All posts by Brent Baxter

A Songwriter’s Thanksgiving

November 23, 2015 Brent Baxter 12 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving! I thought it would be cool if we as songwriters could take a moment to be thankful for what songwriting has brought to our lives. It could be our own songwriting or songwriting by other people. Maybe it was a song somebody wrote for you. I’ll start.

I’m thankful that songwriting brought me to Nashville, where I met my wife. I was roommates with her brother (a cowriter), and she came to visit. Thank you, songwriting!!!

I’m thankful for all the hours I spent back home with my best friend, Tim Meitzen, camping and writing songs around a campfire. Those nights of creating and dreaming are some of my favorite memories.

I’m thankful for all the hours I’ve been blessed to spend in the writing room with good people and great talents. I’m thankful for all the laughter in those rooms. I’m thankful for some of the tears in those rooms. I’m thankful for the honesty in those rooms. And for the private concerts when I get to write with great singers!

I’m thankful for the songs that act like time capsules. I’m thankful that I can listen to worktapes and demos and remember the fun I had writing those songs or the people and situations that inspired them.

I’m thankful that my kids and grandkids (Lord willing) will be able to listen to my songs and remember me and know me through them.

I’m thankful that the other day I got to hear my wife and kids upstairs having “praise time.” They were banging away on instruments and singing along to a gospel song I helped write. That was a blessing.

I’m thankful that I live in a country where I can pack up, cross state lines, and chase a crazy dream. In a lot of countries throughout a lot of world history, people have been TOLD what their jobs will be. I’m thankful for this freedom.

I’m thankful for everyone who has ever told me they like one of my songs, or that it moved them.

I’m thankful for every person who has believed in me- everyone from my parents to friends back home to publishers who’ve signed me to deals.

I’m thankful for every artist, indie or major, who has ever sung my words.

And I’m thankful for the Man vs. Row community. You’re awesome. What are YOU thankful for today? I’d love to read your comments!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

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 and a #1 in Canada… so far.

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #118

November 19, 2015 Brent Baxter 19 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“That kid’s as wild as _____.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“That kid’s as wild as the Amazon jungle.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

And thanks toTaylor, Mitch Matthews, Ken Matthiesen, Ethan Fogus, Kim Kondrashoff, Nick S., Pascal, Brek Lancaster, Eric Tingstad, Deborah, Joe Slyzelia, and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #117 (read it here)! Great job!

Wordplay Thursday is a great way to the get the creative juices flowing and get some songs started. But what about finishing songs? Sometimes that can be more difficult. That’s why I’ve written “Finish Your Song! 20 Ways To Overcome Creative Roadblocks.” Click here to find out how to finish more songs faster and better. Or click on the image below. Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Cowriting, Craft

Are You A Songwriting Carpenter or Designer?

November 16, 2015 Brent Baxter 7 Comments

A commercially successful song, in general, requires the songwriting skills of both a carpenter and a designer… musically speaking. Are you bringing both skill sets to your songs? If not, your songs are probably not as good as they could be.

The Songwriting Carpenter

Strengths:

This songwriter has the craft down. The Carpenter can structure a song well. The rhyme schemes are tight. The chorus lifts. The message of the song is clearly communicated, and the song is solidly constructed.

Weaknesses:

The Carpenter’s songs can sometimes end up without enough heart or imagination. The Carpenter’s “house” is sturdy, but it looks just like every other house in the neighborhood. There’s no “wow” factor that impacts the listener emotionally.

The Songwriting Designer

Strengths:

The Designer has vision. The Designer knows what he wants to accomplish with the song- what the listener will feel- what the emotional impact will be. The Designer has great, compelling, song ideas.

Weaknesses:

Without enough craft, the Designer can’t pull off his vision. The wonderful story isn’t told clearly. There are problems with structure, rhyme, or other “nuts & bolts” areas. For the house metaphor, you could say the house is beautiful on the outside, but it won’t pass inspection.

As you can see, both the Carpenter and Designer have really great, important skills. They also have weaknesses. They need each other. And, truth is, you have at least a little of each of them inside you. You’re both.

So the question is: are you bringing ENOUGH of each of them to your songwriting process? Are your songs too much Carpenter and not enough Designer? I’d say most writers aren’t professional-level at both- especially when you’ve only been writing for a few years. And that’s okay.

That’s why God made cowriters.

Learn your strengths. If you build solid cookie-cutter houses, you need to find a Designer. If you have great ideas that don’t seem to reach their potential, you may need a Carpenter.

