JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Industry Message Forum Copyright Issues....Ignorance or Thievery

Thank God I can write my own melodies and lyrics,if what Liz says is true.I'd be even afraid of posting lyrics on a board,someone might write a melody to it and claim half the song.You might have in mind a love song melody and someone puts a rap melody(which I hate) to it and you are stuck with it,give me a break.

Kaley,your case might be different as you even wrote some of the lyrics,which that person should not be allowed to use unless you are given credit in the song,what ever percentage you agree on.I was approached by a person who was stuck with half the lyrics written and could get no further.He had the melody,the first verse and chorus,I left the verse in tact,rewrote the chorus and wrote a second verse.He wanted to give me 50% of the song but I said 25% was plenty,seeing he had the melody and 33% of the words,he was happy and I was happy.

I once entered a songwriting contest where you wrote lyrics to an existing melody,there was only one winner,so what happened to all the other lyrics that were written to that melody,could they all claim a share of the finished song?I don't think so.So why should a poorly written melody be able to claim a share in a well written lyric if that melody is rejected.(Kaley,don't take me wrong, I'm not saying your melody was poorly written,quite the contrary,it appears it was well received.If someone asked me to write lyrics to a beautiful melody and I wrote crappy lyrics to it,I don't see anyone forcing that person to give me a share in that song,so why should it be forced on a lyric writer when the roles are reversed. I have heard songs where there were poor lyrics to a great melody and vice versa,but I just assume that both were written by the same person who was stronger in lyrics or music.Some songs even work when one part of the song is strong enough to survive the weak part,but one would wonder how well the song would do if both parts were equally strong.

Everett