Is singer songwriter a genre of music?
YES.It has evolved and become a genre in the last decade, due to the higher and higher number of artist who have put their own spin on the “sensitive singer with acoustic guitar” type stage persona. Now it’s not only a singer/songwriter a genre, but a genre with many many sub-genre’s within it.Acoustic PopStomp and HollerIndie PopNeo MellowIndie Anthem FolkI bet you haven’t heard of some of these. All of these genres that have blossomed from the groundwork of the first generations of singer/songwriters (even if they wouldn’t have called themselves that). The original songwriters (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Neil Young….etc) were actually more folk writers but over time the chain reaction they started with their writing led the genre to evolve and split and grow.There’s actually a website with an AMAZING interactive genre map that will show you pretty much every genre in the entire world. I wrote a little blurb on it and put a link so you can mess with it yourself, it’s one of the coolest music tools I’ve found on the internet.Singer Songwriter Genre
Where do I start as a singer/songwriter?
PRACTICE!!!Duh, obviously, and yet… people still don’t do it! Play. Your. Instrument.You won’t be confident in anything without spending a lot of hours becoming besties with your voice and instrument. Your songs should be played so much they are etched in the core of your bones.IN YOUR BONES!Practical advice?Practice performing in front of a mirror. It’s stupendously awkward at first but it creates an awareness for yourself which will make you less insecure when you finally get on stage…or on a couch in front of your friends, whichever comes first. It’s brutal. Do it.Record yourself! Dude, your handy-dandy smart phone is one of the best tools you have to get better as an artist (and self promote). Record your voice to see how you sound. Does it sound terrible? Do you sound pitchy? Fix it. It can be an excruciating start but EVERYONE starts there. Everyone. Or, spend a little bit of money on a good interface like the Zoom H4 to have a higher quality recording of your voice to make it only slightly less excruciating.If you don’t know how to fix those quirks and flaws of your voice or guitar playing or piano or bassoon, go take some lessons. Go to your local music shop or use the good ol’ Google to find someone to help you. Also, YouTube has some excellent videos for learning vocal exercises/warm-ups/cool-downs. We aren’t all closet geniuses so go get some help. Playing for your cat isn’t going to help your technique. (Unless it’s a really, really awesome cat.)And lastly, accept that you might never think that you are good enough. That you just have to jump of the cliff and yell “FUCK IT” as you climb on stage for your first open mic to sing and play, quaking in your boots, to a bunch of drunk assholes who are just super happy that you came out and are making yourself apart of the songwriter community in your town. Because we are all just a bunch of insecure skin bags trying to evoke our own sense of emotion, humanity and artistry on our fleeting and humble existence.So, as the kids say, YOLO, motherf**cker, YOLO!
How can I become a famous singer / songwriter?
First thing to do is to stop thinking about being a “famous” s/s and start thinking about being a singer/songwriter first. Once you have reached a certain level of proficiency that has been verified by family and friends, then with other musicians you keep on performing. It goes without saying that you never stop practicing your voice or the instrument upon which you write. Record EVerything. Save all your notebooks or files. Do you play in a band or solo. No matter, just keep playing as much as you can, but also keep in mind to balance the live performances with proper down time, inspiration time, writing time, and practice/rehearsal time.But seriously, if you're only in it for the “famous” part, or just for the money, you should already know by now that becoming a “famous” anything is a dog eat dog world out there, and we're talking pit bulls, not poodles. It's a cutthroat business. The people who would make you famous aren't in this business for the arts, they're in it for the money. Chances of actually becoming “famous” are no better than getting into the MLB or NBA, or winning a bazillion dollars in the lottery.But with right amount of work, timing, luck, and for some, yes, even sex, you, too, could be a star! Reminds me of a joke:Q- How do you say “fuck you” in Ellay (L.A.)?A- “Trust me.”Now there's always the more realistic goal of becoming “famous” in your own town, city, or metropolitan region. If you play your cards right, it is within the realm of possibility that some musicians can earn a living playing in more local markets and still achieve a certain level of regional notoriety.But seriously, do it for the love of music, not the fame. The fame will follow in due time.
Do songwriters make more money than singers in the long run?
Yes, a moderately successful songwriter will make more money than a moderately successful singer and here's why... When you sing and only sing you only get paid per gig or performance. Sometimes you will get a contract to perform a certain number of gigs for X dollars or maybe you will be signed to a label in which case you could either be working on a salary to record demos, do studio bkgs or tour. If you put out a CD you'll make a little money every time you sell one but much of that money will go to pay for production, producers, songwriters, studio engineers, marketing etc... Plus- you're often easily replaced because there are a million singers out there. If you're a songwriter on the other hand, if you write one song you get paid royalties whenever anyone records it onto a CD, plays it on the radio, tv or film etc... For example, say you wrote 'pumped up kicks' for Foster and the People. You'd get paid upfront for them using your song and then paid every time that song is sold on iTunes, played on the radio, tv etc.. anywhere! Then it gets remixed in the UK into a dubstep version - guess what, they have to pay you too. Oh and then another band wants to remix it into a ska song -- you get paid again. etc... If you write one huge hit you can basically be setup with continual income for as long as people are still using your song or even pieces of it. You can also get hired by labels on salary to write songs for all of their artists and depending on your contract you may get a cut of their royalties too. In the end though - it's best to just do both!
Help with a singer/songwriter stage name?
