OK, who REALLY wrote that song?

I stumbled upon an interesting article the other day. The fact remains, there are several well known and well respected artists out there who shove their name on a songwriters credit as a 'co-writer' but do nothing more than just sing on the track.

Now I'm not saying that these artists aren't 'true' artists because they don't write their own music (if that was the case, then we should automatically dismiss the likes of Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley) but what I hate is 'false credit'.

"How can someone look in the mirror and know they didn't do something and their name is on it? For money? For credit? It's a lie." - that was said by Diane Warren, who has written for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige.

Check out the article below...
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Of all the names in music, Chantal Kreviazuk may be the least likely to appear in a headline. Though she recently released her own album, the songwriter usually stays behind the scenes to pen hits with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne.

But earlier this month, Kreviazuk rocked the pop music world by suggesting that Lavigne was a collaborator in name only. Although she quickly retracted her comments and others defended Lavigne, the flap illuminated a long-standing fraud that has become more prevalent than ever: "singer-songwriters" who do much less songwriting than their publicists would have you believe.

"It's crazy!" exclaimed Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren, who has written for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige. "How can someone look in the mirror and know they didn't do something and their name is on it? For money? For credit? It's a lie."

This being the music industry, money is of course a factor, since the writers of hit songs can earn more than the singer over the long term. But today's singers also press for writing credit because it gives them more of a cachet, presenting them as more of a "real artist" in comparison with a star who doesn't write a note.

"It's a practice that's been going on but now it's really prevalent in every situation," says songwriter Adonis Shropshire, who helped pen the hit "My Boo" for Alicia Keys and Usher, and has worked with Chris Brown, Ciara and others.

Shropshire says that many artists will only allow songwriters to work on an album in return for song credit, and "if they do write, they ask for more publishing than they honestly contributed ... it is the way it is."

The practice has been prevalent for decades. Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, maneuvered to give the King songwriting credits on early hits like "Love Me Tender" even though he never wrote a word. James Brown was sued by an associate over song credits.

Lauryn Hill settled a lawsuit by a group that claimed she improperly took sole production and writing credit on her Grammy-winning album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." And Diddy seemed to acknowledge claims that he wasn't really writing his raps in the "Bad Boys for Life" song with the brushoff line: "Don't worry if I write rhymes, I write checks!"

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Source: CNN.COM

MySpace + Kunaki = Money

Once upon a time, record labels ruled the music industry. Getting an appointment with an A&R guy on any major record label was hard work. And when you DID finally meet with him, you better be damn sure that you're music and image is up to scratch - otherwise you can kiss any chance of a record deal goodbye.

That was the scenario.

Now, things have changed. Drastically.

Since the extreme diversification of music and the advent of the internet, it seems like record labels are now finding themselves desperately looking for the next big merger, rather than signing the next big artist.

In the meantime, artists and bands are looking towards a better way to make money from their music ...their songs ...their artistry ...and what some would consider, their life.

I want to tell you about a service that's available online, right now, that's making the process for distributing YOUR OWN music an absolute walk in the park. The company is called Kunaki - and here's where things get really interesting.

Picture this. You've set up a MySpace page and you have 3 of your songs on your page. You've made loads of 'friends' and even a bunch of 'fans'. You're getting feedback from people and you're constantly improving your music because of it. You have loads of songs, but you don't want to put them all on your MySpace page.

Would you say that out of the many hundreds (or even thousands) of people who visit your MySpace page, that perhaps just a couple of them would be interested to buy more of your music? Would you say that maybe a few of them would want to buy more songs from you? On a daily basis?

Well of course it's plausible. This is a definite possibility - and this is where Kunaki comes in.

Kunaki (despite the strange name) is a company that burns your own album on to a CD, packages the CD jewel case and ships it out to the chosen country. The great part about this is that they only charge you when somebody buys it.

And of course, you set the price of your album.

Let me show you an example.

Go here http://kunaki.com/Gallery.asp?cc=

Click on a 'detailed view' for any CD

Choose a country and click 'calculate shipping'


You can see a breakdown of how much they charge. For outside the USA it's normally $3.00 handling charge and $3.60 shipping/air mail fee. For inside the USA it's around $4.60 in total.

