Any songwriters? Need help, please!

[OneGrassRoot]

Here's the situation: I've been ghostwriting for an author on everything from web copy to magazine copy to speeches to dialogue for radio interviews.

He was given an idea by a radio person to compile a music CD containing songs related to the theme of his current book.

He has now asked me to write lyrics for said CD, to be set to original music.

I don't have any idea what to charge. I am researching royalty rates but can't find much on up-front fees. This may go nowhere, then again, the strangest things have taken off. If I wrote catchy lyrics to a song which ended up in commercials for some Fortune 100 company or a movie or TV show and didn't have some type of residual rights, I might go insane.

Any suggestions on standard fees for such a project, as well as standard royalty rates. I'd strictly be providing lyrics for 10-15 songs.

All help is greatly, GREATLY appreciated! DU is my go-to place for just about everything. Smartest people on the whole friggin planet are here..... Thanks in advance.

[petgoat]

1. My two cents.

My understanding (possibly wrong) is that if you accept pay
for the work then it's work-for-hire that's owned by your client.

If you license your client to use it, you can retain ownership and
then you get all the royalties when your work is adopted for Ford
and McDonalds commercials.

Of course, since you're not writing the music, the songwriter
(I'd call you the lyricist) may give up the rights separately,
may not want to work with someone who won't give up the rights,
etc. etc.

Check with someone who knows. My brother is a songwriter and this
is my understanding from my knowledge of his business.