Friday, May 8, 2015

DSA E-NEWS:SONGWRITERS NOTES #165 MAY 2015

Hello Songwriter,
April brought us lots of showers! hooray! We need the rain. Hopefully May will stay cool long enough so that we are not burning up at the Wildflower Festival. We are managing the Courtyard Stage where you can hear some great singer songwriter talent. Come out and support DSA. Details about the lineup here.

 Our Second Tuesday Meeting will feature guest speaker, Ray Baker, producer, sax player and publisher. See #2 below.

 On May 21st, Liz Rose, Lori McKenna and Friends will perform in the round at Poor Davids Pub. Sponsored by DSA and Dallas Business Council For The Arts. Did you know that Liz won a Grammy in 2010 and has written 20 hits with Taylor Swift!   This a a show not to be missed and the best value in town that evening. For More Info... http://songwriterevents.blogspot.com/2015/05/liz-rose-and-friends-at-poor-davids-on.html.

The Wildflower Songwriting School will feature mentor Cliff Eberhardt on May 15th. See #7.

The Dallas International Guitar Show is coming to Fair Park May 29th - 31st. The best entertainment value, this show is not to be missed with numerous performance stages, clinics and two buildings filled with venders where you can buy, sell and trade guitars and other related gear. 

 Congrats to James Michael Taylor, winner of the BW Stevenson Contest at Poor David's Pub, who split his $100 winnings with all the finalist.
Our second and fourth Sat. Showcases at Angela's are a big hit. The lineup in May includes Helene Cronin, Brando, Steve Sullivan and Joe Milton. See below for the April line up.

 Our regular DSA monthly events remain the same 1st and 3rd Monday SongSwaps and 3rd Thursday Open Mic. THERE WILL BE NO OPEN MIC AT HALF PRICE BOOKS ON FIRST THURSDAY.  For details, see #2 and #4 below. Some of us like to visit the Poor Davids Pub Open Mic every Monday.

 Have a great May.

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1. ANNUAL SONG CONTEST - Winners Announced - See the complete list on our contest page.  http://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com/ 

LUCIA COMNES WINS GRAND PRIZE WITH HER SONG, "NO HIDING PLACE"

http://dsapress.blogspot.com/2015_01_01_archive.html  

On December 9th, at Sons of Hermann Halls, we announced our song contest winners. Our grand prize winner was Lucia Comnes; Second place was local girl, Gracie Lott, and James Bennett took third place. See the press release about the grand prize winners here: http://dsapress.blogspot.com/2015_01_01_archive.html  See the complete list of winners on our song contest page: http://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com. Our Christmas Party and Awards Dinner was so much fun.  details here: http://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com/p/awards-dinner-tuesday-december-9-at.html 

                 2014 Dallas Songwriters Song Contest
Now in its 24th year, The DSA 2014 Song Contest is one of the longest running international song contests for amateur songwriters. Over $5,000 in cash and prizes.

GRAND PRIZE  -   A Casio Privia Piano
and a Nashville recording session at Bieard Music Group. 
Beaird Music Group


1st Runner Up
 wins studio time at
River Sounds Recording Resort







2nd Runner up
wins recording time at 
Jo-Musik


Grand Prize winners receive:
($199.95 Value) 
Includes Artist Website, 1 Yr. Hosting
1 Yr. Sonicbids Membership

Category winners get cash prizes


Listen to the winners on Soundcloud at:

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Click here for more info about this contest, and for more information about joining DSA (membership not required to enter contest). Click here to view a list of frequently asked questions. 
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2001 - 2007 Winners Compilation CDs available at the DSA store

All winning songs are on a CD Compilation that was given out at the Awards Ceremony. To get any 3 double CD's simply make a quarter note donation to DSA through our online store and send us an email to request which 3 years of Cd's you want us to mail you.

