The “P” word

 Over the years that I have been writing this column the most commonly asked questions have revolved around either “how do I stop people from stealing my ideas?” or “how do I make sure that I’m not accidently using someone else’s tune?”. If you deliberately steal someone’s ideas it is plagiarism.  If you do it accidently, I prefer to think of it as a copyright infringement.

Either way it is WRONG. It is the lowest you can stoop as a songwriter. If it was accidental you need to apologise, redress the situation and fix it immediately. If it was deliberate, you need to do the time, pay the fine and quit songwriting permanently. If you paint a moustache on the Mona Lisa, it doesn’t make it your work.

There have been some high profile songs in Australia over the years where you listen to them and say to yourself “How did they get away with that?” but if you are one of these “songwriters” it would be foolhardy to think that you will always get away with it. One scam too many and it’s all over … forever.

Accusing someone of plagiarism is also something you need to be careful about. Once you start you take the whole thing into a legal area.

I was once accused of plagiarism by a radio identity over my song “One Armed Bandit” (written with my brother Brian), which won a Golden Guitar for Song of The Year. This bloke played “Coward Of The County”, speeded it up and said “does this sound familiar” … I had a song agreement that predated the other song by 3 years and asked the station’s CEO if I should sue his radio station or the writer of “Coward Of The County”

Derivative As An Art Form

Over the years a bunch of talentless hacks have trawled their way through whatever was on the charts, mirrored the riffs, stolen the themes, copied the style, fed it through a bunch of effects and slick arrangements and passed it off as something original. The skill of this kind of “art” is to stop just short of plagiarism. When it goes one step too far … lawyers get into the music business.

What amazes me is that these little gems can get past the artist, the producer, the publisher and the record label without the penny dropping. This can only be a case of either stupidity or complicity.

Avoiding Accidental Copyright Infringement

 If you realise that your song is too close to someone else’s existing work, you can:

1.  Trash it and chalk it up to experience. (A K A the honorable method)

2. Change it enough to sneak it through (A K A the slimy method)

3. Hope no one will notice (A K A the your time’s running out method

4. Hand it over to a co writer so that the original part remains and the offending part is gone.

If you have doubts about the originality of your song play it to as many people as possible … someone will pick it up.

How To Avoid Being Guilty Of Plagiarism 

1. Get out of the business.

2. Write your own songs.

Access

 In proving that someone plagiarized your song, you need to show that there was a possibility that the writer of the offending song was in a position to hear your song. To prove it you would need to point to things like your song being played on radio or television, your song having been created first and obtain an opinion of an expert such as a musicologist as to the similarities.

When it all comes down to it … you are a songwriter … an ancient and honorable profession. Are you prepared to sacrifice your standards for a couple of meaningless cuts … I wouldn’t be?

Disclaimer

At this point I have to admit to being in court over the alleged plagiarism of one of my songs by an American act. I cannot elaborate because it is before the courts but it is messy and has now been going for over 7 years

If you have a question regarding any aspects of song writing, would like to buy a copy of my book “Writing Great Song Lyrics” or are interested in my “one on one” private song writing coaching service (based in the Blue Mountains) contact me at allan@allancaswell.com

Getting Started

This month’s column is in response to the most asked question in songwriting … “Where do you get all your ideas?”

“The most difficult thing about writing songs has always been actually getting started. There are always lots of reasons for not writing … too much work, not enough time, no ideas, no quiet writing environment, disappointment, disillusionment, distraction or the need for family time. Sure, these are valid reasons for not writing, but, if it was easy, everyone would do it. Legendary songwriter Tom T Hall once famously said that the most creative thing most songwriters do is to come up with reasons for not writing.

Songwriting should be fun. it can be a release from frustration (when it’s not being the cause of it) a source of satisfaction and a chance to change the world. The art of songwriting is no different to any other art form. Painters start with a blank canvas, photographers with a blank film and songwriters with a bank page and a “D” chord.

There is no right or wrong method. You choose the method that works for you. I almost never try to write unless I have an idea to work on. What tends to happen with me is that I will write nothing for a month, then go on a writing binge and write three songs in a week. If I can write 50 good songs in a year it has been a good one.

Idea Radar

Given the importance of the idea to your song (conservatively a good idea is probably 25% of your song), you need to keep your eyes and ears open at all times. As a songwriter, you learn to be a terrific eavesdropper … just listen to people talk. In an unguarded moment, total strangers are likely to say something that may well find it’s way into your song. If anything you hear on the radio or read in a newspaper gives you an idea for a title, write it down … don’t waste anything.

