Sell Songs Not Albums

Recently in the past weeks, I had been approached by bands asking about where, how, and the what-to-do-next questions on CD replication and distribution.

My presumption is that these questions were asked not because these bands don’t believe that the CD industry is dying but perhaps because they lack faith in online distribution. Or at least, they don’t understand the commercial and economic advantages of it completely.

I don’t blame them. This is Cebu and we are in the Philippines.

From what I have observed, it appears to be a bit more difficult to just digest the concept overnight of considering online distribution more than pressing CDs if one’s perspective and intention to sell music is limited only to a national audience.

But let me try and display in words the new basic platform in today’s behavior in music buying.

It is a fact that today’s fans do not buy albums in the same way as they did in the past decades. This is because today’s technology allows bands and fans to share or sell singles first before ever bringing the entire album out.

This not-so-new trade becomes an easy deal between the artist and fans.

While it is important in any endeavor to set goals (and foresight is king), it is also important to acknowledge that things change all the time. Because of the internet and media players like iPods and mobile phones, the buying habits of people changed with it.

The constant here however, is adhering to the idea of bringing forth one song at a time. Yes – one song at a time just as how the singles in the 60s and 70s were done in vinyl records.

Unless if you have a huge fanbase, music buyers generally remember songs not albums. Sometimes, they don’t even care about the artist at all.

So why spend money on pressing CDs if you can launch the entire album online? This way, you are making multiple ends meet – (1) you have an album, (2) you don’t spend that much, (3) it removes the trouble of shipping costs and labor, (4) and most importantly, you are allowing your fans the option to buy on a per song basis – a huge plus.

Another advantage with singles is that if you’re an unsigned band, you can now freely move around for gigs without having to carry CDs with you. Just play and tell the audience your songs – I repeat SONGS, not album – can be found online.

Or how about bringing a laptop in your gigs and have someone take charge. Tell the people who may be interested in your songs that they can have a free MP3 transfer to their media players.

Another option is by giving out CDs with say 3 of your songs for free in your gigs. Put the URLs in the CD jacket so people could check out the rest of your music online. Of course this involves cost.

There could be more innovative ideas. Be bold. Be brave. Be creative. Be always open to options. If one idea fails, move on to the next. If it succeeds, embrace it. I think this should be the indie mantra.

The consumer’s general priority today is to know first the value of what they hope to buy.

Globalization is about retail. Singles are retail goods from the album. Sell them piece by piece. Heck you can give these singles for free if you want to. Your fans will love it and you'll get the biggest smile at the end of the day.

Some may think that perhaps giving out your songs for free may seem like you are stealing your own music. Perhaps your fans will do the same. But just because people can steal music doesn’t mean you cannot sell them anymore.

3 Things To Remember In Songwriting

In a songwriting workshop for kids that I once helped organize for an NGO some years back, Insoy Niñal lectured about how he viewed songwriting. Briefly, he explained that he sees musical notes as petals hovering over him and that all he needs to do is pluck one piece at a time and carefully place them melodically in an imaginary music sheet.

I wouldn’t have imagined viewing it that way. If it had been me delivering his topic, I wouldn’t have pulled it off and would’ve bored the kids to death. His creative description apparently made sense to them. While most of us do not subscribe to the pop music culture, subliminally we are held by its claws but we just don’t want to admit it. Insoy simply embraced it.

My definition of a song is that it’s a medium of communicating musically and creatively to a level where a majority can understand what I am trying to convey. I attempt to take an opportunity to translate my ideas into a musical form in the simplest way possible.

There are 3 basic things I keep in mind when writing a song: (1) theme; (2) song structure; (3) and length of the song.

Themes

This is an essential component to songwriting. Love, hate, and all the in-betweens (hope and misunderstandings) are common and most often mushy. But if the notes and words are played right, I'm positive anyone can pull it off.

A perfect example is Paul McCartney’s “Silly Love Songs” where he practically used the three-word-phrase on the chorus. Ely Buendia plant in words efficiently that I consider him as one of the best songwriters in the 90’s.

The local songwriters that I look up to today are Insoy Niñal (Missing Filemon), Cattleya Espina (Cattski), Franco Reyes (Frank!), Orven Enoveso (Sheila and the Insects), Gabby Alipe (Urbandub), Clenn Suico (Mano-mano), and Jude Gitamondoc. I admire the way they weave the words and music together.

Song Structure

Pop songs very often follow a standard song structure. Although this isn’t necessarily a standard rule, it is important because it helps you convey a story in a way that everybody can understand. The basic elements are the following:

• Intro. Unlike before, I now try to keep the introduction short because it’s important that the listener can distinguish the song in less than 10 seconds. It is also important to play hooky notes in this part.

• Refrain and Chorus. Usually this is where you hear repetitive words and phrases because it’s most often the song's focal point - where the summary of the story is. However, some songs have choruses that don’t follow this rule.

• Stanza. Conveying a message may require a "storyboard". The lines and words of a stanza should be fashioned in a way that it’s easy to grasp. A simple poetry structure such as rhymes can help too but it's not necessary.

• Bridge. Most pop songs, especially ballads include a bridge and there are so many techniques in creating one. One common technique is adding one chord more into a stanza’s chord progression. What I do also is use related chords in the chord progression.

Dissect your favorite song and evaluate it with the most popular songs today. You’ll find out that they follow the same essentials – intro, stanza 1, chorus, stanza 2, chorus, instrumental, bridge (optional), and chorus. Some songs end with a fading coda.

Length of the Song

Radio stations and other broadcast media normally allow 3-4 minutes of airplay per song. If you are aiming to write a hit song, arrange it to fit in this time frame. The reason is simply because radio stations or other commercial broadcast formats need extra airtime for commercials.

Yes, there is always a business component in songwriting (unless you’re only doing it for your own consumption).

If a song is destined for the charts but runs a playtime of more than the allowable time frame, the producers usually cut a radio edit version. Don’t be surprised if they do that. It’s actually a good sign.

So there it is. I've shared my approach to songwriting. What's yours? By the way, I'm not a schooled songwriter or musician. I'm writing this based from my own experience.