As you progress and develop a repertoire of songs, you will want these songs performed in a live setting. Along with recording, live performance is one of the truest tests of a song. Seeing how strangers react to your song in a live-music setting will be very beneficial for you in terms of seeing the result of your work.

Playing Out

If you can sing, even if it's just enough to get the song across, then you need to get out there and sing your songs. When you play a song for a live audience, you have to get inside the song from the viewpoint of a performer instead of as a writer, to get the story and the emotion of the song across to the listeners. If you can do it, then it's possible for other artists to do it. If you can't, it may help point out the weak spots in your song.

Start with a low-pressure situation, like an open mike night, and work your way up to a showcase or “in the round” setting. Performing frequently will help take the fright out of stage fright. You need to become comfortable on stage so that when you play in front of publishers at a big-time writer's venue you won't feel so intimidated. Decide on a place and set a date. Practice until you're sick of your own songs and then practice some more.

When you take the stage, concentrate on connecting. Remember that the performer is the link between the song and the listener. Be confident and be a transmitter for the song. If you don't feel it, nobody else will. If they can't hear you, they can't hear the song. Giving a halfhearted performance of a great song is like showing the Mona Lisa in a dark, windowless room with one candle; it doesn't matter how great a masterpiece you know it is if no one else can see it.

Finding Someone to Sing Your Songs

It's also good to get others to perform your songs. The more people sing your songs, the higher the chances that they will be heard by the right person. Look for bands and singers in your area who are looking for songs to perform or record. Before you pitch to an act, make sure to get a good idea of what they sound like and only give them songs that fit what they are doing. Otherwise, you're wasting everybody's time. Pay special attention to acts that already have label interest; even if your song doesn't make it onto their major label CD, it could still get heard by the record company.

The Internet is another place to find people who might be interested in singing your songs. Many forums and bulletin boards have areas for singers and bands currently looking for songs. This can be especially true of recording artists from Europe, Asia, and the former Soviet Union. Because of the popularity of music from the United States and the United Kingdom, these acts are often looking for songs with English lyrics and an authentic feel that might help them break through on the charts.