
6337 Murray Lane Brentwood TN 37027 (615)371-8397 Fax (615)370-0353 E-mail rust icre-
cordsamaolcom Website wwwrusticrecordsinccom President Jack Schneider ExecutiveVP amp Operations Manager Nell Schneider VP Publishing and Catalog Manager Amanda Mark
VP Marketing and Promotions Ross Schneider Videography Photography and Graphic Design
Wayne Hall Image consultant Jo Ann Rossi Independent traditional country music label and
music publisher (Iron Ski llet Music ASCAP Covered Bridge BMI Old Town Square SESAC)
Estab 1979 Staff size 6 Releases 2-3year Pays negotiable royalty to artists on contracts statu-
tory royalty to publisher per song on record
DISTRIBUTED BY CD Babycom and available on iTunes MSN Music Rhapsody and more
HOW TO CONTACT Submit professional demo package by mail Unsolicited submissions are
OK CD only no mp3s or e-mails Include no more than 4 songs with corresponding lyric sheets
and cover letter Include appropriately sized SASE Responds in 4 weeks
MUSIC Good combination of traditional and modern country 2008-09 releases Ready to
Ridemdashdebut album from Nikki Britt featuring ldquoC-O-W-B-O-Yrdquo ldquoDo I Look Like Himrdquo ldquoLong
Gone Mamardquo and ldquoIrsquom So Lonesome I Could Cryrdquo
TIPS ldquoProfessional demo preferredrdquo
EASY-TO-USE
REFERENCE ICONS
E-MAIL AND
WEBSITE
INFORMTION
TERMS OF
AGREEMENT
DETAILED
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
WHAT THEYrsquoRE
LOOKING FOR
INSIDER ADVICE
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 914
ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 314
3
(see the Publications o Interest section at the back o this book) alk to other songwriters
Tatrsquos a good start
How does Songwriterrsquos Market work
Te listings in Songwriterrsquos Market are packed with a lot o inormation It can be intimidat-ing at 1047297rst but they are put together in a structured way to make them easy to work with
ake a ew minutes to get used to how the listings are organized and yoursquoll have it down in
no time For more detailed inormation about how the listings are put together skip ahead
to the Where Should I Send My Songs section
Te ollowing are general guidelines about to how to use the listings
1 READ THE ENTIRE LISTING to decide whether to submit your music Please do not
use this book as a mass mailing list I you blindly mail out demos by the hundreds
yoursquoll waste a lot o money on postage annoy a lot o people and your demos will
wind up in the trash anyway
2 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE ldquoMUSICrdquo SECTION IN EACH LISTING Tis will tell you
what kind o music the company is looking or I they want rockabilly only and
you write heavy metal donrsquot submit to that company Tatrsquos just common sense
3 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS shown under How to Contact
and ollow them to the letter A lot o listings are very particular about how they
want submissions packaged Pay close attention I you do not ollow their instruc-
tions they will probably throw your submission in the garbage I you are conused
about their directions contact the company or clari1047297cation
4 IF IN DOUBT CONTACT THE COMPANY FOR PERMISSION TO SUBMIT Tis is a good
general rule Many companies donrsquot mind i you send an unsolicited submission
but some will want you to get special prior permission rom them Contacting a
company 1047297rst is also a good way to 1047297nd out their latest music needs Tis is also a
chance to brie1047298y make contact on a personal level
5 BE COURTEOUS BE EFFICIENT AND ALWAYS HAVE A PURPOSE to your personal con-
tact Do not waste their time I you call always have a reason or making contactmdash
permission to submit checking on guidelines ollowing up on a demo etc Teseare solid reasons to make personal contact but once you have their attention do
not wear out your welcome Always be polite
6 CHECK FOR A PREFERRED CONTACT A lot o listings have a designated contact person
shown afer a bolded Contact in the heading Tis is the person you should contact
with questions or to whom you should address your submission
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 414
4
HOW TO USE SONGWRITERrsquoS MARKET
7 READ THE ldquoTIPSrdquo SECTION Tis part o the listing provides extra inormation on
how to submit or what it might be like to work with the company Tis is just the
beginning For more detailed inormation about the listings see the next sectionmdash
Where Should I Send My Songsmdashand check out the sidebar with the sample list-
ing called A Sample Listing Decoded
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do these companies get listed in the book anywayNo company pays to be includedmdashall listings are ree Te listings come rom a combination
o research the editor does on the music industry and questionnaires requested by compa-
nies who want to be listed (many o them contact us to be included) All questionnaires are
screened or known sharks and to make sure they meet our requirements
Why arenrsquot other companies I know about listed in the bookWe may have sent them a questionnaire but they did not return it were removed or com-
plaints went out o business speci1047297cally asked not to be listed could not be contacted or
an update etc
Whatrsquos the deal with companies that donrsquot take unsolicited submissionsIn the interest o completeness the editor will sometimes include listings o crucial music
companies and major labels she thinks you should be aware o We want you to at least have
some idea o what their policies are
A company said in their listing that they take unsolicited submissions But mydemo came back unopened What happenedSome companies needsrsquo change rapidly and may have changed since we contacted them or
this edition o the book Tis is another reason why itrsquos ofen a good idea to contact a com-
pany beore submitting
So thatrsquos it You now have the power at your 1047297ngertips to go out and become the proes-
sional songwriter yoursquove always wanted to be Let us know how yoursquore doing Drop us a line
at marketbookswmediacom and tell us about any successes you have had because you
used the materials ound in this book
Donrsquot forget your webinaro access the webinar that is included with your book go to writersmarketcom2012sm
and learn how to 1047297nd new placements or your music
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 514
GETTING STARTED
WHERE SHOULD I
SEND MY SONGS
It depends a lot on whether you write mainly or yoursel as a perormer or i you only write
and want someone else to pick up your song or his or her recording (ofen the case in coun-
try music or example) Are you mainly a perorming songwriter or a nonperorming song-
writer Tis is important or 1047297guring out what kind o companies to contact as well as how
you contact them (For more detail skip to the Submission Strategies section)
What if Irsquom a nonperforming songwriter
Many well-known songwriters are not perormers in their own right Some are not skilledinstrumentalists or singers but they understand melody lyrics and harmony and how they
go together Tey can write great songs but they need someone else to bring their music to
lie through skilled musicianship A nonperorming songwriter will usually approach mu-
sic publishers 1047297rst or access to artists looking or songs as well as artistsrsquo managers their
producers and their record companies On the 1047298ip side many incredibly talented musi-
cians canrsquot write to save their lives and need someone else to provide them with good songs
to perorm (For more details on the different types o companies and the roles they play or
nonperorming and perorming songwriters see the section introductions or Music Pub-
lishers Record Companies Record Producers and Managers amp Booking Agents)
What if I am a performing songwriterMany amous songwriters are also amous perormers Tey are skilled interpreters o their own
material and they also know how to write to suit their own particular talents as musicians In
this case their intention is also usually to sell themselves as a perormer in hopes o recording and
releasing an album or they have an album and want to 1047297nd gigs and people who can help guide
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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6
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
their careers Tey will usually approach record compa-
nies or record producers 1047297rst on the basis of recording an
album For gigs and career guidance they talk to booking
agents and managers
A smaller number also approach publishers in hopes ofgetting others to perform their songs much like non-
performing songwriters Some music publishers in re-
cent years have also taken on the role of developing