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2. DSA MEETINGS - SECOND TUESDAY WORKSHOP
  APRIL 12: RAY BAKER will speak to DSA about producing Christian artist and publishing. He will also critique songs.
   More about Ray at:https://dsameetings.blogspot.com

 Free to Members | $5 for visitors
Sign in and Networking begins at 6:30
Announcements at 7PM
Program about 7:30
Song Critiques follow – Members only may enter for $10
DETAILS ON MEETING PROCEDURES
https://dallassongwriters.org/events/2nd-tuesday-meeting-agenda-and-song-critique/
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FUTURE SPEAKERS
May 12 – Ray Baker  - publisher, producer, jazz sax player raybaker@rab.com
June 9 – Hal Ketchum - tentative
July 14 – Bill Nash
August 11 – No Meeting 
TBA Summer Picnic and Jam
September 8 – Co- Writes
October 13 - Turk Wilder
November 10 - Annual Membership Meeting
December 8 - Christmas Party and Awards Dinner
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MONDAY SONG SWAPS for peer critique
Song Swap Workshops
Monthly 7:30-10 PM
Free, Visitors Welcome
Where songwriters perform their songs for peer review. Bring your guitar and a few lyric sheets. This is like an old fashioned guitar pull with comments between songs.

FIRST MONDAY in East Dallas
Half Price Books, 5803 E Northwest Hwy Dallas, TX 75231-6519 (214) 379-8000
 Jame Pappas coordinating.
We'll be in the Community Room at the back left in the building.

THIRD MONDAY in PLANO - 
Tino's - Steve Sullivan, coordinator.
Tino's Too Mexican Restaurant 2205 Ave K, Plano, Tx  972 881-9226
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3. BEST SONGS of the 2nd Tuesday Meeting

April 2015
No Critiques

To view past winners go to the Best Songs blog. http://bestsongsofthemeeting.blogspot.com/

To hear the winners go to our Soundcloud page https://soundcloud.com/dsa-best-songs
Did you know that AnR reps from labels and music publishers are listening to our Myspace page each month?

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4. SHOWCASES AND OPEN MICS -

http://showcases-openmics.blogspot.com/

OPEN MICS

DUNN BROTHERS COFFEE HOUSE -
EVERY 3RD THURSDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm

NO HALF PRICE BOOKS OPEN MIC THIS MONTH- NORTHWEST HIGHWAY - Rotating guest host featured artist
EVERY 1ST THURSDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Sign up begins at 6:30
Featured Artist at 8PM

NEW!
KITCHEN CAFE' - North Dallas
EVERY LAST MONDAY - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Hosted by Michael Brandonberger

SHOWCASES

Saturday Night at the Angela's at the Crosswalk in Downtown Plano
THE DSA WILL HOST TWICE-MONTHLY SHOWCASES ON THE 2ND AND 4TH SATURDAYS OF THE MONTH.7:30 - 11:00 Hosted by Buck Morgan and Harry Hewlett 
                Featured artist each month followed by open mic.
2nd Saturday Night 
MAY 9:   Helene Cronin, Craig Langford  -   Extra Open Mic Time
4th Saturday Night,     MAY 23:  Joe Milton, Brando, Steve Sullivan
       
WILDFLOWER COURTYARD STAGE - MAY 15 - 17
Details about the lineup here

http://dsashowcases.blogspot.com/


SHOWCASE AND OPEN MIC - 

TEXAS SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND at Sandstone Cellars Winery Showcase and Open Mic in Mason Texas.
HOURS 6-9PM 211 San Antonio Street, Mason, TX 76856
Shows will be on the 3rd Thursday of each month .

Every 2nd Tuesday 7-9 PM @ Fuel Coffee House 106 Main St, Llano, Texas

Guidelines for our stars @ Texas Songwriters in the Round shows:
* All original set of 45 minutes
* A professional commercially released CD with some airplay and press.

