Don Phelps – Storyteller | Studio Demos

Many songwriters, especially in Nashville, are primarily writers, not performers. Their craft lies in creating well-structured, emotionally resonant songs, often captured first in a work tape, a simple guitar or piano recording that showcases melody and phrasing. The songwriter owns the copyright to the composition. Once a song is complete, it’s typically brought to a demo studio, a professional recording space that specializes in producing high-quality versions of songwriter material. For a flat fee, the studio provides session musicians, a lead vocalist, and a producer or engineer who brings the song to life. The finished product, a demo, sounds radio-ready but is not meant for commercial release. The hired musicians and singers are paid for their time and hold no ownership of the song. The songwriter retains full rights and can freely use the demo to pitch the composition. From there, the songwriter pitches the demo to artists, music publishers, A&R representatives, or music supervisors seeking songs for recording projects, television, film, or commercials. The demo allows listeners to envision how the song might sound when recorded by a professional artist. If an artist or producer chooses to “cut” the song, they’ll record their own version, using their own team. The songwriter earns credit and royalties for the composition itself, not for the performance or recording. If the song is licensed for film, TV, or other media, the songwriter also receives synchronization and performance royalties through their performing rights organization. I regularly play acoustic versions of these songs at gigs. I’m planning to record some live, acoustic versions as well if folks are interested in hearing them in that format.