When I went to Nashville regularly to write, I would spend weeks before I left making lists of ideas, so that I could pull one out at a writing session and say something like “I had this idea last night.”

In recent years I have taken to singing scraps of songs into my iPhone and you would be amazed how many of these bits turn themselves into songs later.

Recycling

Often a real dog of a song can contain the germ of a good idea or a line that can be used elsewhere .I have had lines, over the years that have appeared in several songs before they finally found a home. When I am facing an ugly blank page, I often rifle through my guitar case looking for fragments that could miraculously turn themselves into a good song idea.

Co writing

 As my regular readers will know, I am a big fan of writing with other writers. It can be a great cure for songwriting inertia. If you have decided on a career as a lyricist or don’t play an instrument, co writing isn’t just an option … it’s your only option. Songwriting can be a lonely business and sharing it with someone else can be a great way to get you both started.

Motivation

 Whatever motivates you to write you need to use. If a political issue excites or angers you … write it. If there is a cause that you think can use a song … write it. If you have just had your heart broken … use the emotion … and write it. There is no guarantee that anything will come from this approach, but if it gets you writing, the effort is worth it. It is a songwriting equivalent of buying a couple of buying a bucket of balls and heading off to the driving rang

See you next month … Maybe.

If you have a question regarding any aspects of song writing, would like to buy a copy of my book “Writing Great Song Lyrics” or are interested in my “one on one” private song writing coaching service (based in the Blue Mountains) contact me at allan@allancaswell.com

On the 9^th of March 2012, two big things happened to Allan Caswell. He turned 60 and released his first children’s album “Just Kidding”.

Not that he is new to children’s music. During the 90s he co wrote and co produced a whole series of hugely successful children’s albums with Don Spencer.

“Just Kidding” contains several Caswell/Spencer much loved classics including “Bob The Kelpie”, “Please Don’t Call Me A Koala Bear” and “Aussie Mossie” (although the performance is definitely Allan Caswell) as well as new songs that Allan wrote with Drew McAlister (“Hands”), Kaylee Bell (the duet “Australia And New Zealand”) and Mick Hamilton (“I’m An Aussie Shark”).

The delightful “Joey The Barbecue Blowie” was written by Allan with his wife Marian and his youngest daughter Georgia.

The first single off “Just Kidding” is the very funny “Skin”

“Just Kidding” was produced by Roger Corbett at The Valley Studio in Springwood. “Roger did a terrific job … I co produced the original versions of some of these songs and wanted a fresh approach for them … Roger gave me that.” said Caswell

“Most people think that children’s music is a separate genre … I see it as quality songs for really intelligent people who just happen to be 8 years old … I write country music and I am as proud of these songs as any I have written.”

“Just Kidding” was originally intended as an album for Allan and Marian’s first grandson, Parker … since the recording began they have found that they have 2 more grandchildren on the way … so a sequel is definitely on the cards.

“Just Kidding” is available on Shoestring Records (SR 103)

For more information contact: Allan Caswell (0419 218988 or allan@allancaswell.com or Pat Drummond on patdrum@lisp.com.au

Ok guys … it’s the grumpy old man again. A lot of what I say here will be seen as “old school”  … but is important. Growing as a songwriting involves listening … not just to “what’s happening” but where it came from. You can’t grow if you keep writing the same song over and over again.

You can’t write in a vacuum, you can’t ignore everything that happened before the last few years but you can learn so much about craft and structure from writers who were doing it before you were born.

Don’t Just Write Your Album

These days there is an unhealthy feeling within “the Industry” that you have to write all your own material, fit neatly into the template and not stray too far from what everyone else is doing. I write with and for a lot of artists and I keep hearing … I need a song that does this and a song that does that  … 4 fast 4 mid tempo and a couple of ballads. If you are already putting those kinds of limitations on yourself, you are in danger of stifling your creativity.  Singer/ songwriters who are innovative and groundbreaking usually write lots of songs to give them lots of options and the songs that don’t fit the project are farmed out to other artists or saved for future projects.

My advice is to write as many songs as you can. Write with other writers … use them … use their skills and style to give variety and breadth to your work. The more songs you write the better and more varied your songs become … besides, if you only know how to write what is happening right now, how are you going to cope when the fashions change.

Ageism

 Not every young artist or writer I have met takes the attitude of “if I haven’t heard about it … it didn’t happen” but it is, sadly, fairly common. If you have only 20 years of life experience and only 4 years writing experience it’s a tough gig to be expected to come up with a whole bunch of deep career changing songs. This isn’t lightweight pop music … it is country music and what makes it even harder is that a large percentage of your potential audience will be older than you are and have different expectations of what makes a country song.