Note: You can check out the prices at their site and email them if you have to. My numbers may not be 100% acurate - but they are roughly correct.

So here's how the process goes:

1) You get some songs together and put up a MySpace page. Present 3 'teaser' songs on MySpace. You spend some time making as many friends on MySpace and basically promoting the heck out of it. If you want to know more about promoting on MySpace you can try this ebook. It may help you.

After you've gained some presence, you want to let people buy your music! There are two options for this... but for now I'm going though Kunaki which handles your CD as a physical product. As I said, they package, burn and ship out your album for how much you want to sell it for. Example, $5.00. So the buyer will pay around $7-11 depending on if they live in the USA or not.

Even $11 is pretty good for an album of 15 songs ;-)

2) Go to Kunaki and go through their procedure. You may need to download some free software (they provide) to design your album cover and CD design.

You design it, and they print it. And it's all professional - we're not talking 'sticky labels' here, we're talking about images burnt on the actual CD and high quality inlay cards. It's proper.

You will also upload your songs one-by-one to their site so that they can then burn it on CD.

3) Then you put the link and your newly designed album front cover picture on your MySpace page. Monitor it... see if anybody buys your stuff.

4) When you make sales, Kunaki will send you a check every month - deducting their own fee's first.


There you have it :-) With this process in place, any songwriter, musician or singer can make money in the music industry.... and potentially, lots of it.


~Shamir

Have You Ever Wanted To Become a Better Singer?

Have you ever wanted to become a better singer? ....Or have you ever wanted to know how to sing?

When I started to write songs, I knew that the only way I was going to get my songs across to my audience the RIGHT way, was to sing them myself. But like anything else, I knew that if I had bad vocal technique (which, lets face it, most of us do) then in the long run I would damage my vocal chords for good - and that would be a disaster.

Are you in this boat? Wanting to sing your own songs, but worried hat bad vocal technique might one day creep up on you and ruin your voice box completely?

I've received countless emails asking me about vocal improvement, and while I can't physically vocal coach you (unless you're in London and can afford £25 a lesson) I can recommend you to a great course - that I've reviewed personally.

It's called 'Singorama'.

http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/singorama.htm

In a nutshell, Singorama is a DREAM for anyone who is looking to improving as a singer - or even for those who are just starting out to sing. It take you though the nuts and bolts of singing *the right way*.

You'll work on crucial elements like:

* Pitch control
* Breathing
* Resonators (ie. using head voice or chest voice)
* Vocal Power

The package is especially unique because of the way it's presented. It comes with all three elements - audio, pictures and text - and this gives you the full vocal learning experience

But that's not even the best part.

The BEST part is, they actually GIVE you a free software that records your voice (on your computer) and you can check out instantly if you've got good 'pitching' or 'tuning'.

If you haven't, then you can sing along with their scales (which are already in the software) and the virtual keyboard on-screen will tell you instantly if you're going wrong - and then you can quickly correct yourself to the correct pitching of the notes.

And this is just one of the *many* excellent softwares they give you with the Singorama package. It's a truly awesome package.

Everything that is included in the package is all carefully thought out and put together to totally maximise your chance of singing success. You'll know exactly what I mean when you see it for yourself.

And this is NOT hype. I've seen and reviewed this package myself. I can say with confidence that you will not be disappointed.

Check it out, it's worth it.

http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/singorama.htm

Talk soon,

Shamir

A good song is a good song...

In the Songwriting Secrets Interview I did, we talked about how 'a good song is a good song' no matter which way you cut it. What I mean by that is, we all love songs - and we all hate songs.

But do you recognize the genius of the songs that you hate?

There are some songs out there which I don't particularly like, BUT, I know that they are GOOD songs. I know they have a good melodically structure, and nice chord progression and some captivating lyrics.

A good way to gauge what is a good song is... can it be sung or played in another style or format successfully? Can it come across as magical as the original - although you may not like the actual genre in question?

