Research Portfolio SHR4C007R~001 Tom Leech

by

Leech,Tom (STUDENT)

Singer Songwriter

This essay will outline and evaluate the responsibilities, opportunities and attributes that need to be realised for an individual to forge a career as a singer songwriter. It will explore the range of revenue streams available to songwriters in the contemporary ecosystem and legal duties required of a career songwriter in order to protect these revenues. Analysing how these responsibilities change over the course of a career will be important to delineate a clear path of progression that characterises a career in song writing, moving from an unknown artist into an established songwriter. Using exemplars of both contemporary and preceding artists, this essay will assess the attributes that formed the basis of their success and how one can appropriately replicate these techniques and personal qualities, artistically and professionally to further their own career as a songwriter.

The starting point for a career as a songwriter is hard to define, there isn’t one moment where it’s possible to point to as the start. The nature of song writing being a personal and subjective product means there isn’t one entry level job or role that leads to a career, rather a range of paths that lay the foundations for a career. For some, studying music academically can be a formative and defining start. Although academic qualifications are not necessarily required for roles like singer-songwriter, studying at an institute can have a positive influence on career progression for many artists. Michael Amadi talks positively about his time at ICMP, saying it gave him the ‘perfect place for me to grow as an artist’ in a ‘supportive environment’ and also gave him the opportunity of ‘working with successful people in the music industry'(Michael Ami, ICMP,2018). The latter point being potentially the most relevant, it’s important to network as a musician and songwriter, ‘creating connections with other artists’ Tannika Williams suggests that ‘it becomes easier to develop your own brand'(Pirate.com,2023). Networking is a vital skill that songwriters must master to ‘facilitate more opportunities’ as in the music industry ‘not all opportunities or job roles are advertised on traditional job sites'(Creative Media Education,). Starting your career in music education is the perfect place to hone this skill as you are immersed in an institute built and inhabited by music professionals, spanning various roles and levels of the industry, creating ‘opportunities with industry professionals who serve as instructors, guest speakers, and mentors'(AIMM,2024).

As previously mentioned academic study and qualifications, although an effective place to start, are not prerequisites to a career in song writing. Much of the professional industry is based on personal portfolios. Portfolios serve as ‘a resume or CV’ for creatives, they can ‘back up your experience and skillset’ helping professionals when ‘pursuing new collaborations and building stronger relationships with industry pros’ (Cari Elizabeth ,musixmatch.com,2023). Your portfolio encompasses all the work that you have helped to create, as a songwriter this can include recorded songs written by you, live musical performances, credits on other artists music and all the projects that you have been a part of. The process of building a portfolio is a long-term commitment requiring dedication to supplement this list of achievements. This dedication however can look different throughout the progression of a career. The schedule of a songwriter at the start of their career is usually diverse and eclectic, often young musicians have to balance their musical output with employment in order to financially support their musical aspirations. A day time job is time consuming, however can provide the finances that a songwriter needs to start their career, as discussed further below. The time afforded after a day job, can be used to service a surplus of activities that progress the creation of a portfolio and by extension a career. Allowing time for the writing of songs is particularly important to be a songwriter, Ed Sheeran talks of the importance of output as a song writer referencing the ’10 thousand hours theory’, stating how important it is for ‘young musicians’ to ‘write 1 or 2 or 5 songs a day’ in order to ‘flush the bad songs out of you’. He also talks about the importance of ‘doing as many gigs as possible'(Ed Sheeran,2014), this itself is a massive part of a songwriter’s career. Gigging achieves more than just the chance to promote the music you play; it’s a chance to network with peers, find inspiration, gain feedback and supplement your income and so often becomes a substantial part of a young songwriter’s schedule. Engaging in the online community is another aspect of the songwriter’s routine, the admin of organising potential projects and promoting your own. A recent progression in the industry has been the necessity to have an online profile, a result of the industry growing evermore into an online economy, ‘digital revenues have increased steadily over the past few years’ ‘streaming continued to be the dominant format globally, accounting for 69.0% of global recorded music revenue'(ifpi.org). This new frontier demands a new skillset to conquer. Consistent content is a substantial commitment that both up and coming and established artists need to make time for to create and supplement an online presence. A divisive yet insightful example of this is the artist Oliver Tree. Oliver, blurs the line between music artist and content creator, using online stunts and skits within his music videos to promote his music. He is a foremost exemplar of the wider merging of these two professions, highlighting the need for musicians to exploit their personality in service of their music and career.

