2-13) Define "sub-publisher."

The sun breaks on a new day. The winter chill present this day adds vibrancy to your step as you stir from beneath the covers and approach the morning. The weariness shows from your all-night demo recording session the previous evening as you stumble about your morning routine. Last night’s session lasted 12 hours, a grueling marathon in which you completed vocal, string, and horn arrangements on another batch of songs.

As an amateur songwriter, long days and nights in the studio finding that perfect beat or writing that amazing hook has been your routine for years now. Despite the fact that you have faced what seems like and endless stream of rejection letters, disappointments, near-miss opportunities, and even discouraging words from friends and family, something about these last few days of recording has seemed different--and it’s not just because that new background vocalist you hired has pretty eyes and big legs. (Well, maybe just a little.)

When the morning mail arrives a few weeks later, your feelings appear justified.

That morning, a letter from Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe Publishing (DeCheHo) arrives informing you that they are interested in your compositions. They request a meeting with you so that you can sign a publishing contract for the material. As the big legged singer with the pretty eyes throws her nightgown on to see what your shouting is all about, you then realize this is the second best thing to happen to you in two days.

Several days later, entering into the offices of DeCheHo Publishing, you are immediately impressed by the ornate surroundings which make up their office. Gold and platinum discs line every available spot on the walls in and around the massive executive suite.

As you are led into the conference room and seated at a massive mahogany conference table, you are totally at ease as you place your briefcase at your side. One by one, executives of DeCheHo enter and sit at the table. Each smiles profusely at you as they tell you how much they like your songs. One of the executives places a multi-layered contract before you and informs you that this is simply a “standard” form which signs over rights to your songs to DeCheHo Publishing.

But the DeCheHo executives do not realize that your education on the Art, Business, and Science of the music industry has prepared you to probe deeply inside of contracts such as the one you are now being presented.

(Continued on Next Lesson)