I have picked a Bob Dylan song in this example. I've found 4 different versions of the same song, and I'm sure there bucket loads more. But I think everyone here has done a good job - but more importantly, the song itself is a good one.

The song almost lends itself across the board of different musical styles.

It's truly amazing. Check these out...

Bob Dylan...



Stevie Wonder...



Katie Melua...



Sam Cooke...



Post your comments...

Songwriting Secrets Interview changes...

Hi all,

Some of you already know this, but I thought I should just spell it out here in the blog.

The Songwriting Secrets Interview that I currently offer now has a LIFETIME worth of FREE updates.

I used to only offer Session Two for free, but now, for EVERY interview I do (with any high-profiled songwriter, producer or artist) it will be available to you for free on the download page.

Why am I doing this?

Because the interviews that I do are a pleasure for me to conduct. I don't consider it 'work' and therefore I don't see why I should be charging any more for it.

For those who don't know, there is already over 4 hours of content in the interview and I've just added another hour.

In a week or two, I will also be adding another hour. There is some great stuff and some real golden nuggets in the Songwriting Secrets Interview.

If you don't have it already, you can grab a copy here. (scroll down and click order).

Is everyone cool with this decision? :-)

Can I know your thoughts about this? Please post your comments below...

Shamir

PS. Please post your comments below, and try not to hit me with an email instead. I'm completely overloaded with emails at the moment! Thanks! :-)

Incorporating Metaphors in your Songwriting

For those who are new to the idea of a metaphor, here's a quick definition..

A metaphor is the expression of an understanding of one concept in terms of another concept, where there is some similarity or correlation between the two.

That was taken from an online dictionary.

Here's an extract metaphor taken from William Shakespeare:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players
They have their exits and their entrances

Now there are a gazillion metaphors used in several songs today. So many of them sound over-used and a bit too familiar. This doesn't mean it's a bad thing... but what this DOES do is open up a opportunity for us to get a little creative a think a little bit outside the box.

Before we set out to do this, let's check out these cool metaphors... (in bold)

- On and on the rain will fall like tears from the sun (Sting)

- They paved paradise and put up a parking lot (Joni Mitchell)

- Here abandoned in my fame, armageddon of the brain (Michael Jackson)

I discovered a nice little exercise recently that helped me create more metaphors then I could ever dream about. The original concept is by the author Pat Pattison.

Write down a list of adjectives on one side and nouns on another. Make sure these words are somewhat created in impulse ie. don't think about it, just write it down. Start with the adjectives...

For example:

Adjectives

smoky
refried
decaffeinated
hollow
understated

Then do the nouns... for example:

Nouns

conversion
railroad
rainbow
rainforest
eyebrows

You will find the two lists will sound very disjointed and will eventually make some pretty strange combinations. This is good.

Now, take a look at both of your lists side by side. Think about each combination for a minute. They should stimulate some pretty interesting possibilities.

Take ANY combination and try to write s sentence or short paragraphs from it.

Like this:

"Since I got your phone call, everything seems dull. My day has been bleached of sound and color. Even the rainbow this afternoon has been decaffeinated".

You want to write down at least 5 short paragraph incorporating a combination from your list.

So, I would probably write the remaining short paragraphs with these combo's:

smoky conversation
refried railroad
hollow rain forest
understated eyebrows

Now, we would jumble them up into different combinations (for example smoky eyebrows) and write a sentence or short paragraph for each one. The point of the exercise is to see what overtones (linking idea's, metaphors) are produced by this blind striking of notes.

Some wonderful accidents can happen this way :-)

Remember, we aren't writing a song here. We're focusing on metaphors which we will essentially be able to use at some point when writing. You can perform this exercise as many times as you like.

You will soon be pouring with metaphors.

Feel free to comment...

Enjoy,

Shamir
www.SongwritingTipsOnline.com/Secrets

My Holiday and Possible Future Plans...

It's official. I'm going to Spain on Monday (with my family) and I'm going to completely unwind for a full 8 days. Sun, sea and sand. Oh, and... apparently... songwriting.

