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Songwriter and Music Publisher

Music: Live Wire Music & Audio Post, Detroit, MI
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Do you want to be a Songwriter and Music Publisher?

Do you ever find yourself jotting down song lyrics on the nearest napkin? Have you developed a knack for matching a turn of phrase with the perfect tune? Are you looking for a career change that could transform your talent into music’s next hot commodity? If so, your chance at an up-close initiation to the music industry has arrived. Join musician, composer, and producer Mark Nilan on an exciting Songwriter and Music Publisher VocationVacations® dream job holiday in Southfield, Michigan, at Mark’s very own LiveWire Studios.

Though VocationVacations® mentor Mark Nilan graduated from North Texas State University with a B.A. in music composition, his education didn’t make him predestined for success in the industry. Instead, Mark’s career path was set out early by two things: his love for music and his realization that he wasn’t interested in any other kind of work. “I’ve always played music—I can’t imagine not playing,” he says. “The only ‘real job’ I’ve ever had lasted for a whopping two days. I was 16 years old. Chopping down weeds with a sickle (no power tools), in the summer heat (112 degrees in the shade), behind a car dealership (Detroit), was the day I made my decision: ‘I don’t really think I’m cut out for this “day gig” stuff.’ I have been in the music business ever since.”

Despite this professed single-mindedness, Mark is a man of many talents. An accomplished musician whose decades of experience have taken him from major concert performances to the development of Super Bowl advertising, Mark proves that a wide range of skills is the ultimate asset in the music world. Formerly a keyboardist for Aretha Franklin, Moody Blues, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Earl Klugh, and others, Mark also scored the Academy Award-winning film “Young At Heart,” as well as Tim Allen’s early Showtime comedy specials. His writing and producing credits span the network gamut, from NBC’s “Must See TV” campaign to station identification pieces for Turner Classic Movies, MTV, ESPN, and Comedy Central.

A musician at heart, these days Mark spends most of his time mixing music, business, and pleasure by running his own recording studio. “I don’t think you could plan any of this out,” he says of his adventurous career path. “You have to be flexible. The hardest thing is to anticipate or prepare for what’s around the corner.” From advances in instrument technology to the popularizing of online music sharing, keeping up with the changing times has kept Mark on his toes over the years. “But that’s what happens,” he says. “You take advantage of what comes up, and you learn. The best part is that it’s never the same. Every day we have new challenges.”

To get the most from those challenges, Mark encourages aspiring songwriters to learn as much as they can about what goes into writing, publishing, and producing music. “I think it’s a ‘pieces of the puzzle’ thing,” he reflects. “It helps a lot to have a sense of how everything works together, so I really encourage that. But so many different aspects go into the whole process that people start specializing. It’s definitely a juggling act, but if you keep at it, you’ll find out where your success comes from.” At LiveWire Studios, the result of this approach is an impressive array of work that continues to attract top performers. Artists who have recorded at LiveWire include rapper Obie Trice of Shady Records/Universal, teen star Corbin Blue of Hollywood Records/Disney, gospel singers Karen Clark and Yolanda Adams of Atlantic Records, rocker Mudvayne of Sony, and pop vocalist Kireina from Madrid, Spain, among many others.

As Mark knows, success in the music industry is at the other end of a lot of hard work, and it can be difficult to make your way through the maze successfully. For those who know in their gut that they have talent but feel they don’t know where to start, Mark has some advice. “Get one good mentor,” he says. “Find someone who can explain the puzzle, identify your missing pieces, and point you in the right direction. There are no substitutes for experience.”

So, don’t simply hold out hope for being “discovered.” With Mark Nilan as your songwriting and music publishing mentor, you can start gaining the experience you need to take your talent to the big time!

Vocationer activities will include some or all of the following:
  • Record your own CD as a working demo to advance your music career
  • Learn how to navigate the music/entertainment industries’ waters – what you need to know in order to succeed
  • Contracts – to sign or not to sign, recognizing the difference between “industry standard” and “rip off”
  • Live performance – how to go from getting “paid to practice” to becoming a musical director for a world tour and everything in between
  • Session musicians – how to make money and build and maintain your reputation
  • Original composition – learn about copyrights, publishing, music licensing, network and promotion
  • Music production – budgets, contracts musicians, union vs. non-union, recording techniques
  • Building a studio – financing, real estate acquisition, design, construction, personnel, equipment, marketing, promotions
  • Artist management – perspectives from both the artist and management sides
The Songwriter & Music Publisher VocationVacations® dream job holiday includes:
  • Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as a songwriter & music publisher
  • The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post-VocationVacation career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations® career coach
  • A pocket-size VocationVacations® journal so you can document your dream job becoming a reality
  • Light lunches with your mentor

Available: All year based on mentor's availability

Price: $1949 Per Person

Book This Career Mentorship



Suggested Accommodations

Westin Southfield

Hilton Inn Southtfield

(Not included in the price of the VocationVacations® holiday)

Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® adventure:

Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:

Full payment of the VocationVacations dream job holiday is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacations adventure cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. In the US, Grounded Nomads, LLC and VocationVacations holidays encourage all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling. In the UK, Grounded Nomads, Ltd and VocationVacations holidays must require all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling and provide verification of such travel insurance to Grounded Nomads, Ltd.