We allow any songwriter to come be part of the TSR in the Round, with one star per month! If you'd like to come out and join in as a rounder I can make sure you have a place for the night! To Showcase contact: Jeri Alice
Other area open mics OPEN MICS
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5. DSA LYRIC CONTEST - Next deadline postmarked June 30th

Enter onine
We are still moving our website. Enter at the old WEBSITE.
or by mail


  SUMMER 2014 WINNER
Angels Down the Road by John Thomas Lane, Monument, CO

 FALL 2014 WINNER
Bounce by John Hyden, Ralston, NE

CURRENT WINNERS and PAST WINNERS and LYRICS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE

LYRICISTS GAIN RECOGNITION THROUGH COMPETITION
Next Lyric Contest Deadline is June 30th for Spring Lyric Contest
Entry fee is $10
Please see lyric contest webpage for details.

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6. MEMBER NEWS -

Wanna get involved? Become a committee member. It's fun! Be apart of the inner workings or the DSA. We have committee positions open.

Officers Elected at the Planning Meeting on January 10, 2015
Michael Brandenberger -  Prez
Bobby Montgomery - Executive VP, VP Programs
Dicky Johnson - Treasurer
Rachel Wilhelm - Tech
Dan Roark - Lyric Contest Director
Barbe McMillen - Communications, Administration, Newsletter
Joe Milton, Steve Sullivan, Ken Duren and James Pappas - At Large

If you are not a DSA Member, you missed these tips sent out through our yahoo group:

* Publisher looking for Childrens songs
* Artists/Producers looking for original material for recording artists
* Major Brand X (To be disclosed at a later time) Seeks Independent artist for music campaign.
* Where to get your cd reviewed
* Music related job listing
* Film Licensing Co. seeking instrumental music
* Cheap and free tickets - Free tickets to selected Winspear Opera House events.

Lyricists are invited to co-write with music writers by submitting your lyric through the member yahoo group.
                   PATRON SAINTS: PAUL ZANDER, ROGER RUSSELL, TREVOR DAHLEN
Patron Sponsor L3: Bobby Montgomery, Harry Hewlett, Latoya Cooper, Kent Poynor, Ken Duren, Terry Bloss, Martha Myre, Michael Brandenberger, Bill Honker, Morri Hartgraves, Steve Sullivan, James Pappas, Suzi Morse
Patron Sponsor L1: Ann Cornelius
Patron Sponsor: Bill Kapac, Mary Guthrie, Mimi Balkey

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Tamara Stamp
THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP:  Ken Duren, Phillip Wildman

TIME TO RENEW: The following members owe dues:
YOU HAVE A TWO MONTH GRACE PERIOD TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP OR YOU WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE MEMBER GROUP

EXPIRED IN SEPT: Ted Alvarez, Mary Matthews, Marcus Belmore, Patrick Beck, Marcy Carter.
EXPIRED IN OCT: Eddie Lott, Cal Scott, Brian Kalinec, Stephen McWhirter, Arek Religa, Kate Diaz, Maureen Fichten, Brent Benton
EXPIRED IN NOV: BC Cornish, Jasmine Dia, Richard Hopson
EXPIRED IN DEC: Scott White, Brad Davis, Ashley Sichler, Davi Morales
EXPIRED IN JAN: Grady Yates, Terry Fansler, Ray Phillips, Bill Kapac, Tim Spitzer, Brian Joyner, Cliff Monroe, Troll Mallow, Brit Morgan, Skip Spoonts, Mark Bone, Aaron Rose, Laura Bertwell, Jordy Searcy, Cousin Don Brown, Bob Fisk, Richard Hunt

EXPIRED IN FEB: Jonathan Malone, Jesse Anderson, Wayne Dobry, Anthony Castillo, Daniel Zagotta
EXPIRED IN MARCH: Julia Pauletti, Jeff Rodgers, Carol Shaw, Craig Langford, Johnny Cromer
EXPIRED IN APRIL:Tom Thomas, David Wysong, Gary White, Kerry McCall, Randy Overton, Kent Poynor, John Mason
 TIME TO RENEW THIS MONTH: Ann Cornelius, Mark Evans, Julie Jean White, Dan Roark, Aaron Shook, Mathew Cords.
Renew your membership online,
You'll find the link to the store on the panel to the right