In all honesty I didn't want to write anything, but my sister insisted on taking her guitar. She can't live without it. To be honest, I can't live without my piano. But that's a tough one to carry around ;-)

I'm also going to take some time to reflect on what other products I'd like to create. I'm not talking about audio interviews, (although I will be doing more of those) I'm more talking about getting involved in other sectors of the music world.

What only various people know, is that aside from the songwriting training, I'm also a vocal coach, a piano teacher and a producer.

I love to watch people learn how to play the piano. I love to see people progress with their songwriting skills - and I love to hear people improve on their vocal abilities and grow more stronger in their performances.

So, I have many things to ponder over.

I have many things I want to share to the world and I want to do it sooner rather than later. So I guess, I'm kinda' declaring to you my commitment to actually 'doing something about it'.

Most people would probably think I'm stupid for telling my plans - "why the heck are you telling your subscribers and customers about your future products?"... (that's what I hear them scream).

Well, why not? I'm looking to provide VALUE here. Some hardcore value-driven courses that I feel are very much needed in the music world today.

I meet people every week who are in real need of crafting their skills as songwriters, singers, musicians and performers. I'm gonna step up to the plate and try and do something about this.

Anyway, sorry for the rant :-)

I'd like to hear your thoughts about this. Please feel free to post a comment.

Enjoy,

Shamir

PS. For those who purchased the Songwriting Secrets Interview, the special Q&A bonus (session two) will be on the download page at the end of June, or at the latest very early July.

PPS. If you want to purchase it, go here... SongwritingTipsOnline.com

Kicking Lines Around with a Theme

Today I was writing with my sister in a rather unconventional method. Rather then going line by line in song format, we were focusing on a theme. The theme was contradictions.

And it didn't matter whether they were good or crap - we just needed some idea's of contradictory lines tossed out in the air so we could get inspired to then write some lyrical phrases (ie. verse, chorus, etc) and melodies.

So for example here are a couple that we came out with:

" hate to see the world go hungry but I can't wait to cook"
" hate royalty but I wanna be treated like a princess"
"have so much time on my hands but I got none to spare"
"There's no such thing as a ugly person, but my man has to be fine"

As you can see, not the best lines. We had plenty more jargon that we had written down. (of course our best gems won't be published on this blog for obvious reasons).

As we were doing this, we would talk in between cracking jokes (humor is important in a writing session... to me anyway) and every time we cracked a joke we got a new idea. We would say words and then another contradictory line would stem from that. Writing seemed very easy and almost effortless.

Having said that, perhaps the red Thai curry I cooked before hand had something to do with the mood of the mind.

Never the less, we went from not having a word on paper, to around 15 solid lines we could then edit and format. How cool is that?

It took around 45 mins for this to happen.

It would have happened within 10 mins, but remember we were joking around... AND that was the important part in the session - as I said earlier. For us, the funny chit-chats in-between fueled our inspiration and BAM - we had a theme for a new song.

So why don't you work on a theme? It could be any theme. It could be irony, pessimism, cynicalism, feel-good, etc.

I just might play on to this way of writing and do it more often. Who knows the magic that it can produce.

Leave your comments. Tell me what you think.

Shamir

PS. I'm going to be holding a Q&A type interview soon. This will be Session Two of the Songwriting Secrets Interview. You'll get to ask your question, and we'll answer it for you in depth. This will be for customers of SongwritingTipsOnline only. I'm just in the process of setting this up.

PPS. Don't post this 'Q&A' question in the comments! I'll contact you about that separately. Please stick to this blog post topic for comments. Cheers

My Arrogant Behaviour Towards Music Can Lead To Terrible Things...

It's been a terrible month for songwriting - for me. I seem to be more concerned with what's 'out there' rather than what's 'in here' (ie. my head). Ever had those moments?

Ever had those moments where you seem to criticize everything and anything you hear on the radio? Instead of focusing on the content that can help your songwriting, you end up purposely finding flaws in it - so you can justify your own in-actions.

Well, enough of this! You see, today it may be criticizing songs and the artists... tomorrow I may be putting down people because of their looks, habits, characteristics or personalities. Think I'm taking this thing a bit too far?

Trust me, I'M NOT.

