Don't Agree With 10%
I've been reading this thread with great interest. Where does a "co-write" come in? Every tune I have posted on my site is professionally demoed. I write the lyrics, I sing the melody --and then, I pay the demo firm to use professional musicians to accompany my accapella singing. But, I write primarily for female singers, so I also pay for a female demo singer. Frequently, the singer adds flourishes or style to the song.
The demo firm is paid to put chord progressions and a pleasant arrangement to my tunes. I actually pay extra for that.
So, let's say I get really lucky, and Susie Superstar likes the demo. She decides to record it, and it soars to number #1. Is the demo firm entitled to a cut of royalties? Not in the least, if Susie Superstar has a brain in her head. She'll redo the song with her own musicians, and her own style.
Polly is absolutely correct in one regard. If a songwriter needs a melody out of her, and she provides it, and that's the melody used in a succcessful song, she deserves a co-write. But, if the melody is already there with the lyrics, there is a ton of people who can write the background music for it. Including the musicians who work with the artist you are pitching to. The lyrics and melody and phrasing make the song unique.
Certainly,if you provide an artist with the musical base for his or her song, and they use it for their final product, you are entitled to a co-write. But if a songwriter uses your acccompaniment efforts to pitch to an artist (when the lyrics and melody were the songwriter's) and the artist decides to do the song, are you entitled to anything? Especially (repeating myself)if the artist takes the demo and has his own musicians re-do it?
Ott