Co writing

 The short answer as to how you get more experience into your work is to write with more experienced writers. Writing with people who are more experienced gives  you a couple of big advantages:

1. You have access to a whole grab bag of experience and tricks of the trade that the other writer has at his disposal. Often these have taken years to learn and you can have them in one afternoon.
2. The combination of your attitude, ideas and understanding of where the business is right now and your co writer’s craft, skill and knowledge of how it works can be very powerful.
3. If writing with an “old fart” doesn’t appeal to you, you always have …

YouTube

I spend as little time as possible on the Net but I find You Tube very useful and you would be amazed at how much you can find there. The artists you admire as a young artist often grew up listening to the legends. You Tube gives you access to both. Listening to the artist that inspired your hero can give you a valuable lead into where you need to go yourself. Country Music is steeped in history and tradition and you owe it to yourself to work at becoming part of it. This includes being open to the old ideas as well as the new ones.

See you next month … Maybe.

I have written a number of columns recently that I thought were contentious and, surprisingly, the response has been very positive, which has probably lured me into a false sense of security. This column may sound to you like the musings of a grumpy old man … but I assure you that I think these issues are very important. These aren’t some International songwriting convention … they are my rules. You may not agree with them and you may feel free to argue with me but they have served me well for 40 years and I am convinced that they work.

Writer Credits

1. Never leave your co writer’s name off any recordings of a song.
2. If you are performing a song live, you cannot be expected to say, “I wrote this with … “ before every song (it gets boring) but don’t say “I wrote this song” if you had a co writer. This can be very hurtful to your co writer, especially if he is at the gig.
3. Never make major changes to a song without consulting your co writer. I once had a co writer and a bridge added to a song and the first I heard about it was in a record review. I still think the song worked better without a bridge. If your producer thinks a song needs changes, don’t do it and cut him in as a co writer without consulting your original co writer … it is ill mannered as well as dishonest.
4. The popular convention is that writer credits are shown in alphabetical order … if your name starts with “S” and your co writer with “C” … does your ego really insist that your name has to go first? I co wrote an entire album with Doug Ashdown several years ago … he listed the credits as Ashdown /Caswell on song 1 and Caswell / Ashdown on song 2, and so on throughout the album … but that’s Doug … he’s old school.
5. If you are doing the credits for an album cover, make sure the writer credits are included, otherwise it will look like you wrote all the songs yourself and you will appear mean spirited and credit hogging in the eyes of your co writers.

Co writing Etiquette

There are a few things that I am convinced are important in developing a good co writing relationship:

1. If you think you wrote most of a song, keep it to yourself and never let it leave the writing room. Chances are that the next time you write your co writer will write most of the next one. In a regular co writing partnership it usually evens up. If it doesn’t … don’t do it. If you count up the lines you wrote and try to get a bigger percentage, people will think you are a fool and will stop writing with you.
2. Any decisions regarding percentages are negotiable. I have often taken a smaller share when I thought it was warranted.
3. If you are not happy with anything that occurs in a songwriting partnership, either discuss it or quit but don’t let it fester.

Writer’s Nights And Showcases

These nights are important in your development as a songwriter but I almost never go to them any more because of the lack of manners displayed by the participants. If you and your friends / disciples talk all through the other writer’s sets and then expect a respectful silence during your set, you will come over as a self absorbed little jerk. Trust me, your” twinkle twinkle little star” antics will not endear you to other writers or potential co writing partners.

Be Humble

Don’t bore us on Facebook with how great your songs are or ask us to vote for you in some meaningless competition. Put the effort into writing better songs and getting them cut.

Don’t be superior. If you want to write with someone, approach him or her with respect. Never treat your co writer as your assistant even if you are writing for your album. Take the trouble to find out about your co writer (his or her successes, style and reputation).

See you next month … Maybe.

If you have a question regarding any aspects of song writing or are interested in my “one on one” private song writing coaching service (based in the Blue Mountains) contact me at allan@allancaswell.com

“I keep driving into Country towns and seeing all those signs that say ‘60 Slow Down’ and I am taking them personally “ complained Drummond.

Getting a Senior’s Card normally comes with the benefit of cheaper travel and that would certainly be appropriate for these two Country/ Folk troubadours.

Drummond, who is a multi-award winning Country Music Hands Of Fame Recipient, has racked up literally millions of kilometers around Australia, gathering the stories he is so well known for. Caswell, with Six Golden Guitars and an ARIA Award behind him for International hit songs such as “On The Inside (The Theme from Prisoner”, has recently been name Winnebago’s new Ambassador to the Road.

