Copyright Law

Associate Yourself

By Pamela Parker, Esq.

The next questions on the survey are: I belong to the following music related associations:

Of these, I find the following to be useful:

Of the others, I have/have not taken advantage of their services. y/n

For a working songwriter that hopes to sell, you must be at least somewhat involved in the industry. Which means you should know something about the business of music other than what you learn in the celebrity newspapers.

There are lots and lots of music related associations out there, and many of them have valuable services and networking opportunities available. Joining an association will not ensure your success, but joining the right ones and taking advantage of all they have to offer you will certainly move you forward on your overall business plan.

Look for national associations as well as local or regional associations, and attend meetings when you can. Conventions are great networking opportunities. Read newsletters and magazines they provide. Check out the discounts and benefits they offer (some even offer things like group health insurance plans!) . Read their membership lists and use your common membership as the basis of opening an information interview with successful people you want to learn from.

If you currently belong to one or more associations, evaluate whether you are benefitting from your membership. If you are not, check the association out the door and look for one that is a better use of your money.

The Texas Music Office has compiled a great list of music related organizations to get you started. You will be overwhelmed when you see the number of groups that are out there, but it will be time well spent for you to plow through and find groups that are of interest to you. Just the information on the websites alone will make it worth your time, even if you never join a thing. So check it out here.

Full post as published by After Writing on January 25, 2007 (boomark / email).