Posts by Marty Dodson

6,000 demos to get 100 artist cuts… Many of you have heard me tell that I have demoed over 6,000 songs and have just over 100 cuts. That’s not a great cut to demo ratio. I don’t even want to know what percentage that would be. But, I have discovered that one of the keys…

When I got my first songwriting deal, my publisher, Kim Williams and our other songwriter, Ron Harbin would write 2-3 times a day. Every day. The volume of out put from our office was crazy. We were cranking out between 30 and 45 songs per week between the three of us. I had nothing to compare it to,…

Write a one sentence summary of your song. Let’s say my hook is “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right”. My statement of purpose would be “I must be doing something right because I don’t deserve a woman as amazing as you.” When you write the song, be sure that EVERY line in the song supports that…

Songwriting is all about connection. Whether you write for yourself, or you are writing for commercial purposes, the goal is still the same. It’s all about connection. Even people who aren’t trying to get their songs recorded are generally interested in playing their songs for people and moving those people with their music. I don’t know anyone…

As the music economy continues to move toward a streaming based model, people are drifting rapidly toward the idea that music should be free. I think it’s vital to remind ourselves (And our friends) from time to time WHY it is important to pay for music: 1) For my song to get out to the…

We get a lot of questions in regard to co-writing etiquette. Since the holidays are coming up, it’s important to know whether you are on the “naughty” or “nice” co-writer list. Here are some real life experiences I (or friends of mine) have experienced. Naughty Co-Writer #1 This guy takes a phone call during the…

I want to start by wishing each of you a Happy New Year. Clay and I are grateful for each one of you and we’ve been privileged to get to know some new songwriting friends this year through SongTown. We songwriters are a special breed and it’s fun to have a place for our tribe…

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…

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…