There is a whole process of marketing that needs to be explored if you have gone to the trouble of completing a song which you believe could be a hit. The principal difference between an amateur and professional songwriter is that the professional writer has at least one published song to his credit. It thus follows that if a new songwriter has a song accepted and successfully exploited by a recognized publishing firm, he will encounter little or no difficulty in obtaining serious audition and consideration of his future numbers.

It is the first song, therefore, that presents the greatest stumbling block to the new songwriter. The reasons for are as follows:

1.Of the material submitted to publishers by new songwriters, only a very small percentage has any commercial value. The major percentage of this material is either improperly written, contains direct "steals" from copyrighted songs, or lacks sufficient originality to compare favorably with numbers written by professionals.

2.There is no dearth of song material. Publishers receive a sufficient supply of new numbers to keep their catalogs full and their songplugging staff busy.

3. There is no compulsion, therefore, for the publishers to seek new songwriters. This does not mean that they have shut their doors to new talent. It does mean, however, that this new talent must be particularly outstanding to receive their attention.

4.A certain amount of time, effort and expense must be risked in the publication of any song. The publisher naturally desires to keep this risk as low as possible. If he publishes the work of a successful professional songwriter, he knows that there is a good chance that the song will "click" and that he will come out even or perhaps ahead on the deal.

5.Songs written by professional songwriters are generally much easier to plug than numbers written by unknowns.

Marketing a song - particularly a first song - often requires patience, tact and time. Assuming that the song has real commercial value, there are several ways of gaining a serious audition by the publisher. However, there are certain facts that should be borne in mind when the initial contacting is done.

In the first place, it should be made quite clear that there is no short-cut in marketing a song. The songwriter should have only one goal in mind . . . the ultimate publication of his song by a recognized and reputable music publishing firm.

In what form should the song be when it is submitted to the publisher? This question often perplexes the new songwriter who is undecided whether the number should be printed, hand-written, fully arranged, or fully orchestrated. A hand-written, legible copy is actually all that is required.

If the song is submitted by mail, it is usually advisable to have the number properly arranged or, at least, to have the proper harmonies indicated on the manuscript. The reason for this is that the publisher's piano player will be able to perform the number just as the songwriter had intended it to be played, using the proper harmonies and chord, sequences. It is unnecessary to go to any great expense for a simple piano arrangement.

However, if it should be inconvenient for the songwriter to use a New York arranger, any local music teacher should be able to sketch in the simple harmonies required. A professional piano arrangement costs approximately $25.00 (depending upon the arranger).

If the songwriter is able to contact the publisher personally and is able to perform his own number adequately, there is no necessity to have the number arranged. This also applies if the songwriter brings a friend with him who is able to perform the number.

Piano arrangements are not essential but they do insure that the number will be played just as the songwriter intended. If the number has a strong melody line and does not require any special or complicated accompaniment, a professional piano player will always be able to fill in the proper accompaniment without any difficulty.

All that is required now is determination and luck. Go for it!