Bruce Cockburn – HuffPost 4.1.11

MR: Do you have any advice for new artists?

BC: Well, not very meaningful advice because the whole scene is so different now than when I started. But one thing I will say is that if you have a sense of what you want your art to be, stick to it. Don’t let other people tell you that it’s not acceptable or not appropriate or not the way to get ahead. Go with your gut on that stuff.

The other piece of advice would be to hang on to your publishing if you’re a songwriter. Don’t give it away. Although, as I said everything is in such a different state that this may not be as widespread, historically, there have been record companies who have asked you to give up your publishing in exchange for a record contract. Personally, I’m not sorry to see some of the bigger record companies go down because they have been screwing people for so long that they had it coming. The problem is that the things that are taking them down are also making it difficult for the rest of us. But as far as artists go, I would encourage them to hang on to their songs — keep owning them because that gives you some creative control over what happens, and it also may be a potential source of income down the road. If you get lucky, someone high-profile may record your songs or you may become high profile enough yourself to generate royalties. Then it’s more meaningful.