The One With You

THE ONE WITH YOU

I saw it in your eyes from across the table.
I sensed it in your vibe if I got too close.
I felt it in your touch when you grabbed my hand
and as we said goodbye, didn’t let it go.

I saw it in your smile when I made you laugh.
And I heard it in your voice when you said hello.
I felt it in the way that you leaned in to me
when we were all alone and no one else would know.

Can you tell me where the years have gone
and how we let this go from right to wrong?
Oh I can tell by everything you do,
you know that I should be the one with you.
The one with you.

She saw it when you tried not to be so obvious.
She heard it in your words as we reminisced.
She felt it in the often awkward silences.
I know she recognized just what it is.

Can you tell me where the years have gone
and how we let this go from right to wrong?
Oh she can tell by everything you do,
you know that I should be the one with you.
The one with you.

And if I knew then what I know now,
I would have made this work somehow.
But when you’re young, you just don’t know
what’s worth holding on to or letting go.

He asked me if this was not unavoidable.
He wondered what had got me so depressed.
He told me that I still must be in love with you.
I didn’t say a word, he didn’t have to guess.

Can you tell me where the years have gone
and how we let this go from right to wrong?
Oh he can tell by everything I do,
I know that I should be the one with you.

Can you tell me where the years have gone
and how we let this go from right to wrong?
Oh I can tell by everything you do
I know that I should be the one with you.
The one with you.

All music and lyrics © 2008 A Girl And A Guitar. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission.

New Podcast Feature!

Just got the word that some tunes of mine are featured on a new music podcast.

The URL to the webcast is Royercast. blogspot. com

Please check it out when you have a chance.

The Cold Hard Facts About Music Licensing

Where music meets licensing, there’s money to be made. How much money? “I have synched quite a few thousand songs into productions over the years,” states Peter Jansson of Janssongs, Inc., “and have charged anywhere between US$1.00 and US$250,000 for each one.”

That’s correct: he said a quarter of a million dollars. And there are a great many places to earn money from music. For example, there are more TV shows on more cable channels than ever before. There are oodles of commercials. There are tons of electronic games and toys. There are corporate video productions galore. There are big movies, little movies, and direct-to-DVD movies. And they all are potential places to put your music, if the rights can be cleared.

Goldmine or Minefield
The world of music clearance can be a goldmine or a minefield. We heard about the quarter-million-buck goldmine. “Having said that,” Jansson adds, “I think an average fee is usually between US$4,000 - $6,000 per side (i.e. Master & Synch). It depends on how badly they want to use the song and how big a hit it was.” Those two words, “Master” and “Synch” indicate part of the problem for the average singer/songwriter who hopes to have a song appear on a soundtrack. Before you can start earning money, there’s a lot to know.

The facts are so important that NARIP, the National Association of Record Industry Professionals, had Stacey Powells lead an all-day workshop on the topic.

A Little Tech Talk
Music can be used in four broad categories under copyright law: Adaptation, Recording, Reproduction, and Public Performance. Depending on where and how someone is going to use a song, there are mechanical rights and synchronization rights that have to be negotiated, and the various parties involved may include the songwriter, publisher, and record company, usually holder of the master rights.

Well, that last part doesn’t sound so complicated. Oh really? Consider that there may be multiple songwriters, each with their own publisher for their share of the song. Song copyrights are held by music publishers (which may be the artist, but more often is a third party), while sound recordings (the masters) are controlled by record companies (which also may be the artist, come to think of it).

The Facts of the Matter
So what, exactly, is “Music Clearance”? Simple: getting permission from rights holders to use music in your production. But what rights? The song’s copyright is held by the writers (or the estate of the artists, or whoever was sold the rights). The master recording is held by whoever controls the recorded version of the song. Ah, but which version of the song? The one the singer/songwriter recorded? The one recorded with Russian lyrics? The jazz instrumental? The one recorded by the metal-reggae band?

Consider this: you can get permission from the publisher without permission from the record company — if you record a new version of the song. But without the publisher’s permission, the master recording license does you no good at all.

