ASK THE
EXPERTS:
PAUL GRAY
OF THE MU
Are there any
particular pitfalls
to watch out for
when it comes to
songs and bands?
Songs are really your babies so it’s easy to
take negative comments personally. Most
bands fall out because someone has earned
more from writing or got more credits than
someone else and unfortunately it can become
pretty poisonous.
It can also be down to “well if they’ve got
x amount of songs going on the album, then
I want x amount too”, irrespective of the fact
that they might not be as good or suitable...
that’s where strong characters can become
damaging to band dynamics.
There’s no easy answer to this other
than trying to be as open and honest with
each other in a constructive way. If things
deteriorate to the point of arguments of
ownership of band assets (merchandise, amps,
branding) then the MU has trained Officials
who can offer mediation provided you’re all
members.Should I always
focus what I write
on my current
band’s sound?
I’ve always written for myself, sometimes
taking into account the band I’ve been in at
the time, but often not.
Funnily enough songs I’ve written whilst
in one band have often been used in another- for example, I wrote a song called Hit or
Miss whilst in Eddie & the Hot Rods that had
a fairly loose bluesy Stones-type feel to it.
When I later joined The Damned they took
it, sped it up a considerably and put their
TECHNIQUE
own inimitable interpretation onto it which
changed the feel completely.
Likewise, songs I wrote with The Damned
in mind – but were turned down or never
used – subsequently ended up on a UFO
album.Is there a ‘right’ way
for songwriting
royalties to be split
between bandmates?
Writer contributions can actually be one
of the hardest areas to agree on in my
experience and are often overlooked or not
asserted at the time of writing.
In my period with The Damned we split
every song four equal ways. We all had lots
of ideas as writers, distributed songs we’d
recorded on our four track recorders to each
other in advance of studio time, and made a
pretty unique band sound between the four
of us, so it made sense to share in the spoils
and stopped those “he’s got more songs /
making more money than me” arguments
arising. That only really works if everyone
is contributing and if you think you have
something really special and of value going.When should
credits on a song be
agreed?
Often bands will have little idea of the value
of copyrights in the early days – it’s only if
and when a song may later become successful,
and possibly earn a considerable amount for
the writer or writers credited, that someone
else who may have contributed to the process
realises that they’ve really lost out.W
hile the title
‘songwriter’ can
often conjure
images of a solitary
writer-for-hire, it can be a
collaborative process and we
all know of the many famous
partnerships such as Elton
John & Bernie Taupin. But
what about when the people
you are writing with – and
perhaps for - are also the
people you will be spending
cooped up in a tour van
with for days, weeks or even
months and years?
To help explore the do’s
and don’ts of songwriting in
a band, who better to share
their insight than Paul Gray
of the Musicians’ Union
(MU).
As the MU’s Regional
Organiser for Wales and
South West England, Paul
advises musicians on all
aspects of their career on a
daily basis.
Paul is also an accomplished
musician in his own right
having been a member (and
writer) of legendary bands
Eddie & The Hot Rods, UFO
and The Damned, whom he
recently re-joined in New
York as they recorded their
latest album.ASK THE
EXPERTS:
PAUL GRAY
OF THE MU
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Pic:STEVE GULLICKIn our new reader advice feature, we put your
frequently-asked questions to an industry specialist