When things are clear-cut and the roles of the songwriter/publisher/performer are clearly defined, the songwriting credit and consequently the songwriting royalties go rightly to the writer and the publisher. Where things start to get fuzzy is when there is a collective effort in the production of the music- and I use the word ‘production’ for a reason.
In a band format (collective effort) there is a multi pronged strategy and effort in getting a song from point A to point B. And the A’s and the B’s can be a few different things, but traditionally the ‘A’ is the rehearsal/idea room, and the ‘B’ is the record buying consumer. Nowadays, that is a rapidly shifting paradigm as the goal is less about a single consumer owning an object (cd etc.) and more about the consumer becoming a true fan that comes to the show and buys a shirt, tells their friends, frequents the website and becomes part of a ‘tribe’ if you will. But to a large degree that is still the goal –to get people in to the music (whether they buy it or not). In addition to the fan or consumer, if there is a company or agency or film studio that would like to use the song, again, that is where some big money starts rolling in…for the ‘songwriter’.
But yet again this is where some ambiguity comes and the reason I use the term ‘music production’ –how does the music get produced, and how does it get into the hands (or ears) of the fan/buyer/agency/studio? What is the process in getting the music or song from an idea or jam into a singular cohesive piece that makes somebody shake dat booty?
So drummers, ask yourselves, in your current musical situation what is it you bring to the table that is part of the music making process? And are you and the rest of your bandmates just as much a part of the process and production of the music as the singer/songwriter(s) in the band? This takes some serious and sometimes painful honesty about what it is you contribute, how much value you bring to the music production and what part you play in furthering the possibility of that music getting into the hands of the public and the person (or people) willing to pay for it.
Now when I use the words value and contribution I think it’s important to distinguish between the musical aspects and… let’s just say ‘other’ for now. First, the musical aspects-
Does anybody deny that Danny Carey of Tool is such an integral part of the band that it would be a very different animal without him? Or that a significant percentage of Tool’s fans recognize Carey’s significant contribution to the band’s sound and personality?
Does anyone deny that John Bonham was easily ¼ of what made Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin?
The obvious answer is no and it’s doubtful anyone with half a brain and one ear would argue otherwise.
Clearly they contribute something strong, powerful and identifiable to the collective music making process of their respective bands. Here’s the stickler- if one were to follow the strict archaic rules of writer/publisher/performer, even they wouldn’t get songwriting credit and publishing rights. Not unless they sat down and wrote the chord progression or melody of the ‘song’. What? Zeppelin would not be ‘The Mighty Zep’ with out Bonham’s thunder and I personally never would have paid one iota of attention, time or money to Tool if say, Meg White was on drums.
Now these two drummers are exceptional players and their bands are exceptional bands and one may argue they are the extreme and to a degree, they are. But I use them to make the point clear.
In most modern band/collective music making processes of today the lines of songwriter/performer/publisher are not so clear as the fat-cigar-publisher guy meets prodigal songwriter meets exceptional singer-performer person. Even when there is a main person who brings in the original idea for a song, there usually is a long process involved in getting it from the germ of an idea to the full fruition of completed musical piece that makes somebody cry (for hopefully the right reasons…). And if you are a drummer who is a musician first and drummer second, more than likely there is a case or argument that you should receive credit (and compensation if it comes) for the end musical product that gets the jumpers jumpin’ and the boppers boppin’.
Like this guy.
More to come…