Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #26

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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’s as tough as _______.”

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

“He’s as tough as a prison steak.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Matt Martoccio, Trevor Stanley, John, Roger Vines, Jim King, Nila, DPLblog, Terry Becks, Kelder54, Happy Anderson, Mark Lambert, Janet Goodman, Jerry Childers, Paul Alvin Harris, and Willa Thompson for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #25 (read it here)! Great job!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

Hey, ya’ll. If you like this blog, then make sure you don’t miss a single post. Subscribe by entering your email address in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” box either in the top righthand corner or down below. And I love it when you share this blog through facebook, Twitter, and wherever! Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, Craft

“Slash” Songwriters

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Brent 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.

There are a few very, very successful writers that make a killing, but most writers can’t feed their families on JUST songwriting.  I know a lot of songwriters which are “slash” songwriters.  They are songwriter/waiters.  Songwriter/producers.  Songwriter/demo singers.  Songwriter/mentors.  Songwriter/real estate agents.  Certain exceptions are writers who are young, single, and can live on very little- thanks to sharing rent with roommates.  Others have spouses with solid incomes.  But the vast majority of songwriters just don’t maintain a strong income over a long period of time.

For example, I was blessed to have a hit with Alan Jackson.  Then came marriage, and after Emily finished up school, we had two incomes.  Then came our son, Ozark (yes, that really is his name).  It is very important to both of us for Em stay home with Ozzy, so that certainly changed the math.  We were blessed that Emily was able to take Oz to her job as a nanny for a while.  Then that job ended for her not long after I left a publishing deal.  And now we have a 2nd baby on the way, due in March of 2014.

A publishing draw does NOT pay enough to feed a family of four unless you’re willing to live in poverty.  And while I’ve gotten cuts, cuts that aren’t singles are pretty much just for bragging rights.  Therefore, I had to take a full-time job in the summer of 2013.  I’m still in the game, writing with some major label artists, pitching songs, getting some cuts, etc.  But it’s mostly nights and weekends right now.  It definitely makes things more difficult, but it’s best for my family at the moment.  We’ll see where God takes us.

If you’re preparing to make a run at a professional songwriting career, what is YOUR slash?  Are there certain skills you can develop or a business you can grow which will give you both enough time and money to devote to your songwriting?  It’s worth thinking about.  It’s worth building something for the long haul.

God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS…

What did I miss?  Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!

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If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Craft, Cut Study, Write Like A Pro

Pictures As Proof: Carrie Underwood & “Before He Cheats”

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There are a lot of great things about “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood (written by Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins).

But today I want to focus on one.  The writers never call the cheating boyfriend a name.  They never call him a jerk, a loser, etc.  Instead, they use the lyrics to paint a picture of this guy that leaves the listener thinking, “Man, what a loser!”

If Carrie just called the guy a jerk, I might believe her.  Or I might just think she’s a bitter, psycho ex-girlfriend.  But the pictures are the proof.  The writers prove to us that this guy is a jerk- we’ve seen him in action (up behind the girl showing her how to shoot a combo, buying her drinks, and dabbing on $3 worth of that bathroom Polo, etc).  Therefore, when Carrie takes it out on his truck, you at least agree that he was due some payback.

The lesson for me is: If you want the listener to think someone is a jerk, a hero, a great lover, whatever- don’t just tell the listener so.  Use pictures as proof.

Strong imagery like we find in “Before He Cheats” can really make a song stand out. If you want to build YOUR imagery skill so that YOUR songs stand out, I have a great opportunity for you. In Songwriting Pro’s upcoming live online workshop, I’ll reveal several techniques that I and other pro songwriters use to create killer imagery.

CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT YOUR SONGS TO STAND OUT.

God Bless,

Brent

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Also, are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

Brent 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.

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #25

23 Comments

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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.

“The sun sank like _______.”

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

“The sun sank like a bad gambler’s bank account balance.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Steve, Andrew Clayton, Roger Vines, August, Janet Goodman, Nila Kay, Steven, Jerry Childers, Willa Thompson, Cathy, and Matt Martoccio for their great additions to Wordplay Thursday #24 (read it here)! Great job!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

Hey, ya’ll. If you like this blog, then make sure you don’t miss a single post. Subscribe by entering your email address in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” box either in the top righthand corner or down below. And I love it when you share this blog through facebook, Twitter, and wherever! Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, Craft

5 Ways Songwriters Make Their Lyrics “Too Old”

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Brent 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.

Sometimes songwriters needlessly limit the pitchability of a song by making the song too “old” for most singers.  In today’s country, most artists sing “young,” meaning their songs are from a young point of view no matter how old the singer really is.

Here are some ways songwriters “age” their lyrics.  Please keep in mind that none of these things are bad in and of themselves.  However, they may limit who will sing it.  Also, I’m not telling you to never put these into your songs- they may be a vital part of a great song.  Just make sure that if you include these points in your songs, they’re there on purpose and with good reason.

1. Shacking up.

Saying things like “you came home” or “you’re moving out” means the singer and their lover/ex-lover are living together.  That’s an adult situation.

2. Working.

Have you noticed how almost no one in country music has a job these days?  “Worked all week” or “my boss is a jerk” makes the singer seem older.

3. Drinking.

If you’re drinking on the riverside, you might just be 17 or 18.  If you’re drinking in a bar, you’re at least 21, unless you have a fake ID.

