JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Musician Message Forum Comdy music Cd-anyone think there is a market for this.

I've written song comedy songs. Does anyone think there is a market for this type of music?

Ed,

There is a market for all songs, you just have to find it. There is not a "mainstream"comedy contigent anymore. The days of Ray Stevens, the "Streak", etc. are long gone on radio. There are however, comedy channels on Sattalite radio, Sirrius and XM. You might Google those networks and find out details.

Comedy has always been a niche market in a sea of niche markets. It is really geared much more to the live comedy club circut and since those are every where, you might check those out in your area.

If you don't perform, you are going to be in a bit of a predicament because almost all comedians, especially musical one's write all their own material. With between 10 and 30 minutes in a normal set comedy wise, it doesn't leave much room for outside material. Of course, that is kind of the problem of all material in this do it yourself world. Everyone does it themselves.

A friend of mine got a Rodney Carrington cut last year, Rodney is probably the biggest musical comedian, but my friend has yet to see a dime.

Another friend of mine is a total musical comedian and creates quite a stir on the Internet by doing his own small budget music videos on his stuff. But he owns his own recording studio so it is a bit different for him.

I started my career in Nashville doing quite a bit of musical comedy and one song in particular I did opened almost every door for me. Having comedy or light hearted, not so serious songs are a great idea to get attention and open doors for more substancial stuff.

But I would make one caution. Before you start putting it out there, you better make SURE it is FUNNY. Comedy is VERY HARD and there is nothing worse than someone bombing for 3 1/2 minutes.Can be very hard on an audience and career destroying for a writer. You have one chance to make a bad first impression and if you are not funny, you can not IMAGINE how bad that can be. There is no more unforgiving audience than comedy ones. That is why there are hecklers in that world.

Remember, everything works in the confines of our living rooms. Until you get it out in the real world, outside your relatives and loved ones, you will never know.

MAB

Great response. Yes I do have my own recording studio and yes I do write my own stuff. Please check out the lyrics 3 forum and see a sample of what I'm doing. I think your are right, on mixing the comedy songs in at the appropriate time. You can't just do all comedy. I was mostly thinking though of doing one comedy CD. Do you think there would be a market somewhere for ths?

Hi Eddy

the commercial market for comedy does exist-but its small and full of singers who write their own stuff.....having said that-the two most open publishers for comedy songs are Warner Brothers in Nashville and The Ray Stevens Company-also in Nashville.....Warner does not accept unsolicited submissions-neither does The Ray Stevens Company.....However you can write up whats called a REQUEST TO SUBMIT/SONGWRITER BIOGRAPHY.....which essentially will be asking them permission to submit and they might possibly say yes......helps to have some kinda track record of having something in a music licensing catalog or maybe having done some stand-up at open mikes in comedy clubs etc...if you havent already got it get the book Song Writers Market 2010.......about $25 online or at your local major chain bookstore.....also check out the MUSIC LIBRARY REPORT here in JPF...I have a comedy song which the library I am with both accepted a song and right away submitted it for an upcoming Denzel Washington movie....its a long shot but ya never know.......and in that sense so is anything by anyone in music as we all know.......best of luck to you........give it a try....nothing happens unless something happens.....I just had a publisher tell me he is looking for Christmas songs these days-in time for the Christmas 2010 season...I dont have any Christmas songs-comedy or otherwise-do you?


Hang in there-it does eventually get better.......


Tom

I have some Christmas songs, novelty and otherwise.

I have a Blue Christmas type song like Blue Christmas that was recorded by Elvis and others in the 50's. The only one I have. If that is the type song the Publisher is looking for he can contact me thru here. There haven't been many requests for Christmas songs in the last several years.

ok Everett

just let me check with this guy first so I can get his permission for folks to contact him..........He is a new publisher in Nashville and may not yet be ready for a flood of material from you and others....In any case I am sure your Christmas songs are very good

Tom

follow up to Everret and Ray

I have been invited to a thing in Nashville on Monday so that will give me more of a chance to talk with that new publisher........he said he does indeed want submissions of songs.....and he would like to know a bit about the writers in the first email as well....so anyway I will check him out then..........so once i have a bit more info about his publishing business I will feel more confident passing on his email for the company and opening up the floodgates for other JPF writers to send songs-lol......will let y'll know what I find out.....

