There were Pitch Ready trade secrets shared on the afternoon of Feb. 2 at The Hub Halifax. I slipped into the full room just in time for the introduction to the event, a workshop put on by the Songwriters Association of Canada.
Amy Eligh of Casablanca Media was presenting in front of a room of around 30 dedicated songwriters. She offered tips on how to demo a song, pitch to a publisher and make connections in the industry. The 90-minute presentation focused mostly on pitching songs to be used in films, from TV shows to ads to movies.
Eligh dropped lots of wisdom onto the crowd, most of whom were members of Music Nova Scotia. Some of her song writing tips to get placements in films were what one might expect: keep your themes general, don’t write story songs, and keep your lyrics controversy-free.
“You can write whatever you want, but if you don’t want to tweak it, don’t get mad at me if I can’t get you a placement,” Eligh said, in response to a question about holding onto artistic integrity.
Eligh had things to say about getting representation as an artist as well. It is hard for a musician in the industry to pitch their own songs to companies and to try and keep track of all the legalities for themselves. She recommends hiring a publisher and having a lawyer to make sure all the details of a deal are fair.
Another way to attract interest to your craft is by getting in touch with music bloggers and sending them your songs. She recommends being “excited but not pushy.” Eligh had a lot of advice for the aspiring song writer, but what she repeated the most was the importance of making connections in the community and writing songs with other writers. Any takers?
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