[dreamsongs]

Nice post Jules, thank God I'm not an artist although I used to be.

The way this would and has affected me to some degree is that I would be really pissed off at a band I have written songs with and collaborated with and then they go and f*ck it all up for themselves and me by making horrible career choices.

It's not as damaging to me obviously except I have regreted all the money I could've made had they put pride and selfishness aside.

There is a talented band I work with now who is well on their way to ruining all the hard work they and I put in. I know the lead singer well so I'm hesitant to disclose further info but they have had serious support from radio and promotion in the area. They reached a high 2 years ago and it's on the way down now. Probably to never rise again.

But like you said, there are so many things that could and will go wrong that it's almost impossible without serious professional guidance.

I would even add another important factor to that list, and that is "song choice". When a band gets precious and hung up on recording certain material that isn't good just because they wrote it, it's a recipe for disaster.

Then we go back to "hit potential material". If you are an artist or a band and someone offers you a song that has hit potential but you didn't write it...TAKE IT !
Don't be a proud idiot...you will get other chances to write but you can't afford to miss the train when it's at your station !

An artist/band affects me the songwriter minimally. I mean, who am I to tell them which direction to go, it's their career. But when the moment comes to record your album and you choose the ones you wrote over the better material that could further your career, well, that just pisses me off...

Nobody has a crystal ball and who's to say it would've made a difference in the end. But if there's one person making all decisions and they're not open and unbiased, it's going to be a tough road...