Posts by Marty Dodson
Arguing For Your Limitations: Are You Keeping Yourself From Getting That First Song Recorded?
I’ve been reading a book called “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of “Eat, Pray, Love”, that was given to me by SongTownian Lance Sims. In the first few pages of the book, Ms. Gilbert writes… “If you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them.” That hit me squarely between the eyes.…
Read MoreThe Different Types of Songwriting Publishing Deals
There are two common types of songwriting publishing deals that publishers make with writers. But, you don’t have to limit yourself to those two options if you can think outside the box. Here are the two common types of deals plus some ideas for creative options: 1) Staff Writer Writes exclusively for one publisher. Has…
Read MoreThe Story Behind The Hit Song: Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right
My biggest song so far (by far) has been my Billy Currington hit “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 progress. Not even…
Read MoreWhat Should A Song Demo Cost? A Songwriter’s Guide
WAY too often, I run into people that have been taken advantage of in regard to paying for a song demo. So, I wanted to give you all the info you need to answer the question of what should a song demo cost. Here are several demo scenarios you might find yourself in… You write…
Read MoreSongwriting Economics 101 – Song Splits
We get lots of questions here in “town” that relate to the economics of songwriting. I’m going to break down some of the basics of song splits and help explain WHY things work the way they do. Song splits in my pro writing world work like this… We always split the song equally among every…
Read MoreWhy Did You Start Songwriting?
I believe that it is good for all songwriters to stay in touch with what made them want to write a song in the first place. For me, here were some reasons that I put pen to paper and created melodies: I had a crush on the girl down the street and wanted to write…
Read MorePivotal Moments: Can Change Everything For A Songwriter
Looking back on my career, there have been a number of pivotal songwriting moments that really changed everything. There was the day when, after trying to get the songwriting thing going for 2 years with no success, a friend of mine offered me a job. Actually it was a career. Great salary, benefits. Writing instruction manuals for companies.…
Read MoreWhy Do You Write Songs?
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 place. Those reasons, if lost…
Read More6 Errors That Kill A Song Lyric
Verb tenses changing, or going back and forth in a weird way. This is one of the mistakes I see most often when critiquing song lyrics. Switching between past, present and future can really mess your lyric up if you are not super clear about what is going on. Let someone else read your lyric…
Read MoreLetting Go: 5 Music Business Life Lessons
Today’s music business life lessons are about letting go. Last week when we were trying to go to Spain, my wife and I got to the airport at 9:45 AM. Our flight was supposed to leave at 12:20. We got a little snack and waited at our gate. As luck would have it, the trouble…
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