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My Favorite FAQs about The Music Business, Co-writing and DemosTeaching songwriting and music business workshops over the past fifteen years, I’ve observed that there’s a “greatest hits” of questions that I get over and over again from my attendees. I thought it might be helpful to give you not only those questions to think about but also my answers. I’ve broken it down into |
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What Songwriters Should – and Shouldn’t – Do When Meeting With Music PublishersFor most songwriters, the idea of being a staff songwriter for a music publisher is a lifelong dream. However, in order for this dream to become a reality, you’ll need to be more than just a gifted songwriter. You’ll need to show a publisher – and yourself – that you’re ready to think and act |
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Two Major Mistakes All Songwriters Should AvoidIn the twenty-five years that I’ve been writing songs and, more recently, that I’ve been teaching songwriting, I’ve made and/or observed countless missteps in songwriting and navigating a songwriting career. Here are two big mistakes that you should attempt to avoid if at all possible. 1. Writing songs without thinking about the craft Given that |
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Three Reasons Songwriters Should Embrace TechnologyMastering the craft of songwriting has always required – and will always require – good, old-fashioned effort and time but as technology progresses, there are quite a few improvements to the ways songwriters can effectively manage their careers. Not only has technology enabled us to be more efficient but it’s also allowed us to bridge |
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Navigating Your Meeting With a Music PublisherGetting a chance to sit down with a music publisher and play them some of your songs is a genuine opportunity and one not to be taken lightly. While having great songs is certainly an important part of the equation, it is by no means the only thing that counts. To that end, I’ve listed |
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Six Ways To Improve Your Songwriting MotivationThe difference, in my experience, between professional songwriters and hobbyists has very little to do with actual songwriting talent. Being a pro requires an ironclad work ethic to not only create a consistent body of work but also to develop and maintain what I like to think of as songwriting muscles. I’ve put together a |
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A Songwriter’s Troubleshooting Guide to Fixing Broken SongsThere are times our songs come to us easily. They feel good as we’re writing them, people respond when we perform them and the demos practically jump out of the speakers. There are other times, however, when things just don’t seem to quite come together. To help you troubleshoot, I’ve put together a checklist to |
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A Primer On Groove for SongwritersOne of the unsung elements that helps bring a song to life – and make it memorable – is the groove. By way of definition, groove is a mystical combination of tempo and feel that adds depth and texture to your song. That being said, it’s not uncommon for songwriters to relegate groove to an |
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A Mindfulness Primer for SongwritersOK, since we’re all artists here and open to some of the more mystical/emotional approaches to art and life, I thought I’d take a moment to emphasize the importance of being truly present – aka mindful – in your songwriting practice. While there are whole books – and philosophies – written on the the value |
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How to Handle a Songwriting Critique from a Group of Your PeersIf you live in one of the major music cities – Nashville, New York or Los Angeles – you’ll be surrounded by a large group of your songwriting peers. This can be a huge help as it’s always easier not to go it alone as you develop your songwriting skills. One of the many benefits |