An interview with Cathleen Murphy, Creative Director at EMI
What would you say that the most successful songwriters have in common?
I guess that's a really good question…I think they have a combination of talent, desire and intelligence.
What can new artists, or even those who've been in the industry for a few years do to hone their talent?
Listening to what's out there, what's contemporary. I'm not saying copy what's out there. What strikes the ear of the listener, before the listener, what strikes the ear of the executives who are good at making records is a way to say something very simple and mainstream in a different way. That gets harder and harder because so much has been said. Figure out a way to put a new vision and a new twist on it without going too over-the-top or left, or right, or center. It's finding a new place and it's very hard to do.
What are the elements of a successful song?
The elements are layered, great music, a great melody and a great lyric. All three of them join sort of like Neapolitan ice cream. They all work beautifully together; one complements the other. That the music that you're hearing complements the melody that you're humming along to and that you're loving the lyric and the concept of what the lyric's saying. Above anything else, I think what's making hits, what will always make hits, is that it's a "singable" song and it's a memorable concept and lyric. Sometimes it's a complex idea make simple, and sometimes it's just a simple idea; it's easy to memorize and embed in your brain and aesthetically pleasing.
How important is it for a songwriter to understand publishing?
It's important. I don't think you have to understand every single little nuance right from the very beginning because publishing has some complexity to it. I don't think one has to become a business executive in order to be an artist. Artists need to stay creative and do what they do. I think it's important to understand a couple of very basic concepts. In the realm of the business that I work in immediately--which doesn't completely include touring and merchandising--there are two ways to make money. One is as an artist, and one is as a songwriter; they are actually two completely different incomes. It's important to understand [publishing] from a financial perspective, and I also think it's important from a career perspective. Publishers, we manage the songwriting side of a lot of artists' careers, and we enable a person who does both to really stretch and expand their careers.
This career can be multi-media and multi-dimensional for those who are really great at it. The guys who really want to venture out as songwriters and sort of give to other people, write for other people, collaborate with other people and share with another entity, they could be doing this for the rest of their lives. Not all artists are going to be doing what they are doing for the rest of their lives.
How does a writer become affiliated with EMI?
It's a hard question to answer. If there're 75 writers here that I work with continuously, there're 75 stories as to how they got here. I've always said that you don't have any other control over anything, other than to write songs and play them. As a songwriter, if you're not an artist, I think your only control is to write and continuously meet other writers. The only way I meet songwriters is through other songwriters that I collaborate with. I don't know how those stories happen; they meet in a coffee shop, they meet in an ASCAP or BMI workshop…there's really no one story. The way that we meet them is through other songwriters or managers or producers or even lawyers who we know and trust. I have a crew of people, some at BMI, some at ASCAP, some law firms, management companies, who if they call me and say 'I know about a songwriter who's really terrific,' then I will trust their recommendation. Something dropping on my desk doesn't have that great a chance. The best place to meet the rest of the business is to collaborate, that's the beauty of a collaborative art form, and so you're crazy not to interact with the songwriting community because that's how you're going to grow as a songwriter.
Cathleen Murphy, who has a background in A&R at Epic Records and Sony International, is the Creative director at EMI, winner of Urban Publisher of the Year from BMI and Pop Publisher of the Year from ASCAP and BMI. EMI's roster hosts many talented, legendary names in music, such as Pharrell Williams, David Bowie, Janet Jackson and other such artists. In order to learn more about EMI, as well at its artists and songs, visit www.emigroup.com.
