Songwriters: Learn To Speak Music Business
Lots of songwriters in SongTown just want to become better writers for their own pleasure – and that’s awesome! We love helping people get more out of their writing just because it makes them feel good. Another significant group in “Town” is trying to write commercially and break into the music business. If that’s your…
Read MoreHit Producer Daniel Ross Shares His Track Building Philosophy
Daniel Ross is a Songwriter and Producer at Big Machine Music Publishing. His songs have been recorded by Morgan Wallen, Jake Owen, Chase Rice, Eli Young Band, Granger Smith, RaeLynn, Seaforth, Robert Counts, Troy Cartwright and more. Production credits for Joey Hendricks, Lauren Weintraub, Austin Burke and more. In this video Daniel shares his proven…
Read MoreSongwriters: Are You Still Writing Mostly Ballads?
One of the biggest “ailments” I see when I mentor songwriters is that they are writing WAY too many ballads. It seems like many of us default to slow songs. While a well written ballad can be very successful and meaningful, there are also many reasons it is NOT a great idea to write…
Read MoreReal Songwriting Is Not Fast And Easy!
Let’s talk… This morning several ads popped up on my Facebook feed for things like… Learning To Write Great Songs In Just 3 Days, Writing Songs Really Fast, or Earn A Hundred Thousands Dollars In First Year For Writing Movie Songs…oh my… I must be the slowest songwriter on earth…I’ve been a professional writer for 25+ years and still learning everyday to play guitar, write better songs—and…
Read MoreClay and Marty React to Viewer Comments
SongTown co-founders and multi #1 songwriters, Clay Mills & Marty Dodson, give their reactions to viewer comments. Heartfelt, funny, and always real. Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series: This video series will help you level-up your songs and finish them faster. CLICK HERE to begin! SongTown Press Books: Mastering Melody Writing : Check It Out The Songwriter’s Guide…
Read MoreSongwriters: You’ve Got This!
One of the most common questions people ask me is “Do you think I have what it takes to do this?” They are usually referring to their music. In reality, the current quality of their music is not the primary factor in answering that question. When I got my first writing deal, I didn’t have…
Read MoreSongwriter Quicksand: Don’t Fall Into These Common Songwriting Traps
Here are 4 areas of songwriter quicksand that are hard to get out of. Watch where you step! 1) The “I can’t play this for anyone until it’s perfect” quicksand. I can’t count the number of people who have told me that they are not going to let anyone hear their music until it’s perfect.…
Read MoreWriting an Explosive Hit Chorus in 3 Steps
Over the course of my career, I’ve had a diverse collection of artists sing my songs, from R&B artist Babyface to rocker Darius Rucker to country’s Reba McEntire. I believe the reason for this lies in my ninja power for writing an explosive hit chorus— songs that leap out of the speaker when they hit…
Read MoreEmpowered Songwriters Vs. Non-Empowered Songwriters
It struck me recently that there are basically two kinds of writers I work with. There are empowered songwriters and non-empowered songwriters. Empowered songwriters write confidently and take chances. They don’t complain about the state of the music business or whine about someone not getting them cuts. They realize that THEY are in charge of…
Read MoreSongwriting Hack #2 – “Lay It Down, Repeat It, And Move On”
If you’re like me, you’ve probably noticed over the last year that there have been quite a few songs popular in both pop and country music that have the same chords in the verse and the chorus. Yet, they still manage to keep the songs interesting. So today I wanted to talk about a technique…
Read More