PERFORMING SONGWRITER Resources
LAST UPDATED: Aug. 2, 2005.

Valuable songwriting resources abound on the Internet. Some sites may be a bit below the radar, but all deserve a visit from you. If you find a site particularly helpful, tell a friend (and let them know NewSong sent you)! NOTE: This list was compiled by NewSong's Gary Reynolds. Have a suggestion? Send it to Gary's attention at: gary@newsongfestival.com

1) Songwriting Resources
2) Places to Submit Songs
3) Musical Websites and Interesting Reads

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SONGWRITING/PERFORMANCE Resources

Songsalive!
Songsalive! is a non-profit organization dedicated to the nurturing, support and promotion of songwriters and composers worldwide. Founded in 1997, Songsalive! is run by songwriters for songwriters. Perform at regular Songsalive! Showcases worldwide; get marketing tools from Songsalive! partners in the ArtistToolbox; workshop your songs in a safe, nurturing environment; pitch your songs to film and TV supervisors and publishers through Songsalive! CD Samplers, Songsalive! Songshop and the ArtistToolbox; song leads provided to Elite members; build a national tour using SongsAlive Chapters and their growing database of venues worldwide; record your music and get studio education through Songsalive! Songstudio, and MUCH more.

http://www.songsalive.org/main.html

Songcrafter's Coloring Book by Bill Pere
Songcrafters Coloring Book is a free (for non-commercial use)collection of articles by Bill Pere, award- winning songwriter, IMC Indie Artist of the Year, Official Connecticut State Troubadour, and President of the CT Songwriters Association. Originally appearing in several major music industry publications, this information on songwriting techniques and music business insight has been helping aspiring songwriters for more than 25 years. Available online in a series of downloadable PDFs.
WHERE: http://www.billpere.com/Songwriter_Tools.htm

CD Baby
More than 35,000 independent artists can't be wrong. A great service to use in the sale and distribution of your CD. Takes 5 minutes. Send them a box of CDs. They'll sell them and pay you. It's really that simple.
WHERE: http://www.cdbaby.net

The Craftsman's Corner: Insights on the Craft and Business of Songwriting
Publisher/song consultant/indie label president Mary Dawson covers topics including principles of success, song form, the mindset of a songwriter, and the realities of getting airplay.
WHERE: http://www.cqkmusic.com/CCorner

The Cliché Finder
Looking for a good cliché for your next country hit? Or want to make sure your tune is cliché-free?
WHERE: http://www.westegg.com/cliche

GoGirlsMusic.com
This is one of the oldest and most popular websites for women in music.
WHERE: http://www.gogirlsmusic.com

IndieMusic.com
A key resource for the Indie music community.
http://www.indie-music.com

I Write The Songs
This is an on-the-air seminar designed to help people acquire and polish effective songwriting skills. The shows archived on the website include how-to and inspirational segments and interviews with some of the biggies of hit songwriting. The site includes a list of participating radio stations.
WHERE: http://www.lyricalline.com/show

Just Plain Folks
A community of more than 25,000 Songwriters, Recording Artists, Music Publishers, Record Labels, Performing Arts Societies, Educational Institutions, Recording Studios and Engineers, Producers, Legal Professionals, Publicists and Journalists, Publications, Music Manufacturers and Retailers and about every other type of member of the Music Industry. Their motto is.... 'We're all in this together!'
WHERE: http://www.jpfolks.com

Li'l Hank's Guide for Songwriters
Hal Cohen covers "the street level of live performance, offering advice and tips on lyric writing, song publishing, copyright information, performing, music law, recording, live music, venues, books, and inspiration for what you do.
WHERE: http://www.halsguide.com/index.html

The Lyricist's Assistant Free ebook
This very useful, downloadable "e-book" features 146 pages of songwriting mojo. And it's free to download, with no obligation. (The author does pitch his song services in the book, but in a non-pushy fashion). Good information and insights here on lyric essentials, chord theory, Nashville number system, composing with MIDI and sequencing, the business of music, collaboration and co-writing, songwriter resources, and a FAQ section with solid answers to common questions. NOTE: You will need Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer to read and print out this e-book.
WHERE: http://www.songsculptor.com/freebook.pdf