The field is very competitive. Don Grierson, former head of A&R at Epic/Sony, Capitol Records, and EMI-America, and often a music supervisor, consultant, and executive producer, notes that “nearly everyone in the music industry seems to be aiming at the film/TV and commercial licensing markets. There is intense competition. It can come down to relationships on some occasions, but often it is determined by the ease with which you can obtain the clearance.”

Negotiating the Fees
Janssongs’ Peter Jansson quickly lists some of the variables: “When it comes to Synch Licensing, there are a number of factors that determine what the fee is going to be, such as: Territory (USA? World? Provincial?), Media (Theatrical only? Radio? Television? DVD/Video? New technology?), Usage (Featured Instrumental/On Camera? Background Instrumental? Background/Vocal?), Length (Entire composition? 30 seconds or part thereof?), Version (re-record or original recording), to name just a few.”

But even once you have sorted out who owns what and where something is going to be used, there’s the legal terminology, with contracts likely to contain such phrases as “World excluding the BRT’s,” “Rear Window,” “now known or hereafter devised,” “MFN,” “Pro Rata Share,” “Third Party Payments,” and even “Audit.”

True, you don’t need to know all of these things if you’re a songwriter, recording artist, manager, agent, record executive, film/TV production professional, or advertising agency executive. But the more you know, the better. Not only will you be more comfortable with the business side of the music business, you’ll be in a better position to guide a career — your own or your clients’ — to more rewarding choices. “Just knowing a little about these topics allows you to follow the conversations these clearance guys have with my clients and all their other representatives,” says one manager of several musical acts. “And knowing a little can help a lot.”

Real-life Examples
Sometimes you learn by doing. “The very first time I licensed a song on my own,” says Marc Ferrari of MasterSource Music Catalog, “I never got paid for the license. The production company released the movie (Son of Darkness 2) then went bankrupt. What a way to start a business!! I have had better luck with nearly 1,600 licenses since then!”

Don Grierson, when acting as a music supervisor for motion pictures, says “Those who represent songs often call me and ask ‘What are you looking for?’ and it’s amazing how rapidly that can change. The music requirements for any given project, or even any given scene in a film, can change depending on the director, the producer, etc. And whatever mood is being established in the scene may change in postproduction, requiring a change in the music.”

Mistakes to Avoid
Where people are involved, there can be errors. “Publishing and record companies sell and sublease and assign rights, some of which they did not own to begin with,” points out Janet Fisher of Goodnight Kiss Music. She quickly lists a few more potential problems: “New companies file new cue sheets and suddenly a song is attributed to the wrong writer, a title is changed, a publisher forgotten; or sometimes a copyright holder just stops filing all paper work, including change of address forms.”

Devin Powers, of Devin Powers Music, has had his compositions in more than 75 television shows. He points out that “Being an indie artist can be a huge advantage. Music supervisors are always looking for quality master recordings. An indie artist can sign off on a master synch music license in a day. Time is always an issue, and TV supervisors love indie artists because of the lack of major label red tape which often leaves them without clearance in time.”

Goodnight Kiss’ Fisher agrees: “Obviously dealing with an indie catalogue is going to be more affordable, and easier to work with. The large entities are not as hungry as the small, and our songs are no more than once-removed from the source.”

Musician vs. Music Supervisor
Nancy Luca is a musician who plays so often on both coasts, she has an L.A. band, a New York band, and a Florida band, and does session guitar work (her solos were on two Heineken commercials during the Super Bowl broadcast). She observes that “There are people who make a lot of money writing music for television that ’sounds like’ other artists. It would be great if they would use the real artists like me who have great songs but no break with a big label. I am for licensing just to let people hear the real music — the stuff that was written with heart and mind, not just for a paycheck.”

Joel C. High, Vice President of music and soundtracks for Lions Gate Entertainment, displays the excitement that many of us have for making music work with images. “We often have directors who are greatly inspired by music and who may be passionate about acquiring a song that wouldn’t normally fit in the budget of that film or television project. That’s when we, as music supervisors, have to try to bring that same fervor to the negotiating process. We try to go to bat for our filmmakers in such a way that it benefits the picture and gives the best possible exposure for the musical artist. We want to get the absolutely perfect music for the scene and often the only way that can happen is by getting the recording artist to see the merits of having their song in a film – to consider the way their song is used so they will see benefits beyond just the financial one.”