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7. WORKSHOPS - DSA WORKSHOPS 

(Each month DSA hosts 3 workshops at our monthly meetings on the 1st Monday, 3rd Monday and 2nd Tuesday these are ongoing. see item 2 above.)
Coming in May
May 15th: Wildflower Songwriters School with Cliff Eberhardt   http://songwriterevents.blogspot.com/2015/04/wildflower-festival-and-songwriting.html

The May 20th workshop with Liz Rose, Lori McKenna, Stephony Smith and Phil Barton  has been CANCELLED. I know, I know, I had a lot of inquiries and I promise we will reschedule. My email was down for weeks due switching servers for the website. We failed to get all the ends tied up.

Want to study songwriting but don't want to get out of your PJ's? Take a class online through a songwriting workshop yahoo group.
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8. EVENTS - Featuring local and worldwide events of the songwriting community including, seminars, conferences, and showcases.

2015

MAY 
9 Meet Nico and Ninz at Grammy U Soundcheck, The Parish, Austin, Tx
13-17  SERFA - South East Regional Folk Alliance, Montreat, NC
15 - 17 Wildflower Festival, Richardson Tx 
21   Liz Rose and Friends at Poor David's Pub 
22 - June 6 Kerville Folk Festival
23    Max Baca and Los TexManiacs at MCL Grand, Lewisville, TX
29-31 Dallas Guitar Show
31 Tony Ramey at The Rustic, Dallas, Tx

 JUNE
- 6 Kerville Folk Festival
 13    Colin Gilmore and Nicolette Good at MCL Grand, Lewisville, TX
15  Grammy In The Mix, Hyatt, Austin, TX
20 Tony Ramey at Poor David's Pub, Dallas, TX
21 - 23 New Music Seminar, NYC
26 - 28 Thunder Mountain, Ozark, AR - Zane Williams appearing along with Carrie Underwood and many others    http://thunderonthemountain.com/


 JULY
31 - Aug 2 Newport Jazz Fest, Newport RI
AUG
8   DSA Pool Party Jam and BBQ
29- 31 Kerrville Wine and Music, Kerrville, Tx

SEPT
4 - 6 Bedford Blues and BBQ, Bedford, TX
23 - 27 Southwest Regional Folk Alliance, Conference Austin, Tx
 
 OCT
 9 Austin City Limits Fest, Austin, Tx
13 - 17 CMJ Marathon, NYC
15 Tony Ramey at Love and War in Plano, TX

 NOV
10 DSA Annual Membership Meeting and Elections

 DEC
8 DSA Christmas Party

Moses Avalon's List of Top Ranked Music Conferences.
Go to the events page to view links to local and Texas venues.   http://songwriterevents.blogspot.com/

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9. Featured Articles:

ASCAP CEO Beth Matthews Responds to Pandora Rate Court Appeal Decision
ASCAP -- "This ruling reaffirms what we already know – that the ASCAP Consent Decree and the rules that govern music licensing are outdated and completely out of step with the way people listen to music today.... Powerful corporate interests, like Pandora, are determined to stand in the way of meaningful music licensing reform so that they may continue to shortchange songwriters. This is a wake up call for creators to stand together, get involved and fight for their right to be paid a fair market rate for the use of their works."
Songwriters! HELP US HELP YOU. An ASCAP contingency, including songwriters, music publishers and artists, will be in DC next week to visit members of Congress and discuss YOUR issues. YOU CAN BE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR TRIP BY LAYING THE GROUNDWORK. Go to "Support the Songwriter's Equity Act," enter your Zip Code where indicated and send the message provided to your Senators and Representatives. It's easy. It's fast. IT'S VITAL! Flood our representatives with emails so they'll know why ASCAP is there before we walk through their doors ... By doing so you will give the ASCAP team (YOUR TEAM) more time to present the facts. You'll be doing yourself a favor.
Interview: Jay Morgenstern
In this fascinating interview, taped for the NAMM Oral History Series, Jay Morgenstern, Songwriter Hall of Fame, Abe Olman Publisher Award winner [given to publishers who have published a substantial number of songs that have become world-renowned and who have helped to further the careers and success of many songwriters] discusses historical events that helped shape the Great American Songbook. [Happy 85th birthday, Jay, my dear, dear friend. Hugs and kisses from Michelle, too.]
Smashed Hits: "Louie Louie"
BBC News Magazine -- Richard Berry, writer of "Louie Louie" sold his interest in the song – outright – for $750.00. Robert Kennedy, Frank Sinatra and J. Edger Hoover helped contribute to the song's fame. ... But, you ain't heard nuttin' yet... [Thanks to Scott Thoen for the link.]
[Stephen is truly deserving of this award.
Wicked's Stephen Schwartz Named Recipient of Tony Awards' 2015 Isabelle Stevenson Award
By Bethany Rickwald -- Stephen Schwartz has been named the 2015 recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for his work with ASCAP and as president of the Dramatists Guild. ... The Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award is presented annually to a member of the theater community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations.

MUSIC BUSINESS - more articles posted on  DSA Music Biz News






[Streaming up. Creator royalties down.]
U.S. Music Consumption Up 14 Percent in First Quarter, Streams Make Up Losses in Sales
By Glenn Peoples
CD Money vs. Streaming Money, 2004-2014.
By Paul Resnikoff -- *source: Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); all revenue inflation-adjusted to 2013.
Why Won't Music Supervisors Listen to My Music?
By Zac Cataldo and Brent Godin
5 Seriously Dumb Myths About Copyright the Media Should Stop Repeating
By John Degen -- I offer this short list of seriously dumb copyright myths to help you through the clutter of free culture bunkum. Hope it helps:
Can You Still Become 'YouTube Famous'?": http://on.recode.net/1IJlojS

Copyright Essentials: 5 Things Every Musician Should Know
By Dave Cool -- Should you register songs with the Copyright Office? What's needed to release a cover song? Make sure you're properly informed when it comes to Copyright! [Thanks to Stephanie Falvo of HFA for the link.]
Why Won't Music Supervisors Listen to My Music?
By Zac Cataldo and Brent Godin
[That mysterious ISRC Code 'splained]
Music Biz Explains Ins and Outs of ISRC Codes in New Infographic
IFPI -- [Thanks to HFA's Stephanie Falvo for the link.]

IN MEMORANDUM

Percy Sledge: He Tore Us Up With Soul Songs
By Jerry Shriver -- Think how your heart felt when you first heard that misery come pouring out of your hi-fi or transistor radio: This gentle, eternally devoted soul had just been blindsided by his woman, who'd left him broke, bleeding inside and sleeping out in the rain. And still he pleaded for her return.
'Stand By Me' Singer, Drifters Frontman, Ben E. King, Dies At 76
The Associated Press -- Ben E. King, the unforgettable lead singer for the Drifters and solo star whose plaintive baritone graced such pop and rhythm 'n blues classics as "Stand by Me," ''There Goes My Baby" and "Spanish Harlem," has died. ... "As amazing an artist as he was, multiply that by a million and that's how nice a guy he was," said his attorney, Judy Tint.