artists as both songwriters and performers or are con-
nected to a major record label so performing songwrit-
ers might go to them for these reasons
How do I use Songwriterrsquos Market to narrow
my searchOnce yoursquove identi1047297ed whether you are primarily interest-
ed in getting others to perform your songs (nonperform-
ing songwriter) or you perform your own songs and want
a record deal etc there are several steps you can take
1 IDENTIFY WHAT KIND OF MUSIC COMPANY YOU
WISH TO APPROACH Based on whether yoursquore a
performing or nonperforming songwriter do
you want to approach a music publisher for a
publishing deal Do you want to approach a re-
cord producer because you need someone to
help you record an album in the studio Maybe
you want to approach a producer in hopes that
an act hersquos performing needs songs to complete
his album
2 CHECK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON LOCATION Maybe you need a manager located
close by Maybe you need to 1047297nd as many Nashville-based companies as you can be-
cause you write country music and most country publishers are in Nashville In thiscase start with the Geographic Index You can also tell Canadian and foreign list-
ings by the icons in the listing (see ldquoA Sample Listing Decodedrdquo on the next page)
3 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON THE TYPE OF MUSIC THEY WANT Some companies
want country Some record labels want only punk Read the listings carefully to make
TYPES OF MUSIC
COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate
songs for commercial potential fi
nd artists to record them finds oth-
er uses for the songs such as film or
TV collects income from songs pro-
tects copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign art-
ists to their labels finance record-
ings promotion and touring releas-
es songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashworks in
the studio and records songs (in-
dependently or for a record com-
pany) may be affi liated with a par-
ticular artist sometimes develop
artists for record labels locates or
co-writes songs if an artist does
not write their own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING
AGENTSmdashworks with artists to
manage their careers fi nds gigs
locates songs to record if the artist
does not write their own
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 714
7
sure yoursquore maximizing your time and sending
your work to the appropriate markets
4 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON HOW OPEN
THEY ARE TO BEGINNERS Some companies
are more open than others to beginningartists and songwriters Maybe you are a
beginner and it would help to approach
these companies f irst Some music publish-
ers are hoping to find that wild card hit
song and donrsquot care if it comes from an un-
known writer Maybe you are just starting
out looking for gigs or record deals and
you need a manager willing to help build
your bandrsquos career from the ground up
A SAMPLE LISTING DECODED
What do the little symbols at the beginning ofthe listing meanTose are called ldquoiconsrdquo and they give you quick infor-
mation about a listing with once glance Here is a list
of the icons and what they mean
Openness to SubmissionsS means the company is open to beginnersrsquo sub-
missions regardless of past success
T means the company is mostly interested in
previously published songwriterswell-es-
tablished acts but will consider beginners
U these companies do not want submissions
from beginners only from previously pub-
lished songwriterswell-established acts
R companies with this icon only accept mate-
rial referred by a reputable industry source
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Songwriterrsquos Market
lists music pub-
lishers record companies producers
and managers (as well as advertisingfirms play producers and classical per-
forming arts organizations) along with
specifications on how to submit your
material to each If you canrsquot find a cer-
tain person or company yoursquore inter-
ested in there are other sources of in-
formation you can try
The Recording Industry Source-
book an annual directory publishedby Norris-Whitney Communications
lists record companies music pub-
lishers producers and managers as
well as attorneys publicity firms me-
dia manufacturers distributors and re-
cording studios around the US Trade
publications such as Billboard or Vari-
ety available at most local libraries and
bookstores are great sources for up-to-date information These periodicals list
new companies as well as the artists la-
bels producers and publishers for each
song on the charts
CD booklets can also be valuable
sources of information providing the
name of the record company publish-
er producer and usually the manager
of an artist or group Use your imagi-
nation in your research and be cre-
ativemdashany contacts you make in the
industry can only help your career as
a songwriter See the Publications of
Interest section
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 814
8
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
TYPES OF MUSIC COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate songs for commercial potential find artists to record
them find other uses for the songs such as film or TV collect income from songs
protect copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign artists to their labels finance recordings manage pro-
motion and touring release songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashwork in the studio and record songs (independently or for a
record company)mdashmay be affiliated with a particular artist sometimes develop artists
for record labels locate or cowrite songs if an artist does not write his or her own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING AGENTSmdashwork with artists to manage their careers find
gigs locate songs to record if the artist does not write his or her own
Other iconsA means the listing is Canadian
E means the market is located outside of the US and Canada
L means the market is new to this edition
J means the market places music in 1047297lmTV
T RUSTIC RECORDS
6337 Murray Lane Brentwood TN 37027 (615)371-8397 Fax (615)370-0353 E-mail rust icre-
cordsamaolcom Website wwwrusticrecordsinccom President Jack Schneider ExecutiveVP amp Operations Manager Nell Schneider VP Publishing and Catalog Manager Amanda Mark
VP Marketing and Promotions Ross Schneider Videography Photography and Graphic Design
Wayne Hall Image consultant Jo Ann Rossi Independent traditional country music label and
music publisher (Iron Ski llet Music ASCAP Covered Bridge BMI Old Town Square SESAC)
Estab 1979 Staff size 6 Releases 2-3year Pays negotiable royalty to artists on contracts statu-
tory royalty to publisher per song on record
DISTRIBUTED BY CD Babycom and available on iTunes MSN Music Rhapsody and more
HOW TO CONTACT Submit professional demo package by mail Unsolicited submissions are
OK CD only no mp3s or e-mails Include no more than 4 songs with corresponding lyric sheets
and cover letter Include appropriately sized SASE Responds in 4 weeks
MUSIC Good combination of traditional and modern country 2008-09 releases Ready to
Ridemdashdebut album from Nikki Britt featuring ldquoC-O-W-B-O-Yrdquo ldquoDo I Look Like Himrdquo ldquoLong
Gone Mamardquo and ldquoIrsquom So Lonesome I Could Cryrdquo
TIPS ldquoProfessional demo preferredrdquo
EASY-TO-USE
REFERENCE ICONS
E-MAIL AND
WEBSITE
INFORMTION
TERMS OF
AGREEMENT
DETAILED
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
WHAT THEYrsquoRE
LOOKING FOR
INSIDER ADVICE
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 914
ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
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43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 414
4
HOW TO USE SONGWRITERrsquoS MARKET
7 READ THE ldquoTIPSrdquo SECTION Tis part o the listing provides extra inormation on
how to submit or what it might be like to work with the company Tis is just the
beginning For more detailed inormation about the listings see the next sectionmdash
Where Should I Send My Songsmdashand check out the sidebar with the sample list-
ing called A Sample Listing Decoded
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do these companies get listed in the book anywayNo company pays to be includedmdashall listings are ree Te listings come rom a combination
o research the editor does on the music industry and questionnaires requested by compa-
nies who want to be listed (many o them contact us to be included) All questionnaires are
screened or known sharks and to make sure they meet our requirements
Why arenrsquot other companies I know about listed in the bookWe may have sent them a questionnaire but they did not return it were removed or com-
