Lynne Robin Green just might be your best friend. On the other hand, if you are in the business of screwing artists and songwriters, you can run but you can't hide -- Green is a self-described pit bull of a collection agent.

Lynne Robin Green freely shares her expertise through songwriting seminars, workshops and magazine columns. As the head of Lansdowne Music and Winston Music (ASCAP), Bloor and Hoffman House Music(BMI), and Casa de La Luna Music (SESAC) she certainly knows of what she speaks -- Green personally tracks a mindboggling array of projects. Her combined companies boast over 1,250 recordings to date and she estimates that in any given month 25-30 releases include songs from her catalogs. In addition, over 490 film and television shows -- from The Andy Griffith Show to Hairspray -- have featured her material.

"It all comes down to the songs", says Green, "and being able to creatively market them." A cross-section of pop gems -- recorded by everyone from the Doobie Brothers, Dick Dale and the Dillards to Phil Spector -- light up the company's catalog. "We take songs and masters and utilize them for every possible usage -- commercials. videos, films. TV and more. Songs have more than one shelf life; once they have been recorded there's a pretty good chance of them being used for film and TV. If we have the master, we take it to the next step. If it's a demo, then it's a matter of researching the right artist to see if they're open to doing outside songs. But we can't be limited to just pitching songs to artists."

Then, there is her crusade, what she calls "a lost art": artist royalty recovery. "I have a big heart for classic artists," she says, "I have recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in rock, R&B and surf music royalties that may not have been received or have just been under-accounted for many years. I'm 98 percent successful, without having to go into litigation." Green also listens to new songwriters. "I've fought very hard for 21 years to try to keep an open door. If you send me music and enclose an SASE, I will usually reply within four weeks." But, she reveals this notable truth: The best referrals come from other artists and writers." Writers she represents include Butch Norton from the DreamWorks band, the Eels; jazz vocalist Bill Henderson; legendary sax man John Handy, and Vicki Randle from the Tonight Show currently has four cuts on Albita's latest CD and theme music for The Christina Show (Univision 2001).

Lynne Robin Green began as a songwriter; her first year's credits included songs on network TV and the jazz charts. Moreover, she met her mentor, Jack Hoffman, the founder of the companies she now owns. These days, Green also keeps a close eye on internet licensing and new media. She says, "I'm interested in two types of situations: if it's a band that has something which will be imminently released, they need an administrator, somebody who knows how to do licensing. With new writers I'll do a single song agreement with a one-year reversion, but I have to be very positive about the song" And what do her personal tastes dictate? "I don't like things that sound formulated -- I like it from the gut, something that's become a part of you without having to figure what it is."

What is her most basic advice for songwriters? "Learn what you're talking about, how it works, how to protect yourself, and get honest people on your side to help you. Never sign anything without an attorney. Make sure you know what you're doing every step of the way, and always document everything.

A well-versed songwriter advocate, Green also reflects, "I consider it a privilege to be given the gift of knowledge which took me so many years to learn, and then to be able to give that back. It's what makes my life worthwhile; my cause is the art of creation. My motto in life is: Create, protect, go forth and collect".

Songwriter Profile: Lynne Robin Green, The Peoples Publisher was written by Dan Kimpel and appeared in Music Connection Magazine 2001 - Issue 11.