As well as democratising the promotion of artists, the digital space has transformed traditional music publishers, of which almost all major companies have also noted the benefit of a digital presence. From personal experience with one of these companies, artists are required to have a social media presence to even be considered for signing. Although it is becoming easier to release music and build a career as an independent artist, these legacy companies still do offer ‘resources’, ‘connections’ and ‘influence'(Icon collective,2025) that can be extremely beneficial option for artists and is still considered a massive step in the career of a singer songwriter. The process of working with a label requires artists to acknowledge and familiarise themselves with the legal and financial aspects of a career in song writing in order to assess the suitability of this step for them individually.

The income streams of a singer song writer are variable and unpredictable. Like all self-employed, songwriters must balance their income with their outgoings. Before label involvements, a singer songwriter’s income can come from performance, mechanical, streaming and synchronization royalties; live performances and commissions. Artists have to consider royalty splits with collaborators, deciding on the share of credits on recorded and performed music through PRS and PPL. Musicians must have a PRS and PPL license in order to claim income through these services. The outgoings of songwriters can include studio time, equipment, software, instruments, marketing, distribution, mixing/mastering and travel. After signing a contract with a record label, the balance of these can change, varying on the specific contract that is offered to the artist. One income stream available to songwriters from signing a record deal is an advance. Advances ‘are sums of money paid to the artist on account of future royalties’ however ‘care should be taken to remove any wording stating that an advance is repayable'(Richard Salmon,2007). Richard, here, alludes to how an advance can be recoupable by labels through royalty income. This means artists need to use their advances with care as many advances are paid as part of an ‘inclusive recording fund’, however ‘labels sometimes establish dedicated pools of resources to cover expenses for making and promoting artist’s music'(Martina,2004).  The share of your royalties is also a subject of discussion within a contract as record companies will take a share of your royalty income. Major labels benefit from owning the rights to the recorded versions of artists songs and use the income from this to recoup and profit from their investments in artists. The share of these royalties is varied, ‘Major labels often work on a 70/30 or even 85/15 split’ in favour of them. The Investments in which companies use these royalties to recoup include advances but also marketing, mastering, recording and distribution. This investment is one of the most attractive features of a record deal, as the established reach and influence of record companies have proven to be beneficial to artists of all sizes. Contrary to this however, the record industry has also been said to be an exploitative industry ‘artists have spoken out about being trapped in what they say are exploitative, lopsided record deals with their labels'(Drew Schwartz, 2020). As an artist, it is your responsibility to acknowledge the pros and cons of this career opportunity and avoid agreeing to deals detrimental to their ambitions.  

More introspectively, it is also the responsibility of an artist to tackle the plethora of personal challenges presented by a career in song writing. Perhaps most poignantly, ‘professional music makers suffer from high levels of anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions'(Detari,2020) that can have a serious effect on the ability of songwriters to perform the duties that realise their careers. A Musician Union census found in 2023 that ‘four in ten musicians with very negative mental wellbeing are likely to leave their career in music within five years'(musician Union,2023). A career as songwriter exposes artists to unstable income and unavoidable judgement of work that is greatly attached to their own ego. Often a loss in confidence can lead to periods of anxiety towards performing and writing. Some describe this as writers block, ‘a temporary or lasting failure to put words on paper'(RLF,2022). Although considered a myth by some, the pressure of failing to reach output targets for creatives can cause much anxiety. Other personal challenges can be in the form of collaboration with others; the social and professional relationships formed in a career in song writing can be hard to navigate. Often in a creative relationship personal information is shared in confidence and it’s the responsibility of both parties to uphold that respect. The nature of balancing this personal and professional relationship is also difficult to manage, being able to maintain this balance is best accomplished by defining responsibilities. One way to do this is to ‘fill out a split sheet once the song is done'(Cari Cole,2018) to define the work done by each individual so they are compensated proportionally. Some bands choose to split everything equally; there is no right way to do it. However, being clear as to what the percentages are is vital, so having agreements in writing can be beneficial to the maintenance of these relationships throughout a career.

In conclusion, the career of a songwriter is a process that encompasses more than just the act of songwriting alone. I have highlighted the need for songwriters to master a range of skills, creative output, professional awareness, legal and financial responsibilities, portfolio development, networking and marketing and how a singer songwriter can best utilise these skills as their career progresses. I have discussed the new digital landscape of the music industry faced by new artists and how it has expanded opportunities for artists but also considered the potential benefits presented by traditional pathways such as record labels. Ultimately, highlighting many of the key decisions made by artists forging a career as a songwriter and how to tackle them informed and strategically.

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