Posts by Marty Dodson

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

People often ask me what it feels like to hear your song on the radio for the first time. What’s the feeling you get when you experience a songwriter’s first cut? I remember precisely where I was the first time I heard one of my songs on the radio. I was driving up Granny White…

I am primarily a lyricist. I contribute to melody on my songs, but that’s not my strength. So, I try to stay with my strength and put most of my energy there. Often, I hear people say “I’m only a lyricist”. Some of those people tell me that they don’t write to any melody or feel in their…

I hear people all the time talking about “trusting their gut”.  While I am a big proponent of that in many ways, I have discovered that the “trust your gut” strategy has cost me thousands of wasted dollars when it comes to my songs. When I got my first writing deal, my gut had urged…