SUMMARY

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IN ANY CREATIVE FIELD, AND PARTICULARLY THAT OF songwriting there is always room for more talent. While the new songwriter may find that his progress to fame is not quite as smooth or swift as he had anticipated, he should not be discouraged or disheartened. If he has ability and persistence, he will find little difficulty in reaching his desired goal.

Unfortunately, Tin Pan Alley has been so widely publicized that it has acquired an aspect of romance which is far from actual reality. The stories of quick rises to fame and fortune while slightly exaggerated are, for the most part, quite true. But these are isolated cases. The average professional songwriter is able to make a fair living from his profession but few, if any, are able to do better than this. The writer knows of only a few men who have been able to accumulate a sizable income from their* chosen field. To do this would require turning out a consistent number of outstanding hit songs for a number of years plus a good "take" of successful musical shows. The "hit that made a fortune" is a rare occurrence these days.

The average professional songwriter is, of course, anxious to make money but, more than this, he has selected this profession because he likes to write songs and because, no matter how seasoned a writer he may be, he still derives an eminent personal satisfaction in seeing his numbers published and performed. He knows that he will write many songs that fall by the wayside or do not reach publication, but he has the "itch" to keep on writing with the constant, un-diminishing hope that his next song, or the next, will be the hit song of the year.

The new songwriter may not have this ambition. He may simply want to try his hand at the game. This is a healthy attitude for it would be discouraging and unwise to select songwriting as a career before he has received some definite indication that he has sufficient talent to make the grade. On the other hand, he should not give up the idea until he is thoroughly convinced that he cannot meet commercial requirements.

He may achieve success with his first song. Many new songwriters have done so. It is more likely, however, that he may have to write a good number of songs before he turns out a publishable number. With each song he will have gained a little more experience, and as he markets these songs he will also gain experience. All of this adds up so that he is finally able to write outstanding numbers consistently and to contact the publishers without difficulty.

Tin Pan Alley, despite all rumors, is not paved with gold but neither are its gates closed to all newcomers. While the road ahead may present some obstacles, these are, by no means insurmountable. In closing, my advice to all new songwriters is to keep your chin up, and keep on writing.