LISTEN 
VIDEO

This video is so important it is the only item I'm running today. If you care about surviving this digital tsunami, it could be the most important 44 minutes you will ever spend!
Professor Jonathan Taplin, of the Annenberg Innovation Lab, explains how the digital revolution has eroded the creative class, benefited a few major corporations, and impacted society at large. He offers some practical suggestions for how we can use tech to turn the tide and reinvigorate creators, and those that support of them.
As music creators, we all must understand the world in which we live. This video will put you in the center of your world, and shake up many of the misconceptions you may have chosen to embrace.
A few of the many, many highlights:
2:57: Martin Luther King's vision to keep morals at the center of technological revolution
6:08: A group of Stanford grads develop a new model for Silicon Valley: no regulation, no taxes, no copyright, no competition (and almost no women!)
10:58: How our digital economy shifts money from creators to digital monopolists
22:06: How technological progress impacts people outside the creative class
24:35: We've seen huge productivity spikes, but the benefits go to companies, not workers
27:04: What keeps us in the dark about how technology is affecting us?
32:45: What does it mean when 80% of downloads come from 1% of songs?
35:19: Being human in the technological age
37:44: What we need to revive the creative class and those who support it
41:47: How today's tech can help us achieve a creative renaissance
VIDEO: Three Tips For Music Licensing In Media Production
By John W. Mashni -- Obtaining the proper music licenses helps protect your production from a copyright lawsuit, which can ultimately prevent the release of your final product. Watch this short video clip for three practical tips on music licensing.
PERFORMANCE

Top 10 Country Wedding Songs
By The Boot Staff


The Most Popular Keys of All Music on Spotify
By Eliot Van Buskirk -- Each day, approximately 20,000 new songs appear on Spotify, which now has over 30 million tracks. ... Spotify data analyst and jazz pianist Kenny Ning took it upon himself to analyze the key of every track on Spotify, to determine how frequently they appear, and we turned the result into a chart.

RECORDING

CRAFT OF SONGWRITING
Barbe McMillen's blog, The Craft of Songwriting

Online Thesaurus and Rhyming Dictionary



Great web tool for lyric writing
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10. Song and Talent Contests

DSA Quarterly Lyric Contest http://dsalyriccontest.blogspot.com/
Next deadline - March 31st
A comprehensive list of Song Contests compliments of MusesMuse.com
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11. Songwriting Resources -  Now accepting book reviews

Links to websites about songwriting, performance, music industry.

DSA Book Store - reviews, links, lists of recommended reading, and what's in the DSA Library.

12. Archives of Past Programs and Activities

DALLAS SONGWRITERS OLD WEBSITE WITH ARCHIVED LINKS TO PAST PROGRAMS
http://dallassongwriters.blogspot.com

SONGS FROM THE SOUL OF SERVICE
Did you know???  DSA held two song contests for active military and the Cds of the winning songs, Songs From the Soul of Service Vols. 1 and 2 are available online at:http://store.kagi.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?storeID=7TE_LIVE&page=SSS4
Tribute to our fallen soldiers from DFW at our Podomatic site:
You Know Me Tribute to Fallen
Read the latest story about this years winners

CROSSROADS SHOWCASES
View past showcase performances and workshops on Crossroads Youtube.
                       
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DSA depends on your support.

Giving Rocks! While it never hurts to remind you that DSA is a non-profit organization (and so your contributions are tax-deductible) -  this year it means so much more. We're proud to be celebrating our 21th Anniversary as a non-profit. DSA has been an organized songwriter group since 1985 and became a non-profit in 1990.

Your gift enables us to meet our mission.

Our programs created to meet our mission goals are: a monthly newsletter, workshops, critique sessions, showcases, contests, networking opportunities and community service.
If you like what we do, and want to help us keep doing it, please make a contribution today. Gifts of all sizes are meaningful and appreciated.
Donations are welcome year round. 
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Thanks for reading this far. If you have any suggestions for the newsletter, please let me know. Follow me on Twitter @barbemcmillen. Give me a tweet.
  Songcerely,
  Barbara McMillen, Editor
  Songwriter Notes
  Founding President Emeritus, DSADSA Online Store
  Online Songwriting Workshops and Classes
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