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Beyond Hype
By Frank Imani Jamal |
If you take all the elements of the music/entertainment industry and
boil them down to their purest essence, you would see that hype makes
up the biggest part. Part of the allure and luster of music production
is the immense hype—the over-the-top self-promotion, shameless plugs,
fawning fans—which in turn attracts more people each year to enter
into the field. This hype is what some con artists use to prey upon
the unsuspecting who would do just about anything to get into the
business.
Perhaps you have been reading a music trade magazine and saw an ad
from a company that claims they could set your poems to music and make
them into a song. For a fee of “only” a few hundred dollars, this
company states that they will make your song “hit” potential which
would have artists, publishers, and record companies clamoring to
record it. This is a well-known scam called “song sharking” and it
claims many victims each and every year—even though it is perfectly
legal.
With “song sharks”, the ego of the reader is stroked into believing
that their poem could pass muster as a song. The ad is worded to make
the unsuspecting believe that “music industry professionals” all
gather songs in this fashion and they should act now to avoid being
left out. Once the victim sends their poem in, what they usually get
back is a piece of bland music accompanying their poem; in some cases
the “lyrics” of their poem-song do not even match the tempo and rhythm
of the track. When the victim sends the CD of his new “song” out to
prospective publishers or labels, he is usually met with resounding
rejections of the piece.
After so many rejections, the would-be songwriter is furious at the
“song shark” and demands his money back. This is when the “song shark”
produces a carefully worded document which proves he did exactly what
the victim requested: he put music to the “lyrics” provided; he sent
copies of the finished work to the victim; in some instances, the
“song shark” even promises to mail out copies himself to radio
stations, music publishers, labels and artists. What makes the matter
legal—and the “song shark” is quick to point this out—is that NONE of
what is being delivered is PROMISED to be effective. They do not
promise that your new “song” will fit into anyone’s range of
acceptability. They do not promise that the music they provide to you
will be something no other “client” of theirs was provided. They do
not even promise that any record label, radio station, or recording
artist will listen to, let alone open a package containing your CD.
They cannot guarantee any of this because they know that the chances
are practically non-existent that anyone in the industry would accept
a song in this fashion. Industry pros know that “song sharks” will
accept anything for recording and therefore quality control is
non-existent. Why then, the pros reason, should they waste their time
listening to crappy recordings? The would-be songwriter is now left
with an empty wallet and a load of embarrassment.
Another variation of this scam—while still, again, being legal—is to
offer the would be song-writer a chance to place his poem-song on a
compilation CD of other would-be singers or artists which would then
be mailed out to industry movers and shakers. This scam costs a lot
more because the victim is required to pay more up-front to handle the
recording, mastering, and duplication of the CD. The victim may also
be required to purchase a set amount of the finished product,
ostensibly to offset the “costs” of promotion for the CDs and mailing
them out. Once the victim receives his CDs and attempts to get them to
A&R executives, agents, and managers, he is soon faced with the
crushing rejection felt by the others, and the embarrassment that he
too got reamed.
In this business—and I suspect, in almost every other—“success” comes
before “work” only in the dictionary. No aspect of this business comes
without hard work, sacrifice, and education. Songwriting is no
exception. Study the career of any songwriter who has prospered—Babyface,
Diane Warren, Smokey Robinson, etc—and you will notice that each took
the time to hone their creative skills and business acumen. This
time-honored way instilled in them the fortitude to persevere when the
obstacles and the rejections mounted and seemingly conspired to beat
them to a pulp. The reason “song sharks” are allowed to prosper and go
untouched generation after generation and seduce more suckers into
their grasp is that they know a certain segment of the population will
avoid doing their homework on the business, avoid the hard work of the
endless hours of practicing and recording, and look for the easy route
to accomplish their dreams. Remember this: THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO
GREATNESS! If something in this business appears to be too good to be
true as it relates to your goals, usually it is.
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