Posts by Marty Dodson
The Little Victories
I couldn’t possibly count the number of beginning songwriters when asked, “Who would you pitch this to?”, give answers like: Keith Urban, Katie Perry, Blake Shelton, Garth Brooks, Rhianna, etc. I’ve been writing professionally for 20+ years, I have had multiple #1 songs and over 125 songs recorded, yet I have never had a song…
Read MoreThe 10,000 Hour Theory And Songwriting
The 10,000 hour theory… I was reading a magazine on an airplane the other day and ran across an article about Dan McLaughlin, an Oregon man who quit his job and decided to try to become a golf pro by testing out the 10,000 hour theory made popular by Malcolm Gladwell in his book “Outliers”…
Read MoreSongwriters: Where Is The Bar?
How High Is The Bar For Songwriters? When you mention the word “bar” to songwriters, most of them start craving a beer. But that’s not the bar I’m talking about here. I’m talking about the “How good does my song have to be to get it recorded by an artist?” bar. Not every songwriter wants…
Read More5 Things Music Publishers Look For In A Songwriter
Music Publishers seem to be the “holy grail” for songwriters trying to get that first cut. Somehow, many people have the idea that if they could just “get a publisher,” all of their problems would be solved and the cuts would start rolling in. While having a great publisher can be very beneficial, “getting a…
Read MoreHow K.I.S.S. Will Transform Your Songwriting Process
Ten-time #1 songwriter Marty Dodson reveals a technique he uses with his students to instantly level-up their songwriting. Keep It Simple Songwriters! Learn to write lyrics that hit your audience hard in their feels. Adding More Heart To Your Songs : Online CrashCourse Change the way the world hears your songs! 🔥 In this 3-week…
Read MoreNo Songwriter Excuses!
If there is one thing that I have learned in my journey through the music business it’s that songwriter excuses never made anyone a success in the music business. We’ve all heard them… “It’s harder than ever to get a cut” “You have to write with the artist to get a cut” “I write songs…
Read MoreHow To Write A New Song Every Day
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked “How in the world do you come up with a song-a-day – every day?” Learning how to write a new song every day can seem like a daunting task. Here’s how I pull that off… Coming In With Ideas I have a database that includes…
Read MoreWhat REALLY Makes A Song A Hit
What really makes a song a hit? People often ask me if I KNOW that I’ve written a hit song when I finish it. The answer to that is a resounding “NO”. I generally know when I finish a song whether it is great or just good. Beyond that, so much goes into what makes…
Read MoreI Own This Town: The Overconfident Songwriter
I read a post on social media recently about a guy who said that he walked into a certain PRO (BMI, ASCAP, or SESAC) “like he owned the place” because he knew that his songs were better than anything they had. When he demanded a meeting on the spot, they escorted him out of the…
Read MoreSongwriter Karma: The Truth About Giving and Receiving
Karma and song critiques… I occasionally have people come to me and say “I don’t put my songs up in the SongTown forum for critiques by my peers because it seems like so many people there are so ‘green’ and the advice I get is not usually helpful.” What they are actually saying, in a…
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