MAY 2021 NEWSLETTER

Hey songwriters,

Is the world finally getting back to normal? At the May meeting of Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle, 21 people, including two new members, gathered in the backroom of The Starlite Lounge — the biggest crowd we’ve had in more than a year. A year’s absence of Covid-consious members had allowed meeting participants to spend more time workshopping individual songs, but it felt great to hear more songs presented by a full house. Fingers crossed.

Here’s something to think about for the next meeting, June 2. The suggested assignment is to write a song with no or minimal rhymes. For more on that check out the Monthly Assignments page on the group website at pittsburghsongwriterscircle.org.

CD project

The group’s 17th annual compilation album is underway. See the complete project overview attached to this message and on the group website and Facebook page. 

Several changes and new features have been added.

Duping/participation fee: $85 due by June 15.

Recording/mastering fee: $30 for each of the first three studio hours, $40 per hour for each additional hour.

Payment options: Electronic payment is available through PayPal (pay as Friends and Family only), Venmo, GPay or Cash App. For checks or money orders, send the duping/participation fee to John Hayes (101 Daggette Dr., Buena Vista, PA 15018), and hand deliver the recording/mastering fee to producer Mike Hickman at the studio.

Song licensing: As always, participants retain all right to their songs. In past years, Songwriters Circle has copyrighted the entire CD as a single work-for-hire unit and purchased physical CDs for distribution to members. This year, if requested by the participant, in addition to the vinyl CDs we’ll also license individual songs to the songwriter(s) and post them on the internet (participants may be asked to pay a small fee not to exceed the licensing cost).

Videos: Group member Steve Gallo (songman22@gmail.com) has offered to produce a professional-quality video for CD project participants including a still image and up to two found video clips, and post it to YouTube. The fee is $50. For a more elaborate video, talk with Steve about pricing.

Hope to see you soon.

– John

Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle: 2022 Collection
With the launch of Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle’s 17th annual compilation CD project, new features
have been added to make the program more accessible. Because COVID-19 stresses are still a factor,
deadlines have been stretched to make participation easier and fees have been adjusted to make the
project financially feasible.
The project includes two separate fees — a duping-participation fee ($85), and an hourly group rate
recording and mastering fee ($30 per hour for each of the first three hours, $40 per hour for additional
time). The fees must be paid separately. No additional fees are required, but some new features include
optional upgrades available for a small fee. Scroll down for deadlines and complete participation
requirements..
Recording project partners

• Mike Hickman of Electric Eye Recorders (512-785-2132, studio@fallguys.net.), located on Polish Hill,
  returns to produce and master the album. A member of Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle, Mike has
  produced the CD project since 2015.
• Debbi Pace (woodrose2007@verizon.net), Songwriters Circle member, will return as graphic designer.
• Nuvidia, a Kansas multi-media company, returns having pressed and printed the group’s CDs since
  2006.
• John Hayes (412-335-1446, johnhayes.johnhayes@gmail.com), manager of Pittsburgh Songwriters
  Circle, has coordinated the CD project since its start in 2005.
• Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society, provides promotion.
  Find information about Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle and its project partners at the following sites:
  pittsburghsongwriterscircle.org, Facebook Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle, electric-eye-recorders.com,
  calliopehouse.org, nuvidia.com, cdbaby.com, coloip.com, starlite-lounge.com.
  Project overview
  The annual album project is a feature of Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle, an artist support group that
  holds monthly virtual and in-person meetings to exchange ideas, critique songs, discuss the
  songwriting process and promote camaraderie among its members..
  The album series:
  1) Provides songwriters with a safe, inexpensive, nurturing and educational recording experience with a
  veteran producer in a professional recording studio.
  2) Provides incentive to write songs by creating an outlet for them.
  3) Helps to foster community among participating songwriters.
  4) Relieves stress associated with the recording process by eliminating such heavy decisions as
  selection of a producer and studio, mastering, selection of a manufacturing company, replication
  or duplication options, graphic design and text, shipping, booking a venue, staging a CD release
  event, media relations and promotion. Freed of those responsibilities, participating songwriters need
  only to make artistic decisions about their songs, pay the project’s fees and meet its deadlines.
  5) Builds participants’ studio skills and confidence, and encourages further recording. When members
  are ready to pursue their own album projects, assistance is available on recording process details,
  contact numbers, collective advice, etc.
  6) Provides a promotional tool for Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle and project participants.
  Publishing rights, project fees
  Participating songwriters retain all rights to their songs. The Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle CD is a work
  for hire. No mechanical or publishing royalties are due or paid. One thousand units are manufactured