Hi all, I am looking for a good publisher for my songs, do you know any?

By GOOD I mean someone who works at placing songs NOT who hopes you will make it as an artist so they can sit back and take a slice (You been there too?)

Please have a listen to my songs on my Myspace page this month which are all different styles and are my latest (although not necessarily my BEST so give a good indicator of where my writing is NOW) songs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Gary

www.myspace.com/garykennon

Nice voice, good tunes, the lyrics are little ordinary and the style is a bit plodding, but you have a nice freshness.
As far as publishing goes, you may have touched a raw nerve there,in your post, nice one!

Minack?Know it well, allways a relief when it`s not raining on the theatre!
We had an erupton of Cornish acts posting last year.

The best track is track 4, but I feel it does need a gear change and maybe even a change of topic to make it a little less personally sounding.

I do hope this is constructive.

Very good but no hits here yet; I actually like the lyrics (especially One Lie) but I think the melodies let them down; they don't go anywhere unexpected.

Something really different and original must be the next step.

Hi Mart,

Thanks for your comment and I agree with the "plodding" comment as not being a musician I have to work on the KISS principle with John who runs the studio I use!

Do you live in Cornwall? If so if you would like to send me your snail mail address c/o garykennon@yahoo.co.uk I will send you a CD of my songs that you should be able to relate too!

They include:

Circle of Stone:(The Merry Maidens)
Mowzer: The Mousehole Cat
Looking For Lyonesse
Cornish Lullaby
Monty: The Minack Cat, and many more!

Thanks again

Gary

JK. Same applies to you of course If you would like to hear a "best of" CDR!

Hi Gary, I actually live in Dorset, where London is quicker to get to, but know Cornwall very well.

On a trivia note, did you know that agents pay us an extra allowance for the journey to Cornwall and yet not Scotland or Manchester?

The other thing I was going to say, with the benefit of Cornish knowledge, is that with your material in it`s developement you have two obvious routes to go down.
One is , there is not a bad market for tourist packaged Cornish songs, for visitors to your area, as you have displayed with the Minack Cat story, old news to you, but not for travellers.(i.e "buy the sound of Kernow to take home)
The second one, is a bigger picture, which is to sell your songs (of a mythical place to most of the world) to the bigger markets, USA publishers may be more welcoming on the topic than UK ones.

In print this probably looks daft to a resident of that area, but I don`t think there is a cross Atlantic Cornish artist (answers on a postcard please!).

Keep us informed.

Hi Mart,

Sorry I haven't been back to you for a few days but have just had a tooth out (a foot on each armrest whilst pulling and an assistant wiping the sweat from my forehead job!!!!!!) and I am just recovering enough to get online agan although rattling with pain killers and antibiotics.

Thanks for your comments again.

I have tried to get in contact with a guy who is a CD distributer to gift shops (including National Trust ones) in Cornwall but he never answered my letters.

It's funny what you said about the American Market as one reveiwer said of my 1st album (Minack Magic) "If this album had been made in america It would be in the Smithsonian institute!".

I would love to target "Anglophiles" with my music but am I right in thinking that that American publishers dont like (I've forgotten the correct term)stuff they have not asked you to send?

Am thinking of trying to get in with some larger Cornish companies like Ginsters or St. Austell Brewery to get some sort of sponsorship for a "Cornish" CD.

By the way I actually live in NORWICH and the "Minack" is actually the Minack Cottage of Derek Tangye's "Minack Chronicles" the 18 books he wrote about starting a flower farm near Lamorna!

Would still like to send you my CD as a thank you for your comments.

Garykennon@yahoo.co.uk

myspace.com/garykennon

all the best

Gary

I think Ginsters are a bit mainstream and corporate looking,(they are close to a Pukka Pies image) the National Trust is a good , companies like the St Austell brewery would be worth an amount of PR sent their way, or even the tourist board.
USA wise, I would try to find contacts in Virginia if I were you, there is some good cable channels and radio stations there who really go for the UK stuff, we have had reasonable airings with one of our accoustic based artists over there and even videos used.
I shall try and dig a couple of reliable addresses out for you.

Thanks again Mart for your usual excellent advice!

The tourist Board is a great idea, maybe a one off deal for a freebee CD to send out with their brochures could be a mutually advantagous gimmick?

Would love to have any contacts you come up with for Virginia as have always thought my kind of music would go down better in the states than here as on feedback I have had several comments that my songs and singing are "So very British!!" (I refuse to sing in a mid atlantic style:-)

I could almost be a novelty item over there (I dont mind) as I speak with a broad Norfolk accent! "I cum from up the rud at Noridge where we speak proper loike what the queen do!"

Thanks again for your help which is GREATLY appreciated!

All the best

Gary

Hi Mart, Hope you will have a look at my updated page on Myspace with 4 new songs (I say "new" but from my catalogue).

I have put up my most 4 "Off the wall" tracks for Jonathan for a couple of weeks and THEN I will put up 4 of my Pure Cornish tracks for you!

Keep in touch & all the best

www.myspace.com/garykennon
garykennon@yahoo.co.uk

Gary