I've seen this happen to people. People I know. Songwriters, Musicians - and dear friends of mine. It all starts with the negativity:

"that base line sucks" , "that guitar solo is naff", "man, what terrible lyrics".... or "she's such a crap singer". How about ... "eew, what a cheesy melody...that's been done a thousand times before".

They continue to chant on their soap box until the cows come home. And before they do, it turns into this:

"that dude with the crap song has a brother who plays crappy bass... and his sister is well ugly".

Trust me, I ain't kidding here.

That's why I posted this here today. I wanted to validate my recent pompous behaviour towards the current music scene, and then do something about it. I have no right to judge. None of us do.

Yes, I know we all have opinions. And we should. But remember this.: an opinion can change... but a judgement is absolute.

This means, I won't be the one who says "that song is crap" as if it's the God to honest truth. Yes, I will have my reasons for why I don't like something, but equally I will try as best as I can to soak up as much inspiration and positivity that the song/artist/band/person can give me... as I humanly, possibly can.

I don't want to be the person who is constantly trying to justify my own rubbish music (or behaviour) by putting others down. And I hope you see the wisdom in this.

Peace,

Shamir
[formally known as Calvin]

A Common Problem That Songwriters Face...

Here is a common problem that one of my subscribers expressed recently...

"I'm 16 and the main problem is, I know what I want to write, but when I do write it down I think it sounds lame"

Now she's 16 years old, but I'm pretty sure that this problem transcends all ages.

The truth is, nearly every thing *I* put down I also think sounds lame too... at least at first. We all have to understand that in most cases you will never write a 'great song' the first time around. It doesn't happen that way.

I always jokingly tell those who are aspiring songwriters that "you aren't in the business of writing a song"....but more like... "you're in the business of editing them".

By that I mean, you're not necessarily song'writing', but rather song'crafting'. That's how you should be thinking. It's about constantly editing and re-arranging your song until you see it fit to be heard by other listeners. When you have a song down, don't just let it stop there. Trust me, it ain't finished.

There may be exceptions to the rule, but mostly - you still have work to do.

Listen to the verse... could it do with a change of melody? Does it tie in well with the chorus or Pre-Chorus? Does the song make sense lyrically? Step out of the song for a moment... would you dig the song if you were an outsider listening in? Does the song bore YOU? What could you do to change that?

Now, you don't have to go mad here. Don't nit-pick every little knock and cranny - that will only drive you crazy. Take in the first instance of what you feel could do with re-working, then DO IT. Change it up... and make it better.

Critiquing your own song is probably one of the most difficult things to do in songwriting - but it CAN be done relatively easily. It involves you really having to stand apart from your song and looking at it a little objectively. By listening to the song from other people ears can do wonders for your songwriting.

After you have done this, it's time to let the cat out of the bag... BUT only for a limited audience.

What do I mean by that?..

...I mean, you should now play your song to a fellow musician, singer or songwriter. All three if you can. If it's somebody you respect, then even better. Here's the ticket: There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician's ears - of whom you respect. That's the ultimate.

In fact, I'll say that one more time so you can engrave this phrase in your mind...

There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician's ears - of whom you respect.

If you don't have a friend who's a songwriter or a musician that you admire and/or respect, then go get one. Honestly. Befriend one. Develop some sort of relationship with one. FIND one. It will be the greatest move you ever make in songwriting.

Normally people who sell songwriting products (like me... I won't deny it here) won't give you that kind of info because it hinders any chance of making a sale for whatever product they are offering. But to be honest, I don't really care. I want to help, and this info WILL do that if you apply what I'm saying.

Finally, remember you will get better as you write more and more. By definition, if you do something more than often, you will get better at it. So keep at it and for goodness sakes, ENJOY it

Shamir
[formally Calvin]
SongwritingTipsOnline.com

PS. Feel free to leave a comment here on the blog (click on 'post a comment' below).

Do you write BEATZ? Maybe This Will Inspire You...

Must say, I have written drum loops and 'beatz' -- in fact, I used to do them very often. As I writer, I like to explore different 'virtual' drum kits here in my little studio.

