Songwriting

I can’t count the number of times I have had this question asked of me… What makes a hit song?  Someone will play me a GREAT song and express their confusion over the lack of interest they are getting from the industry when they play it for people. So, I thought I would lay out…

One of the biggest lessons I have learned in my years in the music business is that nobody wants me to succeed as much as I do. My publisher, my co-writers and my song pluggers all want me to do well. They are heavily invested in my success. But, at the end of the day,…

Here are some habits that I’ve noticed are common to highly effective and successful songwriters. The first step toward becoming a pro songwriter is learning to think like one. Here are the common habits I see in my friends who are successful songwriters. They are always on the lookout for great ideas. Their antennae are always…

1) Marty Dodson and Clay Mills wrote together years ago, but were not frequent collaborators when they started Songtown. Now, they talk multiple times a day. Every day. 2) The big question Marty and Clay wrestled with before starting Songtown was “Will people stick around if we tell them the truth?” They saw multiple Songwriting…

Since we have a lot of new members, I wanted to share some etiquette questions that are asked frequently. These are not only SongTown etiquette guidelines, but are usually practiced by pro writers in any genre: 1) “Extra” titles thrown out in a co-write are not yours to take and write with someone else (unless…

Often, it seems like song feedback leaves people confused. In my one attempt at getting feedback early in my career, I send a song to a very prominent songwriting organization that I belonged to. The was called “It Don’t Get Better Than This” and it was about the way the “this” changed throughout a boy’s…

The difference between a pro songwriter and a person who just writes for their own enjoyment is a difference in thinking. Those two types of writers are coming at writing from vastly different perspectives. Here are the primary differences in thinking that enable pros to get songs recorded: 1) Pros realize that they are writing…

It seems like almost every week, a new site pops up offering songwriters something amazing! “Get your songs in front of Nashville producers!” “We want to help you get cuts!” “Learn to write HIT songs in 10 minutes!” The shark hype goes on and on. The truth is…if these people could get YOU cuts, they…

Based on my experience, here are things hit songwriters never say. If you find yourself saying them, you might ponder on that for a moment. “My songs are better than the ones on the radio”. We know that if our songs really ARE better than the ones on the radio, then they WILL be on…

I am a realist. I don’t spend much time worrying about or even thinking about things I don’t like or can’t change about my reality. Several weeks ago, my oldest daughter got married. I can’t count the people that asked me if I was “OK” or if I was “going to make it”. Here are…