Moneychords.com
Richard Scott says of his site that it's "The Best Free Songwriting Lessons on the Web." He may be right.
WHERE: http://www.moneychords.com

SongU: Songwriter Courses Online
SongU.com offers songwriting courses online and bills itself as the place "Where Great Songwriting Begins..." The site was founded by professional songwriters Sara and Danny Light, who write for companies such as Zamalama Music and Curb Magnatone Music in Nashville. "We have been fortunate enough to have our songs recorded by several artists, including a chart-topping country hit by John Michael Montgomery, 'Home To You,'" writes Sara Light on the site's 'Back Story' page. "We have also written songs for theater and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score for the Broadway show 'Urban Cowboy, The Musical.' We have taught songwriting classes and seminars at Belmont University and Vanderbilt University in Nashville and Berklee College in Boston as well as co-authored an educational tape series,' The Songwriters Survival Kit.'
WHERE: http://www.songu.com

TAXI
A leading independent company for connecting songwriters, artists, unsigned bands
WHERE: http://www.taxi.com

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PLACES TO SUBMIT SONGS

'All Songs Considered'
"All Songs Considered" accepts submissions from established musicians for performance on the public radio show or on the news program "All Things Considered," and also accepts music from unsigned and independent artists for the weekly Open Mic show.
WHERE: http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/submissions/index.html

Indian Rock Records
Indian Rock Records holds "open calls" for indie artists. Their 'Featured Tracks Section' highlights new songs every month and allows artists to post their music, enabling them to reach a wide and varied audience. Service is free, but space is limited.
WHERE: http://www.indianrockrecords.com

IndieJukeBox.com
IndieJukeBox.com says it is out to prove that pay-per-play should mean the artist is getting paid and the music
fans can enjoy new music without paying a fee. Check it out.
WHERE: http://www.indiejukebox.com

SongLink International
Each month, SongLink magazine provides details of around 30 to 40 upcoming recording projects around the world requiring songs, with concise details about (a) the artist; (b) the style of music required; and (c) where to send your demos. Subscribers then respond by sending the required items directly to the contacts listed in the magazine.
WHERE: http://www.songlink.com

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MUSICAL WEBSITES and INTERESTING READS

Just intonation
Who says we have to write songs based on even temperament (the standard 12-equal-half-step octave)? Learn about Just Intonation, which results from creating a scale based on the natural harmonic series. Plenty of sound clips. Warning: listen at your own risk. Your guitar or keyboard may never sound quite (as) in tune again. "Far beyond the mere theoretical purity, playing in just intonation for long periods sensitizes me to a myriad colors, and coming back to the equal tempered world is like seeing everything click back into black and white. It's a disappointing readjustment. Come to think of it, maybe you shouldn't try just intonation -- you'll become unfit to live in the West, and have to move to India or Bali." -- Kyle Gann
WHERE: http://www.musicmavericks.org/features/essay_justintonation.html

'Plunderphonics'
This long article, "The History of Plunderphonics," discusses the use of musical borrowing of ideas, sounds, and actual recorded sequences -- for recasting within new creative works. It also addresses the limitations that notation places on musical expression. A thought-provoking read. It got us thinking about what our current definition of a song would be (if we were to attempt to define it), as opposed to the possibility of a much more inclusive definition. A truly cutting-edge train of thought.
WHERE: http://www.l-m-c.org.uk/texts/plunder.html

World's Largest Xylophone
If you can listen to sounds on your computer, check out this primer on the xylophone, with a nifty sound file attached. This is from a very cool website with a section on 'Instruments of the World.'
WHERE: http://www.eyeneer.com/World/Af/Instruments/doublepit.xylophone.html

'Friends Don't Let Friends Play to an Empty Room'
A must-read weekly reference for the Music City's songwriting community by NewSong compadre Doak Turner.
WHERE: www.nashvillemuse.com

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