I had the privilege of being in the audience at Shoreline Song’s first songwriter evening at Rolling Wood in Muizenberg last night and what an absolute treat it was. There will be more of these in the future…
An amazing lineup of ridiculously talented Cape Town musicians, some of whom I heard for the first time last night…
The venue was perfect, the music was great, thank you to Robin Auld for organising it and to everyone else who shared their enormous talent with us…The Sunshines (Skye Wilson and Greg Schoeman), Steve Walsh, Caroline Blundell, Jon Shaban and Andy Lund
We need more of this in our fair city!
Please have a look at their website and like their facebook page to be kept informed of the next Songwriter evening, http://www.shorelinesongs.com and https://www.facebook.com/shorelinesongs
This is more about Shoreline Songs from Robin Auld himself…
Shoreline Songs provides an interface between independent South African musicians and music fans, content users and markets both home and abroad. Founder Robin Auld spent 10 years releasing on the big international aggregators, most of whom are ethical and efficient companies…we like them a lot.
However, the fact of the matter is that for South African artists the growth trajectory with these companies is minimal. But why it would it be otherwise when nobody at these companies is working the catalogue….or are even aware of what it is.
There are many options out there that offer easy solutions for digital distribution. You can get your music on all the major platforms in 6 clicks of a mouse. However, without the activity that a label would usually generate, the end result is catalogue that sits in a digital cupboard somewhere out there waiting for someone to stumble on it.
By tying traditional publishing interests with the fast changing digital landscape, Shoreline Songs fills the gaps that the demise of the major music label has left for established artists who own their master recordings.
Streaming and downloads go to all major digital platforms from global company The Orchard, via our partner Next Music in Johannesburg. Rob o’ Brien has been head of the Orchard SA now for 6 years and handles all Shoreline catalogue. Unlike some of the other big distribution delivery platforms, The Orchard has a strong regional presence. Working hands-on with The Orchard SA enables Shoreline to directly sculpt digital strategy such as Spotify and Google Play playlists for the global market, an option not afforded artists on the big distributors.
The traditional side of things is handled by John Fishlock of Active Music Publishing. John Fishlock was with Universal for many years before starting successful independent Active and he brings years of contacts, along with admin and major league experience, to Shoreline Songs.
But structure aside, personal commitment and time to promote the work are key to progress. In contrast to the major label ethic of recent times, as a publisher Shoreline is:
1. Familiar with the catalogue it represents.
2. Working with artists to find the best way for them to earn from their recordings whether from the Shoreline or other music libraries, radio play or synch placement.
3. Co-ordinating activity around live performances and tours.
4. Building relationships with music supervisors and content users both home and abroad and actively pitching songs to the right homes.
5. Establishing a Nashville style writing ethic with collabs and co-writes encouraged, along with Songwriter Circle in the round performance nights that will seek to host touring international acts as well as developing young artists.
Shoreline hopes to contribute to the global viability of the SA music landscape, to add value to the amazing music that South African artists produce, to improve the income streams of SA artists, and to keep the tunes coming!
shorelinesongs.com
