Ever since I was a teenager I dreamed of getting a music publishing “deal”. This was my goal! And I knew exactly how it would happen.
I would come to Nashville and meet with a music publisher in his office. He would listen to three songs and instantly realize my genius. Then he would sign me up to write and deliver the songs I wrote for artists everywhere to sing. I would write the songs for the whole world to sing!
So far, as you can read, this has been pretty much about “me” and what “I” wanted. Here’s what’s funny, being a successful songwriter and composer isn’t really about you (or me), it’s about who has need and use for the music we write.
On one of the many drives back from Nashville to my hometown with no deal and my tail between my legs, I had a thought. What if I just made my own music business? What if I took my songs, produced them, and found uses for them myself?
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was really hitting upon true music publishing with that idea. Over the years, this idea turned into a consulting, recording, and marketing business for myself and other songwriters and artists, but in reality, that’s what music publishing is.
Music publishing is like a record deal but for the music. You are working with a company to write songs and then the company is finding uses for them.
Songs for Artists
Sure, this still is something that’s needed. Artists need songs. But the problem is that most artists are also songwriters, so they aren’t just looking for your song, they are looking to get their own songs out.
This was always my mistake with publishing. I wrote songs that I liked hoping they would magically be paired up with some artist somewhere what would go make money with the song so I didn’t have to. The problem with that is I was writing for my own pleasure and didn’t know that finding an artist or label that would work with MY style for that artist’s music was like finding a needle in a needle stack!
Songs for Use
The better way to think about music publishing is how your music will be used and useful to someone else. Now, we all think we have the perfect song that will make the whole world sing. The perfect love song for a movie. The perfect worship song for a church. The perfect pop song for the radio. The problem is we don’t connect the song with the audience that needs it. Instead we are hoping, like me, that someone will just come along and recognize your genius and hook you up.
The truth is WE as songwriters and composers have to do that work ourselves. We have to get the songs produced well, and then do the legwork to find the right use for that song be it via a music publisher, a music library, a music supervisor, or whatever.
The truth is hard. The truth is work. And likely, we can’t handle the truth.
My Big Break
For me it was about deciding to just make my own music business, and along the way I had a few people come into my life that altered how I did that.
Your Big Break
You need to make that decision to make your own music business too. Then perhaps I can be that person can alters how you do that and your roads to success.
Through my publishing side, From the Moment Music, I work on my own songs, as well as other songwriters and composers like you, to partner towards getting songs produced and finding opportunities for those songs. Opportunity and income from your music takes a village, it takes a strategy, and it takes sustained focus on your goals.
Now, when you start looking, there are a million ways that people will take our money in this space. Nashville, LA, and NY have people looking to “help you” by having you pay exorbitant prices to be part of their club sometimes without even hearing a note or even working with you personally. Just like the music business, the song business has been monetized for the masses.
But From the Moment Music is focused a little differently. I am focused on working personally with songwriters and composers who are focused on quality songs and compositions, as well as finding success for that music. It doesn’t matter, and likely is better, if you have a day job or another career that provides income, or are retired and finally focusing on music. Or you could be brand new to music and focusing on writing success from a young age.
Currently I am looking for a limited number of serious partners on building their music brand from the songwriting and composing side. We are living in the real world of making recordings in order to find income from real use like the exploding world of TV, film, the high paying world of advertising, the growing world of video gaming, and many more sources.
Yes, we will also be pitching to traditional music publishers, but believe me they are also looking seriously at the things above. In fact, advertising music has been a mainstay of most serious composers and publishers for decades, if not a hundred years. Same with TV and film. This is not new info, it’s just stuff we forget about, as our thinking is we need the next hit on Spotify or YouTube.
The truth is that the song is more valuable than the artist, as you see with classic artists these days selling their catalogs for triple digit millions.
If any of this resonates with you, I'd like to talk to you about working with From the Moment Music. To be up front, I am working and plan to be working the rest of my life just as hard on my own music and opportunities as my partners. But many times, those opportunities have room for us to partner, so you can be part of my success, and vice versa. This is the very essence of music publishing.
To hear all the different styles that we work on, you can check that out at FromtheMomentMusic.com
Then get in touch if you’d like to be part of things and join us.
Quit waiting for your big break, and make your own success in songwriting and composing. Let do this together!
EC
—
Eric Copeland is the president and lead composer at From the Moment Music, his private music publishing company for over 20 years. With different music production companies like Creative Soul Records, Positive Spin Songs, and Masterscore Music, Eric is focusing on placement of songs in music libraries, television, film, advertising, and more. For more information contact Eric at fromthemomentmusic@gmail.com
If you are an artist as well, check out CreativeSoulRecords.com and our offerings there. We'd love to help.
