What is the purpose of collaborating?
by perryg
What is the purpose of collaboration?
Is it only to find someone to help write one song and move on?
Is it to develop a relationship while writing a song?
I am writing this primarily to those of us who are nonperforming songwriters, although it applies to all of us.
First, from all I have read on the subject of co-writing, I see two primary purposes in co-writing: 1. to develop my skills and/or help someone else to develop their skills by combining their strengths and 2. to develop relationships, the key to getting somewhere in the music business.
I was in sales for a number of years, and this idea of networking with others to further your career is not dissimilar. The whole idea of networking (co-writing) is indeed to develop my career through the development of relationships with others. Hopefully, some of these will be with someone who is also going somewhere.
I believe we are best served when we serve others. If I want to build a strong career through songwriting and co-writing, I need every person I work with to support my path, and so I need to help and support them also.
I believe that the songs we produce from these relationships are not unlike our “children”, and as such need nurturing to develop. These songs are not “property” of one or the other “parent”, they are jointly held. Do not each of our songs deserve the best both (all) contributing writers can give them?
So come on fellow songwriters let us stop looking only to ourselves in our collaborating relationships. Let us make every song the best it can be by giving it the best we have.
PerryG
Is it only to find someone to help write one song and move on?
Is it to develop a relationship while writing a song?
I am writing this primarily to those of us who are nonperforming songwriters, although it applies to all of us.
First, from all I have read on the subject of co-writing, I see two primary purposes in co-writing: 1. to develop my skills and/or help someone else to develop their skills by combining their strengths and 2. to develop relationships, the key to getting somewhere in the music business.
I was in sales for a number of years, and this idea of networking with others to further your career is not dissimilar. The whole idea of networking (co-writing) is indeed to develop my career through the development of relationships with others. Hopefully, some of these will be with someone who is also going somewhere.
I believe we are best served when we serve others. If I want to build a strong career through songwriting and co-writing, I need every person I work with to support my path, and so I need to help and support them also.
I believe that the songs we produce from these relationships are not unlike our “children”, and as such need nurturing to develop. These songs are not “property” of one or the other “parent”, they are jointly held. Do not each of our songs deserve the best both (all) contributing writers can give them?
So come on fellow songwriters let us stop looking only to ourselves in our collaborating relationships. Let us make every song the best it can be by giving it the best we have.
PerryG