You need a business head too (Composer)

Member Name: dcmbarton

Product:	Composer
Date:	26/12/08 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A sense of satisfaction

Disadvantages: Money is pretty poor, and the UK publishers are particularly bad at taking on new composers

Being a composer is rather a mixed bag these days; especially if your output is conventional. I dabbled in composing while at school, but never had any formal training. About 4 years ago, I started to send some pieces out to publishers, and was surprised at the response. 4 years on, I now have some 45 pieces in print in the UK, US and Canada. In some ways, the composing is the easy part; it is the business side that many people slip up on. You cannot expect publishers to do all the work, and I think you have to be willing to put in plenty of effort to market your pieces too. As has been said, try to get them performed. Publishers are much more likely to take them on if you can show that they are getting used. For me, it has been the feedback which I've had which has allowed me to improve my writing. There are lots of courses etc. which are all very valid, but I don't think these are a substitute of learning 'on the job' as it were. I've also completed a number of composition diplomas - DipMusCompICMA, ANSCM, LNCM and ALCM - they all go to confirm that you know what you are doing. You need a thick skin, and you need to believe in what you write; if you can do this, it can be very rewarding (though, these days, not very lucrative).

Summary: You don't know unless you try, but remember, there's more too it than writing the music!