How Is SongTown Different From Other Songwriting Communities?

There are a lot of songwriting sites out there. We appreciate you stopping by our “town”. If you are new to us, we want to let you know a little bit about who we are and the SongTown difference.

The SongTown Difference begins with walking the walk…

SongTown was founded by and is curated by two hit songwriters. Clay Mills and I have each had 6 #1 songs and over 125 songs recorded in multiple genres including rock, pop, country, bluegrass, musical theatre, j-pop and k-pop. Most songwriting sites are curated by well-intentioned people with no success or very limited success. We believe that it’s hard to take someone where you haven’t been. Therefore, it’s our mission to teach songwriting from the perspective of people who know what it takes to get songs recorded consistently over 20+ year careers.

We teach real-world, not theory.

If you are interested in getting songs recorded, we want to teach you how to write a song that is going to get attention in the current music market. Most of the people writing the hits today don’t even know the “theory” behind song structure or the fancy latin words to describe the way music and lyrics go together. You don’t need to know those things to succeed. So, we break things down into plain language so that you know what you need to do to make your songs better and to get your best songs recorded if that’s your goal. At SongTown we like to think we teach “street cred”, as opposed to book learning.

We don’t make promises we can’t keep.

Anyone offering you “quick success” is aiming for your wallet. Therefore, Clay & I tell you the truth. Writing a hit is hard. It takes a lot of work and a long time to write at that level. We don’t promise to “get your songs in front of big producers” because we don’t know if you have any songs (yet) that are good enough to play for those big producers. We don’t focus on “pitch-to-publisher” events because, in our experience, those are not the best ways to get your songs heard.

What we can do is teach you to write better songs. That will help you more than any pitch opportunity or hyped up sales pitch.  We emphasize that “writing better songs” is the answer to any frustration you are having with your music.  Can’t get publishers to take your songs?  Write better ones.  No one wants to record your songs?  Write better ones.  People don’t “get” your songs?  Write better ones.  You get the idea.

We tell you the truth.

The biggest SongTown difference is this…. We give you access to pro writers and publishers in a way that is going to keep you from burning bridges and that will help you develop the skills you need to succeed. SongTown offers active publishers and mentors – even one Songwriting Hall of Fame member – and we instruct every single one of them to tell you the truth. We would make more money if they told you that every song was amazing and strung you along with false promises, but all of our pros are instructed to be completely honest in their feedback. You can’t get better if we lie to you and tell you that decent songs are hits.

We care.

We celebrate when our members get staff writing deals or cuts. Helping other people chase the dream that we are chasing is something we love. That’s our biggest reward. But we also just LOVE songwriting and songwriters.  Whether you are trying to make money with your music or you just want to write better songs for your own enjoyment, we’re on board to help you write YOUR best songs.

Thanks for checking us out and we hope you will join us to see the “SongTown Difference” in action.

Write on! MD

p.s. Just in case you want a look behind the curtain, here are the principles that drive SongTown and all of our employee interaction with you:

Mission Statement:

Keeping the craft of songwriting alive by inspiring, educating, and connecting songwriters.

Vision Statement:

We believe that we were put on the face of the earth to build tomorrow’s best songwriters. We are constantly focused on innovating and providing unique real world experiences that challenge songwriters to improve their craft. Our belief is that great music always starts with a songwriter. We believe a collaborative community creates a rising tide that lifts every songwriter to their highest potential. We believe music heals us and great music enriches everyone who hears it.

Definition Statement:

SongTown is an online platform that provides community, coaching, and connection for songwriters around the world.

Write on! MD