How do you know if you’re a Carpenter or a Designer?

Play your songs for a songwriting coach, your PRO rep (ASCAP, BMI or SESAC), a music publisher, or other songwriters. If you often hear comments like, “Great idea, but it just doesn’t kill me,” you might be a Designer. If you hear, “Yeah, it all makes sense… nothing wrong with it… but it doesn’t knock me out,” you might be a Carpenter. Or you might be somewhere in the middle- where your Designer and Carpenter skills are pretty balanced, but just not professional-level yet.

Get to know yourself- your strengths and weaknesses. Then find coaches who can help you get better and cowriters who can bring out your best, while bringing the strengths you’re missing.

What about you? Are you more of a carpenter or designer? Leave a comment- I’d love to hear from you.

Pro songwriters know and are honest about their strengths and weaknesses. And if YOU want to become a pro, you need to think like a pro, too. In my FREE e-book, “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” I not only reveal several of the mindsets which separate the pro songwriter from the amateur, but also…

How to get on a music publisher’s radar
How the pros know who is looking for songs
Six simple ways to make your songs more commercial
And more!

To get your FREE, INSTANT download of “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” just click on the image below, or CLICK HERE!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #117

November 12, 2015 Brent Baxter 13 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

“That old man’s wiser than _____.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“That old man’s wiser than the Constitution.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

And thanks to The Prevention, Ceefor Ebrahimi, Ernie Welch, Nila Kay, Taylor Sappe, Mark Westendorf, Wm Curtis, Barney Coulter, Michael Tea, Mary Givens, Ivan, Janet Goodman, Bill Soprano, Nick S., Kim Kondrashoff and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #116 (read it here)! Great job!

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, Cowriting, Money, Songplugging

A Pro Songwriter’s Team

November 9, 2015 Brent Baxter 4 Comments

Songwriting is a team sport. I’ve said that a thousand times if I’ve said it once. But, until now, I don’t guess I’ve written about who makes up a pro songwriter’s team. Well, here ya go. Not all of these members are necessary for every songwriter at every career stage. Some are only needed when money is being generated from your songs. So don’t get overwhelmed- you don’t have to find all these folks today.

Also, this list is for pro songwriters or those who want to make money. If you just want to write good songs, pick and choose accordingly.

1. The Cowriters.

There are very, very few songwriters who turn pro (and stay that way) who are exclusively solo writers. Your cowriters help keep you fresh and break you out of creative ruts and stale habits. They also provide song ideas so you don’t have to come up with all your own ideas. Cowriters provide creative strengths to compliment your weaknesses (lyrics for your melodies, etc.) They share valuable information (who’s cutting, what they want, who’s about to get a record deal, etc.). They (and their publishers) help pitch your songs. They provide political advantages- writing with the artist, the producer, or with someone in a powerful publishing company.

2. The Songpluggers.

If you want cuts, somebody has to be out there actively pitching your songs and getting them heard by folks who can say “yes.” Oftentimes, this is done by a music publisher, who has at least one songplugger on staff. Many pros also pitch their songs themselves. I’m an “all hands on deck” kinda guy, so I like to have both when I can. People who might plug your songs: you, your publisher, a (legit) independent songplugger, your cowriters, your cowriters’ songpluggers. If nobody is plugging your songs, nobody will hear them. If nobody hears your songs, nobody will cut them.

3. The PROs.

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) are basically companies who collect and distribute airplay royalties for publishers and songwriters. There are three PROs in the United States- ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Every other country / territory has only one. If you’re blessed to get some airplay, you and your song won’t get a dime of airplay money if you (and your song) aren’t registered with a PRO. That’s the big service they offer. Other benefits include networking and educational opportunities. EVERY money-making pro must have a PRO.

4. The Recorders.

All the songplugging in the world isn’t gonna do you much good if all your demos / recordings sound terrible. There’s just too much competition and too many quality demos out there for an A&R person to do the work to hear through a bad recording. They just don’t have to. Unless you’re an established hit songwriter with a good track record, they’ll just trash it and move on to a recording that sounds like it was done by a pro. It’s great if you have the musician and production chops to get good sound on your own. But most songwriters don’t have that, so it needs to be outsourced. Maybe your cowriters can perform this function, or maybe you hire a track guy or some studio musicians. I hesitated to list them as part of your team since they’re hired guns… but getting quality recordings is so important, I couldn’t keep them off the list.

