Copyright the material you plan to package and send to music publishers. Once you have sent in your package, you will not receive it back from the company. The risk of having your work used without your consent is also present. While copyrighting your material is not a guarantee that your work will not be stolen, it will serve you in a court of law in the event that it is. Do not send your song package to music publishers until you have received your copyright registration from the U.S. Copyright office.
Create lyric sheets for every song you plan to include in your package to send to music publishers. Nearly all music publishers require lyric sheets to accompany the listening of songs to accurately review and assess if the lyrics are appropriate for what they are looking for. If a CD is sent without lyric sheets to a music publisher that requires them, the CD may not be heard. A formal lyric sheet contains the song title, author name, author contact information, song lyrics and the copyright notice.
Research the requirements, song style needs, and proper contact name and address to send your package to for each music publisher you are interested in sending songs to. Some music publishers require a minimum or maximum of songs on each song package entry. The amount of songs required can range from two to five songs. It is vital to know the style of songs the music publisher is looking for. You do not want to send a song package of heavy metal songs to a publisher looking for country music. Be sure your songs fall under the genre of artists the music publishers are searching for.
Include all of your contact information in the form of a business card for music publishers to reach you if they need you. You may not hear back from the music publishers after sending your package unless they want to use your songs or are interested in hearing more music from you. A business card with your contact information marketing your services will set a level of professionalism on your song package. Your song package is the first impression you will make to the music publishers. Keep this in mind when preparing to send your package.