The Little Victories

I couldn’t possibly count the number of beginning songwriters

when asked, “Who would you pitch this to?”, give answers like: Keith Urban, Katie Perry, Blake Shelton, Garth Brooks, Rhianna, etc.

I’ve been writing professionally for 20+ years, I have had multiple #1 songs and over 125 songs recorded, yet I have never had a song recorded by any of those artists. What does that tell you about the realistic (or not) nature of those goals?

To think that someone without a cut is going to start with a cut on a huge artist like that is VERY unlikely. And, shooting that high is only going to leave you frustrated and disappointed.

It’s kind of like buying a lottery ticket and COUNTING on seeing the winning number in your hand the next morning. You are going to stay frustrated if you count on winning the lottery to make your career in music happen.

I always encourage people to set smaller, realistic goals.

Our own PJ Ju had the goal of making 1 penny on her music in a year. Guess what? It happened and each year she is growing and getting more and more success. If she had set her goal at making $100,000 on her music that year, she might have wound up feeling let down. Reaching that realistic goal helped encourage her to dream a little bit bigger each year.

Your goal could be to get your first hold on a song this year. Or, it could be to get a cut on an independent artist. It could be to write with a staff writer at a publishing company. Both are goals that can likely be accomplished if you continue writing better and better songs and you work really hard.

Another plus of setting realistic goals is that IF a huge cut comes along that you weren’t counting on, you have a bonus celebration. If it doesn’t happen, no problem. You weren’t even thinking about it.

When you write a great song, think about all of the REALISTIC places you could possibly get that song cut.

Then, do your best to get that song to all of those people or anyone connected to them. You’ve got a much better shot at getting a cut on a new artist, a Canadian artist, or an independent artist.

And one small cut can lead to bigger cuts down the road. Set realistic goals, meet them, and then set bigger ones. Those little victories will keep you moving down the road.

Write on.
Marty Dodson