Let’s say you’ve written a very, very good song and it’s on hold for an artist named Luke Paisley. There’s room for one more track on the album, and the choice is between your song and one other. Which one are they gonna cut?
The artist likes both songs, so it’s basically a tie going in. That’s when the tiebreakers might kick in. These tiebreakers may include…
Personal relationships.
Is one of the songs written or published by a friend of the artist? It’s more fun to call your buddy and say you just cut his song than it is to explain that you didn’t. Same goes for the producer’s relationships.
Business interests.
Would a publisher, manager, or someone else owe the artist or feel thankful if the artist cut one song over the other? Is there some hidden long-term advantage to be gained? Or would the artist, label or producer be returning a favor by cutting a particular song?
Read on if you want to learn more of these tiebreakers.
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Financial interests.
If the artist or producer is a writer or publisher on one of the songs, he makes more money by recording that one. Same goes if the label has publishing interest on one song or the other.
Safer bets.
If one song is written by a proven hit songwriter and the other isn’t, the artist (and his team) may lean towards the hit writer’s song. Since it’s always a bit of a guessing game as to which songs are hits, a song written by a hit writer feels like a safer bet.
Branding.
Does one song fit the artist and his brand a little better? Will it speak to his audience in a way that’s a little more “on point?” That can make the difference. Or is one song too much like what he’s already recorded, and it doesn’t take him anywhere new?
Singability.
Is one song more easy and/or fun to sing? Does one song have some weird, jumbled, hard-to-nail phrasing or some this-will-kill-my-voice notes? That might just knock that song out of the running. Of course, some artists make their living on those big money notes, so it really depends on the artist.
Now, you obviously can’t control which songs are your competition. And you can’t control the interests of the people on the artist’s team. (As a music biz veteran once told me, “they’re not anti-Brent. They’re just pro-something-else.”)
All you can control are the songs you write, so do what you can to give them the best chance to win.
Write the very best song you can. Always. But also spend time thinking about the tiebreakers and how you can turn them in your favor. It’s not easy, and it won’t happen overnight. But if you are mindful of this stuff as you build your career, it’ll pay off big time down the road.
What about you? What are some other tiebreakers I might’ve missed? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Also, if you’re looking for an opportunity to connect with some music business, I have a great opportunity for you. In August, I’m hosting a “Know The Row” event with a music business pro!
On August 14, you can hang out online and ask YOUR questions to music publisher, Scot Sherrod, of Rare Spark Media. Scot has had his hand in several hit country songs, and his current roster includes rising country star, Walker Hayes (“You Broke Up With Me” and “Craig.”)
This is YOUR chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with a real-deal music biz professionals.
You and I both want to learn what Scot has to share!
Here’s the deal. You can join us online from anywhere in the world on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 from 7pm-8pm Central time. And “Know The Row” events are FREE to members of Frettie.com! (But don’t worry- you can still purchase a ticket even if you don’t want to take advantage of all of Frettie’s membership benefits.)
CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS & MEET HIT MUSIC PUBLISHER, SCOT SHERROD .
Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US, a #1 in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.