plaints went out o business speci1047297cally asked not to be listed could not be contacted or
an update etc
Whatrsquos the deal with companies that donrsquot take unsolicited submissionsIn the interest o completeness the editor will sometimes include listings o crucial music
companies and major labels she thinks you should be aware o We want you to at least have
some idea o what their policies are
A company said in their listing that they take unsolicited submissions But mydemo came back unopened What happenedSome companies needsrsquo change rapidly and may have changed since we contacted them or
this edition o the book Tis is another reason why itrsquos ofen a good idea to contact a com-
pany beore submitting
So thatrsquos it You now have the power at your 1047297ngertips to go out and become the proes-
sional songwriter yoursquove always wanted to be Let us know how yoursquore doing Drop us a line
at marketbookswmediacom and tell us about any successes you have had because you
used the materials ound in this book
Donrsquot forget your webinaro access the webinar that is included with your book go to writersmarketcom2012sm
and learn how to 1047297nd new placements or your music
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 514
GETTING STARTED
WHERE SHOULD I
SEND MY SONGS
It depends a lot on whether you write mainly or yoursel as a perormer or i you only write
and want someone else to pick up your song or his or her recording (ofen the case in coun-
try music or example) Are you mainly a perorming songwriter or a nonperorming song-
writer Tis is important or 1047297guring out what kind o companies to contact as well as how
you contact them (For more detail skip to the Submission Strategies section)
What if Irsquom a nonperforming songwriter
Many well-known songwriters are not perormers in their own right Some are not skilledinstrumentalists or singers but they understand melody lyrics and harmony and how they
go together Tey can write great songs but they need someone else to bring their music to
lie through skilled musicianship A nonperorming songwriter will usually approach mu-
sic publishers 1047297rst or access to artists looking or songs as well as artistsrsquo managers their
producers and their record companies On the 1047298ip side many incredibly talented musi-
cians canrsquot write to save their lives and need someone else to provide them with good songs
to perorm (For more details on the different types o companies and the roles they play or
nonperorming and perorming songwriters see the section introductions or Music Pub-
lishers Record Companies Record Producers and Managers amp Booking Agents)
What if I am a performing songwriterMany amous songwriters are also amous perormers Tey are skilled interpreters o their own
material and they also know how to write to suit their own particular talents as musicians In
this case their intention is also usually to sell themselves as a perormer in hopes o recording and
releasing an album or they have an album and want to 1047297nd gigs and people who can help guide
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 614
6
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
their careers Tey will usually approach record compa-
nies or record producers 1047297rst on the basis of recording an
album For gigs and career guidance they talk to booking
agents and managers
A smaller number also approach publishers in hopes ofgetting others to perform their songs much like non-
performing songwriters Some music publishers in re-
cent years have also taken on the role of developing
artists as both songwriters and performers or are con-
nected to a major record label so performing songwrit-
ers might go to them for these reasons
How do I use Songwriterrsquos Market to narrow
my searchOnce yoursquove identi1047297ed whether you are primarily interest-
ed in getting others to perform your songs (nonperform-
ing songwriter) or you perform your own songs and want
a record deal etc there are several steps you can take
1 IDENTIFY WHAT KIND OF MUSIC COMPANY YOU
WISH TO APPROACH Based on whether yoursquore a
performing or nonperforming songwriter do
you want to approach a music publisher for a
publishing deal Do you want to approach a re-
cord producer because you need someone to
help you record an album in the studio Maybe
you want to approach a producer in hopes that
an act hersquos performing needs songs to complete
his album
2 CHECK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON LOCATION Maybe you need a manager located
close by Maybe you need to 1047297nd as many Nashville-based companies as you can be-
cause you write country music and most country publishers are in Nashville In thiscase start with the Geographic Index You can also tell Canadian and foreign list-
ings by the icons in the listing (see ldquoA Sample Listing Decodedrdquo on the next page)
3 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON THE TYPE OF MUSIC THEY WANT Some companies
want country Some record labels want only punk Read the listings carefully to make
TYPES OF MUSIC
COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate
songs for commercial potential fi
nd artists to record them finds oth-
er uses for the songs such as film or
TV collects income from songs pro-
tects copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign art-
ists to their labels finance record-
ings promotion and touring releas-
es songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashworks in
the studio and records songs (in-
dependently or for a record com-
pany) may be affi liated with a par-
ticular artist sometimes develop
artists for record labels locates or
co-writes songs if an artist does
not write their own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING
AGENTSmdashworks with artists to
manage their careers fi nds gigs
locates songs to record if the artist
does not write their own
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 714
7
sure yoursquore maximizing your time and sending
your work to the appropriate markets
4 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON HOW OPEN
THEY ARE TO BEGINNERS Some companies
are more open than others to beginningartists and songwriters Maybe you are a
beginner and it would help to approach
these companies f irst Some music publish-
ers are hoping to find that wild card hit
song and donrsquot care if it comes from an un-
known writer Maybe you are just starting
out looking for gigs or record deals and
you need a manager willing to help build
your bandrsquos career from the ground up
A SAMPLE LISTING DECODED
What do the little symbols at the beginning ofthe listing meanTose are called ldquoiconsrdquo and they give you quick infor-
mation about a listing with once glance Here is a list
of the icons and what they mean
Openness to SubmissionsS means the company is open to beginnersrsquo sub-
missions regardless of past success
T means the company is mostly interested in
previously published songwriterswell-es-
tablished acts but will consider beginners
U these companies do not want submissions
from beginners only from previously pub-
lished songwriterswell-established acts
R companies with this icon only accept mate-
rial referred by a reputable industry source
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Songwriterrsquos Market
lists music pub-
lishers record companies producers
and managers (as well as advertisingfirms play producers and classical per-
forming arts organizations) along with
specifications on how to submit your
material to each If you canrsquot find a cer-
tain person or company yoursquore inter-
ested in there are other sources of in-
formation you can try
The Recording Industry Source-
book an annual directory publishedby Norris-Whitney Communications
lists record companies music pub-
lishers producers and managers as
well as attorneys publicity firms me-
dia manufacturers distributors and re-
cording studios around the US Trade
publications such as Billboard or Vari-
ety available at most local libraries and
bookstores are great sources for up-to-date information These periodicals list
new companies as well as the artists la-
bels producers and publishers for each
song on the charts
CD booklets can also be valuable
sources of information providing the
name of the record company publish-
er producer and usually the manager
of an artist or group Use your imagi-
nation in your research and be cre-
ativemdashany contacts you make in the
industry can only help your career as
a songwriter See the Publications of
Interest section
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 814
8
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
TYPES OF MUSIC COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate songs for commercial potential find artists to record
