How Do Publishers And Songwriters Split Royalties?
We get lots of music business questions in SongTown and how publishers and songwriters split royalties is a common one. So, I thought I'd answer it in today's post. The business side of music is not as complicated as it seems. Here are the basics of writer/publisher deals and how money is split. There are two shares of royalties for...
Don’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-nos. 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 ideas in a...
5 Fun Songwriting Exercises: Improve Your Writing AND Have A Good Time
Here are some writing exercises I do when I want to sharpen my songwriting skills and just have a good time with it, putting no pressure on myself. Ready for some songwriting fun?!? Thumb through a magazine looking for song ideas. Sometimes when I'm on an airplane, I pick up the inflight magazine and challenge myself...
Songwriter Write-Up-Itis: Do You Suffer From This Common Illness?
Clay and I continually run into people throughout Songtown territories that have songwriter "write-up-itis". We can spot the affliction immediately because we have both battled this dreadful and potentially fatal disease in the past. The symptoms generally start after you write the first song that you think is really commercially viable. A slight fever starts to develop. You get what I...
Heart vs. Head: How To Write Your Best Songs
Songwriting is beautifully complex and yet simple... I am often reminded when teaching aspiring songwriters how simple, and yet complex, writing a song can be. It's a beautiful mix of emotions, wit, determination, and being in the moment. A very common obstacle I see to great writing is what I call "Heart vs. Head Songwriting." Too much emotional attachment... When a song...
Writing Better Songs: How To Overcome Almost Any Songwriting Obstacle
Marty Dodson and I spend a lot of time preaching the gospel of “writing better songs.” Each time we blog about the power of a great song, we inevitably get several emphatic comments stating something like this: "I have lots of great songs, but I don’t have the connections you guys have!" While this is true now, I want to...