Posts by Marty Dodson
Your Problem Isn’t Access
By SongTown co-founder Marty Dodson For years, I had a story I told myself. It went something like this: “I already have the hit songs. I just can’t get to the right people. If I could find a publisher who really gets me, everything would change.” I believed that with my whole heart. I had…
Read MoreChasing Songwriting Trends Is a Huge Mistake
Marty and Clay make the case that chasing whatever’s on the radio is the one strategy that can’t win. You’re late — by the time a major artist cuts your song, the moment has moved — and even on time, you’re up against the writers and artists already doing it better. The breakthroughs they point…
Read MoreSomeone Worth Believing In
by SongTown Co-founder Marty Dodson In the beginning, I had plenty of days when I wondered if I was really cut out for songwriting. Not just the normal “this song isn’t working” kind of doubt. I’m talking about the kind that gets down in your bones. The kind that shows up after one too many…
Read MoreAmateur Songwriters Get Stuck on One Melody & Can’t Un-Hear It
Marty and Clay take on the rookie trap of writing one melody and then being unable to hear anything else — and hand over seven working tricks for shaking it loose, from moving your starting note, to singing outside the chord, to flipping the whole line upside down. Along the way Clay tells the story…
Read MoreHow To Know When Your Song Is Finished? (Pro Songwriting Tips)
Marty and Clay take on the question they get asked constantly: how do you know when a song is actually finished? They walk through five signals — The through line: you never have to do everything perfect, you just have to do enough things right. Get your tickets for our 12th Annual Creative Xperience Songwriting…
Read MoreIrreconcilable Co-Writing Differences for Songwriters?
The Songtown Mailbox gets a lot of questions regarding what to do when you and your co-writers can’t agree on how to finish your song. So, here are my thoughts on the topic. The general rule in the writing room is that everyone involved will commit to keep working on the song until each writer…
Read MoreYour Songwriting Could Be Growing 10x (5 Toxic Amateur Mistakes)
Marty and Clay count down five toxic habits that quietly stall a songwriter’s growth — including a couple they were guilty of themselves early on. There’s a Nile Rodgers story in here that changed how he heard music for good, and a song that sat 15 years before it got cut. Write on. Get your…
Read MoreWe Wrote 10,000 Songs — Our Top 3 Lessons
After more than 10,000 songs between them, Marty and Clay break down the three lessons that shaped their careers most: trading reactive listening for inspired listening, taking ownership instead of blaming co-writers and publishers, and why no song you ever write is wasted. Plus, details on spending a day with them in Nashville at the…
Read MoreIt’s Not Too Late
By SongTown Co-founder Marty Dodson I once ran across a quote that stopped me in my tracks: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” That quote helped change my life. I grew up in Nashville, where music wasn’t just part of the culture. It felt like it was in the air.…
Read More4 Ways Pro Songwriters Outwrite You Every Time
Clay Mills and Marty Dodson break down four habits that separate pro songwriters from everybody else — starting with the big one: pros don’t wait on inspiration. Along the way they get into Jack Tempchin and Glenn Frey lighting a candle to “invite the muse,” Chris Wallin on replacing an incredible line with the right…
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