Tom

Hey, Eddy,

I love parody songs and funny ones in general, and have written and co-written a few, mostly "just for kicks." But you never know. In the middle of the Bill Clinton / Monica Lewinski debacle some years back, we (my musical partner-in-crime) and I came up with one that was pitched to Howard Stern, and it was seriously being considered as a downloadable purchase through his show. (I'm not a big fan, but hey.....!!) One of those things that *almost* happened, but the political backlash wasn't quite um, fierce enough, so they didn't jump on it. But it was fun, and it just goes to show you... you never know. I don't make my living through songwriting, so i can afford to look at it that way. For those who do, it's like any other business decision: is the risk and the investment worth the potential payoff?

Marc has a great point - the days of novelty songs on the radio are gone, indeed. Now, we get such funny songs via email (or online in general), usually directing us to a YouTube video, or something similar. One thing that has NOT changed (and never will) is that people LOVE TO LAUGH.

If you have songs recorded, consider a digital release, maybe some viral marketing that gives away a song and directs people to the entire CD. You may not get rich off of it, but it'll make people laugh.

And then again, you could be the next Weird Al. You just never know!

Side note - yes, i'll be checking back on this thread about Christmas songs. Tom, enjoy your "thing!"

Brenda

Everett/Ray/Brenda

sorry folks-I cant reccomend this guy for sending songs to cause I dont feel he has the focus on his publishing business that he should.....its just one of 3 or 4 things he does......he is energetic and a go getter-I will give him that.....but I personally dont feel the publishing business is his primary focus and therefore it would not be as productive to send him material as it would to send it to those whose focus is on that.......sorry but I know you appreciate honesty and you should try elsewhere...so I am not passing on his email......it wouldnt be worth your time............best of luck elsewhere.......

Tom

Thanks Tom, appreciate your honesty.

No Problem. Thanks.

Comedy songs ? Yeah, one or two of mine are a real joke. *boom-tish*

Is there a market for them ? Perhaps, as long as they're not about current topics, and will date too easily.

cheers, niteshift

Tom,

I was wondering, who at the Parlor Studios were you sending something to? Larry Sheridan is my publisher and the owner and I was there yesterday so just kind of curious who you had talked to.

Publishing is one of the ventures over there but the main thing about the studio is..it's a studio. Publishing had to take a less pronounced role about 11 years ago. Studios are a HUGE investment in money and time.

Everyone in this business, particularly songwriters and publishers,have multiple businesses going on. That is something I noticed when I started out here and a trait that I found interesting upon huge hit writers. Writing was never their only business. They all have other interests,either studios, are producers, musicians,have side businesses, sometimes that actually are their main source of income.

Making real money in publishing is a pretty dicey thing. But of course anything in the music industry is.

MAB

Marc the person I am talking about IS NOT associated with Parlor Studio or Best Built Songs......He is someone who was soliciting songs on Nashville Craigslist...I saw him at the function there at Parlor yesterday.....talked to him more about his publishing company......no website-didnt give me a phone number-had a gmail address for his publishing company.......no brick and mortar address etc etc.....I didnt say or mean to imply that he was part of Parlor or Best Built.......Robin and Larry are fine people and well respected in the studio and publishing business..they are very impressive........this guy is into this that and whatever and as I said doesnt even have a website or a brick and mortar adress.......so on that basis I couldnt reccomend him obviously........I met him there last nite cause he was at a thing there I went to.....again-Robin and Larry are very nice-well established and respected in Nashville as you know yourself.....did not mean to imply anything about them...

Tom

Tom,

Thanks for that. I was a bit confused because when Robin and Larry are doing something they usually come to me first and ask me about it and ask me to spread the word for them. They know that I talk to people like yourselves and like me to help screen material for them. If they were looking for Christmas songs or anything special like that they usually come to me, and I knew they had not said anything.

I try to include all of you in things I find out on the inside and share details with things I know and people I meet that might give you some understanding of all this.

There are a lot of people "bundling" e-mails, advertising, etc.through different sites and e-mail addresses. Lately myself and my girlfriend have been "spoofed" which are taking our e-mail addresses, sending advertising out making it look like it came from our addresses. I was contacted by AOL and someone had complained about that happening from me. I DIDN'T SEND IT OUT!

So there are a lot of odd things happening and I was just curious on that.

Thanks for keeping me abreast. By the way, would love for you to come down to my MAB workshop the first and third Mondays of the month. The next one will be on Tuesday the 31st. Monday is Labor day. Would love for you to come around.We have Bill Robinson Vinny Ribas and some others from JPF come out.Nice way to meet face to face and talk over music related issues.

MAB

thanks for the invite Marc

right now all my time commitments are subject to change-lol.....cause of my work schedule....like alot of folks I am stringing together this and that as it comes available...always good to see ya around town at Douglas Corner or the Commodore Lounge........

Tom

Playing tonight at Calhouns on White Bridge Road.

M