Posts by Marty Dodson
Helping You Write Your Best Song
The heart of SongTown is helping you write YOUR best song. At the end of the day, that’s all any mentor or guide can do for you. I can connect you with many of the top people in the business, but if you don’t have a GREAT song, it’s not going to help you. If…
Read MoreHow Do Publishers And Songwriters Split Royalties?
We get lots of music business questions in SongTown and how publishers and songwriters split royalties is a common one. So, I thought I’d answer it in today’s 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…
Read MoreBusiness Mistakes Touring Artists Make – Dean Sams of the band Lonestar.
Touring with a band can be challenging. With 30+ years of touring experience with the band Lonestar, Hit Songwriter/Artist Dean Sams shares advice on how to avoid early mistakes in touring as well as important business details that can help you and your band avoid business conflicts. Write better songs faster! Clay & Marty’s 10-day…
Read MoreFight The Hype! Don’t Compare Yourself To Someone’s Highlight Reel
In today’s world it is so hard NOT to compare yourself to others… Hit Songwriters Clay Mills and Marty Dodson talk about how feeding the hype can sabotage and take away your creativity. Listen in and find the motivation to unplug from the constant highlight reels and take back your creative power! Write better songs…
Read MoreWhat Is A Staff Songwriter?
There are many misconceptions about 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 songwriter has signed an exclusive agreement giving a publisher some portion of every song they write. (During the term of the agreement.) So, if a songwriter…
Read More5 Song Collaboration Errors To Avoid While Songwriting – Or Dating!
Co-Writing songs is a lot like dating. It takes work to find and develop good co-writing relationships. And, not every date is going to work out. So, you keep kissing frogs until you find a prince, metaphorically speaking. If you treat songwriting relationships like REAL relationships, you can avoid some of these mistakes that I’ve…
Read MoreHall of Fame Songwriter Kent Blazy
Hall of Fame Songwriter Kent Blazy joins hit songwriter Marty Dodson on the SongTown on Songwriting Podcast to talk about his journey in songwriting, his newest Album and gives advice to all who are pursuing songwriting as a career. Blazy has a total of seven number one hits which include several singles for Garth Brooks…
Read MoreWhat Do You Do If You Catch a Publisher?
Are you a songwriter dying to get a publishing deal? It might not be as magical as you think! Hit Songwriters Clay Mills and Marty Dodson talk about working with a publisher, their first publishing deals as well as the pros and cons of publishing deals and what to look for when negotiating deals. Write…
Read MoreHow Songwriters Get Paid: The 5 Minute Overview Of Songwriting Income Streams
Several people have asked about the different ways songwriters get paid. So, here’s the 5 minute overview: Publishing Draws for Songwriters. This is a monthly amount a publisher pays to a writer that is on a staff publishing deal. These are really advances on royalties that have to be repaid out of incoming royalties. Once your catalog…
Read MoreThe #1 Rule Of Songwriting – The Song Is King
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 music and songs have a “life”…
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