Welcome to the Music Forum. In this first post I want to ask visitors a few questions. What length should a sample of a song be on a music website in order to assess whether you want to buy it? I have looked at different sites and it seems the sample length is anywhere from 25 to 45 seconds. Should music websites let you listen to the whole song first before expecting you to purchase a track? Does anyone buy full albums anymore or is it the thing now to do to only buy single tracks?
For those songwriters out there, do you write the melody first or do the lyrics precede the music. Is there a right or wrong way to compose a song in your opinion? Do the lyrics arise organically or do you have a plan before you start?
Always glad to hear your thoughts on this or any other topic.
Colm
I don't really know what to think about the length of a song sample. I guess even a pretty short sample gives you the idea of the overall sound and production, but I really want to hear a whole song before I know if I like it. One verse and a chorus gives me an idea, but what happens after that is generally what makes a song worthwhile in my mind. I realize that we live in a time of short attention spans, so I don't think a person should necessarily make their business plan based on me. I wonder if there are statistics about how long people listen to previews before they hit the buy button. Seems like the kind of information a web-site monitoring program might provide.
I do write songs and the process for me varies from song to song. Sometimes it starts with a single lyric line, or maybe a fairly complete verse or chorus, or sometimes just an idea. It can also be either a few chords, or a snatch of melody, or even just a rhythmic groove, or it can be a fairly complete chord progression or tune. Sometimes the structure is already laid out, but often I have to experiment with moving parts around. So the short answer is I've written songs with various starting points and various amounts of overall plan. for me there doesn't seem to be just one right way to write. That clearly doesn't mean there's anything wrong with doing it the same way every time.
I'm always interested in hearing how people work, and their ideas about digital marketing, which I know almost nothing about.
45 seconds should be enough to interest someone in purchasing a song. I typically buy a whole album myself, but I have to have heard a few tracks first since I've had times where I really loved a particular song, bought the album, and found I did not care for the majority of the music. Now, if I can only hear one song; then that's all I'd buy.
I wish I could write music...can't help you with that part of the question. Being a song writer yourself, what do you typically find yourself doing?