Posts by Clay Mills
How To Break Out Of Your Songwriting Rut And Feel Inspired Again
Do you feel like your melodies are dated? Are you in a creative rut? It happens to us all. We start rolling and write a bunch of songs we really love, and then one day we wake up and everything starts sounding the same. Every new idea we create seems familiar. And worse, those ideas…
Read MoreQuick Biz Tip: Songwriter Performance Royalties 101
Songwriter performance royalties account for roughly 35% of a writers/publishers income. What is a performance royalty? Simply put: A songwriter performance royalty is owed to the writers and publishers of a particular song whenever that composition is broadcast or performed in public. This includes: Airplay on terrestrial and satellite radio (Sirius, XM, etc) Plays on…
Read More5 Things We Bet You Didn’t Know About SongTown
1) Marty Dodson and Clay Mills wrote together years ago, but were not frequent collaborators when they started Songtown. Now, they talk multiple times a day. Every day. 2) The big question Marty and Clay wrestled with before starting Songtown was “Will people stick around if we tell them the truth?” They saw multiple Songwriting…
Read MoreSongTown Say Whaaaa? Sometimes Songwriting Can Be A Crazy Music Business!
In today’s episode of sometimes songwriting can be a crazy music business… I recently got an email from a talented SongTownian who asked me if it was a good idea to sign a contract that allowed his co-writer to negotiate contracts on their song on his behalf. AND give the co-writer 100% of the publishing…
Read MoreJack Tempchin Reveals Story Of Writing “Peaceful Easy Feeling” For The Eagles
Legendary songwriter Jack Tempchin is most known for writing classic rock songs for the Eagles, Glenn Fry, and Johnny Rivers. Classic songs like “Already Gone,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Slow Dancing,” and many others. Clay Mills hangs out with Jack for an incredible evening of music and stories from the SongTown Studio set; and in the above video clip Jack reveals his funny story behind…
Read MoreThe 9-Minute Songwriter Workout (Ultimate Toolbox)
These three songwriting exercises are designed to get you into the flow of writing without thinking. Your best ideas come from the subconscious, and you can tap into this with regular practice. Remember to do these exercises quickly, spending three minutes on each in rapid fire succession. I set the timer on my iPhone. Don’t…
Read MorePut The Butt in the Chair: The Real Cure For Writer’s Block
Publishers don’t give writer’s block vacations. People often ask us how we fight “writer’s block”. Unfortunately, my publisher does not offer Writer’s Block Vacation Days. I’m expected to write, not make excuses. So, on days when I don’t FEEL like writing, what do I do? I put my butt in the chair and I write…
Read MoreDon’t Judge A Pro Songwriter By His Cover
The other day, a friend and I were talking about a songwriter in town that is on FIRE. He’s getting an amazing number of cuts. We were talking (with a little envy) about his success and wishing for something even close to what he is experiencing. Someone else came in the room and heard us…
Read MoreSongTown Birthday Bash: Recap!
RECAP: SongTown Birthday Bash and Townie Awards (10/1/2016) The SongTown Birthday Bash took place this past Saturday night at the Listening Room Cafe in Nashville, TN. Around 300 people attended to celebrate two years of SongTown! We also held our first ever Townie Awards show highlighting outstanding members of SongTown (full list of winners and photo gallery…
Read More9 Of The Most Famous Collaborations In Music History
Recently, I’ve read a lot of articles and social media posts about songs that have multiple songwriters. Asserting that co-writing creates bad art. Seemingly ignoring some of the most famous collaborations throught histroy. What journalist and headline seeking trash-talkers don’t understand is music by nature is a collaborative art … Has nothing to do with quality…
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