If your plan of attack is to escape the tensions of life and write songs in your bedroom then good for you. If your plan is to gain a publishing contract, fantastic.

It doesnt matter what you do with your writing as long as you are happy and you are gaining some benefit from the experience. It is important to know what avenues you can take with your songs so you can make a more informed choice. I will try to map out some options.

Bear in mind this will not be an exhaustive list, the music industry is a wonderfully dynamic and ever-changing industry so new opportunities appear all the time.

1. Songs for you bedroom - Songwriting can be an extremely emotional and cathartic exercise. I have friends who just write songs in their bedroom and these songs will never see the light of day but for them the actual process of writing is their meditation, their way of deconstructing their world and putting it back together with a better understanding. They are also happier and less stressed by doing this. Check out my article on therapy songs.

2. Singer/Songwriting - This would be the category I would fall into. I write songs primarily to perform and put onto my own CD's. I would imagine that most of the songwriting that goes on in the world are done by singer/songwriters.

3. Songs for other people - You might play a bit of guitar and be handy with lyrics however you dont want to set foot on the stage. Thats fine. If you know of some performers and/or bands playing around town then you can approach them to perform your songs. With SCALA, the songwriting organisation that I belong to there are a few writers who get other performers to play their songs in showcases and songwriting competitions. I have been approached a number of times to do this and personally I get a real kick out of it.

4. Publishing - As well as this channel, this is the primary focus of my songwriting at the moment. Publishers are to songwriters what a record company is to artists and going through all of the finer details will take up a number of articles. Essentially a publisher supports your songwriting by managing how your songs are presented in the world and they do this for a split in your royalty income. If you are reading this and saying to yourself 'what the....' then stay tuned for future articles on this subject. In the meantime look at some publishing articles on songwriting sites such as Muses Muse.

5. Tipsheet submission - If you have your own studio or are affiliated with someone who has one then you could try this avenue. Using a site like TAXI you can submit your songs for consideration for different project that comes their way. You would need to become a member first but by doing this you become in essence your own publishing company. I am just about to embark on this path myself and I am very excited by the opportunities that might come up from this. I will keep you posted.

Well, there you go. That should start you off on your journey to really find out why you want to do this songwriting caper. As I have said before, songs keep this music industry alive so we, as songwriters are the most important link in the chain but whatever you decide to do is okay. The fact that you are writing is the most important thing.

Believe in yourself and keep exploring. May your experience today be the song of tomorrow.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Songwriter/Musician

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