Posts by Marty Dodson
How To Spend Your First Big Royalty Check
I grew up with a father whose financial philosophy was “If it’s in the bank, we should spend it. There will be more there next month.” That resulted in our family often running out of money before all the bills were paid. And it resulted in a lot of stress. When I first went out…
Read MoreI’m A Songwriter
Today, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Reno, Nevada. Last night, I played the second of 5 shows in a row at Harrah’s Casino. As I sat on stage, looking out at a crowd I couldn’t even see because of the bright lights, I was thinking about all of the amazing things I have…
Read MoreSongwriting Success – How Bad Do You Want It?
Often in my mentoring sessions, I find mysession asking aspiring writers this question, “How bad do you want songwriting success?” “If you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse” This quote always hits me right between the eyes. In some areas of my life, I’m still very much…
Read MoreSongwriters: 4 Good Reasons To Sign Away Your Publishing
Over and over, during my songwriting career, I have been a part of debates over the issue of holding on to publishing vs signing away publishing. As a general rule, keeping your publishing would be preferable. After all, the publishing share is 1/2 of your share of the song. So, why would anyone sign away…
Read MoreSongwriters: What’s A SongTown?
Every now and then, because we have so many new people joining us, we like to remind everyone why Clay and I created Songtown. We built this city on several pillars that we hope will keep it standing for many years. So, in a nutshell, here are the founding principles of SongTown. Community We wanted…
Read MoreThe Reasons I Write Songs
I once had a friend who told me he was going to write a book. Here is how our conversation went: Him: “I’m going to write a book” Me: “What will it be about?” Him: “I don’t know. Anything.” Me: “What do you feel like you have to say?” Him: “Nothing. I just want a…
Read MoreThe Anatomy Of A Love Song
Several weeks ago, I was in a discussion with some other writers at my publishing company about the state of songwriting as a career. Things were being said like: “You have to write with the artist to get a cut.” “I only write uptempo” “Everyone only wants ‘tailgates, trucks and dirt roads’ ” I listened…
Read MoreTop Ten Ways Songwriters Can Kill A Co-Write
1) Show up drunk, hung over, unprepared or having had no sleep. I’ve had co-writers show up in all of those states. If you find yourself in one of those states, do yourself and your co-writer a favor and just reschedule so you don’t waste anyone’s time. 2) Insist on your way all the time.…
Read MoreMy Story: by Marty Dodson
I grew up in Nashville. So, I missed out on being able to say that I quit my job and sold everything I had to move here. My family moved to Nashville when I was 5 and I’ve been here ever since. Even though I don’t get to tell a story of moving here for…
Read MoreScars on Hearts and Guitars
On September 11th, 2001, I was in our publishing company office writing. I had brought my only quality guitar – a Taylor 310 that sounded AMAZING and that I cared for like one of my children. I was careful to wipe the strings after each use, to humidify when needed and to protect it from…
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