BUT...what about you're to see goes way beyond creating drums loops in the studio. How about this -- creating drum beats in the kitchen. Ok, so now I've got you pondering. And before you guess... NO, he doesn't use pots and pans and other kitchen utensils to produce a drum loop.

Well...

Not exactly anyway ;-)

Take a peak...

Emi & Apple Offering Better Quality Files That You Can Trasnfer To Any Device...

So the time has arrived, and I knew it would. Some see this as 'earth shattering' news, and I guess to some degree it is. So whats all the fuss about?

Apple and EMI have now announced that they will be offering downloadable music without the DRM encoding. What's DRM? It stands for Digital Rights Management. And this short video below (which was created few days ago, *before* this announcement) will give you a light hearted version of what DRM is all about.

Give it a watch...(don't skim, watch all of it, it's very short).



So now that you're an expert on DRM you can see how utterly annoying it can be. From today though, things have changed. Most of the songs which you download from the world famous iTunes browser will now be 'easily transferable' to other music devices. This means you don't have to rip the darn thing to your PC first to ransfer it to another device.

Not only that, but they have also announced that the 'new music files' will be better quality -- at 256kbps. I'll be honest with you, most people won't notice the change in sound. It's only those who 'care enough' about the sound, that will actually significantly *hear* the difference.

They are also asking us to pay for these privileges -- songs will be $1.29 a pop, as oppose to the usual $0.79.

I for one have never really been an Apple fan -- and I may be in the minority here. The thought of being totally restricted to the Ipod really does my head in. It's silly when you think about it... why pay for music that you can ONLY listen to on your Ipod? Makes no sense. Of course, things are different now. Who knows, I might consider the Ipod now that they've finally woken up.

The main thing that bugs me is that Apple work by an audio format AAC. And although some non-Ipod players can handle non-protected AAC, it's hardly in the same league as an mp3 file -- which ten times more universally accepted.

What do you think about all this? Are you a ipod user? Are you happier that this change has been embraced by EMI? What about all the file sharing that's going on right now.... is it only a matter of time before music doesn't have a value anyway? Are we headed that way? I would love to know your thoughts.....

Post a comment here on the blog

Shamir

[formally Calvin]

Child Prodigy 'Wows' Musicians All Over The World...

It's not often you see a 12 year old kid playing drums like a 35 year old man. This video that I recently stumbled upon really freaked me out.... in a GOOD way.

Check out the video. It'll blow you're mind. I have a couple of friends who I consider as world class drummers, and they were in complete shock and disbelief when they saw this 12 years old boy perform his drum solo.

Talk about child prodigy...




What do you think? :-) Post a comment here in the blog....

Shamir Rele

(formally Calvin Rele)

Is Michael Jackson due for a comeback?

Well, well, well. It's been a long time since we've heard anything from the self-styled King of pop, in fact I remember nothing but gossip and controversy about Michael Jackson in recent times.

Sometimes I forget the timeless classics he wrote in his glory days. To be fair, I would go as far as to say that Michael Jackson has written some of the best pop songs in music history -- not just in the 80s, but throughout his career.

So what's going on now?

I'll tell you what's going on. A new song has surfaced on the Internet that features Michael Jackson. Some reports have been floating around to suggest that the vocals on this song a result of Jackson collaborating with Will.I.Am from the group Black eyed peas... while others say that the vocals were done many years ago, and have been incorporated in the mix just recently.

You can see Jackson working in the studio here, just recently in the last few months...


Whatever the case, it seems evident that Jackson doesn't plan to be leaving his music career behind any time soon. Perhaps this is a teaser for what is yet to come.

Watch this space...

Shamir
[formally known as Calvin]

http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/

Tony Furtado releases new album, ‘Thirteen’ out 12 March 2007

From the very first moments of “Used,” which opens Tony Furtado’s new album, Thirteen, it’s clear that the prodigious instrumentalist turned singer/songwriter is a man on a mission. This bracing rocker, with its galloping ZZ Top groove and restless Tom Petty vibe, establishes the album’s interlocked themes of “good luck/bad luck/no luck” (as Furtado puts it) on both the personal and political levels, while a phalanx of fretted instruments provides a thrillingly visceral reminder of Furtado’s prowess as an ax wielder of the first order.