Caswell says that this may be the last chance for people to see these Elder statesmen of Folk and Country Music while “We can still remember the words!!!”

For most of us remembering the words would be a challenge but for Drummond and Caswell, who have been responsible for penning over 1500 songs in their combined Century of public performance, it must be a ‘feat extraordinaire’.

“ When I started in Country Music”, Allan reminisces, “ all the legends like Tex, Buddy, Slim and Smokey were still alive and, like most grumpy old men, looked on people like me as young upstarts who didn’t understand the Form and wouldn’t amount to anything… now I’m as grumpy as any of them!”

The show at The Clarendon on Tuesday the 28th of Feb, 2012 will see the pair play some of their earliest works penned in their teenage years, some of the Award winning and Chart storming material that they are well known for as well as some of their most recent offerings.

It will be a night to remember if, at their advanced age, they can remember anything at all. Don’t Miss it!

I love songs, I love well-crafted songs with great hooks but, most of all, I love songs that feel like they are talking directly to me. Song writing is an art and its main aim, like all art is to touch people. In this month’s column, I will try to give you a few hints on making your songs more believable and real.

The Voice

I tend to be an emotional writer. I write from the heart out. As any of my regular co writers will tell you, I will often choke with emotion and have trouble getting the line out. There are lots of ways to write a song … this is just the one that works for me. I treat lyric writing as a sort of method acting process. I ‘become’ the character I’m writing about … to get the voice right.

If all this sounds a little New Age and confusing, I’m sorry but if you want people to feel something, you have to first feel it yourself.

If it is a sad song, the emotional voice of the song needs to reflect it but it should never be allowed to be whiney or miserable. There should be a light touch about these songs, a sense of humor and a straightforward honesty … you can’t manufacture the emotion. It has to be there naturally in both the melody and the lyric. This often comes from the power of your hook and the way you build your song around it. If you write your song line 1 then line 2 then line 3 etc., you will find that you song lacks focus.

A happy song is often harder to write than a sad song … it needs to be up but not lightweight. Your song still needs to be believable. Just because you have a good hook, a nice guitar lick and a cool video, doesn’t mean that your song is going to reach people. Listen to what you are saying … do you think it sounds contrived and doesn’t sound like the way you talk? … If it does, it probably is.

If you are a man writing a song for a woman to sing (or vice versa) you need to think like a woman … come on … it’s called imagination … it’s part of your job description. Blokey phrases and attitudes aren’t going to cut it.

A method I sometimes use is to write the song from a male perspective so that, if a woman sings it she sounds strong and resilient or reverse the process and write a male song from a female perspective so that he sounds sensitive and caring.

The Language

Your lyric should always be a conversation between you and the listener. The language should, wherever possible, be language that would use when talking to someone. Your song is not a poem or a short story it needs to have a natural rhythm and rhyme about it in order to work with the tune. You also can’t use ugly words with hard vowel sounds … you need to find words that tell your story but still sound good.

If you are writing a story song through the eyes of a character, you have to think like that character and use the language that he or she would use … an old man using phrases that belong to someone younger will sound forced and contrived. Anachronistic language can sometimes be really effective in a “character” song but you need to avoid it in a song where you are trying to be cool and cutting edge.

The Cliché Of Rhyme

Look I know rhyme is important but it only a tool and, badly used, it can stop your song from sounding believable and real. If you insist on rhyming brain and insane, love and dove or even fire and desire you immediately lose credibility … play with the lines, use half rhymes or less predictable hard rhymes to make your point in a slicker but more believable way.

Allan Caswell, the six time Golden Guitar winner at the Tamworth Country Music Festival is planning on taking to the country by Eyre when he launches his next tour in his very own Winnebago Eyre.

“it was the stylish good looks of the Eyre together with the huge amount of storage space at the rear of the motorhome that decided it” said Allan, “There was loads of room for my guitars and amps in the storage area, leaving the inside uncluttered and making for a far more pleasant trip. I just had to have it, and the Winnebago name was certainly the clincher”.

Allan is happy to adopt the mantle of Winnebago RV Club Ambassador as he feels that the motorhome fraternity is a bit like his, happy to wander the countryside looking for peace and tranquillity, sights and sounds and great experiences. “The Winnebago RV Club is something I want to get involved with. It seems like a great way to meet people and enjoy life on the road”.

Allan is well known to Country music aficionados for his contribution to the Country music scene for many decades. From his song writing debut back in 1973 and his first Golden Guitar in 1980 for best new talent, Allan has not looked back.

