Gussie Clarke (left) and Mikey Bennett
Andrew Clunis, Freelance Writer
THE SCRIBES are numerous, but the opportunities are few. Jamaica has a wealth of songwriting talent, but writers are having difficulties getting to the mainstream. One of the main reasons proposed is that local artistes are reluctant to sing songs written by local songwriters. "It's a cultural thing," said industry-man Gussie Clarke. "Jamaican artistes have broken into the belief that if you write your own songs, you are at a higher level, regardless of the quality. They would rather bustle among each other, competing to cover a foreign song, rather than accept a song written by a local."
There are avenues songwriters can take, some not very clear-cut, but Gussie Clarke who runs the best-established and largest music publishing company in Jamaica said songwriters across the island should keep faith. He advised though, that they needed to know the real potential of the craft they're in, the earning possibilities, the logistics as well as the dos and don'ts.
Recently, a songwriters' boot camp was held at the Jamaica Defence Force's New Castle Training Camp in St. Andrew. About 20 persons participated. "The level of enthusiasm was heartening, people were hungry for knowledge. It was remarkable what was produced in the end. There will be a beginners workshop once yearly and an advanced one once yearly," said a representative of the organisers. The boot camp had local music buff Mikey Bennett and best-selling author Colin Channer as presenters.
In Jamaica's contemporary music world, professional songwriters are few. Among the best in Jamaica today are Beres Hammond, Mikey Bennett, Dave Kelly, Anthony Rochester and Wayne Armond.
Mr. Bennett said songwriting can be financially viable but the local music industry needs an abundance of singers to make this so. Singers are the backbone of any genre of music. "If we can turn the tide and make singers popular again, songwriters will find their place. With the explosion of songwriters, the next set of singers will be pampered. The industry is just waiting on some stars," he said.
He added that in any music industry a proven formula has been producer, songwriter, singer. "In the best days of Jamaican music, that's how it was. When the scene became more dominated by DJs, the role of the songwriter was reduced. There is a lot of songwriting talent out there which needs to be developed and utilised. There are many people who can write two good verses and the third falls away terribly. The technical aspect of writing is something the school system should be addressing," he said.
Complex
Mr. Clarke pointed out that songwriting and publishing marry to produce the most complex aspect of the music industry. He said that every songwriter needed a good publisher in order to earn adequately from his work. The publisher does not own the product, but is given administrative control. He advised also, that songwriters should learn the business environment of the music industry, so they'll be aware of what happens around them.
"There are many songwriters who say that producers are not accepting their work, but they need to make the work presentable before people will be interested. One of the first things is to do is present a proper demo recording and get the lyrics typed. This can be done inexpensively. Sometimes, the presentation is a big turnoff. But songwriters in general should get themselves aligned to publishers, who should in turn seek singers and producers. If a publisher is not able to do this for you, then he's not helping you," he said.
Discussions with several youth who gather at several Kingston studios, revealed that many of them are not aware of the principles governing their trade. Joshie who travelled from St. Catherine to Kingston every day with his books of lyrics, hoped that an established artiste would take one of his songs into the limelight. He said that some years ago a very popular singer recorded one of his songs, but although it did well, he had not made any money. He had had no formal agreement with the artiste.
Mr. Clarke said songwriters have a right no one can take away. They have ownership of their creation. A writer ought to deal with publishers, people who don't want to own the rights. An advantage of dealing with a publisher, is that he is also responsible to find placement for the songs.
Mr. Clarke said that unsuspecting songwriters could be fleeced of their earnings if they turned over their works to persons, without due diligence. He lashed out at unscrupulous producers whom he declared were cheating artistes across the board.
On some records, the producer's name appeared along with the writer's name as co-writer. "Sometimes they are not even in the studio when the work is being done. Yet they want 50 per cent of the publishing rights and they refuse to give musicians a percentage as composers. If the musicians work for a one-time fee, then the producer has all right to claim the work. But otherwise, the musicians should be given their rights. The producer is not supposed to determine who gets what, as this should be arrived at in consensus among all those involved in the creative process," he said.
Musicians have complained that in cases where they find a publisher and learn the rules, they are ostracised by the producer.
Exclusive contracts
Some publishers sign contracts with songwriters who have good material. They are given an advance payment if it is an exclusive contract.
Songwriters need to know that after their work is produced, they do not always own 100 per cent of the finished product. "They have to take into account the musical composers. There have been cases where the artiste registers the song as being 100 per cent and the musical composer register it as 50 per cent. This causes a lot of confusion in the wider world where tracking is done. A writer should always communicate with his publisher whatever he is doing," according to Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Bennett said the new-found viability of songwriting has caused its own problems. "People understand the money involved in songwriting now. But a little knowledge can be dangerous because over the past few years people have greedily approached the business of publishing, creating all sorts of problems."
Situations often become tangled and frustrating when the writer makes other arrangements with third-party publishers. "That creates a lot of complications," said Mr. Clarke.
The process of collection from publishing rights can sometimes be extended. A current example is the Third World Cop movie where the artistes have still not been paid publishing amounts, despite the international companies being given the authorisation and the issuance of synchronisation licences.
Basically, not many people know the right steps to take towards getting their songs published, but Mr. Clarke said there were many industry personnel who knew the procedures intimately, yet refused to share their knowledge. "Some people like to benefit from the ignorance and disorganisation of others. All the songwriters out there with potential can come to me. Publishing is about credibility and trust. If anybody cannot show you documentation, get out of them quickly," he advises.