On Thirteen, this rapidly maturing artist fulfills the immense promise of his 2004 breakthrough These Chains, his initial foray into songwriting and singing. While Furtado’s 2005 outing, the literally solo Bare Bones, pushed the technical envelope as he recorded his own one-man tour, the expansive Thirteen reveals an artist with a great deal on his mind and a full arsenal of skills with which to express his thoughts and feelings in a captivating way. “These Chains was my first serious attempt at songwriting,” says Furtado, “so it was a trial by fire, with a bit of experimentation. This time I had the chance to go deeper.”

Click here to finish reading the article.

Source betweenplanets.co.uk

American Idol extends talent search to songwriters

NEW YORK (Billboard) - It's hard to imagine that the producers of "American Idol" would want to tinker with the show's formula following last season. After all, the hit reality program -- a talent search for music's Next Big Thing -- was 2006's top-rated TV series by a wide margin. But when the "A.I." juggernaut returns for its sixth season January 16, that's just what they'll be doing.

In the biggest tweak of the show in years, a new national songwriting contest will be introduced and run parallel alongside the usual singing competition. The winning song, as determined by viewers, will serve as the first single from the champion of "Idol."

It's fine-tuning like that -- a quintessential "Idol" touch -- that has enabled the franchise to maintain its steady upward trajectory during its five-year run. Last season was the show's biggest and best yet. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show averaged more than 30 million viewers -- ratings that trail only the likes of special one-off events like the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. What is more, Ad Age says the show generated more than $500 million in TV sponsorship revenue in 2006. It now sets the value of the "Idol" franchise at $2.5 billion. A record four contestants were signed to album deals with Simon Fuller's record company, 19 Entertainment: Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee and finalists Chris Daughtry and Kelly Pickler.

Now the franchise -- which through the years has given rise to the platinum-selling careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino -- is thinking even bigger as it heads into its latest season.

Says a relaxed and confident Fuller, "Idol" creator and mastermind, "We're just hitting our stride."

So what can viewers, not to mention advertisers, expect in the season ahead?

Details of the songwriting contest are still being sketched out, but it will be open to amateurs, with demos submitted through an "Idol" Web site. The show's producers and judges will whittle entries down to a dozen finalists, which will be performed in the show's stretch run and put up to a vote by the audience.....

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Source: http://ca.today.reuters.com

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R.Kelly Accused of Assault & Stealing Songwriting Royalties

R. Kelly's legal woes continue to mount as the Chicago bred crooner has been accused of assaulting and stealing songwriting royalties from a former employee.

According to The Chicago Tribune, Henry "Love" Vaughn, who claims to have been a "mentor and guide" to Kelly since he was a teenager , filed a lawsuit on Wednesday (October 4th) claiming Kelly and others dragged him to the basement of Kelly's home in Olympia Fields on Feb. 19th, and "Kelly repeatedly struck him about the face and body with his fists."

Vaughn's suit also claims Kelly reneged on an oral agreement to pay him one-half of the money he earned from a song that was ultimately titled "Step in the Name of Love."

Vaughn alleges he provided Kelly with the "concept" for the song by suggesting that they create a song for the dance known as "Steppin".

Allan Mayer, a spokesman for Kelly, responded to the suit via a statement calling Vaughn a "hanger-on" who was trying to extort money from Kelly.

"Kelly has written more than 2,000 songs without ever using a co-writer. The lawsuit is a pathetic collection of half-truths, distortions, and outright lies," Mayer said, " To suggest that he needed Mr. Vaughn's help to write a song-or that he offered him any portion of his songwriting royalties-is ludicrous."

Mayer also revealed that police already investigated the assault allegations and found "there was nothing to them".

Olympia Fields police confirmed yesterday that they investigated the alleged assault and battery but would not discuss the incident.