5. The Administrators.

Somebody better be watching the money. Your administrators are the folks that make sure your songs are registered with a PRO, licensed properly by the record labels, the copyright forms are sent in and that your royalties make it (properly and promptly) from the record labels to the songwriters. This function is usually done by the publisher, but you can also hire an admin firm for a percentage of what they collect on your behalf. For example, my Major Bob Music catalog is partly administered in-house and partly by The Harry Fox Agency. My personal publishing company, Cowboy Chords Music, outsources my admin to Bluewater Music. They handle my licensing and royalty collections for a percentage of the money they collect.

6. The Sharpeners.

These are the folks who help you sharpen your skills, both on the artistic and business sides of songwriting. This may include cowriters who inspire and challenge you to do your best, it may include NSAI, Global Songwriters Connection, Man vs. Row, Frettie, song evaluators, and coaches. It may be your publisher or songplugger. It may be a writer’s rep at a PRO or a publisher who will listen to your songs and give feedback. The Sharpeners are hugely important for amateurs turning pro and for seasoned pros trying to keep current and to adapt as the commercial market changes. These are the folks who will tell us the truth and challenge us, even when it’s unpleasant.

7. The Believers.

Who’s going to pick you up when the biz knocks you down? When you’re lost in doubt? You’ll find The Believers in several of the other categories- The Cowriters, The Pluggers, and sometimes The PROS and The Sharpeners. The Believers may also include folks outside of music- your family and friends. This isn’t just for the aspiring songwriter. We ALL need The Believers. But the most important believer will always be one person. Yourself.

There ya go. A pro songwriter’s team. Like I said earlier, you may not need all these folks right now, depending on where you are in your career. But as you climb that mountain, you’ll add more and more of them.

What about you? Would you add anyone else to “a pro songwriter’s team?” How’s your team-building coming along? Leave a comment- I’d love to hear from you.

Pro songwriters know they need a team. And if YOU want to become a pro, you need to think like a pro, too. In my FREE e-book, “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” I not only reveal several of the mindsets which separate the pro songwriter from the amateur, but also…

How to get on a music publisher’s radar
How the pros know who is looking for songs
Six simple ways to make your songs more commercial
And more!

To get your FREE, INSTANT download of “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” just click on the image below, or CLICK HERE!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #116

November 5, 2015 Brent Baxter 9 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Let’s mix it up this week! Today, I’m going to give you a starting line, and you’re gonna give me the next line, then someone else will fill in the line after that, someone else will jump in with the line after that, then you’ll jump in with another line, etc.

Since it’s more real-time, we’ll actually be playing this over at the Man vs. Row Facebook page at www.facebook.com/manvsrow, where I’ve posted the first line. Go over there, not here, to add your line. And feel free to jump in as many times as you want!

And heeeeerrrrrreeee we goooo!

“They should make a whiskey with a woman’s name…”

Now YOU add the next line to my post over at www.facebook.com/manvsrow.com and let’s see where we all take this thing!

Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

And thanks to Donna King, Nick S., Linda Keser, Ken Matthiessen, Barney Coulter, Eric Tingstad, Carol Katterjohn, Joe Slyzelia and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #115 (read it here)! Great job!

God Bless,

Brent

Biz

The Do’s And Don’ts Of Songwriter Emails

November 2, 2015 Brent Baxter 5 Comments

My last couple of posts have been about email. Why biz pros aren’t emailing you back and the email that helped me get a Joe Nichols cut. Today, I want to break it down even more simply into some “do” and “don’t” guidelines.

This is mainly for when a songwriter wants to get a meeting with a publisher, a PRO, or some other pro in the business. These are only guidelines, so certain situations may call for different tactics.

DON’T: Whine about the music biz. We all know it’s hard.

DON’T: Tell your life story in the first email. Or probably ever. We just want great music. If it’s not great, the story behind it doesn’t matter. If it IS great, the story behind it doesn’t matter.

DON’T: Beg. It just makes you look unprofessional.

DON’T: Flood them. Don’t send an email every day or two. Relax. Be patient.

DON’T: Talk trash about others in the biz- or their songs. They might be our friends.

DON’T: Ask for a cowrite or pub deal right off the bat. You’re not trying to get to third base here- you’re just asking for a dance.

DON’T: Ask for too much. Not “come to my show” “listen to my album and tell me your favorite.” Don’t make yourself look like needy work. Just attach ONE song. Or ask if you can send them a song.

DO: Warm up the email if possible. Meet us out somewhere at a show or industry event. Have a mutual contact introduce us, etc. It’s not always possible, but it helps.

DO: Keep it short and to the point. Make it easy to read your email quickly. We don’t have all day.

