2002 Songwriter's Market (Songwriter's Market, 2002) [Paperback]

Ian Bessler (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Songwriter's Market | Publication Date: August 2001

Get your songs published, recorded and on the air with 2002 Songwriter's Market. This is the indispensable resource for making your mark - and making money - in the music industry. Whether your songwriting focuses on country, gospel, rock 'n' roll or classical, all the leads you need are here, including listings for record companies, music publishers, managers, booking agents, record producers and more. Using easy-to-reference symbols and indexes, you'll quickly partner your stylings with the industry insiders that matter. With special sections on choosing a songwriting association, understanding copyright law, new music trends, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ian Bessler has been the editor of Songwriter's Market for five years. When he's not editing Songwriter's Market, Ian is a musician, songwriter and sound engineer. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 516 pages
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; Revised edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582970475
• ISBN-13: 978-1582970479
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,877,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Resource but..., October 15, 2000

By 

Eddie Landsberg "My 10th year as a reviewer !... (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: 2001 Songwriter's Market (Songwriter's Market, 2001) (Paperback)

I have mixed opinions about this book. There's a lot of useful information, and the lay out is nice, but I think it would be a mistake to use it as a first and last resource as many people do and rate your sucess and failure upon those answered and unanswered query letters. A good example is the fact that most major labels only except submissions from management companies, and most management companies often want to see that you local recognition before they take you on. Some of the better ones may only represent one or two artists because a lot of time and money is required, and those that don't often do little more than keep you in their rolodex and throw a gig here and there and take commish when their main act is unavailable - - And Indie labels too want local name recognition, especially if it requires an investment as any production does. Art aside, music IS a business... if a louzy sounding group has a following of a few hundred and plays out regularly, the odds of selling enough CDs to recap the production cost are obvoiusly much higher than say a talented songwriter/performer with a great home studio, but no band or name recognition. The answer then is to make sure you're playing out. You also need to study the grapevine and the "scene" of the music you play. Many of the management companies and indie labels that your favorite bands were on before they made it big may not necessarily be in The Song Writer's Market, yet those were the people who positioned those artists for recognition to get "discovered" - - doing a bit of research and using the internet might yield surprizing results. Many record companies even have up to date A & R pages explaining criterea for submission with surprizing detail and others will answer e-mail. Also note : the info in this book is based on what was submitted to them. They don't actually look up each of the 1,000s of listings. By the time each edition hits print, many are already out of business, some are bombarded with more tapes than they can handle, and others weren't legit to start ("Sorry, we're not excepting material except for our songwriting context. Please send a check for...")

So my suggestion would be, get this book as a supplemnetary resource, but scope out resources in your own scene first, including local ones as well as examining the trail groups or artists with similar vibes took. Be aware of labels and management for new and older resources and the links on their web sites (which also include links to groups with similar vibes lower down the label on more accessible but good labels.) Do what you have to move up the ladder... and that involves being seen and going from one class of venue and management to the next... then use this book for "extra credit" and who knows... you might get lucky ! ! !

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the first best steps for songwriters!, September 20, 2000

By 

jacob (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 2001 Songwriter's Market (Songwriter's Market, 2001) (Paperback)

Songwriter's Market 2001 is an updated edition of only the best publishers for your potentially written songs. The book also contains very helpful hints on almost every aspect of writing and publishing a song. It even contains a key to show which publishers are accepting beginning writers, intermediate writers, professional writers, and tolerable publishers that do not accept unsolicited material at all. I'm glad I waited for the 2001 - every issue is always better than the last.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Industry Naviagation Tool for Songwriters/Composers, December 27, 2001

By 

D.Lesley (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 2002 Songwriter's Market (Songwriter's Market, 2002) (Paperback)

This book is a great tool. In the "Articles about the Business of Songwriting" section - this book gives detailed perspectives from industry professionals on how/where/why to market your songs as a Songwriter/Composer.

In the "Markets" section - it details the people/entities that are usually interested in hearing new material: Producers, Record Companies, Publishers, etc.

The "Resources" section has contact information for a number of organizations, companies, and conferences all focussed on the songwriter.

This is a must for songwriters new to the music business... trust me - I KNOW.

D.A.L. 12/2001