6 Last Minute Re-Writing Questions For Songwriters
I have found that rewriting songs a week or two after I write them and running through this quick checklist helps me catch and fix many of the major flaws that can exist in a song. Print this one out and hang it in you writing (or re-writing) room to remind yourself to check these…
Read MoreMistakes Lyric Writers Make
Can songs sound good AND make sense? Hit Songwriters Marty and Clay sit down to talk about the common mistakes they see lyric writers make and share lyrics hacks that you can apply to your own songs to instantly make your songs better! Write better songs faster! Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series will help…
Read MoreThis Valentine’s Day: 5 Ways to Write Songs About Love
One of our standard pro songwriter jokes goes something like this… Bill – What are you up to today, Bob? Bob – Oh, just trying to find another rhyme for love. We joke about it because many hours in the life of a pro songwriter are spent trying to find a new way to say…
Read MoreSongwriters: Songs Can Sound Good AND Make Sense!
Can songs really sound good AND make sense? A couple of years ago, I was scheduled to co-write with a pretty well known rock band. Little did I know it would prove to be a case of sound and sense…. They wanted to write at 9 PM at a remote house they had rented for a…
Read MoreSongTown: Keeping The Craft Of Songwriting Alive
Eight years ago, fellow pro songwriter Marty Dodson and I made a pact to do all we could to keep the craft of songwriting alive. We were chatting at a local coffee shop in Nashville, Tennessee. We discussed how we’d learned early on in our careers from master songwriters who passed their knowledge and torches…
Read More5 Second Verse Lyric Mistakes That Can Destroy Your Song
There are many ways that a song can start to go wrong in the second verse. Don’t let these “song-killers” crop up in YOUR second verses! Here are 5 second verse lyric mistakes than can destroy your songs. 1) Say the same thing as the first verse in different words. You have to give the…
Read MoreShelby Kennedy – Award Winning Songwriter & Industry Executive
Marty talks with award winning songwriter and industry executive, Shelby Kennedy. Shelby talks about his long successful career in the music business as well as where he thinks the music business is headed in the future. He gives advice for up and coming songwriters and talks about his current job managing “Amazing North America”, the…
Read MoreMistakes Melody Writers Make
Writing an impactful, memorable melody can be the difference between writing a good song and a GREAT song! Hit Songwriters Marty and Clay sit down to talk about the common mistakes they hear melody writers make and share some melody hacks that you can apply to your own songs to instantly make them better! Write…
Read MoreHow To Get Artists To Record Your Songs: A Songwriter’s Goal Setting Worksheet
As you set your goals, be sure that each one is something that you can measure. Goals like these can be measured: One of the most important components to reaching any songwriting goal is to know exactly what you’d like to achieve. Here is my How To Get Artists To Record Your Songs goal-setting worksheet…
Read MoreQuick Song Biz Tip: Songwriting Mechanical Royalties 101
What Are Songwriting Mechanical Royalties? Every time a song you’ve written is manufactured (CD, Vinyl, etc) or downloaded on a digital music retail site, or streamed through services like Spotify; songwriting mechanical royalties are paid to you. Mechanical rates are set by the Copyright Royalty Tribunal as part of the Copyright Act of 1976. The…
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