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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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

An NFL Perspective on the Music Industry

Here is an interesting article that recently ran on Billboard's website, where Jack Isquith encourages the music industry to look to the NFL for inspiration to reinvent itself. 

My gut says that along the way he ignored a few differences between selling a football game and a musical album. First, football games, as live events, are more comparable to live concerts than sales of songs. As far as I understand, while ticket sales for concerts are not great, they have not yet suffered the same declines as album sales.

Isquith points to video games, specifically the Madden football series, as a way that the NFL has embraced change in a profitable manor (I still haven't seen a copy of "Songwriter, Songwriter Revolution"). It seems probable, however, that as technology progresses, a video game will be shared just as easily as an mp3. When EA Sports' sales decrease in the same way a record label's has, they'll be sitting in this same boat.

Also, I don't believe the answer is only finding more big music stars, as the article states. In the current situation, a more popular artist or band who has more fans will only result in more tracks being downloaded for free. It's becoming the frightening norm for people to expect content to be free.

This is an awkward time for people trying to make money with art that can be copied and pasted. We have to trust that things will get better so that we don't change the heart behind our creativity. 

Maybe this is an opportunity to take another look at why we write songs. Is it to get money? Fame? Respect? Some may decide that the tough current landscape of this industry is too big a mountain to climb, but others will stay. And I believe the ones who stick around, and they art they create, will last because there is a love and passion for music that goes way deeper than money, fame or respect. It may just mean working a side job to pay the bills in the meantime.

Why do you write songs?

Keep writing,

Ben

(Visit NSAI.com for information and ways you can support legislative change to benefit songwriters.)

NSAI - Nashville Songwriters Association International

The Nashville Songwriters Association International, or NSAI for short, is an incredible resource for songwriters. Though there are many benefits, I'd like to focus on its legislative role.

This morning my publisher brought in Bart Herbison, the Executive Director of NSAI. He informed us of some shocking statistics regarding the breadth of copyright piracy in the world today. Here are a couple quick facts:

• Only 1 out of every 30 songs downloaded is actually paid for.
• Every month there are 3,000,000,000 copyrights downloaded or shared illegally.
• In a 2008 case, the NSAI's $25,000 annual lobbying budget went up against a $65,000,000 record label lobbying budget...and won. 
• NSAI has successfully passed 54 pieces of legislation.

Currently, there are two bills concerning piracy that are making their way through Congress and the House of Representatives that could benefit songwriters. First, the Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement focuses on the global aspect of curbing websites that act as highways and channels for the illegal transfer of copyrights. The second is a bill that would allow ISPs (Internet Service Providers, e.g. Comcast) to monitor and notify users who frequently download copyrighted materials. If the user does not cease and desist, the US Attorney General Office and FBI would take action.

Our hope is that these bills ultimate discourage the illegal downloading of our songs. Even if the number went from 1 out of 30 to only 2 or 3 out of 30, the number of opportunities for publishers to hire songwriters would go out the roof. And that's a worthy investment if I've ever heard one.

Keep writing,

Ben