SCALA is often asked this question or a variation of it. If you are a songwriter in Australia you should get a copy of the pamphlet Music and Copyright (pamphlet G12 - in pdf format) from the Australian Copyright Council. The Council has a wide range of pamphlets on various aspects of copyright and these are frequently updated.

Q. I write lyrics and need advice on how to go about selling these as songs.

A. The following is a response which I recently wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald careers section which had received a query similar to yours:

There are many ways to sell a song but generally they all involve the making of some kind of recording of the song or songs - in other words, a "demo". The "demo" can be sent to music publishers and record companies along with details of the songwriter, contact details and a lyric sheet. Demos can be very sophisticated recordings, even approaching CD release quality, or they can be quite basic but they must be audible. Nowadays it is usual to record them to CD-R rather than cassette tape.* [Sometimes the presentation of demo CDs can be almost as professional as a "real" CD with lyrics, full colour photos and contact details. This can be of great assistance to the intended listener but, in the end, the most important item in the package is the song.]

Anyone contemplating the step of recording their material should first seek the views of people in the music industry about the likely commercial success of their songs. Such people might also be able to suggest a specific person to send a demo to (which might save you spending a great deal of money posting copies of your demo to every publisher). There are songwriter and music organisations in most capital cities that might also be able to give specific advice for particular situations.

A few songwriters, usually singer-songwriters, record and release their songs independently [ie without the backing of a major recording label], selling CDs at gigs, through independent record stores and so on. Such musicians usually have to tour extensively and need an acute business sense.

If you live in South Australia you might benefit from becoming actively involved with SCALA. We have a weekly venue, a monthly workshop and our newsletter and website each provides information about songwriting and the music industry. Even if you don't live in South Australia our newsletter, website, message board and online news updates might be of benefit to you. Our annual song competition, judged by people in the music industry with considerable experience, is a way in which you can get some feedback about your songs.

There's a list of publishers and record companies in the Australasian Music Industry Directory but you will need to subscribe or buy a hard copy to get current information.

* 2010 Update: Since the above article was written it has also become more common for songwriters to use a Myspace Music page (or similar) or a Youtube (or similar) video clip to showcase their songs. This can be regarded as another way of getting your songs heard although, like giving or mailing someone a CD, there's no guarantee that they will listen to it! You will need to be persistent. Follow up with a phone call or an email. Be polite! (RNC)

I have been writing songs for a couple of years now, however I have no idea of how to write music or sing. I write in my spare time and have a reasonable collection of original songs. I would like to have some of my songs performed by other artists but have no idea how to go about that. Are you able to assist me with that? Or is writing songs a waste of time if I can't perform them or put them to music?

No it's not a waste of time if you don't perform your songs - it just takes a little more effort to get them heard. Some people who say they want their songs sung by other artists only think in terms of the artists they hear on radio/tv but the reality is that there are many more singers/musicians than the few encountered in mainstream media.

In order to find someone to take an interest in your songs you need to "network". Joining an original music association (like SCALA) and becoming involved in some way would be a good start. We've had a number of members who have got into collaborations as a result of being at events we've organised and I'm sure it happens in other places too.

We distribute requests for collaboration from our members to our broader membership. Then it's up to members to follow leads up. Our song competition has seen people, who can't perform, win and get their songs recorded. Usually they've been able to get the musicians together on their songs because they've networked along the way to getting their entry in to us or in getting their song recorded. Sometimes we suggest someone who might be able to help them.

As for writing music, if I understand you correctly, you have the tunes for your lyrics - you just can't write dots on lines. There's many songwriters in that situation. The benefit of humming a tune into a tape recorder [or mp3 player or similar] has overcome the necessity to remember tunes (like I had to when I first started writing songs) or asking someone to transcribe your tunes into music dots.

If on the other hand you mean you just write lyrics and need a tunewriter or composer to collaborate with then again you need to network - see above!

Hope this helps. Some of the articles on our website or in our newsletter might also be of assistance to you.