[montydog]

Hey,

I'm a plain, white, overweight singer/songwriter who can't play an instrument. My best song is just me and a piano player. No arrangement, no band, no polish, no auto-tune............and my name is Adele.

M

[S.T.C]

Hey,

I'm a plain, white, overweight singer/songwriter who can't play an instrument. My best song is just me and a piano player. No arrangement, no band, no polish, no auto-tune............and my name is Adele.

M

Well , when you have Adele's or one or two other's sheer quality,,in her case ,her voice.....all these wonderful people the rest of us would be happy with,  if just knew we existed....will beat a path to your door

[DevyE]

I'm in Montydogs corner on this one and you forgot to add that her best song is a cover.

I still believe Adele wouldn't have got as much recognition as she has if Dermot thingy on XFactor hadn't introduced Rebecca Ferguson singing an Adele song. Of course it was a cover of Zimmy but most of the public wouldn't have known that. Rebecca done a great version but of course the audience wanted the so called original so Adele got the big boost and recognition and the rest is history.

Just my thoughts, I'm sure otherwise will think differently  

[S.T.C]

Well i think she would still be mega-famous..but hype is what the industry seems to thrive on......this is a bit off topic really?
What's the best way to get your work noticed,published........firstly> it has to be above average ..Secondly > someone with some power as to believe in it.....that gets you to first base..

I've really come to believe that the step up that leads to a money deal of some sort is hard, very hard to achieve ....getting a deal like Ellie Goulding got for eg,involved a lot of elements coming together at the right time,,Looks-songwriting skills-musicianship-being relevant-right type of music etc.......but shes an artist,and thats something different to what some of us are trying to achieve .

If you step off the relative safety of the Forum and put yourself out there, it's going to cost !....pro-demo's ,pitching,paying for this and that,,,Membership to collection agencies etc........but at least social media is free....and in the end maybe your best asset.

[benjo]

 had to come in on this

 its the ADELE thing that got me,  songsthatcry is so right just to have a vocal like hers is a gift
 let alone what she writes she is incredible in my eyes

 but i do think that these artists do get where they get through the special school / academy
 they all seem to be put through  ADELE / LILLY ALLAN / AMY WINEHOUSE
 i think they all went to the same place so success could be the taught thing

 i also think that the winners of these big song writing comps also come from academies too

       WHAT CHANCE THE UNKNOWN ARTISTS

 

[DevyE]

Benjo, you forgot to include Leona Lewis on your list 

I have no beef with Adele and if you enjoy her music then great but with a quick search and a Wikipedia result (which is frightening I know  ) she is only listed with a writing credit on 10 songs and if she can't play an instrument as said well incredible is not a word I would use but we are all different.

And I agree songsthatcry, unless you are very skilled (not me) then home studio recording will not be up to the standard of a pro demo but what it does do, along with posting on forums, is give people the chance to knock their songs into shape before maybe splashing the cash. And as shown on this thread people are prepared to invest and I appreciate them sharing their experiences good or bad so we can all make informed choices.


Are we sort of back on track with this thread now? 

[Boydie]

The fact still remains that the industry is still actively looking for HIT songs

Not good songs, not even "great" songs, but HIT songs that are going to sell and get radio play

You still need to get through the other barriers but if you are not getting good feedback/interest in your songs in the area you want to write in then you simply need to write better songs until you do

[S.T.C]

Umm.. Adele's voice is like an instrument, she can do something with lyrics few others can..and yes we are back on topic.

@Boydie your correct, that's what their really looking for all the time...that's what can make a writer rich, but for the most part a writer will be happy just to get published with the hope of a synch deal on a fairly minor tv show or something.

[Onelabel]

A few additional things worth mentioning about Adele. Having been to Brit School she had some pretty good contacts within the major labels. Those labels (and therefore publishers) started taking a very strong interest in her in 2005 because of both her voice and songwriting abilities. The music business was in a much stronger position then and there was still something called 'artist development' - an initiative now dead and replaced by something called 'X Factor' and 'The Voice'.

The point above about her success following Rebecca Ferguson was not correct, she'd already received considerable chart success (inc gold albums) prior to this.

Could this happen again? Sure but it's a mix of connections, package (songs,  voice, brand). However, My concern looking at the charts is just how many songs are written by a very small number of hugely influential songwriter teams (ie the teams under Max Martin, Dr Luke, Benny Blanco, etc.)

But (really) back on topic, yes your demo's have got to sound pretty freaking amazing and in a releasable condition to have any chance of attracting the ears of publishers now IMO.

[S.T.C]

This is the publisher that took mine and Flossies song....have a listen to their  library . it's not like every song is amazing! but i imagine getting a deal out of them for all your songs as a published songwriter is pretty hard.

http://www.lyrichouseco.com/

[digger72]

Did the song end up in a tv show/advert? I seem to recall Alan having one on Hollyoaks (i think it was that.)

[S.T.C]

Did the song end up in a tv show/advert? I seem to recall Alan having one on Hollyoaks (i think it was that.)

Not yet i think it's all about timing.

[digger72]

Well, you never know. It's good to hear some folks are at least getting some attention - gives the rest of us hope - though i fear i will be waiting forever and a day. But nevermind - i take comfort from merely annoying the neighbours.

[S.T.C]

I think i read about 2/3% of songs pitched to pubs get a deal,and about 5% of them gets some sort of paying cut, so it's not easy and more than likely they will get dropped at some stage!....but it's milestone so to speak that's worth reaching....like i said listen to what these companies pick up on and take a look at your music ,see if there some changes that can be made.