In this NAMM 2024 panel, HVSC faculty members Bob Cuterella, Sam DeRosa, Sizzy Rocket, Iman Jordan, and Ron Harris discuss songwriting and publishing deals—from how to write for other artists and the intricacies of the publishing world.
What is it like writing for an artist?
Sizzy Rocket: “Sometimes I’ll just start with a really ridiculous lyric, just to sort of break the room, because the artist is nervous, I’m nervous, maybe we haven’t met, so I’ll just say something really out there so that they kind of ease up and they feel like they can tell me anything. They can get intimate with their lyrics. I’ve had artists cry, it’s like, okay, we’re going there today, you know, let’s do this. So, it’s about listening, I think.“
Ron Harris: “Going to the room, imagine the room has 100%, right? So, you gotta know what to give to that room when you come in, because if they’re giving 100%, then you try and give 100%, guess what’s gonna happen? It’s not gonna work out. So, you gotta gauge the room, you go, oh man, today’s Sandy’s on fire, she’s doing 90%. So, all I gotta do is bring 10% today.”
Iman Jordan: “Because sometimes you go into a session and some artists really don’t want you to tell them what to do, they just want you to tell them that what they just did was a good idea, you know what I mean?
So, sometimes songwriting for an artist is like, yo, that one, that is crazy, oh man, yes, when he said that word. And then, you know, because as soon as you come up with, what about this, I’m moving about, and they’ll be like, no, no, no, no. You know, because they’re kind of cut off from that.”
Sam DeRosa: “My joke is, I was like, be the homie first. You might not get the best song, to what Sizzy’s saying, it’s hard because you’re getting told that I really needed to be the single, I know so-and-so has a really good one with them.
But if the artist likes you, you have no idea how much more valuable that is.”
How does a publishing deal work?
Bob Cutarella: “There’s a million different types of publishing deals out there. And publishing is, you know, the ownership of the copyright that you create. The minute you write a song, you own it.
You publish it until it ends up with the publisher. Sometimes a publishing deal can be one term, it can be two terms. It’s not dictated by years, necessarily.
It’s dictated by commitment of wholly owned songs. So if you’re writing with three people, a 10-song commitment is 30 songs.”
Sam DeRosa: “If you have a record deal for a songwriter in some way, they offer you a certain amount of money, and there’s certain terms attached to it, and you have to make your money back before you can move on to the next option of your deal, which is what he was saying.
So most people get signed to, like, a two-year, two-term option. So, like, you get signed, cool, for $100,000, and then X, Y, Z has to happen. You have to make that money back and fulfill whatever requirements are in your contract before you can move to your next option.
And your next option is more money that you’ve already pre-negotiated. It’s like a video game. Once you get through level three and you’re done, you’re free, you can move on to another publishing deal, and you can just keep going from there.
It’s, like, fun. But if you get stuck, it can really be tough.”
At HVS Conservatory, you can develop the necessary tools to succeed in the music industry. Based in Los Angeles, our faculty of music industry expert and mentors help to coach aspiring artists by passing on real-world training from their personal experiences alongside necessary musical training. Check out our schedule of masterclasses and free community events, including acoustic sessions, seasonal open house events, and artist showcases.