Concept
Songwriter
Overview
A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in classical music and film and video game scoring. A songwriter who mainly writes the lyrics for a song is referred to as a lyricist. Pressure from the music industry to produce popular hits means that commercial songwriting is often a collaborative process with tasks shared among multiple people. For example, a songwriter who excels at writing lyrics might be paired with another songwriter who specialises in creating original melodies. Pop songs may be composed by group members from the band or by staff writers – songwriters directly employed by music publishers. Some songwriters serve as their own music publishers, while others have external publishers.
In recent decades, the traditional apprenticeship and self-taught approaches to learning how to write songs is being supplemented by university degrees, college diplomas and "rock schools". Knowledge of modern music technology (sequencers, synthesizers, computer sound editing), songwriting elements and business skills are significant for modern songwriters. Several music colleges offer songwriting diplomas and degrees with music business modules. Since songwriting and publishing royalties can be substantial sources of income, particularly if a song becomes a hit record; legally, in the US, songs written after 1934 may be copied only by the authors. The legal power to grant these permissions may be bought, sold or transferred. This is governed by international copyright law.
Songwriters can be employed in a variety of different ways. They may exclusively write lyrics or compose music alongside another artist. They could present songs to A&R teams, publishers, agents and managers for consideration to a range of artists. Song pitching can be done on a songwriter's behalf by their publisher or independently using tip sheets like RowFax, the MusicRow publication and SongQuarters. Skills associated with songwriting include entrepreneurism and creativity. Certain contractual scenarios result in staff writers and songwriters not receiving a public credit for their contributions to a song, similar to a ghostwriter in literary publishing.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
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In considering the mode in which vocal utterances express emotion, we are naturally led to inquire into the cause of what is called “expression” in music. Upon this point Mr.
Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
States what Songwriter is.
Its meaning, therefore, may be said to be complete in itself, and to require no interpreters to explain it. What is called the subject of such Music is merely, as has already been said, a certain leading combination of notes, to which it frequently returns, and to which all its digressions and variations bear a certain affinity. It is altogether different from what is called the subject of a poem or a picture, which…
Adam Smith, The Essays of Adam Smith
States what Songwriter is.
I mean the simple tunes sung by a single voice. As this will appear paradoxical, I must explain my meaning. In common acceptation, indeed, only an agreeable _succession_ of sounds is called _Melody_, and only the _co-existence_ of agreeing sounds, _Harmony_. But, since the memory is capable of retaining for some moments a perfect idea of the pitch of a past sound, so as to compare with it the pitch of a succeeding…
Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin
States what Songwriter is.
Philosophers who discussed Songwriter
Related ideas
Opposing perspectives
Place in the tradition
Part of Robert C. Solomon.