All posts by Brent Baxter

Biz, Cowriting

The Upward Spiral Of The Songwriting Business

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Man vs Row

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.

Here’s the upward spiral of songwriting:

Writing good songs leads to relationships and opportunities, which lead to writing better songs, which leads to more relationships and opportunities, etc.

Writing good songs leads to relationships and opportunities. Why? Because writers and publishers have a problem. They need hits- either to write them or to publish them. The better you write, the more potential you have to solve their problems. People like people who can solve their problems. And they will give you the opportunity to provide them with hits by writing with them or with someone on their team. Their problem is your opportunity.

These relationships can also lead to better songs. How? Publishers are more likely to invest in you in two ways: 1) giving you deeper feedback, speeding up your learning curve and 2) setting you up to write with better writers, which leads to more learning and better songs. And even without a publisher, you can hook up with better writers on your own (or through your existing cowriters).

These newer, better songs lead to even better and stronger relationships, which lead to better songs, which lead to more relationships… you get the idea. It takes time. You have to be patient, but that’ll be the general trend of your songwriting if you consistently work to get better and network in a professional manner.

It doesn’t just happen, though. Beware. You can short circuit the upward spiral if you get lazy or don’t treat people well. Word will get around, and your career will suffer for it. Enjoy the journey!

God Bless,

Brent

1-TO-1 COACHING

Hey, ya’ll! Several of you have been asking about 1-to-1 coaching opportunities.  Well, I still have ONE spot open over the next few weeks, on Thursday evening, May 14 between 7:30pm and 10:30pm Central.  It’s our chance to sit down together (over the phone or over the web) and discuss your songwriting goals, dig into a few of your songs to see how we can make them stronger, answer questions, whatever.  If you’re interested, just click on the image below or go to the “Coaching” tab at manvsrow.com.  Thanks!

-Brent

1-to-1 Coaching

 

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #90

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Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

I think a huge part of effective writing, songwriting or otherwise, is wrapping intangible ideas or emotions in imagery.  I want you to wrap today’s topic in sensory images.  Use any or all of the five senses.  How does this idea LOOK, SOUND, SMELL, TASTE, and FEEL?

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.

And remember, we’re going for ONLY imagery.  We’re not talking ABOUT the topic.  We’re SHOWING the topic with imagery.  Show me, don’t tell me!

Today’s topic is:

RECKLESS

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

“They both laughed and screamed as he turned up the radio, punched the accelerator, turned off the headlights, and waited for the moon to light up the highway.”

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!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Brenda, Matt Martoccio, Tim Bell, Mark Steven Brocke, Jeff D. Green, Shane, Shane Tripod, Joe Slyzelia, Ken Matthiesen, Parker, Michael Klenda, Randy Rhythm and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #89 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Brent

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Titles Are Not Ideas

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Quick Tip

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.

“TITLES ARE NOT IDEAS”

Titles are words- nothing more. It’s what you do with those words- what you make them mean- that turns a title into an idea. “Monday Morning Church” is not an idea.  It’s just words, and there are a thousand ideas that could go with that title.

“You left my heart as empty as a Monday morning church,” is an idea.

Come up with the best, most interesting titles you can.  Then wrap them in the strongest ideas you can think of.  Don’t just stop at the first angle that hits you.  Don’t be in such a hurry to write a song around some cool words that you don’t write a song with a great idea.

I’d be happy to dig into some of your titles with you to find their strongest ideas and best angles.  As a lyricist, finding strong angles and ideas is what’s led to some of my biggest success.

I’ve made a few coaching sessions available, and it’s our chance to sit down together over the phone or over the web.  We’ll discuss your songwriting goals, dig into a few of your songs to see how we can make them stronger, answer questions, or whatever.

If you’re interested, just click on the image below or go to the “Coaching” tab at manvsrow.com. Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

1-to-1 Coaching

 

Craft

How To Keep Your Phrasing Interesting

6 Comments

Man vs Row

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.

Phrasing is the rhythm of the lyrics (and the spaces in-between) as they fit into the melody. You could say it’s the “bounce” of the words.

Phrasing could be melodic and slow, like the chorus on “Drink A Beer” recorded by Luke Bryan and written by Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers. It could be more like a rap, like the verses of “Boys ‘Round Here” recorded by Blake Shelton and written by Craig Wiseman, Thomas Rhett, and Dallas Davidson. Or it could be somewhere in between.  (And I’m not talking about lyrical CONTENT here.  I’m not telling you what subject matter to write.  I’m just talking about the rhythm and spacing of the words, whatever those words happen to be.)

