Sentence:  When he heard that Paul Whiteman was looking for singers to replace the Rhythm Boys , Mercer applied and got the job , `` not for my voice , I 'm sure , but because I could write songs and <WSD>material</WSD> generally '' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  information (data or ideas or observations) that can be used or reworked into a finished form