Lightning Bolt singer Jake Bugg has revealed he was forced to co-write with other musicians and give them a portion of his royalties.
In an interview with Mojo magazine, Bugg said that he knew he would have to sign with a major label in order to achieve his goals in the industry but soon found himself having to work with other songwriters on his material.
“I knew I needed money to get on the road and make the album I wanted to make. But to sign with a major these days you have to agree to write with other people. I saw other people say ‘no’, and then the label weren’t interested,” he explained.
“I was… sceptical. I thought about it, but then I decided, ‘Why not?’. I might learn a thing or two. And the thing is, I have… It’s more of a guide than writing the songs. It has to be my idea. It will be swapping this bit or that bit, or pointing out that really an idea is only half a song.”
While Bugg learned to see the upside of collaborating with other artists, he admitted to having an altercation with former Longpigs rocker Crispin Hunt as he felt the producer’s contribution did not warrant more than a 30 per cent cut of the track’s earnings.
“What frustrated me was that, when it was done, I knew I could’ve written it myself… He wanted a bigger share. I didn’t feel that was right… But working with Crispin was a good experience and, like all these things, you must take at least one good thing away from it.”
