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Sounds From a Dry Cleaner

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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!

Life in a Snapshot

But instead of a picture, I'll give you the thousand words. Read this.

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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!

Steve Jobs' Mindset

One of the more important things I've learned lately has been the importance of seeing your vision through in the creation of art. In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Andy Kessler commented that Jobs was successful because he focused on "figuring out what he wanted and controlling the process until he got it."

On a similar note, the documentary about Pixar on Netflix echoes this mindset. Producers at Pixar said that they were able to have such a successful track record due to the fact that they simply made movies that they themselves would want to watch. This seems like an obvious question, but do you write the kind of songs that you would want to listen to? In the publishing world, it can get pretty confusing whose taste you are trying to appeal to--your own, your publisher's or the listener.

Keep writing (songs you would want to hear),

Ben

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The King of Queen

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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

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Melodic Ammo

In a recent issue of Time Magazine, I came across this remarkable photo:




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7,000,000,000

This is a beautifully made short video about how the human population has grown to 7,000,000,000 people. What amazes me is that only about 200 years ago there were only 1,000,000,000 people in the world.



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The Robot

This one is worth watching all the way through:



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Aiming at the Right Target

I've had a lot of conversations with other songwriters lately about how exactly one should approach writing songs. In general, one of the best ways I've found to think about it is through the concept of archery.

Only by having a clear understanding of my own abilities and weaknesses will I know at which target I should aim. Instead of only taking into account distance, consider the different directions you can aim. Sometimes your appropriate target is not what you first think.

My wife and I are currently working on an album of kids songs. Six months ago, I would have told you there wasn't a possibility of us doing such a thing, but here we are. If I had been only aiming at the conventional targets in front of me, I would have missed out on one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I've ever worked on.

There are so many more ways to exercise the gift of writing songs than just trying to get music onto the radio. Where else are you able to use your music to impact people?

Keep writing,

Ben

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