A Director of Copyright and Licensing at a major independent publishing company had this to say: “Obviously, licensing music in film/TV is a wonderful way to get exposure, although for new artists, it will probably not be lucrative. And of course, there are things writers/artists should take into consideration when someone requests to use their music: Avoid giving broad rights away for free! This sets a bad precedent in the community, especially for new artists/writers, and it de-values their work.”

Did this person have any ideas for working out a compromise? Certainly: “If a writer is eager to be involved in a project, and the producer wants the use for FREE, here are a few suggestions when negotiating. First, try and reduce the terms (e.g. instead of perpetuity, reduce the term to 10 years; instead of all media, reduce to all TV or theatrical only; and instead of worldwide rights, try and reduce to U.S. only). If the producer is not agreeable to this, then the writer should request some sort of ’step deal.’ Very little money (if any) is paid up front, but should the production be successful, they are obligated to compensate the writer at certain ‘milestones’.” The feeling is that “if the producer starts making money, so should the writers of the musical works involved.”

Devin Powers has probably the best piece of advice for artists placing music: “When you get the call, be thankful! There are tens of thousands of people trying to get songs on 50 or so shows. Take a fair deal. If you get in the door and create relationships, anything can happen.”

The Bottom Line
Fisher has a lovely metaphorical summary for this story: “Like any part of the music business, licensing can be feast or famine, goldmine or plain old shaft — but like any part of any business, the best protection resides in employing those with experience and integrity. If I were looking for a goldmine, I’d find an experienced miner who had found gold before.”

by The G-Man - NARIP.com and Immedia Wire Service

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE

The Chevy Song

THE CHEVY SONG

I grew up riding in my Grandpa’s Chevrolet.
An old green pickup truck, you know it squeeked when it would shake.
And I learned how to spell from the word on the tailgate.
Yeah, C H E V R O L E T spells Chevrolet.

I learned to drive inside a Chevy Cavalier
when I took Driver’s Ed. in summer school my sophomore year.
I had my first kiss inside a Monte Carlo coupe.
I still remember where we were and what i said to you.

Let’s take a ride in my Chevy. So get inside, are you ready?
The tank is full, my foot is heavy. Yeah, let’s go for a ride.
Let’s take a ride in my Chevy. We can go fast if you let me.
I’ll hit the gas and we can see how soon we will arrive.

I moved up to college in an Astro minivan.
I filled it up with all my stuff in big black plastic bags.
And in the spring we all piled in a Malibu sedan.
Drove all night long to Florida for fun upon the sand.

My sister bought a second hand Camaro with t-tops,
installed a brand new stereo with sixteen hundred watts.
Had it painted in her favorite color cherry red.
Cruised all around the town, I found out this is what she said.

Let’s take a ride in my Chevy. So get inside, are you ready?
The tank is full, my foot is heavy. Yeah, let’s go for a ride.
Let’s take a ride in my Chevy. We can go fast if you let me.
I’ll hit the gas and we’ll test the suped up overdrive.

I fell in love beside a Chevrolet Corvette.
It was at a classic car show on the weekend that we met.
He picked me up driving a 65 Bel Air
custom striped convertible and we dated for a year.

Now that we are married, plan to raise a family.
My husband just came home with a new Tahoe SUV.
He’s so excited, just can’t wait for me to see.
He busted through the door before and shouted out to me.

Let’s take a ride in my Chevy. So get inside, are you ready?
The tank is full, my foot is heavy. Yeah, let’s go for a ride.
Let’s take a ride in my Chevy. We can go fast if you let me.
I’ll hit the gas and we can keep the throttle open wide.

All music and lyrics © 2008 A Girl And A Guitar. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission.

Doubt

DOUBT

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Looks like I’m starting over in the morning.
Looks like you’re just a memory for me now.
And how this all went down without a warning
makes it clear to me now what you’re all about.

How could I ever be so dumb
to think that you might be someone
that I would always want around.

You keep leading me on and letting me down.
You keep telling me lies and screwing around.
You keep making plans and leaving me out.
Now I know where I stand, yeah there ain’t no doubt.

