September 26th: Publisher Online Pitch with Mary Lynn Robbins

$30 per song GSC member
$50 per song non-member

P.O.P EVENT

Publisher Online Pitch with Mary Lynn Robbins

DATE: September 26th at 6:30pm CST

About Mary Lynn Robbins, Senior Creative Director & General Manager – Platinum Pen Publishing

Platinum Pen Publishing is an independent music publishing company based in Nashville, Tennessee. Platinum songs have been recorded by Luke Bryan, Reba, Faith Hill, Carole King, Thompson Square, Lady Antebellum, BlackHawk, Seasons After, Wanessa Camargo, The Outlaws, The Wreckers, 9 Left Dead, Restless Heart, Bucky Covington, Sarah Darling, Josh Abbott Band, Eric Paslay, High South and others.

Mary Lynn’s role at Platinum Pen Publishing includes overseeing all creative and administrative operations. She brings over 32 years’ experience in the music business covering a broad range of responsibilities in the industry. Mary Lynn began as assistant to the COO at Paragon Associates, a record label and publishing company owned by Bob MacKenzie and Bill Gaither. Shortly thereafter, she moved on to Lamb & Lion Records, a label co-owned by Pat Boone and Irving Kessler as assistant to the President. Mary Lynn then became A&R Director for the Power Disc label at The Benson Company.

While at Benson, Mary Lynn started the in-house Christian Rock imprint Power Disc. There she worked with such acts as Larnelle Harris, DeGarmo & Key, Noel Paul Stookey (the “Paul” in Peter, Paul and Mary), Debby Boone, The Boones, Gary Chapman and Geoff Moore.

Mary Lynn Robbins’ love of music started at the piano—the Georgia native attended Truett-McConnell College on a music scholarship, then moved to Nashville with her college sweetheart, a would-be songwriter named Dave. Today Dave Robbins is an award winning writer and member of the multi-platinum selling trio BlackHawk. They have two children and two English bulldogs – Go DAWGS!

About the Publisher Online Pitch Event

Have you ever thought: “Wow I think I have a really good song. If only I could get a legitimate publisher to listen?”

Through GSC’s affordable Publisher Online Pitch service you can have your song or songs heard by a reputable publisher from wherever in the world you live and without the expensive cost of travel.

One of the most important elements of this service is that you will be connecting with a publisher, creating a relationship with this publisher and learning the pitching process professional songwriters utilize every day.

Here are the details!

This event is open to members and non-members.
Member pricing is $30.00 per song and non-members $50.00. (members get priority booking)
This event is limited to 30 participants or 30 songs.
Once you purchase the P.O.P event you will receive a confirmation that will contain your step by step instructions for logging into the webcast.
You will need to email your song in mp3 format along with your lyric to [email protected] the day before the event. (Please list your name and where you are from on the top of your lyric. GSC wants the publisher to connect with you.)
Guitar vocals and keyboard vocals are acceptable. You do not have to have a full demo for this event.
The publisher will only listen to the first verse and the chorus of your song.
The publisher may or may not comment regarding your song. This event is not intended as a publisher evaluation service.
This is a real publisher pitch opportunity. The publisher will either PASS on your song OR he may choose to keep your song for further consideration.
You are encouraged to stay involved in the webinar while all songs are listened to and here is why.
- Out of respect for the other participants
- Should the publisher choose to comment, you may learn from what he has to say.
- If a publisher takes a song, you will want to connect with that songwriter and possibly co-write with that writer.

Read More About the Realities of Song Plugging

At GSC we always want you to know the real journey of a song from the pen to the publisher. With that in mind we want you to be aware of these facts.

1. Paying to Pitch a Song: GSC wants you to know that professional songwriters do not pay to have their songs heard by a publisher. Professional songwriters have worked years at developing their songwriting craft and earning the respect of the publishing community which earns them the opportunity to have their songs heard.

2. The Demo: GSC wants you to know…If you had a publishing deal and was a staff writer for the featured publisher, this publisher would hear your songs every day in their most simple form of a guitar vocal or keyboard vocal. If you were pitching your songs to a producer, artist, manager etc then you will need fully produced and well produced demo’s for these types of pitches.

3. The Listening Process: GSC wants you to know…Often, when a publisher is listening for songs for a project or artist, they can usually tell if it is a song they would be interested in for that project in less than 30 seconds. Through the P.O.P event the publisher will be listening through the first verse and chorus in its entirety. However, in the future should you pitch a song to a publisher in their office and they turn your song off after only the first half of the first verse, we want you to know that is a normal part of the process.

4. Pitch Ready Songs: The reality is that some of your songs may not be ready for pitching to a publisher. However, there is much to be learned through the pitching process.

5. The Follow Up: If the publisher should take your song for consideration, we will be excited with you and it does happen! Below is the GSC recommended follow up process. Correct follow up is essential for success.

a. If your song is taken by the publisher you will be provided with the publishers contact email address for follow up.

b. If you do not hear from the publisher within 5 to 7 business days of them taking your song. We recommend you email the publisher, thank them for participating in the GSC POP program, thank them for their interest in your song and list the TITLE of the song as a reminder and ask if they should need anything further.

c. If you do not hear from the publisher within three weeks, make a phone call to the publisher office. You will most likely be leaving a message. If so, just leave your name, contact number and that you are following up on your song and list the title.

d. If the publisher does not return your call, do not call again. Simply send a physical thank you card, thanking them for their interest, recognizing that they are a busy industry professional and that you hope to have the opportunity to play them more songs in the future.

At GSC we know it would be disappointing to have your song taken by a publisher and then not hear from them. Unfortunately, this process is part of the song pitching process. Thoughtful and professional follow up is essential to success and is appreciated by busy, overworked publishers. They won’t forget your professionalism. Sometimes you may not hear from the publisher who took your song for months and then out of the blue, when they are ready and working on the project, you get the call. Many times I have kept a members song for over a year and then gave them a call for the just right opportunity. Songs will often be pitched over and over again for years before they land on that just right project.

On September 10, 2013 / Uncategorized