them find other uses for the songs such as film or TV collect income from songs
protect copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign artists to their labels finance recordings manage pro-
motion and touring release songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashwork in the studio and record songs (independently or for a
record company)mdashmay be affiliated with a particular artist sometimes develop artists
for record labels locate or cowrite songs if an artist does not write his or her own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING AGENTSmdashwork with artists to manage their careers find
gigs locate songs to record if the artist does not write his or her own
Other iconsA means the listing is Canadian
E means the market is located outside of the US and Canada
L means the market is new to this edition
J means the market places music in 1047297lmTV
T RUSTIC RECORDS
6337 Murray Lane Brentwood TN 37027 (615)371-8397 Fax (615)370-0353 E-mail rust icre-
cordsamaolcom Website wwwrusticrecordsinccom President Jack Schneider ExecutiveVP amp Operations Manager Nell Schneider VP Publishing and Catalog Manager Amanda Mark
VP Marketing and Promotions Ross Schneider Videography Photography and Graphic Design
Wayne Hall Image consultant Jo Ann Rossi Independent traditional country music label and
music publisher (Iron Ski llet Music ASCAP Covered Bridge BMI Old Town Square SESAC)
Estab 1979 Staff size 6 Releases 2-3year Pays negotiable royalty to artists on contracts statu-
tory royalty to publisher per song on record
DISTRIBUTED BY CD Babycom and available on iTunes MSN Music Rhapsody and more
HOW TO CONTACT Submit professional demo package by mail Unsolicited submissions are
OK CD only no mp3s or e-mails Include no more than 4 songs with corresponding lyric sheets
and cover letter Include appropriately sized SASE Responds in 4 weeks
MUSIC Good combination of traditional and modern country 2008-09 releases Ready to
Ridemdashdebut album from Nikki Britt featuring ldquoC-O-W-B-O-Yrdquo ldquoDo I Look Like Himrdquo ldquoLong
Gone Mamardquo and ldquoIrsquom So Lonesome I Could Cryrdquo
TIPS ldquoProfessional demo preferredrdquo
EASY-TO-USE
REFERENCE ICONS
E-MAIL AND
WEBSITE
INFORMTION
TERMS OF
AGREEMENT
DETAILED
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
WHAT THEYrsquoRE
LOOKING FOR
INSIDER ADVICE
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 914
ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1014
40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1114
41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 514
GETTING STARTED
WHERE SHOULD I
SEND MY SONGS
It depends a lot on whether you write mainly or yoursel as a perormer or i you only write
and want someone else to pick up your song or his or her recording (ofen the case in coun-
try music or example) Are you mainly a perorming songwriter or a nonperorming song-
writer Tis is important or 1047297guring out what kind o companies to contact as well as how
you contact them (For more detail skip to the Submission Strategies section)
What if Irsquom a nonperforming songwriter
Many well-known songwriters are not perormers in their own right Some are not skilledinstrumentalists or singers but they understand melody lyrics and harmony and how they
go together Tey can write great songs but they need someone else to bring their music to
lie through skilled musicianship A nonperorming songwriter will usually approach mu-
sic publishers 1047297rst or access to artists looking or songs as well as artistsrsquo managers their
producers and their record companies On the 1047298ip side many incredibly talented musi-
cians canrsquot write to save their lives and need someone else to provide them with good songs
to perorm (For more details on the different types o companies and the roles they play or
nonperorming and perorming songwriters see the section introductions or Music Pub-
lishers Record Companies Record Producers and Managers amp Booking Agents)
What if I am a performing songwriterMany amous songwriters are also amous perormers Tey are skilled interpreters o their own
material and they also know how to write to suit their own particular talents as musicians In
this case their intention is also usually to sell themselves as a perormer in hopes o recording and
releasing an album or they have an album and want to 1047297nd gigs and people who can help guide
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 614
6
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
their careers Tey will usually approach record compa-
nies or record producers 1047297rst on the basis of recording an
album For gigs and career guidance they talk to booking
agents and managers
A smaller number also approach publishers in hopes ofgetting others to perform their songs much like non-
performing songwriters Some music publishers in re-
cent years have also taken on the role of developing
artists as both songwriters and performers or are con-
nected to a major record label so performing songwrit-
ers might go to them for these reasons
How do I use Songwriterrsquos Market to narrow
my searchOnce yoursquove identi1047297ed whether you are primarily interest-
ed in getting others to perform your songs (nonperform-
ing songwriter) or you perform your own songs and want
a record deal etc there are several steps you can take
1 IDENTIFY WHAT KIND OF MUSIC COMPANY YOU
WISH TO APPROACH Based on whether yoursquore a
performing or nonperforming songwriter do
you want to approach a music publisher for a
publishing deal Do you want to approach a re-
cord producer because you need someone to
help you record an album in the studio Maybe
you want to approach a producer in hopes that
an act hersquos performing needs songs to complete
his album
2 CHECK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON LOCATION Maybe you need a manager located
close by Maybe you need to 1047297nd as many Nashville-based companies as you can be-
cause you write country music and most country publishers are in Nashville In thiscase start with the Geographic Index You can also tell Canadian and foreign list-
ings by the icons in the listing (see ldquoA Sample Listing Decodedrdquo on the next page)
3 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON THE TYPE OF MUSIC THEY WANT Some companies
want country Some record labels want only punk Read the listings carefully to make
TYPES OF MUSIC
COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate
songs for commercial potential fi
nd artists to record them finds oth-
er uses for the songs such as film or
TV collects income from songs pro-
tects copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign art-
ists to their labels finance record-
ings promotion and touring releas-
es songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashworks in
the studio and records songs (in-
dependently or for a record com-
pany) may be affi liated with a par-
ticular artist sometimes develop
artists for record labels locates or
co-writes songs if an artist does
not write their own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING
AGENTSmdashworks with artists to
manage their careers fi nds gigs
locates songs to record if the artist
does not write their own
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 714
7
sure yoursquore maximizing your time and sending
your work to the appropriate markets
4 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON HOW OPEN
THEY ARE TO BEGINNERS Some companies
are more open than others to beginningartists and songwriters Maybe you are a
beginner and it would help to approach
these companies f irst Some music publish-
ers are hoping to find that wild card hit
song and donrsquot care if it comes from an un-
known writer Maybe you are just starting
out looking for gigs or record deals and
you need a manager willing to help build
your bandrsquos career from the ground up
A SAMPLE LISTING DECODED
What do the little symbols at the beginning ofthe listing meanTose are called ldquoiconsrdquo and they give you quick infor-
mation about a listing with once glance Here is a list
of the icons and what they mean
Openness to SubmissionsS means the company is open to beginnersrsquo sub-
missions regardless of past success
T means the company is mostly interested in
previously published songwriterswell-es-
tablished acts but will consider beginners
U these companies do not want submissions
from beginners only from previously pub-
lished songwriterswell-established acts
R companies with this icon only accept mate-
rial referred by a reputable industry source
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Songwriterrsquos Market
lists music pub-
lishers record companies producers