Looks like I should have saw this all approaching.
I can’t believe I really was that blind.
I made excuses for you, always hoping
you really didn’t mean to be unkind.

How could I ever not have seen
the way you never cared for me
and only played me as your clown.

You keep leading me on and letting me down.
You keep telling me lies and screwing around.
You keep making plans and leaving me out.
Now I know where I stand, yeah there ain’t no doubt.

‘Cause I’m sitting home alone on this holiday
and you broke the plans we made.
And this ain’t the first or second time,
so that’s it, I’m done, so long, I tried.

Looks like I just can’t do this any longer.
I’ve had too much abuse now as it is.
And that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
And I’ve been through many things much worse than this.

How could this ever really last
when you’re the victim of your past
until you see it has you bound

You’ll keep leading me on and letting me down.
You’ll keep telling me lies and screwing around.
You’ll keep making plans and leaving me out.
Now I know where I stand, yeah there ain’t no doubt.

Cause I know where I stand, and there ain’t no doubt.

All music and lyrics © 2007 A Girl And A Guitar. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission.

Love Takes All Kinds

LOVE TAKES ALL KINDS

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Love takes all kinds.
The righteous and the wicked,
they all come to find that
love takes all kinds and we
all make the world complete.

It don’t take money, that won’t buy you love.
It don’t take wishing on the stars that shine above.
It don’t take trying to be someone that you’re not.
So stop you’re crying for the things you haven’t got.

Love takes all kinds.
The righteous and the wicked,
they all come to find that
love takes all kinds and we
all make the world complete.

It don’t take beauty, that will fade in time.
It don’t take innocence if you’re guilty of the crime.
It don’t take lying about things that aren’t true.
So stop denying all that is unique in you.

Love takes all kinds.
The righteous and the wicked,
they all come to find that
love takes all kinds and we
all make the world complete.

If you’re a sinner or a savior or a martyr or a thief,
it don’t matter what you do or say or what you might believe.
If you illuminate the darkness or extinguish all the light.
You’ll find it’s unconditional, we’re all within it’s sight.

Because love takes all kinds.
The righteous and the wicked,
they all come to find that
love takes all kinds and we
all make the world complete.

We make the world complete.
We make the world complete.

All music and lyrics © 2007 A Girl And A Guitar. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission.

The Hills Of Jericho

THE HILLS OF JERICHO

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And we can march, march, march the hills of Jericho.
We’ll simply start and then away we’ll go.
And there we are, I’ll bet you’d never know
we’d march the hills of Jericho.

They tell us no, you cannot go there.
They tell us no, you must comply.
They tell us no, you’re much too young now.
They tell us no, but don’t say why.

And I once believed in all their stories.
And I once believed in all their lies
until I set out on this journey
to keep my heart and soul alive.

And we can march, march, march the hills of Jericho.
We’ll simply start and then away we’ll go.
And there we are, I’ll bet you’d never know
we’d march the hills of Jericho.

They say we need an education.
They say we need one to get by.
They say we need an occupation.
They say we need one to survive.

And I once believed in all their stories.
And I once believed in all their lies
until I found the path to glory
was in a still small voice inside.

And we can march, march, march the hills of Jericho.
We’ll simply start and then away we’ll go.
And there we are, I’ll bet you’d never know
we’d march the hills of Jericho.

They try to feed us entertainment.
500 channels numb our minds.
They try to make us be complacent.
Just sit at home and stay online.

And they believe in all their stories.
And they believe in all their lies
until they start to lose control of us
and can no longer run our lives.

And we can march, march, march the hills of Jericho.
We’ll simply start and then away we’ll go.
And there we are, I’ll bet you’d never know
we’d march the hills of Jericho.

All music and lyrics © 2007 A Girl And A Guitar. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission.

This Big Old Bottle

THIS BIG OLD BOTTLE

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Well I am down on my luck
and I out on the town,
I don’t know if I’m coming or going,
which way’s up or which way’s down,
’cause I’ve been drinking
and I been thinking ’bout my baby,
about the day he left me
and this big old bottle saved me.

Well I fell off of the wagon
and I’m running ’round again,
I don’t know where I was half an hour ago,
if I’m alone or with my friends,
’cause I’ve been drinking
and I been thinking ’bout my baby,
about the way he left me
and this big old bottle saved me.

