MBU 1110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: The Record Company, Musicology, Hal Leonard Corporation
13 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
I professional songwriting: the market, the good news: Songs are the fuel that powers the global music business machine, and frequent fill-ups are essential. New media has expanded new products" audience and commercial demand: the bad news: Only a fraction of songwriters find acceptance. Lack of desire or willingness to work hard. Over-saturated market: predictors of success, a good song doesn"t always mean it"s a hit song: A hit song = significant radio airplay + sales. A good song = well crafted music + lyrics: song criteria changed since the beatles. Trends are born (and die) fast: good songs exhibit the following general criteria: The song is memorable; it has a hook. The lyrics contain an overall theme and employ vivid phrases or imagery. The song is well crafted and exhibits an arc: a hit song involves these additional elements (outside the songwriter"s control): The song gets an appealing initial performance, hopefully by a well- known performer.