It’s hugely important to keep your phrasing interesting.

(Back when I was starting out, I had a pro songwriter- the son of my church’s music minister- listen to some of my songs.  He said, “I can tell you grew up Baptist. The songs all phrase like Baptist hymns.  You need to make your phrasing more interesting.”  My reaction was… “what’s phrasing?”)

Play with your phrasing. Mix it up. If you’re not great at writing uptempo songs, try writing faster, more interesting phrasing within your slower tempos. Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford did this well when they wrote “Dirt Road Anthem,” which went on to become a #1 country single for Jason Aldean. The tempo wasn’t that fast- the song felt really laid back. It’s the rapid-fire phrasing on the verses which really gives the song its energy (instead of giving it a power chorus or a fast tempo).

You don’t want your lyric to have the same “bounce” all the way through.

Mix up the phrasing between your verse and your chorus. This will help you vary the melody between the verse and chorus, too. That’s really important. Also, make sure your verse doesn’t have the same bounce to every line.  Mix it up there, too.

Right now, rap-like lyrics are pretty popular in country music, but who knows how long that’ll be the case. My best advice is to just keep it interesting, whatever you do.

What do you think?  What are YOUR thoughts or questions on phrasing?  Do you have trouble mixing it up?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

God Bless,

Brent

1-TO-1 COACHING

Hey, ya’ll! Several of you have been asking about 1-to-1 coaching opportunities.  Well, over the next few weeks, I’ve made a few sessions available.  It’s our chance to sit down together (over the phone or over the web) and discuss your songwriting goals, dig into a few of your songs to see how we can make them stronger, answer questions, whatever.  If you’re interested, just click on the image below or go to the “STEP THREE” tab at manvsrow.com.  Thanks!

-Brent

1-to-1 Coaching

 

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #89

16 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

I think a huge part of effective writing, songwriting or otherwise, is wrapping intangible ideas or emotions in imagery.  I want you to wrap today’s topic in sensory images.  Use any or all of the five senses.  How does this idea LOOK, SOUND, SMELL, TASTE, and FEEL?

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.

Today’s topic is:

DEPRESSION

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

“He stared through his unfamiliar reflection in the front window with glassy eyes, whiskey breath, a three-day old beard, and the same clothes he wore home from the funeral.”

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!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Bill Soprano, Earl Keith, Martin Vipond, Tim Bell, Janet Goodman, Tammy Siler, Matt Martoccio, Kim Kondrashoff, Greg Halvorson, Brenda, Shane Tripod, Ken Matthiessen, Joe Slyzelia and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #88 (read it here)! It was a different kinda Wordplay, and yawl stepped up in a big way! Great job!

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Brent

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Songplugging

6 Songwriting Tiebreakers

18 Comments

Man vs Row

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.

Let’s say you’ve written a very, very good song and it’s on hold for an artist named Luke Paisley.  It’s down to your song and one other as what they’re 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.

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 or producer be returning a favor by cutting a particular song?

Financial interests.

If the artist is a writer or publisher on one of the songs, he makes more money by recording that one.

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?

Now, you obviously can’t control which songs are your competition.  You just have to do what you can to give your songs 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 as you are mindful of this stuff as you build your career, it’ll pay off big time down the road.

What do you think?  What are some other tiebreakers I might’ve missed?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

God Bless,

Brent

A GIFT FROM BRENT

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in both the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

 

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #88

22 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

I think it’s time to shake things up a little bit here on Wordplay Thursday.  I’m sure I’ll go back and do some more of our usual format some weeks, but I want to try out something different.  After all, Wordplay IS about creativity, right?

I think a huge part of effective writing, songwriting or otherwise, is wrapping intangible ideas or emotions in imagery.  I want you to wrap today’s topic in sensory images.  Use any or all of the five senses.  How does this idea LOOK, SOUND, SMELL, TASTE, and FEEL?

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 a couple things.

Today’s topic is:

FREEDOM

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

“Children lying on a riverside blanket smiling up at July Forth fireworks.”

“A sixteen-year-old girl being handed her brand new driver’s license.”

