THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AND SUCCESSFUL WOMEN ACROSS THE MUSIC AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES SHARE THEIR TOP 5 CAREER LESSONS…
CARLA MARIE WILLIAMS GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SONGWRITER
To kick-start this new section, we invited the page’s co-curator, Carla Marie Williams, to share her advice. Throughout her storied career, Williams has penned songs for some of the biggest artists in the world, including Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Sean Paul, Girls Aloud, Craig David, Rudimental, Paloma Faith and Naughty Boy. Alongside being a Grammy Award-winning writer, she has also worked as an A&R, producer, vocal producer, a guest judge on the X Factor and presented BBC World Service’s Music Life radio series. In 2016, she founded Girls I Rate to celebrate, inspire and champion women in music and wider creative industries and push for positive change and equality for female creatives. Here, she shares her advice on entering the world of songwriting…
1. Always be prepared “Be free when creating songs, always
brainstorm concept ideas and song title ideas before sessions. This will help you think outside the box, especially for longevity, writing camps and back-to-back sessions. Preparation is everything!”
2. Use your voice(notes) “Record every single melody idea either on
Logic, Pro Tools or as a voice note on your phone; more times than not you won’t remember it exactly the same so capture everything! I’ve learnt that you can’t explore your ideas just by going with the first one, so record everything and pick the best.”
3. Lawyer up
“To get the attention of a good publisher, I would get a music lawyer. A good music lawyer has the industry relationships that you need. However, before approaching a lawyer I would build a strong catalogue of songs that showcase a diverse range of your songwriting ability – a publisher will want to know they can pitch you into multiple different sessions with different artists and creatives. When sending your music do not send MP3s or WeTransfers, I would suggest using a private SoundCloud link with a maximum of six to eight songs on. Make the listening process as easy and quick as possible.”
4. Take your time “There’s no rush to writing a song. If you
don’t feel that you’re going to give it your best, leave it for a day or so and come back to it, or send it to a friend you rate to complete it for you. There’s no shame in collaboration; the new culture suggests if you don’t write your own songs you’re a sell-out, but two heads are always better than one. Most of the most successful artists in the world haven’t written 100% of their own songs.”
5. Do the splits
“Many people have asked me, ‘How do you go about sorting splits?’ It’s a very commonly asked question that creatives feel awkward about. I would suggest that you always follow up 24 hours after a session to sort splits with all parties, whilst the contributions are still fresh in everyone’s heads. I would also suggest you register with a collection society, be it PRS, BMI or ASCAP. These companies will ensure you are paid for any released works. The percentage for all parties’ registrations must add up to 100% to avoid any conflicts or disputes.”
Sign up to Girls I Rate to join their virtual mentoring sessions which take place on the first Sunday of every month
www.girlsIrate.com 48 | Music Week
musicweek.com
“Build a diverse
catalogue... A publisher will want to pitch you into different sessions”
CARLA MARIE WILLIAMS
PHOTO: Eva Pentel
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