Songwriters: 5 Pro Tips For Pitching Your Songs
I see LOTS of mistakes being made in regard to pitching a song. Here are some tips to increase your chances of success, to help you appear more professional, and to keep you from burning bridges: 1) Learn as much as you can about the artist you are pitching to BEFORE you pitch a song.…
Read MoreKeeping the Music in Your Music Business – Guest Blog
I started playing guitar when I was 18 years old and instantly fell in love. For a few short spring and summer months I enjoyed the pure bliss of trying to fold and stretch my clumsy fingers into chord shapes and building calluses where none had ever been. I found I had a natural instinct…
Read MoreA Day In The Life Of Teenage Singer/Songwriters
Hey! We’re Carly and Martina and we’re 15-year-old singer songwriters from Chicago. We’ve been really working on writing songs, building a fan base and more! Recently, we transferred into online schooling to finish our freshman year because keeping up with our social media presence and doing all of our music was just too much. We’ve turned…
Read MoreBurning Bridges: Songwriter Survival Tips #1-7
Mistake #1 that many songwriters make when they come to Nashville is that they leave bridges burning behind them when they head back home. Here are tips to help you leave the bridges intact so you can cross them again when you come back to town: Make appointments, don’t “drop in.” This shows respect for…
Read MoreWarning: Songwriting Is Addictive
Time after time, I see the warning signs. It takes a trained eye to spot them, but even simple statements thrown out in casual conversation can reveal that a songwriter has crossed over from social songwriting to having a real problem. Statements like these are a dead giveaway: “I think I need another guitar” “That…
Read MoreWarning Songwriters! Are Your Doing These 5 Things That Irritate Publishers
I see a number of common mistakes songwriters make that leave the smell of a burning bridge in the air as they leave a publisher’s office. If you REALLY want to tick a publisher off, try these 5 stunts. Show up unannounced. That’s disrespectful and not business-like. You wouldn’t do that with a lawyer or…
Read MoreLearning To Think Like Blake Shelton
Songwriters, do you think like an artist? One of the tricks to getting cuts with major artists like Blake Shelton is learning to think like they do. It’s not really all that hard, but it does take some time and effort. In essence, songwriters are mini speech writers. We are trying to put words in…
Read MoreSongwriter and Musician Jokes
I thought we’d have a little fun today. Here are some of the songwriting and musician jokes that circulate in the pro songwriting community. I thought you might enjoy them and pass them along to your friends. Joke #1 What do you call a songwriter without a significant other? Answer: Homeless Joke #2 What sound…
Read More5 Things I Do When I’m Discouraged About My Songwriting Progress
1) I reach out to someone new to co-write. Shaking things up and bringing in new blood gives me renewed energy. 2) I listen to some of my favorite songs that I’ve written. It reminds me that I can write some really good songs and that writing them gives me satisfaction. 3) I do one…
Read MoreQuick Biz Tip: Songwriter Performance Royalties 101
Songwriter performance royalties account for roughly 35% of a writers/publishers income. What is a performance royalty? Simply put: A songwriter performance royalty is owed to the writers and publishers of a particular song whenever that composition is broadcast or performed in public. This includes: Airplay on terrestrial and satellite radio (Sirius, XM, etc) Plays on…
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