Posts Tagged ‘Articles’
Songwriting Goals 101 – With Hitmaker Marty Dodson
Songwriters have all kinds of goals… Clay and I do a lot of mentoring sessions. One of the big discoveries we have made in those sessions is that people have all kinds of different goals for their music. And we have discovered that almost every answer to every question people ask us depends on THEIR…
Read MoreYou’re the Hero, SongTown Is Your Songwriting Sidekick
“In SongTown you are the hero and we are your songwriting sidekick.” ~Marty Dodson So many songwriting sites advertise the amazing things they can do for you. They will “turn you pro”, introduce you to someone who will magically “get” you and get all of your songs cut, or take you up to breathe the…
Read MoreThe Poor Man’s Copyright For Songwriters: Separating Truth From Fiction (Updated 2024)
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 $65 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.…
Read MoreWhat 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…
Read MoreDo 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…
Read MoreSongwriter 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…
Read MoreThe 10 Co-Writing Commandments For Songwriters (Revised for 2023)
Co-writing: The art of sharing your heartfelt ideas with another person and trusting the two of you will create songwriting magic. Co-writing songs can be tremendously rewarding and often frustrating. But there are some guidelines to make this experience more often than not a great one. If Moses came down from the mountain with a tablet for…
Read MoreI Dare You: A Songwriter’s Challenge
One of the first things I did when I decided to seriously pursue writing as a career was to attend an NSAI Song Camp. I submitted my application and nervously awaited a response to let me know if I was accepted or not. Finally, the day came. There in the stack of mail was a…
Read MoreSongwriting Takes a Lot of Balls!
Today, being a successful songwriter is not just about sitting down with your instrument and pouring out your heart and soul. Now it resembles more a juggler in a circus act. It takes songwriting balls! Once a song is completed, you can pat yourself on the back. But then you must throw the next balls…
Read MoreWill You Be Ready When Your Songwriter Door Opens?
“He got lucky. That will never happen again.” After celebrating my first number one song, “Beautiful Mess,” a friend of mine told me that a big successful songwriter spoke these words about me. I can’t blame him, he had been writing big songs for years and he’d seen a lot of young writers come and…
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