The Fempire

Autumn Rowe, Sarah Robertson, Michelle Lewis, Michelle Featherstone, Pam Sheyne, Lauren Christy, Moi

The members of SONA (Songwriters of North America) are by no means all women. But we did start out that way and understandably we got coined The Fempire. I don’t know who threw that label at us — maybe DINA LaPolt. In ny case it stuck.  

These days however, SONA is anything but all female — we are different genders, genres, shades, ages, shapes and sizes. That said on Friday night an invitation to Writers Block — an event hosted by a passionate group of working creators @poorfuckingsongwriter — was extended to the songwriters on SONA’s board. (By “writers block” they weren’t referring to a lapse of inspiration but rather W exactly TF it is that’s blocking the fair share of song royalties from getting into the pockets of the writers who write the songs.) 

But coincidentally the handful of ‘SONITES’ who could attend were…female. And because it was a beautiful night and we haven’t seen that much of each other lately 😡and the event was an uber-ride away from my humble abode (which I was able to purchase because of Pre-Streaming income) we met up to watch the sunset, drink some wine and talk about what more we can do to support this coalition.

We can relate. SONA has been at it for years…fighting to improve what ails the streaming economy. For instance…every five years, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) sets the rates paid to music creators for streaming. And every five years, the Digital Service Providers (DSPs) lobby for us to be getting paid less than we already are. We’re about to go down that road again. So last month along with the NMPA and BMAC, SONA hosted a town hall to discuss why this is happening and what we can do about it. 

You can watch it here. Passcode: MNtJ7?WX 

Meanwhile at the Writers Block event we were thrilled to see this new coalition of songsmiths step up. It’s taken a while. Many hungry (and broke) topliners are afraid to miss a session — this is the one that will catapult my career! But it feels like more and more of us are starting to see the light. We need to get involved.

@Poorfuckingsongwriter: “I should celebrate. It’s been an eventful week — I just landed another placement on New Music Friday, and I finally received the Platinum plaque in the mail (that I had to pay for) … Maybe I’ll crack open a microwaveable chicken tikka masala from Trader Joe’s for the 3rd time this week and pour myself a La Croix over ice before hanging it up in my 800 sq foot shit-hole apartment. “

What’s wrong with that picture? A lot! 

The writers (and manager) on the evening’s panel discussed charging day rates, writer fees and master points (all of which, let’s face it, are more “leverage-able” for some than others). It goes without saying that they’re valid work-arounds (I’ve started charging daily rates too!) but I’m sure we can all agree that the long-term imperative goal is higher streaming rates. 

@1emilygracey, @drewlove, @katdahlia, @chelsea_briggs, @ginotheghost, @alealberti, @jquesmith, @Kennedi

“In today’s current streaming environment, record labels (or Songwriter Deniers!!) are making more money than they’ve ever made-- yet Poor Fucking Songwriter is seeing the lowest returns ever. Roughly $800 per million streams for publishing (total). “

Wanna help? If you feel you need to get to the next session and can’t ‘show up’…no judging. But you can still lend your good name so that petitions have more power. If you’re not a songwriter, but love music, fear not! — you can donate! Follow SONA. and @PoorFuckingSongwriter. 

Songwriters create the product that drives the entire business so why should we ride in the trunk of the car and gasp for air? 😳

Thanks for the invite (and the pizza), PoorFuckingSongwriter. We’ve got your back. 

PS…No matter how unfortunate a situation may be, remember to make time to hang with friends and enjoy sunsets. Until things improve, it definitely helps. 

Thanks for reading my weekly musings. If you'd like to subscribe please click here. Listen to my album 2.0 etc…Follow me Insta. Visit my Serial Songwriter Facebook Page. Get a signed CD or a copy of “Confessions of a Serial Songwriter.” ☮️