I'm no expert but what I would do is choose something about yourself, like "gentle" or "Quiet" or something about your music. Enter this in a Word-processor (like MS Word) and use the Thesaurus to give you some variations that you could put a name too. I actually did this for you and came up with a great name "Melody Rich". Well maybe not. I actually like Katie Beth and Katie Rose.
How do I become a singer songwriter quickly?
Sorry for the rant that is about to follow but seriously people don’t you get sick and tired of questions like this? For those of you out there that are singers and songwriters like I am can you honestly tell me that you aren’t offended by a question like this? It’s questions like this that minimize what we do as singers and songwriters and reduces it down to something that anyone can just start doing on a whim. I will answer your question and give you a VERY serious answer that you may want to take to heart. THERE IS Nothing you can do to become a singer songwriter quickly and I also take offense to some the answer already given like there is a magic formula to doing it.In order to be a singer songwriter you must first possess certain talents and abilities. Not everyone can sing for example so if you don’t have a pleasant singing voice you’re eliminated right off the bat. You have to know something about music to be a songwriter. Do you play an instrument? If not how do you propose you will compose a melody?, hum it? Writing lyrics is not easy and it is a gift many would like to have but unfortunately don’t.Now it you have all the right skills and talent I have mentioned then there is really no reason to even ask the question. I will assume you probably do not have all the noted skill sets but are trying to find an easy and what you may think is a glamorous way to make a living. NEWSFLASH, 95% or more of the singer songwriters in the world today have to have a regular job to support themselves because only a very small percentage actually can make a living doing it. The reason the do it is because it is who they are and they do it out of the love of music even though they make very little doing it. I certainly haven’t gotten rich doing it but I’m lucky enough to make enough from it to where it supports itself, most can’t even say that. You have cost for instruments, recording studios, promotion and so on , so it’s not cheap or free and getting any major artist or label to listen to your music is also next to impossible.Seriously questions like this ruin my day, and don't say ignore them then because I can’t un-see them the question so I answer it as honestly as possible.
Where do I find non-popular singer-songwriters?
Great ways to discover unpopular and/or up-and-coming songwriters are through (links included):Online Music Sites:-SoundCloud-Free Music Archive-Music Bed-BandCamp-ReverbNation-MySpace-Spotify-Apple MusicBlogs:-Indie Shuffle-Hype MachineAnd of course the usual of attending open mic nights and various music showcases hosted by music affiliations such as BMI, ASCAP, or SESAC, etc. I know for sure that BMI has singer-songwriter showcases, called “Acoustic Lounge” once a month in many cities including LA and NYC. Here’s a link to an upcoming showcase in LA on 8/1/16:BMI Acoustic Lounge - Los AngelesSome people may think that a singer/songwriter is somewhat popular if they’ve got music up on Spotify or iTunes, or if they’re featured in a blog. That’s not true. Many independent musicians are able to publish and distribute their music on iTunes (which gets automatically distributed to Spotify) with hopes to be discoverable, and blogs often like to share their discoveries of new artists who might be the next big thing or appeal to their blog’s specific audience. Either way, discovering new or unpopular singer-songwriters shouldn’t be difficult. And trust me, every “unpopular” singer/songwriter appreciates the shout-out (or re-post of their music) by those who find them!Happy searching!
Is being a singer/songwriter a realistic career?
Well, thousands of people are doing it, so its possible! If you want a carer in music, i suggest you do it because you love and enjoy it, not because you want fame. many people across the world, millions infact dont achieve any amount of fame for their great musical achievements! You can always study music at college, that's what id do if i where you! Perhaps a Bachelors degree in music, and take it from there! Please help me out: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
What are some tips for a 40 year old singer-songwriter who's just starting out?
Well, I'm an old fart (45) who just landed his first recording contract (actually, it's a contract to contribute material to a new pop act, along with several other songwriters and producers. There's no guarantee my material will get recorded). But it came about because the person behind the project is an old colleague who became extremely successful over the last 20 years or so, remembered me, and wanted to work with me again. The gig kind of popped up. I've been performing and writing songs for over 30 years, without much commercial success, and I've basically been out of the business for over a decade. Now I'm finding that a lot of people I knew have really gone places in the business, and I intend to work my contacts for all they're worth. There is a definite "who-you-know" factor when it comes to the songwriting side of things.But if you're looking mainly at getting out and performing, I wouldn't worry. If you're a good musician, there are gigs to be had. Building a following tricky, but the old ways (mailing lists, selling/giving away swag, selling CDs) still work.And the Web can be your best friend. It can be very confusing -- I'm a Web designer,and even I find it hard to navigate the music-promotion sites and get the most out of them -- but they do offer some good services, particularly if you're willing to throw a few bucks their way to take advantage of their premium features.I currently work as a Web designer for a singer/songwriter who has gathered a big following online. We started out around 9 years ago with a mailing list, then a newsletter, and when it came in, we took advantage of Facebook. Now, Roy had a running start; he had a band that was signed to Warner/Reprise in the 90s which had a sort of cult following. But we've grown his fan base considerably using the Web over the years. Do you have a Web site or any other sort of Web presence? Because it's pretty muich a requirement at this point. At the very least, people should be able to follow you on facebook and get notices when you have a gig coming up.Anyway, follow up with more about what you're doing online and I can advise. Actually, all of this reminds me that I've got to get on top of all of this stuff, too, now that I'm back in business...