DO: Provide contact information. Make yourself easy to find.

DO: Provide brief credentials (if you have some). Briefly list any pro cowrites, cuts, major contest wins, etc. Did a pro recommend you?

DO: Ask for a meeting or a listen. Be clear about what you want from this email.

DO: Follow up in about a week. Not the same afternoon. We’re busy. Don’t become a problem.

DO: Respect the professional’s time. If you ask for a meeting, only ask for 15 minutes. And mean it!

Here’s a sample of a solid email:

SUBJECT:

We met at Lance’s show

BODY:

Hi, Bill! We met at Lance Carpenter’s show at The Listening Room last night. I’m Emily’s friend (with the glasses).

I’m a songwriter, and I’ve had two songs featured at NSAI’s Pitch-To-Publisher Luncheon. I’ve also been writing with Sally Makeahit at Sony ATV.

I’ll be in Nashville the week of July 12, and I’d appreciate 15 minutes of your time. I’d just like to say “hi” and maybe play one song for you. I know you’re busy, and I promise to respect your time. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Johnny Songwriter

555-555-5555

johnnysongwriter@email.com

www.johnnysongwriter.com

What about you? Any additions to this list of do’s and don’ts?

Pro songwriters know how to act professionally. And if YOU want to become a pro, you need to think like a pro, too. In my FREE e-book, “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” I not only reveal several of the mindsets which separate the pro songwriter from the amateur, but also…

How to get on a music publisher’s radar
How the pros know who is looking for songs
Six simple ways to make your songs more commercial
And more!

To get your FREE, INSTANT download of “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” just click on the image below, or CLICK HERE!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Muse

Beware of Songwriting Vampires, Zombies & Werewolves!

October 30, 2015 Brent Baxter 4 Comments

In the spirit of Halloween, I figure now is a good time to warn you about a few of the ghouls who prey upon unsuspecting songwriters. Beware of…

VAMPIRES

There are people out there who will suck the life out of your dreams. Dwelling in (and on) the darkness, these predators never see the bright side or the silver living. Little by little, their biting comments slowly bleed you of your hope and optimism (“What makes you so special?” “Oh, the music biz is rigged- you’ll never make it.”). They might look like your friends, but they are dead inside. Avoid these vampires- once their negative, pessimistic attitude sinks its teeth into you, you start to become one of them.

ZOMBIES

They are among us, and their number is legion. They shuffle off to their soul-sucking day jobs like a mindless herd. They never dream. They just respond to whatever happens to be in front of them. They stagger back home and sit mindlessly in front of a TV or computer screen for hours feasting upon whatever catches their eye (“lightsss… sooo… preeetttyy…) It’s easy to turn into a zombie because being a zombie means doing the easy, numb, thoughtless thing. Spend too much of your time with the zombies and you’ll wake up one day to realize you’ve been sleepwalking through life- just like one of them.

WEREWOLVES

If you want songwriting success, you must avoid running with a pack of werewolves. These are folks who only “turn into” songwriters about once a month. The majority of the time, you’d never suspect they have that hidden side. They think they can just go about “normal life” for a few weeks, then suddenly unleash their inner songwriter for a night or two and somehow make a killing in the music business. No, the music biz is not so easily tamed. You can’t just go into beast mode on rare occasions and create a career. You need to run with a pack that is ALWAYS hungry and ALWAYS hunting. Don’t be a werewolf. Be a REAL wolf.

What about you? What are some songwriting ghouls that you have encountered? I’d love to hear from you!

Happy HOWLoween!

Brent

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #115

October 29, 2015 Brent Baxter 9 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

“Pickup trucks are _____.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“Pickup trucks are cowboy Cadillacs.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

And thanks to Dionne Kumpe, Matt Martoccio, Barney Coulter, Sherry Stilwell, Mark Bowden, Nick S, Jeff Green, Christine Ann Borra, Martin Vipond, Jared, Blane Cox, Eric, Rob Bazzett, Mark Westendorf, Linda Keser, Ken Matthiessen, Debbie, Joe Slyzelia and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #114 (read it here)! Great job!

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, Songplugging

The Email That Helped Me Get A Joe Nichols Cut

October 26, 2015 Brent Baxter 18 Comments

Recently, I posted a lesson called, “Here’s Why Music Biz Professionals Aren’t Emailing You Back” (read it here). Today, I want to look at an email that resulted in a phone call, a hold, and eventually a Joe Nichols cut.

