I once sat in the personal studio of a songwriter who had successfully sold a Grammy Award winning song to a major artist.  He was pretty well set financially due to this single accomplishment.

He shared some of the strategies that are employed to pull this off. 

Your Target Market

The first thing is actually writing a song with someone particular in mind.  Or it may mean digging through your archives to find a gem who you think would be perfect for someone specific.

Secondly you have to look at their album jackets to see who handles the management and production.

A little research will probably get you some names and contact info. 

Remember this: sometimes that bitchy secretary can turn out to be your BEST friend.  Learn to create rapport with the little people first and enlist their HELP.  Ask their advice as to the BEST way to approach this.

But not to worry! – these management folks are LOOKING for the next great hit for their artist.  And who knows: they might just discover YOU in the process.

The idea here is to go straight to the people who directly interact with the artist you want to hear your material.

If they fall in love with your idea, you are way ahead of the game.

Emailing Artist Management

If you get an email address: make it TO THE POINT.   Have an (honest) subject line that will get them to open the email.  Explain in 1-2 sentences why they NEED to open your MP3 link.  Make sure you leave obvious ways for them to contact you if they are interested. 

If you have legal representation give that contact info as well.  It may also be advisable to include a legal disclaimer of confidentiality in any email pitching original material for sale.  Talk to your attorney!

Big Names Honesty Issues

Sometimes success has a way of making certain folks think they can get away with anything.  

I heard of a writer who personally pitched a song to a BIG country star.  They were not friends or anything prior to this introduction.

This well-known artist figured he would just write his own version of the concept and take all the credit and income.

Fortunately the writer had taken the necessary steps to protect himself and was paid every dime: and then some.

Don't be desperate and cut corners in the big leagues – your moment will come. 

This is also a BIG issue for those who pitch script-material for TV and Film.  One very well known Hollywood company routinely uses submissions almost in their entirety – and gives no credit or income to the original author.

Legal Issues

If you are going this route it would probably be a wise idea to start with a qualified music industry attorney who can protect your interests.  Even $350 for an hour of advice on how to effectively protect your self is a small expense considering what you could make…  or lose – if your song was stolen. 

We recommend getting a referral from someone who has used this attorney personally. 

Watch Out:  It's common practice to ask unleveraged writers to sign a work-for-hire agreement.  In this case the buyer will have the RIGHT to put someone else's name on the work and you will likely lose all rights to future royalties.

Selling Songs for TV and Film

Get a hold of The Hollywood Reporter. This is where calls are often made for musical material to be used in TV and Film. 

As in the above examples.  Be sure to obtain qualified legal advice – BEFORE jumping into the big leagues.