Almost 40 years on, a platinum and four gold albums later and accolades for writing the theme to the hit TV series Prisoner, Allan has over 900 songs published and around 500 of his songs recorded worldwide, released by artists of the calibre of Cilla Black, The Irish Rovers, Patti Page, Slim Dusty, James Blundell and The Living End.

Allan’s career as an entertainer has taken him to almost every town in NSW, every state in Australia, to New York, LA, Nashville, New Zealand, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. He has worked live with Garth Brooks, Don McLean, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, Pam Ayers and The Little River Band and in the studio with Tommy Emmanuel, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea and Highway 101.

At the height of The America’s Cup hysteria when Australia 2 was in trouble, Caswell wrote and released “The Australia’s Cup”. The record, recorded for $38 and released independently, went to No.1 in Sydney and top 5 nationally. In 2005 Caswell had his first book “Writing Great Song Lyrics” published. His second book, “Split Personalities”, a book of poetry written in collaboration with his best-selling author brother, Brian is nearing completion. He also works as a freelance journalist.

Allan these days prefers a more laid back approach to life and loves the more personal venues where he can showcase his considerable talents to smaller audiences right around Australia and has presently embarked on his latest tour he cheekily entitles “Caswell Takes it To Australia By Eyre” a pointed reference to his new Winnebago Eyre motorhome.

Allan will be appearing at the upcoming WRVC Christmas Party at the fantastic Darlington Holiday Park near Coffs Harbour in NSW on December 3 and will be playing his new song entitled “Happy Hour” a song written especially for the Winnebago RV Club.

www.winnebago.com.au

I touched on this, rather unpleasant, subject in a recent column and had a number of requests for more information … so here goes.

In terms of actually making money out of your songs in Australia (particularly in country music), the opportunities are few and far between. This isn’t helped when the artists who record your songs don’t do the right thing. It’s not rocket science. The process of looking after the rights of the songwriter is relatively simple but often ignored.

I hate to point the finger at my fellow independent artists but that’s where the problems occur. The major record companies, as a matter of course, account to AMCOS and writers get paid. This not always the case with independent albums … backyard burns and lack of policing by some manufacturing plants means that thousands of dollars worth of unlicensed albums are being produced. The studios get paid, the printers get paid, the musicians get paid, the producer gets paid, the publicists get paid, the hairdresser gets paid … only the writers miss out and, without them, the album wouldn’t exist.

Some people pay the AMCOS licence on the first 1,000 but forget it after that, which is nearly as bad. I have just paid to licence another few hundred copies of my “Behind Bars” album. Most of the songs on the album were written and are now published by me. The reason I paid for the licence was because I had 2 covers on the project as well as a number of co writers and their publishers. If you are a self-published singer/songwriter and you record an album of, solely your work you will not need an AMCOS licence for it.

The Responsibilities Of The Songwriter

1. Make sure that you have your songs registered correctly with APRA and AMCOS. They are great organisations but they have yet to develop the software to read minds.
2. Make sure all your co writers and publishers are credited and the percentages are correct.
3. When you pitch a song to an artist make sure that the correct writer credits appear on all correspondence. I hate it when my co writers aren’t credited … it is embarrassing as well as a red flag that the album probably hasn’t been licenced properly. If an artist thinks that you wrote the song by yourself, it will appear that way on the record label.
4. If you (or your publisher) are not a member of APRA/AMCOS they obviously can’t pay you even if a licence has been purchased for the album. You need to join. If you are making money from your songs you are entitled to membership of APRA and AMCOS. The alternative is that you can be paid directly by the artist or record company but this is messy.

The Responsibilities Of The Artist/Record Company

1. Part of the cost of every album you make should always include the payment of songwriting royalties.
2. It is your responsibility to supply AMCOS with the titles and authors of the songs on your album
3. A licence needs to be obtained from AMCOS for each pressing of each album. This is a legal obligation not an optional exercise.

Live Performance Royalties

As a songwriter (and particularly as a singer/songwriter), a significant percentage of your income is derived from the live performances of your songs. If your songs are performed in pubs, clubs or theatres etc, you are entitled to receive royalties. This operates very much on an honor basis and is hard to police. The point is that, if someone performs your song and fails to put it in their Live Performance Return with APRA, it is costing you money. Worse still, artists who claim to perform songs of their own when they haven’t are, in effect, stealing from writers who otherwise would have received these royalties.

It’s ugly but songwriters are losing hundred’s of dollars of their rightful income by deliberate or inadvertent cheating on the royalty system. Educating artists and songwriters can hopefully, end the inadvertent cheating. The deliberate cheating is a crime and can have severe legal implications.