“You can be the best artist in the world, have the best production, but if you cut a bad song it’s just a bad song with an incredible production”
—Don Williams
As a music publisher, I have often received songs from writers (even experienced writers) with a note saying: “I wrote this song especially for so and so”. Quite often, this is a complete waste of time if the artist concerned writes all of his or her own material.
I’ve also received songs where the melody line not only exceeded the vocal range of the intended artist, but also that of most other singers. This immediately limits the number of people who might conceivably be able to cover the song (one and a half octaves seems to be the maximum range for most singers).
To avoid making these mistakes—and wasting valuable songwriting ideas—you’ve got to spend time doing your homework. Tailoring songs for a specific artist re- quires a methodical approach and thorough research.
It is important to get all the information you can about the artist you’re targeting. Most importantly, check the writing credits on their records to make sure they don’t write all their own songs. If they don’t, there’s a chance they may be open to high-quality outside material.
No matter how much you can hear the artist performing your song in your head, a publisher is unlikely to sign the song if they know the intended artist won’t even consider anything by other writers. And if the song is too closely identifiable with that artist’s style, a publisher might not be able to get anyone else to record it either.
If your target is an established artist, study the structure of their most successful records. Analyze the artist’s vocal range. If you’re pitching to a vocal group with several lead singers, take the sound of each singer into account. Also make sure the pacing of your lyrics gives artists plenty of room to style the song in their own unique way.
‘Song casting’ not only involves getting to know the artist’s style, genre, vocal range and favoured keys, but also the artist’s audience. Your music and lyrics (and the sound and ‘feel’ on your demo) must be consistent with the artist’s style … and what the artist’s audience expects.
Swedish hit machine Max Martin—who has written hits for artists such as Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Katy Perry—always conducts thorough research before writing tailor-made songs for artists. He goes to their live shows and also finds out what kind of music they listen to at home. “I want the input because that makes the chemistry of the song,” he says.
It’s important to be aware that there are fewer song casting opportunities these days. If artists don’t write their own songs, it’s likely that their producers do. But there are always potential openings for great songs with exceptional melodies and lyrics that can reach out and touch people. You just have to come up with songs that fill the repertoire gaps that artists and producers are unable to fill themselves. Collaborations with artists are increasingly common these days as a way of getting songs covered. If an artist or a producer likes your song, they may want to make a few changes to suit the artist’s style … and thus become your ‘co-writer’.
If the artist concerned sells millions of records, it may be worth giving up a share of your song for the money and the prestige – but don’t sign anything before taking professional legal advice on how the copyright ownership and royalties should be split.
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