and managers (as well as advertisingfirms play producers and classical per-
forming arts organizations) along with
specifications on how to submit your
material to each If you canrsquot find a cer-
tain person or company yoursquore inter-
ested in there are other sources of in-
formation you can try
The Recording Industry Source-
book an annual directory publishedby Norris-Whitney Communications
lists record companies music pub-
lishers producers and managers as
well as attorneys publicity firms me-
dia manufacturers distributors and re-
cording studios around the US Trade
publications such as Billboard or Vari-
ety available at most local libraries and
bookstores are great sources for up-to-date information These periodicals list
new companies as well as the artists la-
bels producers and publishers for each
song on the charts
CD booklets can also be valuable
sources of information providing the
name of the record company publish-
er producer and usually the manager
of an artist or group Use your imagi-
nation in your research and be cre-
ativemdashany contacts you make in the
industry can only help your career as
a songwriter See the Publications of
Interest section
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 814
8
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
TYPES OF MUSIC COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate songs for commercial potential find artists to record
them find other uses for the songs such as film or TV collect income from songs
protect copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign artists to their labels finance recordings manage pro-
motion and touring release songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashwork in the studio and record songs (independently or for a
record company)mdashmay be affiliated with a particular artist sometimes develop artists
for record labels locate or cowrite songs if an artist does not write his or her own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING AGENTSmdashwork with artists to manage their careers find
gigs locate songs to record if the artist does not write his or her own
Other iconsA means the listing is Canadian
E means the market is located outside of the US and Canada
L means the market is new to this edition
J means the market places music in 1047297lmTV
T RUSTIC RECORDS
6337 Murray Lane Brentwood TN 37027 (615)371-8397 Fax (615)370-0353 E-mail rust icre-
cordsamaolcom Website wwwrusticrecordsinccom President Jack Schneider ExecutiveVP amp Operations Manager Nell Schneider VP Publishing and Catalog Manager Amanda Mark
VP Marketing and Promotions Ross Schneider Videography Photography and Graphic Design
Wayne Hall Image consultant Jo Ann Rossi Independent traditional country music label and
music publisher (Iron Ski llet Music ASCAP Covered Bridge BMI Old Town Square SESAC)
Estab 1979 Staff size 6 Releases 2-3year Pays negotiable royalty to artists on contracts statu-
tory royalty to publisher per song on record
DISTRIBUTED BY CD Babycom and available on iTunes MSN Music Rhapsody and more
HOW TO CONTACT Submit professional demo package by mail Unsolicited submissions are
OK CD only no mp3s or e-mails Include no more than 4 songs with corresponding lyric sheets
and cover letter Include appropriately sized SASE Responds in 4 weeks
MUSIC Good combination of traditional and modern country 2008-09 releases Ready to
Ridemdashdebut album from Nikki Britt featuring ldquoC-O-W-B-O-Yrdquo ldquoDo I Look Like Himrdquo ldquoLong
Gone Mamardquo and ldquoIrsquom So Lonesome I Could Cryrdquo
TIPS ldquoProfessional demo preferredrdquo
EASY-TO-USE
REFERENCE ICONS
E-MAIL AND
WEBSITE
INFORMTION
TERMS OF
AGREEMENT
DETAILED
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
WHAT THEYrsquoRE
LOOKING FOR
INSIDER ADVICE
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 914
ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1014
40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1114
41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 614
6
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
their careers Tey will usually approach record compa-
nies or record producers 1047297rst on the basis of recording an
album For gigs and career guidance they talk to booking
agents and managers
A smaller number also approach publishers in hopes ofgetting others to perform their songs much like non-
performing songwriters Some music publishers in re-
cent years have also taken on the role of developing
artists as both songwriters and performers or are con-
nected to a major record label so performing songwrit-
ers might go to them for these reasons
How do I use Songwriterrsquos Market to narrow
my searchOnce yoursquove identi1047297ed whether you are primarily interest-
ed in getting others to perform your songs (nonperform-
ing songwriter) or you perform your own songs and want
a record deal etc there are several steps you can take
1 IDENTIFY WHAT KIND OF MUSIC COMPANY YOU
WISH TO APPROACH Based on whether yoursquore a
performing or nonperforming songwriter do
you want to approach a music publisher for a
publishing deal Do you want to approach a re-
cord producer because you need someone to
help you record an album in the studio Maybe
you want to approach a producer in hopes that
an act hersquos performing needs songs to complete
his album
2 CHECK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON LOCATION Maybe you need a manager located
close by Maybe you need to 1047297nd as many Nashville-based companies as you can be-
cause you write country music and most country publishers are in Nashville In thiscase start with the Geographic Index You can also tell Canadian and foreign list-
ings by the icons in the listing (see ldquoA Sample Listing Decodedrdquo on the next page)
3 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON THE TYPE OF MUSIC THEY WANT Some companies
want country Some record labels want only punk Read the listings carefully to make
TYPES OF MUSIC
COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate
songs for commercial potential fi
nd artists to record them finds oth-
er uses for the songs such as film or
TV collects income from songs pro-
tects copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign art-
ists to their labels finance record-
ings promotion and touring releas-
es songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashworks in
the studio and records songs (in-
dependently or for a record com-
pany) may be affi liated with a par-
ticular artist sometimes develop
artists for record labels locates or
co-writes songs if an artist does
not write their own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING
AGENTSmdashworks with artists to
manage their careers fi nds gigs
locates songs to record if the artist
does not write their own
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 714
7
sure yoursquore maximizing your time and sending
your work to the appropriate markets
4 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON HOW OPEN
THEY ARE TO BEGINNERS Some companies
are more open than others to beginningartists and songwriters Maybe you are a
beginner and it would help to approach
these companies f irst Some music publish-
ers are hoping to find that wild card hit
song and donrsquot care if it comes from an un-
known writer Maybe you are just starting
out looking for gigs or record deals and
you need a manager willing to help build
your bandrsquos career from the ground up
A SAMPLE LISTING DECODED
What do the little symbols at the beginning ofthe listing meanTose are called ldquoiconsrdquo and they give you quick infor-
mation about a listing with once glance Here is a list
of the icons and what they mean
Openness to SubmissionsS means the company is open to beginnersrsquo sub-
missions regardless of past success
T means the company is mostly interested in
previously published songwriterswell-es-
tablished acts but will consider beginners
U these companies do not want submissions
from beginners only from previously pub-
lished songwriterswell-established acts
R companies with this icon only accept mate-
rial referred by a reputable industry source
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Songwriterrsquos Market
lists music pub-
lishers record companies producers
and managers (as well as advertisingfirms play producers and classical per-
forming arts organizations) along with
specifications on how to submit your
material to each If you canrsquot find a cer-
tain person or company yoursquore inter-
ested in there are other sources of in-
formation you can try
The Recording Industry Source-
book an annual directory publishedby Norris-Whitney Communications
lists record companies music pub-
lishers producers and managers as
well as attorneys publicity firms me-
