With A Little Help From My Friends

Thanks to the work of NSAI, there is hope for a brighter tomorrow in the world of publishing. If this act gets passed through Congress, we would be looking at a greater revenue stream and ultimately more publishing deals. Please take a couple minutes to:

1. Find your local representative by clicking HERE.

2. Send them this letter:

Dear (Insert your Congressman's name here):

I am a songwriter/composer writing to encourage you to sponsor and support The Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261).

Over the past decade, Internet music piracy has decimated the American music industry and wrought particular devastation on the profession of songwriter/composer.  As many as 90% of our country’s professional songwriters and composers are no longer able to earn a full-time royalty income for one simple reason – Internet music piracy.  Royalties have shrunk dramatically and so have the creative opportunities for songwriters and composers.

The legislation will allow removal of rogue websites whose primary activity is based on piracy.  Many of the sites are located in the former Soviet Union and distribute copyrighted material with no compensation whatsoever.  In many instances the sites are simply criminal enterprises which operate with no fear of reprisal.

America is losing tens of billions of dollars each year due to Internet piracy of movies, music and other copyrighted American creations.  This legislation will help reverse a trend that sees billions of copyrighted files (music, movies, television shows and other copyrighted works) being illegally distributed each month.

The bill also increases criminal penalties for individuals who traffic in counterfeit medicine and military goods, which put innocent civilians and American soldiers at risk. And it improves coordination between IP enforcement agencies in the U.S.

(Insert a personal message or example about how piracy has impacted your career or opportunities if you wish.)

We need your help and support.
Sincerely,


NAME
ADDRESS

------

Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Music Sales Dropping

I keep hearing stories lately about how poorly music is selling. Should we be concerned? Yes.

The music business begins with a song. The songwriter is the first person to create, and the last to get paid. If the industry hasn't figured out a way for songwriters to get paid, then the industry will cease to exist as a creative business. As additional money is made from music, more artists have opportunities to create for a living. The result is an increase in great songs being written, and more songwriters strengthening in their understanding of the craft.

How will music continue to generate revenue in the coming years? It is still relatively unclear, but we must have faith that the answer will be found. The traditional music business as we know it is not built to weather the type of storm we have seen in the last few years. It's like we've been caught wearing a bathing suit in a blizzard, and we can either hope that summer is coming back around someday soon or find a way to get warm right now.

NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) is doing some great work lobbying in Washington on behalf of us songwriters. Check out what they've been up to here.

Keep writing (and see some recent statistics from 2010 here),

Ben