Colin:
Sometimes playing small ball leads to the home run. Take "Wind Beneath My Wings" for instance. That song had been cut a dozen times by indie artists before I think Nancy Griffith cut it and then Bette Midler for the copyright making recording.
It's my philosophy (for better or worse) that every cut is meaningful because every cut gives the song more exposure. Some writers don't agree. I've never had the "Wind Beneath" experience. But I hear all the time about big artists cutting songs off of smaller, indie projects. There is a big difference between the money earned by a little cut and a grand slam (I've had a lot of the former and only one #1, so I know). But, songs are like vacant lots - they might sit vacant, somebody might pitch a tent, and then a big investor might come along and build a skyscraper. That's when you have a tenant with a long term lease on some prime real estate.

Rand Bishop
songwriter/producer/author Makin' Stuff Up (secrets of song-craft and survival in the music-biz)
www.makinstuffup.net

Rand Bishop
Songwriter/producer/author