Why Write a Musical?
Let’s talk about some of the things that go into writing a musical.
A musical, like Gaul, is divided into three parts:
- There is the music/beats.
- There are the lyrics.
- There is the dialog.
This week I want to talk about the songs.
Writing a Song
Songs have music/beats and lyrics. They tell a story. A logical question is, why can’t the song writer just write the songs as songs? Why should a songwriter want to incorporate his songs into a musical?
I believe the answer is somewhat about creative control, but mostly about economic opportunity.
If you write a song, you need to get it recorded and distributed. The standard industry practice for this is that a record company, in exchange for these services, buys part of the the rights and revenues of the song. From this point on, you don’t fully own your song; you co-own it with the record company.
The situation is different in a musical.
Writing Songs in a Musical
The writers – playwright, composer, and lyricist – never sell any part of their creative work. They only “rent” it to a theater producer. And that rental is limited as to time and place.
A producer pays the writers for the right to mount productions of the musical. Unlike the music industry, this payment confers no ownership.
The answer to the why question, then, is that writing songs for a musical is always a better financial deal for the writer.
How Do I Write A Musical?
My guess is that most hip hop artists don’t know many playwrights or theater producers. This is where Rhymes Over Beats comes in.
One of our goals as a hip hop theater collective is to connect hip hop artists with a playwright and have them collaborate to create a musical.
Next week’s blog will be how – HOW the songs work with the dialog in a musical.
Stay safe everyone.