Comments on: Could be worse (if you’re a songwriter)

By: Lynn

Lynn — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 19:01:55 +0000

Joelle, you’re right, getting a jingle on television is like winning the lottery!

By: Steve Kozeniewski

Steve Kozeniewski — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 18:15:06 +0000

This post is very interesting but regarding how we hear so much about Amazon v. Hachette as compared to songwriters being screwed, I wonder if that’s not a result of the publishing industry echo chamber. I often have to ask my friends and family if they’re aware of XYZ that seems like a titanic deal to me because I follow industry blogs, etc. Often they’re completely unaware, even of the Hachette debacle. So, I wonder, if we were music industry types, maybe songwriters being underpaid would be a super big deal to us and such and such about novelists wouldn’t even be on our radar. Just a thought.

By: Joelle

Joelle — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:45:12 +0000

Believe me, you’re right. I’m an author married to a singer/songwriter. It’s gotten so bad that you really can’t even make a living at it anymore. Not only are royalties practically non-existent, but record deals are pretty much over, and as it’s been for years, getting payed anything resembling reasonable to play is a fantasy. We know an 80 year old musician who’s at the top of the food chain and has made his living as a musician his entire life. The other day, he had to walk on the ferry to the mainland because if he took his car to the gig, he wouldn’t have broken even. It’s become a “pay to play” job.

So, yes, it could be worse…you could be a songwriter instead of an author. About the only way to make any decent money is for an original song to get in a movie or television show (or commercial). Might as well play the lottery.

Good thing he has me raking in the royalties. Hahahahaha!

On the plus side, in my YA, I just used all his lyrics for my songwriter character. I’ll pay him later.