dia manufacturers distributors and re-
cording studios around the US Trade
publications such as Billboard or Vari-
ety available at most local libraries and
bookstores are great sources for up-to-date information These periodicals list
new companies as well as the artists la-
bels producers and publishers for each
song on the charts
CD booklets can also be valuable
sources of information providing the
name of the record company publish-
er producer and usually the manager
of an artist or group Use your imagi-
nation in your research and be cre-
ativemdashany contacts you make in the
industry can only help your career as
a songwriter See the Publications of
Interest section
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 814
8
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
TYPES OF MUSIC COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate songs for commercial potential find artists to record
them find other uses for the songs such as film or TV collect income from songs
protect copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign artists to their labels finance recordings manage pro-
motion and touring release songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashwork in the studio and record songs (independently or for a
record company)mdashmay be affiliated with a particular artist sometimes develop artists
for record labels locate or cowrite songs if an artist does not write his or her own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING AGENTSmdashwork with artists to manage their careers find
gigs locate songs to record if the artist does not write his or her own
Other iconsA means the listing is Canadian
E means the market is located outside of the US and Canada
L means the market is new to this edition
J means the market places music in 1047297lmTV
T RUSTIC RECORDS
6337 Murray Lane Brentwood TN 37027 (615)371-8397 Fax (615)370-0353 E-mail rust icre-
cordsamaolcom Website wwwrusticrecordsinccom President Jack Schneider ExecutiveVP amp Operations Manager Nell Schneider VP Publishing and Catalog Manager Amanda Mark
VP Marketing and Promotions Ross Schneider Videography Photography and Graphic Design
Wayne Hall Image consultant Jo Ann Rossi Independent traditional country music label and
music publisher (Iron Ski llet Music ASCAP Covered Bridge BMI Old Town Square SESAC)
Estab 1979 Staff size 6 Releases 2-3year Pays negotiable royalty to artists on contracts statu-
tory royalty to publisher per song on record
DISTRIBUTED BY CD Babycom and available on iTunes MSN Music Rhapsody and more
HOW TO CONTACT Submit professional demo package by mail Unsolicited submissions are
OK CD only no mp3s or e-mails Include no more than 4 songs with corresponding lyric sheets
and cover letter Include appropriately sized SASE Responds in 4 weeks
MUSIC Good combination of traditional and modern country 2008-09 releases Ready to
Ridemdashdebut album from Nikki Britt featuring ldquoC-O-W-B-O-Yrdquo ldquoDo I Look Like Himrdquo ldquoLong
Gone Mamardquo and ldquoIrsquom So Lonesome I Could Cryrdquo
TIPS ldquoProfessional demo preferredrdquo
EASY-TO-USE
REFERENCE ICONS
E-MAIL AND
WEBSITE
INFORMTION
TERMS OF
AGREEMENT
DETAILED
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
WHAT THEYrsquoRE
LOOKING FOR
INSIDER ADVICE
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 914
ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1014
40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1114
41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 714
7
sure yoursquore maximizing your time and sending
your work to the appropriate markets
4 LOOK FOR COMPANIES BASED ON HOW OPEN
THEY ARE TO BEGINNERS Some companies
are more open than others to beginningartists and songwriters Maybe you are a
beginner and it would help to approach
these companies f irst Some music publish-
ers are hoping to find that wild card hit
song and donrsquot care if it comes from an un-
known writer Maybe you are just starting
out looking for gigs or record deals and
you need a manager willing to help build
your bandrsquos career from the ground up
A SAMPLE LISTING DECODED
What do the little symbols at the beginning ofthe listing meanTose are called ldquoiconsrdquo and they give you quick infor-
mation about a listing with once glance Here is a list
of the icons and what they mean
Openness to SubmissionsS means the company is open to beginnersrsquo sub-
missions regardless of past success
T means the company is mostly interested in
previously published songwriterswell-es-
tablished acts but will consider beginners
U these companies do not want submissions
from beginners only from previously pub-
lished songwriterswell-established acts
R companies with this icon only accept mate-
rial referred by a reputable industry source
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Songwriterrsquos Market
lists music pub-
lishers record companies producers
and managers (as well as advertisingfirms play producers and classical per-
forming arts organizations) along with
specifications on how to submit your
material to each If you canrsquot find a cer-
tain person or company yoursquore inter-
ested in there are other sources of in-
formation you can try
The Recording Industry Source-
book an annual directory publishedby Norris-Whitney Communications
lists record companies music pub-
lishers producers and managers as
well as attorneys publicity firms me-
dia manufacturers distributors and re-
cording studios around the US Trade
publications such as Billboard or Vari-
ety available at most local libraries and
bookstores are great sources for up-to-date information These periodicals list
new companies as well as the artists la-
bels producers and publishers for each
song on the charts
CD booklets can also be valuable
sources of information providing the
name of the record company publish-
er producer and usually the manager
of an artist or group Use your imagi-
nation in your research and be cre-
ativemdashany contacts you make in the
industry can only help your career as
a songwriter See the Publications of
Interest section
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 814
8
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
TYPES OF MUSIC COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate songs for commercial potential find artists to record
them find other uses for the songs such as film or TV collect income from songs
protect copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign artists to their labels finance recordings manage pro-
motion and touring release songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashwork in the studio and record songs (independently or for a
record company)mdashmay be affiliated with a particular artist sometimes develop artists
for record labels locate or cowrite songs if an artist does not write his or her own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING AGENTSmdashwork with artists to manage their careers find
gigs locate songs to record if the artist does not write his or her own
Other iconsA means the listing is Canadian
E means the market is located outside of the US and Canada
L means the market is new to this edition
J means the market places music in 1047297lmTV
T RUSTIC RECORDS
6337 Murray Lane Brentwood TN 37027 (615)371-8397 Fax (615)370-0353 E-mail rust icre-
cordsamaolcom Website wwwrusticrecordsinccom President Jack Schneider ExecutiveVP amp Operations Manager Nell Schneider VP Publishing and Catalog Manager Amanda Mark
VP Marketing and Promotions Ross Schneider Videography Photography and Graphic Design
Wayne Hall Image consultant Jo Ann Rossi Independent traditional country music label and
music publisher (Iron Ski llet Music ASCAP Covered Bridge BMI Old Town Square SESAC)
Estab 1979 Staff size 6 Releases 2-3year Pays negotiable royalty to artists on contracts statu-
tory royalty to publisher per song on record
DISTRIBUTED BY CD Babycom and available on iTunes MSN Music Rhapsody and more
HOW TO CONTACT Submit professional demo package by mail Unsolicited submissions are
OK CD only no mp3s or e-mails Include no more than 4 songs with corresponding lyric sheets
and cover letter Include appropriately sized SASE Responds in 4 weeks
MUSIC Good combination of traditional and modern country 2008-09 releases Ready to
Ridemdashdebut album from Nikki Britt featuring ldquoC-O-W-B-O-Yrdquo ldquoDo I Look Like Himrdquo ldquoLong
Gone Mamardquo and ldquoIrsquom So Lonesome I Could Cryrdquo
TIPS ldquoProfessional demo preferredrdquo
EASY-TO-USE
REFERENCE ICONS
E-MAIL AND
WEBSITE
INFORMTION
TERMS OF
AGREEMENT
DETAILED
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
WHAT THEYrsquoRE
LOOKING FOR
INSIDER ADVICE
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 914
ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1014
40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1114
41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 814
8
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY SONGS
TYPES OF MUSIC COMPANIES
bull MUSIC PUBLISHERSmdashevaluate songs for commercial potential find artists to record
them find other uses for the songs such as film or TV collect income from songs
protect copyrights from infringement
bull RECORD COMPANIESmdashsign artists to their labels finance recordings manage pro-
motion and touring release songsalbums to radio and TV
bull RECORD PRODUCERSmdashwork in the studio and record songs (independently or for a
record company)mdashmay be affiliated with a particular artist sometimes develop artists
for record labels locate or cowrite songs if an artist does not write his or her own
bull MANAGERS amp BOOKING AGENTSmdashwork with artists to manage their careers find
gigs locate songs to record if the artist does not write his or her own
Other iconsA means the listing is Canadian
E means the market is located outside of the US and Canada
L means the market is new to this edition
J means the market places music in 1047297lmTV
T RUSTIC RECORDS
6337 Murray Lane Brentwood TN 37027 (615)371-8397 Fax (615)370-0353 E-mail rust icre-
cordsamaolcom Website wwwrusticrecordsinccom President Jack Schneider ExecutiveVP amp Operations Manager Nell Schneider VP Publishing and Catalog Manager Amanda Mark
VP Marketing and Promotions Ross Schneider Videography Photography and Graphic Design
Wayne Hall Image consultant Jo Ann Rossi Independent traditional country music label and
music publisher (Iron Ski llet Music ASCAP Covered Bridge BMI Old Town Square SESAC)
Estab 1979 Staff size 6 Releases 2-3year Pays negotiable royalty to artists on contracts statu-
tory royalty to publisher per song on record
DISTRIBUTED BY CD Babycom and available on iTunes MSN Music Rhapsody and more
HOW TO CONTACT Submit professional demo package by mail Unsolicited submissions are
OK CD only no mp3s or e-mails Include no more than 4 songs with corresponding lyric sheets
and cover letter Include appropriately sized SASE Responds in 4 weeks
MUSIC Good combination of traditional and modern country 2008-09 releases Ready to
Ridemdashdebut album from Nikki Britt featuring ldquoC-O-W-B-O-Yrdquo ldquoDo I Look Like Himrdquo ldquoLong
Gone Mamardquo and ldquoIrsquom So Lonesome I Could Cryrdquo
TIPS ldquoProfessional demo preferredrdquo
EASY-TO-USE
REFERENCE ICONS
E-MAIL AND
WEBSITE
INFORMTION
TERMS OF
AGREEMENT
DETAILED
SUBMISSION
GUIDELINES
WHAT THEYrsquoRE
LOOKING FOR
INSIDER ADVICE
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 914
ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1014
40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1114
41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 914
ARTICLES 983078 INTERVIEWS
HILLARY SCOTT
SESAC Songwriter of the Year
by Annie Downs
Hillary Scott is best known as ldquothe ladyrdquo from Lady Antebellum
country musicrsquos hottest trio With four number one hits (ldquoRun
to Yourdquo ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo ldquoAmerican Honeyrdquo ldquoOur Kind of
Loverdquo) six Grammy Awards and numerous CMA AMA and
ACM Awards Lady Antebellum has sealed their spot in music
history Tey have toured with many of countryrsquos greatest stars
including Martina McBride Kenny Chesney im McGraw and
Keith Urban Tey are now headlining tours themselves Crowdsare pouring into venues around the country to hear the songs
that the audience knows by heart
What is lesser known about Hillary is her many accomplishments as a songwriter At
just twenty-four years old Hillary has already garnered much praise for her writing abil-
ity including being crowned SESAC Writer of the Year in 2008 and 2010 Hillary cowrites
with her bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood but she also has penned songs
with om Douglas Dallas Davidson Miranda Lambert Dave Barnes and Luke Laird just
to name a few
A young fresh voice in this historic genre Hillaryrsquos songwriting continues to grow andevolve as her career and relationships do the same She is rede1047297ning the world of female
songwriters and we are bene1047297ting from it Greatly
Do you enjoy cowriting or do you write better songs alone
I love cowriting I like that it is collaborative I like that it is not just your voice and your
life experiences You can pull from someone elsersquos For me because I donrsquot play an in-
strument well itrsquos better for me to write with someone who can
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1014
40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1114
41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1014
40
HILLARY SCOTT
When you started writing songs how did you do that Since you donrsquot playhellip
I would write some by myselmdashI play a little guitar and pianomdashbut I would also write
with high school riends I remember the 1047297rst song I wrote-mdashI was six or seven I wrote
it with one o my riends
My story is a little different I started working with Victoria Shaw when I was six-teen and started writing when I was seventeen I had someone mentor me take me
under her wing and teach me So a lot o my 1047297rst writing sessions were like going to
school I had never proessionally written beore and I would be in a room with two
amazingly talented songwriters I would always give input like ldquoI would say it like thisrdquo
or ldquoI wouldnrsquot say thatrdquo You have to be honest when you writemdashyou canrsquot sing some-
thing or say something that you donrsquot eel But I had a mentor who taught me how to
do that well
What makes a good cowriter
A lot o it has to do with being compatible with the person Being able to carry on a goodconversation brings connection Other times there are people that arenrsquot easy to con-
nect withmdashyou canrsquot talk or hours and hours about liemdashbut you start to play music
and putting words to that music the connection comes and it is really special
For me a good cowriter is someone who listensmdashIrsquom always going to come in and
talk about what is going on and what is inspiring me And I like to hear what is go-
ing on with them as wellmdashso an open-hearted person Someone who will bear it all
at times lyrically because I just appreciate honesty Dave Haywood [member o Lady
Antebellum] is one o my avorite cowriters He is a very melodic guitar player and a
very melodic piano player And or me since I donrsquot play an instrument well to havesomeone like him who does play well and has a really special way o playing those in-
struments it opens up a lot o different vocal melodies or directions that you could go
with the instrumentation
Itrsquos talent but it is also chemistry
So can you teach someone to write a great song
I think you can teach someone to get better at writing songs Anyone can read a book
and learn but I truly believe that it is a gif But it is a gif that you can improve that
you can hone and make betterItrsquos like a musclemdashi you donrsquot write or two months you are out o shapemdashyou get rusty
How often is personal experience involved in your songwriting
Probably 90 percent o the time I donrsquot eel comortable writing songs about things I
do not know about or havenrsquot experienced 1047297rsthand Tatrsquos the other thing about co-
writing We can start to talk about someone elsersquos lie experiences so you can see rom
someone elsersquos point o view
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1114
41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1114
41
ANNIE DOWNS
Te best example is that I donrsquot know how to write a song about how to change the
world because I am just trying to love people and treat them well Irsquove been in love Irsquove
been out of love but Irsquom not going to write a huge political statement about how we
should change the world Irsquom only twenty-four years old Tere are many people who
are smarter and know more about that than I doI would rather write about what love has been for me And what brokenness heart-
brokenness has been for me Te songs I look back at from over the years the ones I
gravitate toward and love are the ones that expressed how I felt in a moment or a situ-
ation better than I ever could
So when you write a song are you thinking about yourself performing it
Not really I get into the story more when writing the song I get lost in it If it is about some-
thing I personally have been through I will go back there I will go back to that place
It takes a willingness to re-feel emotions You have to allow yourself to go there again
even if you are in a different place now I am in love today but tomorrow we mightwrite a song about being heartbroken and I have to let myself go back to that place to
