Posts by Marty Dodson
It’s Impossible: More Songwriting Myth Busting
I don’t know how many times each week I hear the word “impossible”. The ridiculous part of it all is that most of the things I hear being branded impossible are not really impossible to do at all, they’re just difficult. So, I’d like to do a little bit of songwriting “impossible” myth busting. Let’s…
Read MoreDarden Smith : Write Songs. Tell Stories. Move People.
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Darden Smith joins Hit Songwriter Marty Dodson in the SongTown Studios to talk about his wildly creative new multi-media project, Western Skies. Darden also gives insight into how he has been able to sustain a 30+ year career in music by releasing 15 critically lauded studio albums, landing singles on both the country…
Read MoreCheck Out Producer Andrew Petroff’s Home Studio!
Andrew Petroff is a multi-genre producer, songwriter, and musician. Recent work includes songs with Sheryl Crow, Phillip Larue, Devon Gilfillian, David Nail, Sierra Hull, Savannah Conley, and Charli Adams. Andrew’s work can also be heard on placements from Apple, HBO, Grey’s Anatomy, The Black List, How to Get Away With Murder, Fox Sports, Nashville, MTV,…
Read MoreWriting for Sync : Pitching Etiquette and Negotiations
In this episode Randall Foster talks about how vital it is to have proper pitching etiquette if you want to make a good impression when meeting with any music professional. He also talks about how to negotiate song contracts if you are offered a deal. Randall Foster is Vice President of Business Development and GM…
Read MoreSongwriting Perspective: A Powerful Tool For Songwriters.
I believe that “perspective” may be one of the most powerful concepts in our lives. Your perspective can totally change your experience of an event. Siblings can have dramatically different takes on a traumatic home situation because they take different perspectives on what occurred. When I was in high school, Nelson Eddy was my…
Read MoreSongwriting Is Not An Overnight Success Business
“I worked 17 years for overnight songwriting success.” – Tim Hicks There’s often a misconception when someone in the music business succeeds. It’s easy to think that an artist became and instant sensation or overnight songwriting success. So, I thought I’d share a story of how it most often happens here in the real world……
Read MoreHow Do Songwriters Get Paid? 4 Ways You Could Be Missing Out
Songwriters are wonderfully creative people with the ability to dream big with their hearts and minds. But often, we don’t understand the answer to the important question, “how do songwriters get paid.” So, here’s an overview of how songwriters get paid. Publishing Draws for songwriters. This is a monthly amount a publisher pays to a…
Read MoreWriting WITH Recording Artists
Writing WITH an artist can be a totally different experience than writing for/pitching songs to an artist. Hit songwriters Clay Mills and Marty Dodson share co-writing tips from their combined 25+ years of experience of writing with recording artists. If you want to have a better chance of your song getting cut by an artist…
Read More10 Do’s And Don’ts For Pitching Your Songs To Music Publishers
Pitching songs (playing songs for publishers, artists or record label people in hopes of getting them to record or help you get a song recorded), is one of the areas where songwriters make the most mistakes. And, those mistakes can be costly. You don’t get too many chances to make a good impression before you…
Read MoreStarting Off With A Bang – Why Opening Lines In Songs Matter
I believe that one of the most overlooked, yet most important line in a song are the first opening lines. Yes, your title is super important and a great setup line before your title lands is crucial. But, the opening line of your song often determines whether or not anyone ever gets to hear that…
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