So you need the words and the vocal tone and delivery, the label and the artist producers can sort out the backing instruments.
I got a couple gem's, on some motown sh1t ........ but no background music, just sung words.
Imma look into it, wondering how you start ....... probably just call labels up but there must be a 100 people every other day calling up labels.
I mean you can go to BlazeTrak.com and submit ur songs to mainstream producers/A&'R, etc.....but you have to pay like $100 or more. But you get a response back.
My advice to you is, you can do that, but 9/10 their gonna tell you that you need music/instrumentals. And then they're gonna tell you to re-submit it again when you get music. You do get some valuable feedback but at the same time remember that they want you to keep submitting so they can get more $$$.
I got a response back once from a well known producer/writer who said that your stuff needs to sound professionally done, track, vocals and all b/c he said labels now dont want to spend money/time re-doing songs....they want it radio-ready.
Country music is probably the only genre where you can just submit a song with minimal production and they'll reproduce it w/ live instruments if they like it. But country music is based around guitar/ basic piano anyway, so there's not alot of synths, arpreggiators, 808 drums that need to be reproduced. Session musicians can knock a country song out in 20-30 mins.
But to answer ur orig question, song writing can consist of you creating the music, or just the lyrics alone.
But listen to this:
