One of our standard pro songwriter jokes goes something like this... Bill - What are you up to today, Bob? Bob - Oh, just trying to find another rhyme for love. We joke about it because many hours in the life of a pro songwriter are spent trying to find a new way...
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...
My biggest hit so far (by far) has been Billy Currington’s “Must Be Doin’ Something’ Right”. The song also has an interesting story. My co-writer, Jason Matthews, and I had been working for two days on another song idea. By lunchtime on the second day, we still hadn’t made any...
So many songwriting sites advertise the amazing things they can do for you. They will "turn you pro", introduce you to someone who will magically "get" you and get all of your songs cut, or take you up to breathe the rarified air of "hit mountain". In SongTown,...
Songwriting can be a wonderfully, beautifully frustrating pursuit. But it can be especially maddening if your singular goal is something outside of your control. So, let's say your one obsession is a Bruno Mars cut. There are several reasons that you are going to likely spend the rest of your...
A Songwriting Degree... Several years ago, I attended my son's freshman orientation at Belmont University. He was headed into the Music Business program. During the parent's session, one mother raised her hand and asked (In all seriousness) "So, if my daughter gets a songwriting degree from Belmont, she is pretty...
I'm a very goal oriented person. I need to see the end goal so that I can figure out how to get there. I like to break down my big goals into bite sized pieces and check things off my list. There are so many elements of getting a song recorded...
Almost all of the people I write with are trying to get their songs recorded and make a living by doing so. It is easy to get so caught up in the pursuit of something commercial that I lose sight of the reasons I started writing songs in the first...
I've been a professional songwriter for more than 20 years. In that time, I've learned a lot by making lots of mistakes. Here are some tips that can help you learn to write better songs WITHOUT making the same mistakes I made. Write From Your Heart - Edit With Your Head If...
Are you a REAL songwriter? I can't count the number of times someone has said to me "I'm a songwriter - well not a REAL songwriter because I haven't had any cuts." Believe me; I felt the same way early in my career. Have you felt like you needed to...