5 Ways to find Songwriting Collaborators
Inside Pro7ect’s Residential Songwriting Retreats with Founder Lisa Fitz.
““FEARLESS is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again... even though every time you’ve tried before you’ve lost.” ”
Finding other songwriters to collaborate with is an eternal quest, requiring endless supplies of stamina, ingenuity, luck, and resilience.
As songwriters, we weave our way into all kinds of potentially fruitful, and routinely ineffective, creative situations, but it can sometimes feel like a one-step-forwards, two-steps-backwards dance.
Even established songwriters are in constant pursuit of that highly venerated ‘Dream-Writing-Team ‘invitation.
As songwriters, we weave our way into all kinds of potentially fruitful, and routinely ineffective, creative situations…
Before founding the Pro7ect Songwriting retreats I struggled to find the collaboration opportunities that I aspired to. Most songwriting work is speculative; meaning you don’t get paid until the song creates income from release, sync. or live performance.
This journey is a long-hall flight, so many aspiring songwriters support their lifestyles by other means, making time alongside their ‘day-jobs’ to support their artistry.
If you are serious about making a career in songwriting for yourself, these five suggestions may help you along your journey:
1. Go on a Pro7ect songwriting retreat.
Of course I would say this, but it really does work! Attending a Pro7ect Songwriting retreat or Masterclass is an investment in your commitment to building real, and lasting, relationships with other writers and producers (where your future work prospects lie). They also give you the incredible opportunity to learn new writing & production skills, and essential professional coping strategies… all in a face-to-face, real-time, peer and mentor-lead, writing space.
“…one week at Pro7ect is worth more than a year at Music Tech. Uni.”
2. Join professional music organisations that support songwriters.
In the UK, some of the professional organisations that offer support and career development are:
PRS: the royalty collection societies whose sister organisation, the PRSF, helps fund artists in their professional development: https://prsfoundation.com
The FAC (Featured Artist Coalition): lobbies on behalf of songwriters and musicians’ rights and runs networking events: https://thefac.org
The Ivors Academy run by the British Association of Songwriters and Composers, offers advice on everything from funding opportunities to Artist Development programs: https://ivorsacademy.com/resources/
The Musicians’ Union not only offers members free legal advice (which I have gratefully used) but public liability insurance, training and development assistance, health and wellbeing advise: https://musiciansunion.org.uk
“Do the things you believe in, in the name of love. And know that, you aren’t alone. We all have doubts and fear. ”
3. Be prepared!!! Build a strong online page of your best demo’s and update it regularly.
Building a website or a Soundcloud page of your latest and best recordings will help build your profile and give you a songwriting goal to work towards. Only ever post your best audio samples. When you meet people who offer songwriting opportunities you need to be ready to go, Go, GO!… you don’t want to miss out by not having a top-shelf demo link to share STRAIGHT AWAY.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ”
4. Find out who publishes and manages the songwriters that you aspire to be.
Knowledge is power and if you are serious about being a professional songwriter a big piece of the puzzle is finding a manager and/or publisher to help steer you through the noise and chaos of the music industry.
The Music Managers Forum https://themmf.net is a good place to start. Once you have an idea of the kind of manager, or publisher, you need you can start the conversation by contacting them with a link to your incredibly well produced Soundcloud demo page. Most managers will reply to unsolicited emails (keep it short and personal) and if they say they don’t have room on their roster ask them for advice, a contact, or recommendations. Keep the conversation going… this is where the resilience and stamina part of the gig plays out.
“Find someone who has a life that you want and figure out how they got it. Read books, pick your role models wisely.
Find out what they did and do it.”
5. Join, or start, a songwriting event.
Open mic nights, songwriters’ circles and local songwriting groups are a wonderful way to connect with artists in your area. If you cannot find one, start one! Choose a relatively quiet evening in your favourite pub and ask the landlord if you can use the room.
I started the Stroud Songwriters Circle for this very reason: https://www.downinthevalley.co.uk/stroud-songwriters-circle
“Everything is scary if you look at it. So, you just got to live it.”
Now in our 7th year, Pro7ect songwriting retreats at the world famous Rockfield Studios, is the only residential songwriting retreat in the UK offering music production in the room and an opportunity to collaborate with internationally acclaimed writer/producers.
Pro7ect 2017 - Eddie Prove & Lisa Fitz collaborating in the Rough Trade studio. Photo by Ian Wallman.
P7 Headline producers include Stew Jackson (Massive Attack), Youth (Sir Paul McCartney, The Verve, The Orb), Roni Size (Reprazent), John Fortis (Razorlight, Ellie Goulding), Iain Archer (Snow Patrol, James Bay), Andrew Levy (Brand New Heavies) and Mercury Prize Winner Talvin Singh, just to name a few.
So far, we’ve had 18 releases & 4 sync’s from songs written at Pro7ect retreats, as well as numerous collaborations and professional opportunities via the P7 Alumni artists community.
I look forward to sharing with you in this monthly column songwriting & music production experiences, advise, tips and insider secrets that I’ve discovered along my Pro7ect Collaboration Navigation adventure.
Take risks,
Lisa Fitz
Pro7ect Session Notes is an insider’s guide to real life songwriting, collaboration, and music production experiences from Pro7ect Songwriting Retreats Creative Director Lisa Fitzgibbon.
Links to media mentioned in this blog: https://www.pro7ect.com/session-notes
For more information and to apply for Pro7ect songwriting retreats and Masterclasses: www.pro7ect.com
Pro7ect is proudly sponsored by Prism Sound.
Images: by Ian Wallman