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....
Years ago, I had a big write scheduled and it got cancelled the morning of the write. One of the biggest writers I had ever written with traded me for a co-write with Cher. I couldn't blame him, but I was very let down. My publisher...
I believe that it’s never too late to be what you might have been and to chase your songwriting dreams. I was in my mid thirties when I started trying to write professionally. A friend of mine just landed a starring role (Her first) in a movie with some...
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...
Early on in my songwriting career I had enough bad/weird co-writing experiences that I acquired vast database of material to draw from for co-writing no-nos. So here is my list of things NOT TO DO in a co-write... 1. Write down ideas that your co-writers throw out so you...
Here are some writing exercises I do when I want to sharpen my songwriting skills and just have a good time with it, putting no pressure on myself. Ready for some songwriting fun?!? Thumb through a magazine looking for song ideas. Sometimes when I'm on an...
Clay and I continually run into people throughout Songtown territories that have songwriter "write-up-itis". We can spot the affliction immediately because we have both battled this dreadful and potentially fatal disease in the past. The symptoms generally start after you write the first song that you think is really commercially...
There are some simple steps you can take to improve your songwriting instantly. Try these steps to see a dramatic improvement overnight: Write with someone who is strong where you are weak. Years ago, my mentor told me to identify my strengths (honestly) and to let him know what I thought...
Pitching songs that are not ready or that are not in the ballpark for the artist you are pitching to is one of the fastest ways to burn bridges. In fact, doing either of those things is effectively pouring gasoline on the bridge. Way too many people pitch songs...
One of the things I discovered when I started mentoring songwriters is that very few of us have a plan. That may be the curse of the creative mind – we get so lost in making stuff up that we lose sight of the business side of things that must...