Navy Seal vs. Mall Cop

Songs are not being paid for. The industry is shrinking. There are fewer publishing deals available. How will a songwriter make a living in the future?

I believe there are two types of songwriters--those who will be able to adapt to changes, and those who will not:

The "Navy Seal" Songwriter
- Can write a great song on their own without relying on a collaborator
- Can sing well enough to be considered an artist
- Can engineer their own recordings cheaply
- Is entrepreneurial and is able to lead well
- Creates their own unique opportunities based on their art
- Sees a limitless number of opportunities outside the box to monetize their art

The "Mall Cop" Songwriter
- Is primarily a lyricist or musician
- Isn't known for their singing ability
- Doesn't know how to work a recording program
- Relies on direction from others
- Creates their art based on opportunities given to them
- Assumes that there are only a limited number of ways for their songs to generate royalties

With the "Navy Seal" songwriter, art drives the opportunity, whereas with the "Mall Cop" songwriter, opportunity drives the art.

Both types of songwriters have been able to work side by side in the traditional publishing world, but the traditional publishing world is suffering. Songwriters who are only single- or double-faceted in their skill set will lose opportunities to others who can handle a plethora of situations. This is the heart behind Songbird Camp. We want to provide the resources for "Navy Seal" songwriters to thrive.

Keep writing,

Ben

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

From Ownership to Access

Digital Music News put out this article yesterday that reveals that debut album sales are down 77% from seven years ago. I've been thinking a lot lately about ways that the music industry is going to adapt to new waves of technology. Just this morning I was telling someone how I think Apple's iTunes has the potential to become the authoritative service for music access. And I believe this American Songwriter article shows another step towards it becoming a reality.

In the book The Future of Music, authors Kusek and Leonhard point toward the potential of music being paid for as if it were another monthly utility bill. Music is like water in the same sense that the longer you have the faucet running, the more you pay for it. I think Netflix's streaming service is a great example of this kind of model, and my hope is that a similar music service will become as widely accepted. The sooner more consumers begin paying for music, an increased number of artists will be able to create for a living.

Keep writing (and buying music),

Ben