Music Business
How to Submit Songs as a Songwriter Without Burning Bridges: 2026 Guide
There’s a lot of confusion around one question I hear all the time: “How do I submit my songs to the music business?” The truth is, there isn’t just one way to submit songs as a songwriter. Different types of song submissions come with very different levels of risk. Some are safe places to learn…
Read MoreOwn Your Path: What Taylor Swift Taught Me About Songwriting Success
By SongTown Co-Founder Marty Dodson Several years ago, I watched a video that stopped me in my tracks. It was Taylor Swift, learning in real time that her latest album hadn’t been nominated for a Grammy. Surrounded by friends and family, you could feel the tension and disappointment in the room. People were quick to…
Read MoreSync Licensing Secrets: Tucker Scott on Writing Songs That Land in TV & Film
By Clay Mills, SongTown Co-Founder This past month, our SongTown crew had a special guest: Tucker Scott, Creative Manager at The Bus Music Publishing. If you’re dreaming of hearing your song in a TV show, commercial, or movie trailer, Tucker dropped a goldmine of advice on how to craft sync-friendly music that actually gets placed.…
Read MoreWhat a Hit Publisher Wants: Lessons from Elizabeth Brahan
By Clay Mills, SongTown Co-Founder I had the pleasure of sitting in on a Zoom meeting led by hit publisher Elizabeth Brahan, and wow—there was so much wisdom dropped, I just had to share it with you. Elizabeth works every day with rising artists, A&R teams, and major labels, and she’s in the trenches pitching…
Read MoreThe Secret to Writing Songs That Artists Want to Record
Publisher Ronna Reeves shares the real keys to writing songs that get noticed—and get cut—in today’s music world. When it comes to writing songs that actually get cut, there’s a secret many writers miss: it’s not about being the cleverest or the flashiest—it’s about being the most real! In today’s music world, artists (and their…
Read MoreSongwriters: How To Increase Your Chances If You Live Outside A Music Center
As a mentor and coach, I am often helping many songwriters that don’t live in a music town. Here are my ideas for increasing your chances of success as a songwriter if you live outside a music center: 1) Visit as often as you can. Even if it’s just once a year. Some wisely planned…
Read MoreIs Songwriting A Dream or A Plan?
In a mentoring session the other day I was helping a young songwriter who felt like she was really floundering around in pursuit of her dream. She talked about how frustrating it was to tell whether or not she was making progress and how difficult it is to tell what she should be doing differently…
Read MoreHow To Weather The Ups and Downs of The Music Business
“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” ~Hunter S. Thompson There is no doubt that the music business is tough. But so is the “Medical” business, the “law” business, the “teaching business”,…
Read MoreDid He Steal My Song Title?
A few years ago, I was searching for song titles by reading through quotes on the internet. I found what I thought was an amazing quote. It said something like “How can you be old and wise if you were never young and crazy”. The next day, I threw that title out and my…
Read MoreWhat Do Publishers Look For In Songs?
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 looking for leaves an artists or writer losing touch with their own talent and uniqueness. Throughout my career I’ve managed to navigate this…
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