Affiliations
There are a number of groups and organizations I am affiliated with:
The Songwriter’s Guild of America is the longest running and most prestigious groups of its kind. For more than 70 years, it has served the creative and business needs of the professional and amateur songwriter.
The Guild’s reputation was made by its longstanding members - members who happen to be the most prolific and celebrated songwriters of all time. Longtime SGA members include Mike Stoller (Hound Dog and Jail House Rock for Elvis Presley); Ervin Drake (It Was A Very Good Year for Frank Sinatra, Good Morning Heartache for Ella Fitzgerald, Rickety Rickshaw Man by Eddie Howard); George David Weiss (What A Wonderful World for Louis Armstrong, Can’t Help Falling In Love for Elvis Presley, The Lion Sleeps Tonight); Ray Evans (Mona Lisa for Nat King Cole, Que Sera, Sera by Doris Day and the Christmas classic, Silver Bells); Richard Adler (The Pajama Game; Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets); Vic Mizzy (The Addams Family, Green Acres); Casey Kelly (Soon for Tanya Tucker, Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight for Kenny Rogers and Dottie West); Earl Rose (musical scores for Mad Dog Time, Thin Ice and The Rules of the Game); Alan Bergman (The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Sabrina, Same Time Next Year, Shirley Valentine, The Thomas Crowne Affair, Tootsie, The Way We Were); Jack Segal (When Sunny Gets Blue, Scarlett Ribbon); Randy Sharp (The Cheap Seats for Alabama, Then What for Clay Walker); Jerry Fuller (Travelin’ Man by Ricky Nelson, Show and Tell by Al Wilson and Peabo Brsyon ); and Harriet Shock (Aint No Way to Treat a Lady by Helen Ready).
These are just a few of the SGA’s impressive members. Many of today’s top writers also count themselves among the SGA’s membership. Current SGA president Rick Carnes has gone platinum more than 24 times with hits recorded by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, the Whites and more.
Board member Randy Sharp has written for superstars including The Dixie Chicks, Emmy Lou Harris, Maia Sharp, Reba McEntire and Linda Ronstadt. The SGA counts among its members songwriters in every genre. Pat and Pete Luboff, for example, have written hits for Snoop Dogg while Phillip Swann, writer of theater scores, has numerous plays in production in Chicago and other major cities. In the world of pop, Guild members have made significant contributions. Board member Harriet Schock has written pop hits for Smokey Robinson, Johnny Matthis, Helen Reddy (Aint No Way to Treat a Lady), and many more. In the realm of Jazz, board member Janis Carnes has just released a critically-acclaimed Jazz CD featuring her own work and hits by Hoagy Carmichael (including one never-before heard Carmichael song).
With networking, education, pitch and recognition opportunities for the new songwriter and protection, royalty collection and auditing available to the established songwriter, the SGA has made itself the home for songwriters looking to build, advance and protect their careers and work.
BMI (Broadcast Music International)
BMI is a performing right organization: It collects license fees on behalf of its songwriters, composers and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed.
As a performing right organization, BMI issues licenses to various users of music, including television and radio stations and networks; new media, including the Internet and mobile technologies such as ringtones and ringbacks; satellite audio services like XM and Sirius; nightclubs, discos, hotels, bars, restaurants and other venues; digital jukeboxes; and live concerts. It then tracks public performances of its members’ music, and collects and distributes licensing revenues for those performances as royalties to the more than 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers it represents, as well as the thousands of creators from around the world who have chosen BMI for representation in the U.S.
BMI currently represents some 6.5 million compositions — a number that is constantly growing. As a result, BMI has, over the years, sought out and implemented a number of technological innovations in its continuing effort to gather the most accurate information available about where, when and how its members’ compositions are used as well as ensuring that payment to those whose works have been performed is made in as precise and timely a manner as possible.
Christian Songwriter’s Network
“The Messenger” Selected as Song of the Month on CSN” - I’ve been active with this group since May. CSN consists of songwriters, amazing people and the founder, James Moore who has done just an outstanding job in developing/evolving this site into a resource that songwriters in this genre can tap for many different reasons.
I was humbled to learn that one of my cuts from the River of Faith album, “The Messenger”, was selected as the Song of the Month for June, 2007. Information can be found by visiting the CSN SoundClick Site. You can hear the song there or here on my site via the mp3 player. I’d like to thank James and the team there for selecting the song. The song was inspired and written out of my own recent trials related to the diagnosis of a primary brain tumor. It’s an uplifting song about strength, hope, moving forward and finding/garnering these traits through God. “The Messenger” in the song is Godsent and is placed upon the listener’s path to protect them as much as to remind them that He gives everyone strength and hope - but you have to have faith, so hold on to it. I hope others can find the same inspiration and hope in the song that I did when writing it.
Here’s a snapshot of the CSN home page that ran for the month of June 2007:
CD Sales and Distribution
Sales and distribution of my music is all handled through CD Baby. They maintain inventory and any copies that are special ordered in stores are shipped from CD Baby. They not only handle the sales of traditional CDs but also act as the central point of digital distribuion. I also have many other digital distribution points (shown below).
iTunes is a primary digital distribution point. If you have an iPod and iTunes (who doesn’t!), you can search for my album River of Faith and download tracks here. If you’re a songwriter and have recorded an album and you don’t have your music on iTunes - well, you’re missing the boat needless to say! Millions of people visit iTunes and having your material out there is important.
Who can forget Napster! Now it’s legit though. Same premise as iTunes so you can download tracks here - either the entire album or you can buy single tracks off of the album. It’s amazing how Napster in particular morphed over the years from a peer to peer network that was undermining the music to a legit music sales site.
The final primary digital distribution point is a download site called tradebit. It’s a well visited site and allows for an additional point of distribution. I have many other sites in the distribution network such as CD Universe and others but these are good examples.
Brain Tumor Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteering in various capacities at the National Brain Tumor Foundation is a great way to give back. They have a networking capability online where they match up people seeking support with other brain tumor survivors. The matching process allows people to find people who have similar if not the same type of tumor and in some cases live in the same geographic area to connect. Additionally, you can certainly participate in the activities/events they plan such as the 10K walks.
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