Why am I a Composer?: Why use Pseudonyms?


AFX Industrial (film scores)

Many artists have pseudonyms they release work under, but why release music under a fantasy name? This may seem strange and counter intuitive, after all don't we work hard to make a name for ourselves? So why make use of a pseudonym at all?

Blue or Red?

Naturally when you push your art (music in my case) to different extremes, for the listener some of the results can be a little startling even disconcerting. It's all too easy for composers to become inadvertently associated with one particular genre or style of music, simply because the listener had only ever been exposed to a piece by the composer written in that particular style.

Let me simplify. For instance, if an artist paints a canvas completely blue and sells a million copies, people may find it hard to come to terms with (or even believe) that the same artist has also painted another canvas completely red. No one buys it.

Now, the only way our artist can sell the red painted canvas is to create a pseudonym. Maybe their manager suggests that they simply adopt the pseudonym 'Red'. So now we have a new artist on the scene whose name is Red, who is selling a piece of art (also entitled 'red') which consists of the red canvas our artist painted way back in their blue stage. Now, under the pseudonym 'Red' the same artist sells a million copies …

There's an urban myth that horror writer Stephen King realized he had a passion for writing children's books. But what parent in their right mind would by a Stephen King book for their young, impressionable child? If this myth is true then your children are already reading Stephen King - just under a suitable pseudonym! Don't be afraid.

Quite often (every time in my case) it's the publisher that decides what our pseudonyms will be and this can often depend on the style of music and the territory they're selling it in. In fact over 90% of my income arrives from outside of the UK (where I live) that's just how the business has panned out for me so far. Talk to any other composer and I'm sure they'll have a favourite territory which they constantly sell in.

Of course, some of my pseudonyms are tailored for selling to the larger continents (like America and Australia) and as far as my own name goes I generally save David C. Hëwitt for the film score credits.

The Business of Pseudonyms

You often hear artists say 'I love creating music but really hate the business side', to me this doesn't make any sense. Every industry has a business side to it and if you don't embrace it you'll never fully embrace your chosen industry. Not being able to separate 'music' from 'business' is to me like not being able to separate driving a car from walking! It's hard to describe as the joy of both has to be experienced on a daily basis to be truly understood.

Pseudonyms are just another aspect of the business, they are like different brands or flavours. I may not necessarily want to be associated with a particular type or style of music that my studio (AFX Industrial) has created. But I still need to sell it to a hungry market so a pseudonym can be the ideal way of concealing my true identity in a perfectly legitimate way. It's also very important not to dilute the authority that comes from appearing to specialize in one particular musical style. But, pseudonym or not, because I own the rights to EVERY piece of music that is created by my studio, I always have total access to these anomalous works - works that would normally be hidden from view.

The music could be as diverse as traditional Greek wedding dances or lowest common denominator advertising music. Generally these are styles that I don't want to be directly associated with but still need to own the worldwide copyright to - so I can use them if and when they are called for.

There is nothing more satisfying than the mixture of high level music (film scoring, classical arrangements) and business. I appreciate every transaction, global buyout or film I have ever worked on from both the artistic and business angle. When you can turn your art into something that people across the globe want to pay for, it's a satisfying and unexpectedly humbling experience.

The Legality of Pseudonyms

I would imagine the use of pseudonyms to sell products has been around for as long as the word pseudonym itself. Actors change their names, rock stars adopt stage names, in fact using a pseudonym has, in certain sectors of the entertainment industry become not only accepted but expected.

I think if there's any confusion over the legality of pseudonyms, it's fuelled by the assumption that a name you adopt must, ultimately be reflected on a legally recognised document such as a birth certificate or passport. There really is no need to go this far. And what if you wanted to use more than one pseudonym?

No, the legally binding nature of any pseudonym is crystalized when both (or more) parties agree to use the name to sell product X. It will then be legitimised by a detailed and specific contract signed by all of the parties involved.

To track usage, artists like me are given a number such as '42217659' by the copyright protection agency that deals with the territory in which the artist currently resides. Any pseudonyms created will have their own unique number which will ultimately link to the artist's original number. Pseudonyms have to be applied for and verified by a copyright protection agency, also known as a PRO (which stands for performing rights organisation).

It can appear to be a bit of a rabbit hole, but what I'm describing here is the business side of music, this is it. Think about insuring your car or filling in an application form for a credit card, if neccessity determines that we MUST understand something then we have to find a way to understand it.

The Importance of Pseudonyms

There are many constrained and localised markets in which a product can easily live out its shelf life using just one brand name. But, with an internationally recognized product (indeed language) such as music, it positively demands different names to sell it! Simply put, if Vladomitkavichkz Kovishtzhaztavwodkz wants to sell his hard core Rap music in the USA. Then it may be advisable for Vladomitkavichkz Kovishtzhaztavwodkz to adopt a more accessible name that his fans can relate to ...

So, we can see that although pseudonyms may at first appear underhand or even corny, I can assure you that this is because the nature of the pseudonym is misunderstood. Music (like any other product) simply needs to appeal to it's target audience to ensure it (like any other business) keeps making money - and pseudonyms enable this to happen.

Until next time - David.