Posts by Marty Dodson
The Truth About Pitching Songs (Revised 2021)
One of the biggest areas in which Clay and I see songwriters being scammed is in the area of pitching songs. There are untold numbers of services that will GLADLY take your money to “pitch your song”. But here is the truth about pitching songs… There are two big reasons that this pitching songs arena…
Read More4 Rookie Mistakes Songwriters Make
Act Like You Know! In the music business, your best bet is to try and ACT like you know what you are doing, even if you don’t. You want to come across to people like you know how things work in the big leagues even if you are just trying out for the farm team…
Read MoreSongwriters: Should You Pay Your Co-Writer To Demo Your Song?
5 Songwriting Scenarios… Recently, we had a lively and awesome debate in the private SongTown Masterclass page on Facebook about whether or not a “track guy” (Or girl) should charge their co-writers for building a track/demo for their song. There truly is no one right or wrong answer to that question. There might be times…
Read More5 Things I Would Tell My Younger Songwriter Self
Someone recently asked me what I wish I had known when I first started trying to be a professional songwriter. There’s a lot of advice I WISH someone had given me back then, but here are a few things I would share with my younger songwriter self based on what I know now. Don’t put…
Read MoreThe SongTown Difference – A Songwriter’s Edge
A home that’s unique for songwriters… In a world where there are an increasing number of options for songwriters to gather and to get education, Clay and I feel it is important from time to time to remind everyone of the things that make SongTown different from any other songwriting community you might be a…
Read MoreSongwriters: Each Part Of A Song Lyric Has A Job
The Basics Of Lyric Writing… For those who are new to songwriting or for those who just want to remind themselves of the fundamentals, here are some of the basics of songwriting. Intro The instrumental piece that starts the song and sets the musical tone for the song. This piece establishes the groove or feel…
Read More5 Music Business Mistakes To Avoid
Over the years, I have made a lot of mistakes that hurt my career chances in the music business. And, I’ve observed a lot of people crashing and burning because of miscalculations in their own music efforts. So, I thought I’d write about 5 of the big ones as a cautionary tale for those of…
Read MoreSongwriting Success: What Does It Really Take?
8 Things I Learned About Life From Legendary Songwriter Kim Williams
Last week, I posted ten things I learned from my mentor and friend, songwriter Kim Williams, who passed away. Most of that list was about songwriting. I was thinking about all of the LIFE lessons I learned from him as well. Some of them overlap, but I thought I’d share some of those life lessons…
Read More3 Questions To Ask An Artist In A Co-Write: Don’t Blow Your Songwriting Chance!
If you get a chance to co-write with an artist, there are some key questions you can ask that will give you a better shot at getting a cut on their record. Those opportunities are valuable, so be sure to ask these questions before you start writing! What’s been going on with you? I always…
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