pull from those emotions
Itrsquos the same for performing ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo is the furthest thing from my personal
life but every night I have to 1047297nd those old emotions to feel what Irsquom singing
Which do you prefer then The songwriting or the performing
Songwriting for sure Tere is nothing better than being there and helping create a
song from the infantile stages Performing is a very rewarding feeling especially when
people know the words and sing along But the actual songwriting the song creationprocess is what I love the most
Do you know a great song when you write it For example did you know ldquoNeed
You Nowrdquo would be a huge hit
No honestly
We liked ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo I remember thatmdashI remember liking it But it wasnrsquot un-
til we got into the studio and got into preproduction where we work out the arrange-
ments when it really took on a life of its own Tat song is special It is a combination
of a relatable lyric a singable melody and the instrumentation exudes so much emo-
tion We have our producer and the musicians to thank for that
The three of you [in Lady Antebellum] write songs all the time So how do you
decide what is a good song and what is a great song
Because we write record and perform these songsmdashyou know pretty quickly when
you put an arrangement behind a song and put our voices on it It makes itself evident
what works and what does not work Everyone says ldquoTe last thing you write is your
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1214
42
HILLARY SCOTT
favoriterdquo because it is what is fresh but that isnrsquot always the case when you get into a
studio environment Sometimes a song is better acoustic sometimes it needs a full
band to take it to the next level
Tere are times you just knowmdashwhen the song is something you love and believe
in and the power is undeniable Tere are other times like ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo that itwasnrsquot until we recorded it that we knew And that was literally the last song we played
for the label when we were making the recordmdashand it ended up being the single and
changed our career
Are there advantages to being a female songwriter
Yes I think we have more freedom and can take more liberties with our emotionsmdashto
not be ashamed or afraid to say that we are feeling emotions We can also be strong
Women can be strong in songs We can in our everyday lives but there is something
so empowering about singing a song
For example I wrote ldquoLong Gonerdquo a song from our 1047297rst album before Lady Antebel-lum ever formed Every night I sing that song from stage it is the most empowering mo-
mentmdash I am able to say these things in a song that I never had the guts to say to the dudersquos
face Like ldquoIrsquom long gone You missed the boat Our ship has sailedrdquo I would never have
the guts to look at a boy and say ldquoOUR SHIP HAS SAILEDrdquo and slam the door in his face
So you have the opportunity to be really honest and really strong and gutsy
What is your biggest moment as a songwriter thus far
When ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo won the 2011 Grammy for the Song of the Year because that
award honors the writer of the song But you know the other thing that is right upthere was at the CM Artist of the Year Awards in 2010 Adele and Darius Rucker sang
ldquoNeed You Nowrdquo We got to sit in the audience and listen It was really cool to have your
song performed to you I am so used to performing it myself that when that happened
that was a really cool moment As a songwriter hearing it and it not being our voices
but someone elsersquos in1047298ection and delivery that was amazing
Will you write songs after your performance career slows down (if it ever does)
For sure Tat has always been my plan
Thinking into your future as a songwriter what are some goals you haveI would love to write with other artists for their projects I would love to write music for
a movie or a soundtrack We [Lady Antebellum] had the opportunity to write songs for
a movie one time and it was so neat to be given thirty pages of the script and a synop-
sis of the 1047297lm and have to write about it It mixes up the everyday routine of just sitting
down and writing a song It was fun like a puzzle You are given tools information
and hints to make the songs speci1047297cally about the 1047297lm
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1314
43
ANNIE DOWNS
What would you say to new songwriters who are looking to make it in the industry
Come to Nashville and make friends Write with people Tis is such a friendly placemdash
itrsquos like one big neighborhood Tatrsquos one of the coolest things about Nashvillemdashthe
songwriting community Tere isnrsquot anywhere like this Nashville is in a league of its
own as far as cowriting goes there are so many collaborations Te songwriting com-munity in Nashville unites together and supports each other So I would say move to
Nashville and make friends and write and continue to write on your own but get out
and write with your friends
What about the people who donrsquot want to write country music Is Nashville still
the town for them
Hands down yes For sure Itrsquos Music City Not Country Music City Tere are tons of
rock writersmdashlots of rock bands are coming out of here therersquos a huge Christian mar-
ket a huge alternativeindiesinger-songwriter scene Tere is everything I de1047297nitely
think it is the place to be
ANNIE DOWNS is a freelance writer in Nashville Tennessee With several Bible
studies and many articles under her literary belt Annie also writes books for teen
girls and women braving college and the years after Her first book From Head to
Foot released in 2010 She is a huge fan of the Internet singersongwriters waf-
fles with peanut butter and sports of all kinds especially four square Read more
at annieblogscom P H O T O J e r e m y C o w a r t
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
832019 2012 Songwriters Market Book
httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2012-songwriters-market-book 1414
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 0
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 n 9 w C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D
0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M j Q 3 l A = =
35313 653240 7 U P C
E A N
X9693
F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4
0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o
0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L
0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 2 5 i Z s E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B
0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N T k 5 N j M y M z I y A A = =
781599 6323229
52999
ISBN-10 1-59963-232-2
ISBN-13 978-1-59963-232-2
US $2999(CAN $3150)
The Most Trusted Guide toSongwriting Success
For 35 years Songwriterrsquos Market has provided the most complete and up-to-date informa-
tion songwriters need to place their songs with music publishers record companies record
producers managers booking agents music firms and more
In the 2012 edition you also gain access to
bull Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities
bull Power-packed articles on taking charge of your careermdashincluding how to navigate
the constantly evolving world of social media and discover alternative routes to
songwriting success
bull Listings for songwriting organizations conferences workshops retreats colonies
contests and venues (a brand new addition to the listings a helpful tool for indie
artists booking their own tours)
Take charge of your songwriting career today with the 2012 Songwriterrsquos Market
Includes an exclusive 60-minute FREE WEBINAR with music licensing expertSarah Gavigan that will teach you how to find new placements for your music(see the ldquoHow to Use Songwriterrsquos Market rdquo section for URL access details)
ldquoSongwriterrsquos Market is a valuable resource for songwriters especially those living
away from traditional music centers Itrsquos stuffed full of useful informationrdquo
mdashPat Pattison author of Songwriting Without Boundaries and Writing Better Lyrics
ldquoLearn how to create buzz as an artist This is an excellent resource to determine
the kind of entrance you want to make into the world of singer-songwritersrdquo
mdashAmy Stroup indie artist The Other Side of Love Sessions
W R I T I N G R E F E R E N C E
Visit WritersMarketcom to sign up for a free e-newsletter
Be sure to check out WritersMarketcom
WritersDigestShopcom and WritersDigestcom
for more helpful resources
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