Posts Tagged ‘Articles’
5 Simple Ways To Unleash Your Own Creative Songwriting Power
As a professional songwriter, I am asked often how I walk into a co-write with superstars like Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, or Lady A and create songs “on-demand?” Well, I didn’t start out doing this, but I’ve learned a few tricks over the years that’ve allow me to train my creativity and tap into…
Read MoreWhen Doubt Creeps In: A Songwriter’s Battle with Imposter Syndrome
by Marty Dodson, SongTown Co-Founder Sometimes, I find myself staring at a blank page, not because I don’t have ideas, but because of the voice in my head that whispers, “You’re not good enough.” Maybe you’ve heard that voice too. Am I any good as a songwriter?Do I even belong in this writing room?Will people think my…
Read MoreWhy I Didn’t Quit Songwriting (And Why You Shouldn’t Either)
By Marty Dodson, SongTown Co-founder Years ago, I found myself in a place I think many songwriters reach at some point — standing at the crossroads of doubt and desire. I had poured countless hours into writing, co-writing, editing, and pitching songs… and still, I wasn’t seeing the results I hoped for. No cuts. No…
Read MoreThe 10,000 Hour Theory And Songwriting
The 10,000 hour theory… I was reading a magazine on an airplane the other day and ran across an article about Dan McLaughlin, an Oregon man who quit his job and decided to try to become a golf pro by testing out the 10,000 hour theory made popular by Malcolm Gladwell in his book “Outliers”…
Read MoreThe Phone Call That Changed Everything: Lessons From Songwriter Reggie Hamm’s Journey
By Clay Mills, SongTown Co-founder Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with my longtime friend and hit songwriter Reggie Hamm in the SongTown studio. If you know Reggie’s story, you know it’s filled with twists, turns, near misses—and moments of undeniable magic. But during our conversation, one story in particular stuck…
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 MoreThe Songwriter’s Pitch To Publisher Checklist
There’s an art to a songwriter’s pitch to publisher opportunities. You can avoid many of the mistakes I made early on if you do these things when you get a chance to pitch to a publisher. 1. Before you even agree to the meeting, ask yourself “Are my songs REALLY radio/recording artist ready? Are…
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 MoreDon’t Be This Co-Writer: Mistakes Every Songwriter Should Avoid When Co-writing
Early on in my songwriting career I had enough bad/weird co-writing experiences that I acquired vast database of material to draw from for co-writing no-no’s. So here is my list of things NOT TO DO in a co-write… 1. Write down ideas that your co-writers throw out so you can use them later. When you throw out…
Read MoreHow to Find Your Unique Voice as a Singer
I gotta tell you about the time I walked into Brett Manning’s studio thinking I’d just do a few vocal warmups, maybe stretch out the pipes a little. I left that place hitting notes I didn’t even know I had. No joke—I went from topping out at an A in the office to belting a…
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