Author: Marty Dodson

If you've been hanging around SongTown for a while, you've heard Clay and I talk about the idea that "The Song Is King". When we say that, we mean that, when we write, we are there to serve the song, NOT to serve our own interests....

I believe that our writing "muscles" are just like any other muscle group. If we want to be as flexible as possible, we have to stretch those muscles from time to time. So, this morning, I wanted to give your brain and maybe your writing muscles a little "Morning Stretch". It makes...

  There seems to be a lot of confusion out there over the question "How Do I Submit A Song As A Songwriter to the music business?" The truth of the matter is that there is no one way to "submit" a song. When you simplify the "song submission" idea, there are...

Worked 17 years for overnight songwriting success. - Tim Hicks   Several years ago, at our company Christmas dinner, I ran into an old friend, Denny Carr who told me an amazing story. Four years prior, he and I were in Hamilton, Ontario Canada for the Canadian Country Music Awards. While we...

  These kinds of thoughts keep a negative cloud over you and your writing AND they actually decrease your chances of success. If these thoughts creep into your head, kick them to the curb before they derail your creativity and your forward progress. 1) "My songs are better than...." It doesn't matter...

I can’t count the times that I’ve heard a songwriter blame their lack of success on the radio, publishers, a “closed circle in the music business”, A&R people who “can’t hear a hit”, bad co-writers, just plain bad luck and the list goes on and on and on. While any of...

  Being grateful and giving thanks is a discipline that I try to practice daily. From a songwriting perspective, here are some things I believe all of us creative types need to be thankful for: The Believers My mom was a huge believer in me and my music.  When everyone else was telling...

One of the things I love most about being a songwriter is that it is one of the few things in life that you can never totally "figure out".  You can always write a better song than you wrote today.  There's always some new melodic trick or turn of a...

Most songwriters find themselves in a complacent "comfort zone" from time to time.  Personally, I find myself at times resting on a little plateau of my own making.  I work really hard for a stretch and then I coast for a bit.  When I find myself coasting, here are some...

Networking seems to be a common struggle for songwriters.  Many creative types are just not very social and we tend to be introverted.  That can make it hard to really build the team you need to help you get your songs heard and placed.  So, here are 4 ways this...