What To Do If You Don’t Know Anyone In The Music Business

Hit Songwriters Clay Mills and Marty Dodson share their stories of how they made it in the music business as songwriters. They also share encouragement and strategies that you can use to navigate the music business even if you don’t know anyone in the business. Hit Songwriter Clay Mills has six #1 Hit Singles, 2…

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5 Things Music Publishers Look For In A Songwriter

Music Publishers seem to be the “holy grail” for songwriters trying to get that first cut. Somehow, many people have the idea that if they could just “get a publisher,” all of their problems would be solved and the cuts would start rolling in. While having a great publisher can be very beneficial, “getting a…

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Songwriters: Are You Using The Power Of Metadata?

Let’s talk about a powerful tool that I use daily in my songwriting life, Metadata. Metadata is the key to mastering your song catalog and making better pitches. It organizes your songs and helps you target with what they’re looking for. And most importantly, when you send your song to a publisher or producer or…

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Songwriter Write-Up-Itis: Do You Suffer From This Common Illness?

Clay and I continually run into people throughout SongTown territories that have songwriter “write-up-itis”. We can spot the affliction immediately because we have both battled this dreadful and potentially fatal disease in the past. The symptoms generally start after you write the first song that you think is really commercially viable. A slight fever starts…

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Songwriters: 5 Keys To Building A Better Song Catalog

building-a-better-song-catalog-

Several SongTownian’s have recently asked the question, “what’s the best way to build a better song catalog?” Here are some key things I’ve learned over the years after writing for several major publishing companies and building a new catalog at each. Write, write, write! There is no substitute for this. A catalog is a collection of songs. You…

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Sony Records A&R Director TAYLOR LINDSEY

Sony A&R Executive Taylor Lindsay shares about her job and about what she does as her official title. Chapters Chapter 1: Background Chapter 2: What is a Director of A&R? Chapter 3: What do A&Rs look for in Artists? Chapter 4: How is being a publisher and being an A&R different? Chapter 5: Do artists…

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The Poor Man’s Copyright For Songwriters: Separating Truth From Fiction

For years I have heard the phrase “Poor Man’s Copyright” thrown around in songwriting circles. The term is often brought up as a cheap alternative to an official $55 copyright from the US Copyright Office. Mailing a song to yourself… Statements are thrown out like: “Don’t bother to pay the money for the real deal. All…

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What Do Publishers Look For In Songs (Revised 2023)

For many songwriters and artists, trying to figure out what publishers look for in songs can often feel like stumbling through an endless maze. Often this search for what someone else is look for leaves an artist or writer losing touch with their own talent and uniqueness. Throughout my career I’ve managed to navigate this…

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Do Songwriters Need A Publisher?

Do songwriters need a publisher? This is a question that I get all the time. Like most things in life, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to the question. In general, I explain it to people this way.  It’s very similar to the way I would answer the question “Do I really need a mechanic to…

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Songwriter Split Sheets: Pro Writer Explains What You Really Need To Know!

Hit Songwriter Marty Dodson talks about getting co-signed songwriting split sheets for your songs and why they are so important. Chapters Chapter 1: What is on a songwriter split sheet? Chapter 2: How are the percentages split? Chapter 3: Why are songwriter split sheets important? Chapter 4: Is publishing important to list? Chapter 5: What…

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