Hello readers. This month I'd like to concentrate on the songwriting aspect of the music business, as I've come to know it. Over the past 8 years I have had as clients some of the biggest-selling songwriters in the music business. They are in addition to the other ‘as of yet unknown' writers who like what I bring to their songs. From working so close with these people I have come to learn a few things that seem to be consistent with all of them: 1. You are only as good as your current hit. 2. Nobody cares what you did yesterday. 3. Nobody cares at all which software or computer you wrote your song on 4. Nobody cares. I had always assumed that just because you had a few big-time, #1 records to your credit, that automatically entitled you to special consideration by every record company A & R person when it came time to pick songs to be recorded by an artist. No such luck. Just because you had a big hit on Toni Braxton's last album, don't expect her to come running to you for material for her next one....

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I'd like to devote my column this month to a subject that seems to be a mystery to most musicians, producers, engineers, and songwriters - Background Vocals. Let's start with a simple definition: "Background Vocals" are those that are not the lead or main vocal. They can come in various forms - ooohs, aaahs, actual repeating of the lyrics, completely different lyrics, or moans and sighs (especially in hip-hop and rap). The people who perform these vocals also come in different shapes and sizes - from thin, sickly looking Caucasians who can read fly-shit without a drop of feeling to great big huge African American women straight outta the Church, who can turn a collective "Yeah" into a spine-tingling chant that is far more powerful than even our beloved national anthem. Put on the radio and start singing along. Chances are that even the most tone deaf among us will pick up on the "chorus" sung by the background vocals, rather than the riff-laden lead vocal, which is usually beyond the vocal ability of all but...

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Part 1. Introduction Once upon a time there was a big and hugely successful computer builder named Dell. One of the reasons for this success was the customer relations department, which had a reputation far and wide as the best in the business. While consumers had long telephone waits and next-to-no response from other big manufacturers, Dell had aggressively pursued a policy of treating each customer as if the whole firms' business was dependent on them. They parlayed this policy into a $9 billion a year company. They were very successful. At the same time there lived in a small, quiet suburb of Los Angeles a record producer named Ted Perlman. While his annual income was nowhere near Dell's, he had worked his way up to a certain position in his business where clients knew that they could depend on his integrity and talent to provide the best records possible. He worked very hard. Now Ted had long wanted to upgrade his aging 486 Toshiba computer. While it was a very good model (T4800CT) and had been very...

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All writers want it, need it, got to have it. Ain't no stopping them. A "hit". A #1 record. The big payoff. The realization of all their dreams. Something their mama can show to the neighbors to prove that her son (or daughter) is not a bum, but a big deal songwriter with a "hit". Better yet, not just a hit but a "#1 hit". One of my clients has become a major writer. Whitney, Tina, Barbra, everybody wants his songs. He's a hero to the other writers. "If he can make it, so can I" Although, a few of his contemporaries wish he would die soon. They're so jealous of him. His death would be like passing gas. Kind of like relieving the pressure, if you know what I mean. Anyway, on this particular morning, I was working with a writer on a new song. "Did you hear that Alan's record went to #1 today?" she asked. Wow, no shit. Right out of obscurity and into the limelight. He would have something in the bank for at least the next couple of years. Definitely get his contract renewed at the publishing company. Major big-time....

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Drugs. Uh, oh, here it comes. At some point everybody in the music business comes into contact with them, either by doing them ("Oh, it makes me s-o-o creative!") or by having to work with someone who has done them ("Could somebody please pick Joey up off the floor so we can get started"). The process of making music come to life is such a precarious one that songwriters will do almost anything to help them create. When they get stuck and their brain is devoid of song, the idea of artificially kick starting the cerebrum with a nice fat joint doesn't seem so bad. The only problem is that the "high" is selective - you get blasted but everyone else around you is straight. You think you've just sung the doo doo squat out of a song while everybody in the control room is opening their phone books to try and round up another singer. You stank. But to your ears it was gold. "Oh well, fuck 'em. When I'm famous they'll eat dog food off the floor to get me to sing their piece of shit tune". Not a good session. One...

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Most songwriters tend to think the world revolves around such global-impacting issues as: 1. Will Ms. Big-Big-Big Star record one of my songs on her next album? 2. Will Mr. Big-Big-Bigger Star record one of my songs on his next album? These questions are with them, morning, noon and night. The President resigned. Who cares? "Did you know that my song is on hold over at CBS?" We had a small atomic war with Lithuania this morning. "So what - I got the next Janet Jackson single". Not the most caring about everyone else group of people. So, keeping this in mind, a small earthquake should have little impact on songwriters, right? Think again. Scared the piss right out of every writer I know. Come to think of it, not only the piss but just about every thing else they had ingested over the previous 24 hours came out. Kind of like Mother Nature don't care diddly about music. The nerve of her. The night of the "not quite Big One" I was working on a song for two of my up and coming clients. These...

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