There are many misconceptions of what it means to be a "staff songwriter." So, I thought I'd make an attempt at clearing that up. In layman's terms, a staff writer has signed an exclusive agreement assigning a publisher some portion of every song they write during the term of the...
These are 5 songwriting tips that you might not have thought of. Over the course of my pro songwriting career I have picked up many such tips but these are my top 5 to share with you today! Your songwriting rhyme scheme helps the listener keep up with where they are...
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. ...
In a 20 year music career as a songwriter, I've shot myself in the foot so many times that it's amazing I can walk. I thought I'd share some of them to help YOU avoid doing the same thing. Here are some of the worst "shots" I've taken in...
Lately, I've run into several interesting situations with "first use" song licenses, so I thought I'd try to educate and enlighten just a bit here. Copyright law allows the copyright owners to control the FIRST recording of any song. After that, a compulsory license kicks in. After the first...
Even those who have written thousands of songs could benefit from reviewing the basics of what a beginning writer does when writing their first song. Every now and then, someone joins SongTown who is just trying to learn how to write that first song - to turn their own...
Hi, are you a songwriter? I’ve had people come up to me and introduce themselves in a setting where I suspected that they were also songwriters. When I ask if they are songwriters they say, “Not a real songwriter – I’ve never had anything recorded”. That always breaks my heart. I believe...
From time to time, someone asks me "What are the odds of getting a cut?" In my mind, what they are really asking is "Is this even worth trying?" I'm going to suggest here that this is the wrong approach to dream chasing of any form. Let me put it to...
The longer I live and the more I write, the more I realize that there really is no “destination” in life, unless it is death. Short of the grave, we are all still on the journey, trying to figure out the world and our place in it. In regard to...
Early in my songwriting career, I knew nothing about how the business works or how to actually become a full-time songwriter and sustain a career as one. This is a list of things I wish I knew when I was starting out. Knowing these ten things could have saved me...