Trusting Your Gut On Your Songwriting Journey
I hear people all the time talking about “trusting their gut”. While I am a big proponent of that in many ways, I have discovered that the “trust your gut” strategy has cost me thousands of wasted dollars when it comes to my songs. When I got my first writing deal, my gut had urged…
Read MoreThe Biggest Obstacle To Songwriting Success- Failure to Failure
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…
Read MoreQuantity Leads To Quality Songwriting
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,…
Read More5 Pro Tips To Help You Write Better Song Lyrics
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…
Read MoreCONNECTION: A SONGWRITER’S LIFEBLOOD
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…
Read More5 Reasons People Should Pay For Music
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…
Read MoreThe “Outside Looking In” Game – A Songwriter’s Dream Killer!
About a year ago, I wrote a post here on the SongTownUSA FB about the power of dreams. I told the story of how, when I was 10 years old, I listened over and over to a record called “Home Free” by Dan Fogleberg… recalling that everyday I looked inside the album at photos of…
Read More4 Keys To Finding The Perfect CoWriter
Music History is filled with great songwriting collaborations. John Lennon-Paul McCartney, Elton John-Bernie Taupin, Mick Jagger-Keith Richards, and the list goes on. Two heads can truly be better than one when writing a song, but only if it’s the right match! And finding that right match can seem impossible at times. Over the years…
Read MoreSongwriters: Are You A Naughty Or Nice Co-Writer?
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…
Read MoreHappy New Year From SongTown
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…
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