Workshop: Songwriting with Brian

Brian began the work by introducing himself and what he does. What fascinated me was the way he talked about his passion for teaching. Basically, he said that as we grow older, we acquire knowledge, and it is our responsibility to pass on that knowledge and pass on that legacy. He talked about one of his most precious teachers, an 80 year old man who came out of retirement because he was so passionate about his job. Brian met with this teacher for half an hour every week. I don't know why, but this captivated me. I once believed being a teacher is what someone did when they gave up on their chance on a personal career, but what I see now is that being a teacher is creating a legacy for yourself, making you live on beyond yourself. It's admirable. It's beautiful.

Perhaps I should talk more about the songwriting, considering how that's what the workshop was really about. Brian outlined the music business. This is the breakdown of a record, from what I can remember, and what I can piece together with my late night mental mush.

49% for the songwriter/songwriters
26% for the record company
20% for the music distributor (the store)
4% for you
(give or take a few percentage points)

Now, let's consider you're given a contract for $1,000,000. First of all, a contract is a loan, not a gift. You have to pay it back. This is how the contract is divided.

$700,000 for recording an album/studio time
$300,000 for the manager

As you can see, you're only getting $700,000 to make the record, but you STILL have to pay back all $1,000,000. And you don't make a single cent off your CD until you do that.

So factor 4% of album profit into paying back $1,000,000 in debt. It's fucking ridiculous. I wanted to ask how illegal downloads factor into the situation, but I didn't quite get the chance. On the other hand, most of this stuff doesn't matter, because a lot of people produce out of their basements and promote themselves.

We heard some of Brian's songs as well. He's currently in the process of creating a musical about vampires and Mexicans in motor bikes. I think most of us were relieved by how our own personal songs were not the feature of the workshop. I know for me, I wrote mine 2 days before.

But of course we did end up presenting our songs, and I went first because I like taking initiative. Brian didn't say much in particular about my song, but he recommended to all of us that we try to write a song daily. He showed us some of the songs he wrote on his computer, and he had a total of around 80.

During the workshop, I started having this strange feeling where everything started fixing into place. Suddenly, it all made sense, it didn't seem so scary and complicated. When Brian played his songs I knew his process. When Brian talked about daily practice, I understood that the reason people don't do things is not because of a lack of time, but instead, a lack of making time and having discipline.

I wouldn't say I felt strongly motivated to write more music, but I did think it was a worthwhile workshop and I thought Brian was a great guy.

On the other hand, I am almost done with my notebook, which is quite a milestone. I've been using the same notebook since I first began writing songs back in 9th grade, and now I only have one page left. I may just tear it out so I don't have to feel the pressure of making a worthwhile song to complete my set. In fact, I'm going to do that right now.

*throws away paper*

I can now say that I have finished my first notebook. Wow! This is such a milestone!