4. Kids.

You might have a nice love song that works for a singer of any age, but as soon as you mention kids, the singer has to be old enough to have kids.  It definitely puts the singer in a more mature phase of life.

5. Old love.

Talking about how you’ve been together “all these years” may be true for the songwriter and his wife, but it might not make sense for the 20-year-old singer who is selling tickets to 18-year-old girls.

Again, none of these things are bad.  Just make sure that if you decide to use any of these in your song, that you do it intentionally, with purpose, knowing the effect it might have on the song’s pitchability.

God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS…

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Craft

Don’t Let The Facts Get In The Way Of The Truth

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Remember, if you write to get cuts, your songs aren’t about you.  Your songs are about the artist and the listener.  You might write a song inspired by a true story from your life, but don’t be so determined to keep all the facts accurate that it makes your song confusing, complicated, or boring to the outside listener.

What matters is the emotional truth- the feeling you want the listener to feel.  The listener doesn’t care about you (heck, they probably think the artist wrote the song anyway).  The listener cares about connecting to the song.

If you want to write the song (or an alternate version of the song) for yourself, that’s great.  It’s a worthy thing to do.  But if you want cuts, it’s to your advantage to give the truth a higher priority than the facts.  It’s about communicating emotional truth, not facts.

 God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS…

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Also, are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #24

15 Comments

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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.

“Her eyes are as green as _______.”

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

“Her eyes are as green as her heart at her ex-fiance’s wedding.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Keith Elder, Kk, Jerry Childers, Janet Goodman, Jim King, Matt Martoccio, Karl Brandt, Steve, Happy Anderson, Robert Sans and Willa Thompson for their great additions to Wordplay Thursday #23 (read it here)! Great job!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

Hey, ya’ll. If you like this blog, then make sure you don’t miss a single post. Subscribe by entering your email address in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” box either in the top righthand corner or down below. And I love it when you share this blog through facebook, Twitter, and wherever! Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Craft

6 Simple Ways To Make Your Songs More Commercial

2 Comments

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Brent 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.

If your goals are like mine- getting cuts, hits, etc., then your best bet is by writing well-crafted COMMERCIAL songs.  Here are six simple (though not always easy) ways to make your songs more commercial.

1. Write uptempo.

Learn to write tempo!  If you don’t believe how important this is, count the ballads on the radio for an hour.  Or listen to a few of the current top albums and count the ballads.  Knock, knock.  Who’s there?  Math.  Math, who?  Math says they cut a lot more uptempo and midtempo than ballads.

2. Write positive.

If you’re like me, your natural inclination is to write sad/negative.  When I come up with a hook, my first instinct is something sad.  Maybe for some reason pain is just more interesting than happiness.  But not for radio.  Radio likes happy. Knock, knock…

3. Write from the me-to-you point of view.

“I love you” is just more emotionally powerful than “he loves her.”  The artist wants to connect with the audience, and “I” to “you” is a good way to do that.

4. Write about love.

Love is a deep need.  It’s often our greatest joy and our sharpest pain.  Nothing is more universal.

5. Write in-the-moment.

The present tense- right now- has more power than the past or the future.  “You ARE killing me in that sundress” usually beats “you WERE killing me in that sundress.”  There’s power in the present.

6. Write with imagery.

Don’t tell me how you feel- show me.  After all, there are only so many emotions.  But there are endless ways to put those emotions into pictures.

There are obviously many hits that weren’t written in the way I’ve described.  But, from both my experience and observations, writing songs with these six qualities as your default setting will increase the commercial appeal of your songs.

God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS…

Break down this week’s top 10 singles according to this list.  What did you find?  Leave a comment!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Biz, Mini

$91 vs $91,000

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Right now, the statutory mechanical rate in the US (set by Congress) is $0.091 per unit sold.  Meaning, each time someone buys an album at Wal-Mart or iTunes, each song generates $0.091 to be split among that song’s writers and publishers.

Just for the sake of easy math, let’s say you write a song by yourself and own the publishing.  All that $0.091 goes into your pocket.  If you get one song cut on an indie project which sells 1,000 units, that’s $91.  Okay.

Now, say that same song is cut on a platinum-selling album (1,000,000 units)  That’s $91,000 you just made- before taxes.

Indie cuts are great, and I’m thankful for every one I get.  But I’m careful about how much time I spend on them (pitching, writing for, etc.).  After all, it takes 1,000 indie cuts like that to equal just one platinum cut.  Yes, there are a LOT fewer platinum cuts to be had, but that’s 91,000 reasons to spend a lot of time working on a song and a cut with platinum potential.

To see the current mechanical rate for the US, click here.

http://www.copyright.gov/carp/m200a.pdf

God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS…

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Also, are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #24

11 Comments

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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.

“The road winds like _______.”

I’ll give you two examples to get you started:

“The road winds like a pretzel factory with the bends.”

“The road winds like a mystery novel.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Janet Goodman, Jerry Childers, Matt Martoccio, Jeroen, Nila Kay, Steven, Derek Nyberg, Terry Banks, Willa Thompson, and everyone else for their great additions to Wordplay Thursday #23 (read it here)! Great job!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

Hey, ya’ll. If you like this blog, then make sure you don’t miss a single post. Subscribe by entering your email address in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” box either in the top righthand corner or down below. And I love it when you share this blog through facebook, Twitter, and wherever! Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Helping songwriters turn pro.