Should I Pay to Have a Song Recorded?

There is no short answer to this question. The writer should always expect to pay to have a demo recording made, but most of the time should not pay to have the song released to radio or any other commercial use.

Your song is similar to any other piece of personal property. Let’s use an example to help you understand. Assume you own a house and wish to earn income by renting it. You decide it needs work. You might hire a painter to apply a fresh coat of paint or a roofer to put on a new roof. You would be having these things done to make the house more attractive to renters. You would not expect the painter or the roofing company to work on your house without being paid.

If your song is not ready to be pitched, you might hire a demo recording company to make it more attractive. The company you selected would book studio time, hire musicians and a vocalist. Just as you would not expect to have your rental unit fixed for free, you should not expect a demo company to provide their services free.

After the work has been completed and the workmen paid, you are ready to let potential users know what you have to offer. With rental units, this is called advertising. With songs, it is called pitching or plugging. In both cases, you are trying to accomplish the same thing. You are attempting to draw attention to what you have to offer.

If you are trying to find a renter, you can do all the work yourself. You can advertise in newspapers and put up signs, call people to see if they know somebody who might rent your property, or take any number of similar approaches. On the other hand, you may decide to hire a rental agent.

Rental agents are in the business of renting property. They have the knowledge and connections to do a much better job in a shorter period of time. Of course, they expect to be paid for their time and services.

The same thing applies to plugging your song. You can do all the work yourself. You can subscribe to songwriters’ tip sheets. You can make copies of your demo and mail them to every address you can find. You can come to Nashville and knock on record companies’ doors. You can fly to Hollywood, New York, and Toronto to talk to movie producers and television program producers. While you’re in New York, you can spend days visiting advertising agencies trying to get your song used in the new Ford, Chevy, toothpaste, or soft drink commercial. You can spend as much time and money pitching your song as you can afford to spend.

On the other hand, you may decide to hire a song plugger. They are in the business of pitching songs. They have the knowledge and connections to do a better job in less time. Of course, they expect to be paid for their time and services.

One closing thought. In most cases, you would not pay somebody to use your rental property. However, there are exceptions.

Several years ago, the United Artists Tower in Nashville had suffered several years of neglect. It was in very poor repair and was not considered a good place to locate an office. The tower was sold, and the new owner did extensive renovations. But, years of neglect had left it with an undesirable reputation. The Nashville music community was unaware of the improvements. The situation demanded a creative solution. The owner had no idea what to do. In desperation, he hired a rental management company. They had the experience and connections required to solve the problem. They knew Foxfire Records was a well known company. They knew the company’s President (Jason Hawkins) was a trend setter with a reputation for being a maverick.

They approached him with an offer of six months free rent in the newly renovated United Artists Tower. He inspected the office space they offered and liked it but he couldn’t justify the move because he had just signed a one year lease at the Young Executive Building. The management company countered with an offer of 1 year’s free rent. Foxfire Records relocated to the United Artists Tower. In less than a year, other companies had followed and the building was full.

In most cases, you would not pay somebody to use your song. However; there are exceptions.

Many years ago, Jimmy Crane was an unknown songwriter living in Providence, RI. He owned a jewelry business that made him a living, but his heart was in songwriting. He had great songs with killer demo recordings. He pitched them to everybody he could but had no luck. He was just one of thousands of unknown songwriters trying to get a break. Jimmy knew it was time for a creative solution.

There was a well known pop singer named Eddie Fisher. Eddie had busted the charts several times, but had never had a number one record. Jimmy discovered Eddie was recording a new album in New York City. He caught a train to New York and a cab to the recording studio. He reached the studio just before noon and waited until they broke for lunch. He approached Eddie’s producer and offered to buy his lunch at the nearby cafe.

Over lunch, he pulled an envelope from his pocket and pushed it across the table to the producer. Jimmy told the producer there were two things inside the envelope. A hit song for Eddie Fisher and a thousand dollar bill for the producer. The producer kept the money and Eddie Fisher recorded the song. The song was, “If I Ever Needed You, I Need you Now.” It was the first time a Jimmy Crane song was used in a commercial fashion. It was the first number one hit in Eddie Fisher’s career.

Jimmy Crane went on to a highly successful career as a songwriter. He wrote more hit songs than I can name here. He even wrote the sound track for the Elvis movie, “Kissing Cousins.”

Jimmy died a few years ago. He was a good friend and a great songwriter. His songs still earn tens of thousands of dollars each year. His children and grandchildren will receive royalties for many years after his death. Two conclusions can be drawn from this story. Creative people find creative solutions to everyday problems, and there is an exception to almost every rule.