A few years back, I wanted to get my song, “Crickets,” to Joe Nichols. I just thought it’d be perfect for him. But how do I get it to him? I didn’t have a personal connection with anyone in his camp. However, I did happen to get the email address of the owner of Joe’s label (thanks to a sungplugger friend of mine). I decided it was worth a cold email.

(Note: Normally, I wouldn’t send a song to a label owner. But I know this particular owner actively listens to songs through email and has a say in what end up on his artists’ albums. See my post “The Big Yes.”)

Not knowing the owner, this is how I worded my email:

Subject:

Song for Joe Nichols: “Crickets” (Baxter, Shaffer, Whyte)

Message:

Mr. Brown,

I’m a songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson (“Monday Morning Church”), Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, and others. Here’s a song for Joe. Thanks for listening!

“Crickets”

(Brent Baxter, Lisa Shaffer, Bill Whyte)

Lyric and mp3 attached.

God Bless,

Brent Baxter

615-000-0000

—-@email.com

Sometime later (maybe a day or two, maybe weeks), I got a call from the owner. He said he loved the song and wanted to hold it for Joe. Eventually, they cut it and it became the title track to Joe’s debut album on Red Bow Records.

Okay, let’s break down the email and see what we can learn.

I was proactive and pitched my own song.

I didn’t wait for someone else to make my dreams come true. See my post, “10 Reasons Songwriters Should Pitch Their Own Songs.”

I used an appropriate communication channel.

This was an email address that the owner regularly uses to listen to songs. It wasn’t his wife’s personal email or some other inappropriate email. I was conducting business through a business email address.

The subject line is very clear and professional.

No hype. No bull.

I kept the message very brief and to the point.

One quick glance at the message isn’t a turn-off. He could read it very quickly, so he was more likely to actually read it. Long emails are intimidating and look like too much work.

I presented pro credentials briefly and in the beginning.

I opened with a few choice cuts to set myself as a pro in his mind. It increased the chance that he’d take my email seriously and expect a good song. If you don’t have these, just get to who the song is for. It’s better to skip this completely than say how you won a local talent show. Your song may be killer, but if you’ve only has small success (so far), they might think you only have small talent.

I provided contact info both in the email and on the lyric sheet.

He called be back partly because I made it easy for him to find me.

I provided both the mp3 and the lyrics.

Some folks don’t look at the lyric when they listen. Some do. I don’t take chances. I want them to have everything they might need.

The song was well-written and a good fit for the artist.

The email was written to get the song heard. But getting the song heard doesn’t help if the song itself isn’t good or isn’t a good fit for the artist.

What about you? Have you had any success with cold emails? How did you word them?

How to get on a music publisher’s radar
How the pros know who is looking for songs
Six simple ways to make your songs more commercial
And more!

To get your FREE, INSTANT download of “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” just click on the image below, or CLICK HERE!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Happy Thanksgiving! I thought it would be cool if we as songwriters could take a moment to be thankful for what songwriting has brought to our lives. It could be our own songwriting or songwriting by other people. Maybe it was a song somebody wrote for you. I’ll start.

A commercially successful song, in general, requires the songwriting skills of both a carpenter and a designer… musically speaking. Are you bringing both skill sets to your songs? If not, your songs are probably not as good as they could be.

The Songwriting Carpenter

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

The Songwriting Designer

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

That’s why God made cowriters.

How do you know if you’re a Carpenter or a Designer?

1. The Cowriters.

2. The Songpluggers.

3. The PROs.

4. The Recorders.

5. The Administrators.

6. The Sharpeners.

7. The Believers.

My last couple of posts have been about email. Why biz pros aren’t emailing you back and the email that helped me get a Joe Nichols cut. Today, I want to break it down even more simply into some “do” and “don’t” guidelines.

In the spirit of Halloween, I figure now is a good time to warn you about a few of the ghouls who prey upon unsuspecting songwriters. Beware of…

VAMPIRES

ZOMBIES

WEREWOLVES

Happy HOWLoween!

Recently, I posted a lesson called, “Here’s Why Music Biz Professionals Aren’t Emailing You Back” (read it here). Today, I want to look at an email that resulted in a phone call, a hold, and eventually a Joe Nichols cut.

I was proactive and pitched my own song.

I used an appropriate communication channel.

The subject line is very clear and professional.

I kept the message very brief and to the point.

I presented pro credentials briefly and in the beginning.

I provided contact info both in the email and on the lyric sheet.

I provided both the mp3 and the lyrics.

The song was well-written and a good fit for the artist.

Helping songwriters turn pro.