We get lots of music business questions in SongTown and this is a common one, so I thought I'd answer it in a post. The business side of music is not as complicated as it seems. Here are the basics of writer/publisher deals and how money is split. There are two...
I believe that it is good for all songwriters to stay in touch with what made them want to write a song in the first place. For me, here were some reasons that I put pen to paper and created melodies: I had a crush on the girl down the street...
I have discovered that there are many reasons people write songs. Sometimes we assume that everyone writing a song must want a major artist to record it. While that is true for many writers, it's not the real motivation for many others. Here are some of the more popular reasons people write...
Most of us tend to gravitate toward the same kinds of things when we write. We write grooves and feels that we like. And we tend to write topics we like as well. Use these exercises to stretch your writing boundaries. 1) Write...
I believe that to be successful as a songwriter, you have to be very versatile. I have had songs recorded by artists as varied as The Oak Ridge Boys and The Plain White T’s. But, the area in which I have had the most success is writing my life. When...
I had a conversation this week with one of my song pluggers. I have worked with this guy for more than 20 years. I consider him my best friend in the music business. Why? He tells me the truth. Always. At one time, I turned in a song I wrote with a...
Here are some fun songwriting exercises I do when I want to sharpen my songwriting skills and just have a good time with it, putting no pressure on myself. Hope you enjoy! Thumb through a magazine looking for song ideas. Sometimes when I'm on an airplane, I pick up the inflight...
I believe that the scariest moment in songwriting is the moment before you start. Most of us have voices that play in our heads. Those voices often tell us that the task at hand "can't be done". "You aren't good enough". "You can't handle this". You know the drill. ...
No matter what your definition of Songwriting Success is, one of the most overlooked aspect of a songwriter's journey is community. I run into many writers who are writing pretty good songs, but they are doing it in a vacuum. In reality, it's nearly impossible to succeed as a songwriter...
One of the reasons Clay and I started SongTown was to help people learn how the songwriting business works and immunize themselves from being ripped off. So, I want to give you some advice that can help save you hundreds and maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you heed...