Posts by Marty Dodson
Bridges: A Songwriter’s Rule Of Thumb
One of the most difficult moments in the process of writing a song is “bridge time.” I have been in many co-writes where we agonized over whether or not we need a bridge. At one point, early in my career, I came to my publisher to ask him if I needed a bridge in a song I…
Read MoreThe Truth About “First Use” Song Licenses
Lately, I’ve run into several interesting situations with “first use” song licenses, so I thought I’d try to educate and enlighten just a bit here. Copyright law allows the copyright owners to control the FIRST recording of any song. After that, a compulsory license kicks in. After the first license is granted, then ANYONE who…
Read MoreA Modern Songwriting Parable
So, let’s say I invent a new kitchen gadget and I really want to get Walmart to stock my gadget on their shelves. Why do I want Walmart to stock it? Duh? They have millions of customers. If I want to make lots of money with my product, I HAVE to get Walmart to sell…
Read MoreArriving: In Life And Songwriting
The longer I live and the more I write, the more I realize that there really is no “destination” in life, unless it is death. Short of the grave, we are all still on the journey, trying to figure out the world and our place in it. In regard to writing, we all (or most of us…
Read More6 Demo Mistakes That Can KILL Your Song
So, you’ve written a great song and you want to record an amazing demo to present it to the world. Here are 6 demo mistakes I have learned in a 20 year career and more than 6,000 demos: 1) Telling the band what to play. Let the band and the engineer be creative. A…
Read More4 Things Aspiring Songwriters Struggle To Hear (Yet Pros HAVE To Hear)
There are a number of statements that aspiring writers really resist that could help them cross over into pro land IF they would listen and take them to heart. The 4 things songwriters need to hear are: 1) “Your songs are not good enough.” This one hurts to hear, but a professional in the music…
Read More11 Lessons From Thirteen #1 Country Songs – 2014
Producer Larry Beaird did an amazing job with a private webinar for our SongTown Diamond Members. In the webinar, he revealed 11 Lessons From Thirteen #1 Country Songs – 2014. Here are some of the findings based on his research. 1) How many words were in the longest title? 5 2) How many #1 songs…
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