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Source sohh.com

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BMI Salutes Top Urban Music Makers at Star-Studded Gala in NYC

BMI saluted the premier r&b, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers at its 6th Annual Urban Awards held Aug. 30 in New York City. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Atlanta Writer/Publisher VP Catherine Brewton, the red carpet was hopping at the star-studded ceremony, which took place at the famed Roseland Ballroom.






Mariah Carey took home two of the night's top honors, including Song of the Year for her smash "We Belong Together" and Songwriter of the Year, which she shared with Miami-based producers Bigg D and Jim Jonsin. A highlight of the gala event was a special presentation to prolific songwriting and production team Kenneth Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid, who were named BMI Icons for their "enduring influence on generations of music makers."

Other big winners included rapper Kanye West, who earned the Producer of the Year title for the second consecutive year; Warner/Chappell Music Group, named Urban Publisher of the Year; and Jazze Pha's "1, 2 Step," which nabbed the BMI Urban Ringtone Award. Executives from music trade magazine Billboard were also on hand to give out No. 1 Awards to the BMI songs that reached the top spot on its urban music charts.

Song of the Year "We Belong Together," which Carey co-wrote, ruled the top of multiple charts for months after its release in 2005, relaunching the five-octave singer's career back into superstardom. BMI writers Darnell Bristol, Sid "Uncle Jamz" Johnson, Patrick Moten, Sandra Sully, Bobby Womack and BMI Icon Babyface were also recognized with the Urban Awards' top song prize, as were the song's publishers - ABKCO, Ballads by Design, Hip Chic Music, Mister Johnson's Jams Music, Rye Songs, Songs of Universal, Sony/ATV and Warner-Tamerlane.

As the best-selling female performer of the 1990s, Carey stood apart by composing all her own material, and was twice before named Songwriter of the Year (1993 and 1999). She takes the top songwriter prize for the third time this year by placing three of her own hits on the most-performed list - "Don't Forget About Us," "Shake It Off" and "We Belong Together" - all from last year's comeback release, The Emancipation of Mimi. Carey, who also wrote 1992's Pop Song of the Year, "Love Takes Time," has a total of 23 BMI Awards and 15 "Million-Air" songs that have had one million or more broadcast performances.

Sharing the Urban Songwriter of the Year spotlight were producers Bigg D and Jim Jonsin, who also had three songs on the most-played list with the co-writes "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy (featuring Lil Jon & Twista), and Pretty Ricky's "Grind With Me" and "Your Body." Formerly known as the Unusual Suspects, this Dirty South production duo has been cranking out the hits, LPs, soundtracks and re-mixes for such heavy-hitters as Trick Daddy, Pretty Ricky, Trina, Jacki-O, Cee-Lo and Pitbull since 2000.

Multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producers Babyface and L.A. Reid then took the stage to accept their BMI Icon honors. As co-founders of LaFace, the record label they started in 1989, the longtime writing partners are responsible for launching the careers of such multi-platinum artists as Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher and Pink. With a vast catalog of hits recorded by such A-listers as Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Outkast, Dido, Ciara, Jay-Z and Songwriter of the Year Mariah Carey, songs penned by Babyface and L.A. have accumulated more than 40 million airplays on American radio and television.

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Source bmi.com

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Robbie May Duet With Shakira

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - Robbie Williams could be set to record a duet with Shakira, if his former songwriting partner gets his way. Gy Chambers masterminded several of Robbie's biggest hits, including 'Angles' and 'Rock DJ', but the pair parted ways after a clash over the singer's multi-million pound recording deal with EMI.

However, Guy insists he is now ready to call a truce on the pair's feud and pen another hit for Robbie if he agrees to collaborate with Shakira.

Guy is convinced a duet between the pair could be the thing that launches Robbie's career in the US, where the Latin beauty is a huge star.

He told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "He should have always done that. It would be the perfect match and I would like to write the tune for it. It would be a worldwide hit and would break Robbie in America."

Guy has also revealed that one of the main reasons the pair disbanded their hugely successful partnership was because Robbie wanted to move to Los Angeles.

He added: "One of the main reasons our partnership ended was because he moved to Los Angeles. "If I'd also moved out there we may have continued working together. But that idea wasn't really going to be possible."

Source lse.co.uk


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