Hello – I’m Peter Bliss - the founder of the New York Songwriters Collective.
I remember sitting down with my fellow band mate - school notebooks in hand – scratching out the lyrics with #2 pencil while working on the opening guitar riff of my first song Suicide Sue”. We were both 11 years old - our first tour - playing that song during lunchtime recess periods in the elementary school auditorium. I was hooked! I signed my first staff songwriter deal the day I graduated high school. That was 50 years ago and I am still so very fortunate to be making music. If you are interested in the details – you can visit my personal website: www.peterbliss.com.
It has been an interesting journey as I ditched formal music training, hit the road with other artists, made a debut LP with a major label, signed with publishers and managers gaining major song cuts and status, began TV and film work, built my own recording studio all the while consulting for artists and organizations like the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Along the way I have made money – I have starved – I have felt the tingle when something I have written gives me that chill – and I have felt like everything I write sucks. Aaaah - yes – the diagnosis is clear - I am a songwriter!!!!! Songwriters are a special breed of human. We hear voices, melodies and lyrics in our heads all the time. We are most likely to lean towards right-brained thinking, focusing on aesthetics and feelings. We are inherently insecure about our craft at the same time showing a certain egotistical nature to survive. We are also seemingly programmed so creativity trumps commerce leaving most songwriters susceptible to ill-advised business arrangements. A chorus is more important than understanding the fine print of a contract!
And we are driven to write with the goal of sharing our songs with the world!
Time to introduce you to The New York Songwriters Collective! The place to enrich your craft through workshops with hit songwriters and music industry professionals, free ‘songworking’ meetings and showcases in the New York City area. If you are not close to NYC, the online Song Club, Open House, Song Review, and 1on1 consulting are available. The Collective website is a social network where all members create their own profile page, set their own levels of interactivity and privacy, chat and collaborate within the program and post to other platforms like FB and Twitter, post events including performance schedules along with music and video files. It’s ad-free so you can leave it up on your screen without the annoying chatter.
We encourage writers, producers, vocalists, recording studios and music industry professionals like songpluggers. publishers, A&R, vocalists, record producers and studios, PR, and all who consult to offer their services. Highlights of our workshops and events will be available as videos exclusively to our members.
The annual membership is just $40. and we endeavor to keep the cost of most of our programs down to serve the artist community. I understand where all the money goes to recording demos, hiring players and gigging! In the truest definition of a “collective”, it is through the contribution of all the members that we become a vital and important organization
Note: The Collective has absolutely no contractual or financial interest in any of the songs, videos or other content that is placed on the site by our members. The Collective is all about raising the level of each member’s songwriting craft AND helping them navigate the ever-evolving music industry of tomorrow. Your membership, creative input and opinions matter! Let the New York Songwriters Collective become a place of support for you in your craft and career. Welcome!
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