And I have never had a better friend
around me when the pain set in.
I almost can’t feel anything
and he’s almost off my mind again.

Well I’m in over my head
and I am done with all this.
I don’t know how I’m ever getting home tonight.
I don’t know where my home is,
’cause I’ve been drinking
and I been thinking ’bout my baby,
about the day he left me
and this big old bottle saved me.

And I have never had a better friend
around me when the pain set in.
It’s just the perfect medicine
and I don’t need no prescription.

Well I am down on my luck
and I out on the town,
I don’t know if I’m coming or going,
which way’s up or which way’s down,
’cause I’ve been drinking
and I been thinking ’bout my baby,
about the day he left me
and this big old bottle saved me.

All music and lyrics © 2007 A Girl And A Guitar. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission.

Can You Tell Me?

CAN YOU TELL ME?

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Oh can you tell me what’s going on between us?
Can you tell me what’s really going on?
And if it feels like this really doesn’t mean much,
then let me know so that I can move on.

You keep me hanging on your every word and waiting for your touch.
You keep me whispering and wondering if this is all enough.
And I don’t know if I can have you, if that thought has crossed your mind.
Sometimes I see it in your eyes, sometimes I do not see the sign.

So can you tell me what’s going on between us?
Can you tell me what’s really going on?
And if it feels like this really doesn’t mean much,
then let me know so that I can move on.

They keep on warning me about you boy and hope I’ve had enough.
They keep on telling me and wanting me to leave and give it up.
And if you treated me real badly, that’s the first thing I would do,
but then again sometimes you have, and sometimes I’ve been bad to you.

So can you tell me what’s going on between us?
Can you tell me what’s really going on?
And if it feels like this really doesn’t mean much,
then let me know so that I can move on.

Yesterday we had a chance to make this whole thing right,
but the perfect moment never arrived.
Everyone was talking to you, taking up your time,
and everybody thought I was your wife.

So can you tell me what’s going on between us?
Can you tell me what’s really going on?
And if it feels like this really doesn’t mean much,
then let me know so that I can move on.

Just let me know so that I can move on.
Please let me know so that I can move on.

All music and lyrics © 2007 A Girl And A Guitar. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission.

I’m Not Your Booty Call

I’M NOT YOUR BOOTY CALL

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I’m not your booty call,
your 3 o’clock in the morning girl.
You know you’re better off going home
than calling me on the telephone.

And I’m not just waiting here
for you to call, for you to reappear.
You say I don’t really care at all,
well I’m not your booty call.

You go out with your friends
and you’re drinking again,
and you want me to be
here for you when you are done with them.

You don’t know the time
and you don’t think I’ll mind,
so you give it a try,
I reply, Oh here we go again.

Who can it be at this time of night?
And why is he calling me when he knows I’m not that type?

I’m not your booty call,
your 3 o’clock in the morning girl.
You know you’re better off going home
than calling me on the telephone.

And I’m not just waiting here
for you to call, for you to reappear.
You say I don’t really care at all,
well I’m not your booty call.

We’ve been through this before,
see the lock on my door.
No you can’t come and stay
here with me until the light of day.

I’ve been sleeping since one.
You have woken me up.
No I don’t think its fun.
And I don’t like it to be this way.

How can you keep me satisfied?
When all you do is call me in the middle of the night?

I’m not your booty call,
your 3 o’clock in the morning girl.
You know you’re better off going home
than calling me on the telephone.

And I’m not just waiting here
for you to call, for you to reappear.
You say I don’t really care at all,
well I’m not your booty call.

If you want me to spend
time with you be my friend
and come over by ten.
It begins before the evening ends.

You want me to be
just a toy that you see
when you need some release,
but you know that doesn’t work for me.

What the hell is really going on?
Why do you play this game, you know I won’t play along.

I’m not your booty call,
your 3 o’clock in the morning girl.
You know you’re better off going home
than calling me on the telephone.

And I’m not just waiting here
for you to call, for you to reappear.
You know I don’t really care at all,
’cause I’m not your booty call.

All music and lyrics © 2007 A Girl And A Guitar. All rights reserved. Reprint with permission.