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!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Tommy Kib, debbraycal, Barney Coulter, Martin Vipond, Debbie Convoy, Kim Kondrashoff, Tammy Siler, Mae Young, Michael Klenda, Eric Tingstad, Earl Keith, Matt Martoccio, Ken Matthiesen, Sly, Joe Slyzelia, Miranda, Tim Bell and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #87 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Brent

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Biz

Songwriting Seeds Grow Slowly

2 Comments

Ruthie Collins EP

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.

Songwriting seeds can (and usually do) take years to bear fruit.  Here’s a case in point.

My cowriting buddy, Ruthie Collins, started her first radio tour as a solo artist late last year (2014) on Curb Records / Sidewalk Records, and her debut EP is now available on iTunes.  I’m blessed to have a song on there called, “Vintage.”

Ruthie and I met back in 2008 while she was in a duo called Wild Honey and was just coming off Season One of CMT’s “Can You Duet.”  Sheree Spoltore introduced us one day at NSAI, and we started cowriting.

You can do the math.  First cowrite in 2008 to first release in 2014 is a long time.  But that’s the thing about the music biz- things can take a long time to develop.  (Heck, I had a Randy Travis cut that took 2 years from cut to release!)

You have to be patient.

Ruthie and I wrote a lot of songs before we wrote “Vintage” (with Jessica Roadcap).  But those songs and days weren’t wasted- we were building our trust and friendship.  This is not a rich-quick business.  It’s more of a probably-not-ever-rich business, honestly.  So my advice is this:

Write songs you enjoy with people you enjoy.  Because it’s those people you’ll stick with long enough for some seeds to bear fruit.

You can check out Ruthie at:   ruthiecollinsmusic.com

You can get the EP on iTunes <HERE.>

God Bless,

Brent

A GIFT FROM BRENT

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

 

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #87

25 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

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.

“He couldn’t wait to kiss her _____ lips.”

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

“He couldn’t wait to kiss her siren-song lips.”

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!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Chris, Tammy Siler, Kim Kondrashoff, Tim Bell, Eric Tingstad, Sly Valentine, Brek Lancaster, Ken Matthiesen, Joe Slyzelia and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #86 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Brent

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Cowriting

7 Ways To Blow A Pro Cowrite

4 Comments

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.

Okay, let’s say you finally scored that cowrite with a pro writer. Congrats! Now don’t blow it. However, if you insist on messing up this opportunity to begin a cowriting relationship with a pro, here are 7 ways you can do it.

1. Be late.

Nothing says, “I’m not thankful for this opportunity” quite like being late or getting the time or date wrong. The pro is already NOT writing with one of his regular, trusted cowriters because he or his publisher scheduled you instead. Now the pro is not writing at all because he’s waiting on you to show up. Not a good start.

2. Be unprepared.

When you finally show up, make sure you have to borrow a pick. And a pen. And paper. Oh, and whatever you do, make sure you don’t have any ideas or melodies or grooves ready when the pro says, “got any ideas?” Of course you don’t have any ideas! You like to…

3. Take without giving.

Be sure and expect the pro to carry you. Don’t put yourself out there and really try to write something great. Basically try to sit quietly in the room while the pro writes the song and gives you half. And be sure and try to get the pro to hook you up with his contacts without offering any of yours.

4. Be arrogant.

You can also blow it by going to the other extreme. Try to impress the pro by always being right and making sure you write your idea and use all your lines. Run the show. After all, the pro has only had more success than you- what could he possibly add to your hit-in-progress? Let him just sit back and watch you work.

5. Talk trash.

This is especially awesome of you haven’t had any cuts yet. Bad mouth what’s on the radio and the writers who wrote those songs. If you’re lucky, they might be the pro’s friends, cowriters, or people he respects. Or artists who have recorded his songs, too. But you wouldn’t know that because you…

6. Don’t know who you’re writing with.

If you’re lucky, you can insult one of the pro’s songs without knowing it. Or maybe you can ask the pro, “hey, what have you written?” with is WAY more professional than a 2 minute Google search and being able to say something like, “congrats on that cut” or “man, I really love your song…” Remember, if you want to blow a pro cowrite, better to bruise an ego than stroke it.

7. Complain about the business.

Because you’re the only one who’s had disappointments. And because complaining is super productive. And because a negative attitude is SO attractive that the pro can’t wait to spend more time with you.

So there you go. 7 ways to blow a pro cowrite. Now, I can’t guarantee that pulling out just one or two of these tricks will doom your potential cowriting relationship. But I’d say the odds are pretty good of you being “one & done” if you hit ‘em with the right combo.

Good luck!

God Bless,

Brent

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

Man vs Row