Tag Archives: ASCAP

6 Resources That Helped Me Become A Hit Songwriter (And None Of Them Is A Guitar)

Man vs Row

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.

Here is my list of 6 resources that helped me become a hit songwriter.  Will merely using these resources guarantee that you end up with a top 5 Alan Jackson single like I did?  No, of course not.  But they were helpful to me, and I hope they’ll be the same for you.  Now, let’s get to the goods.

1. NSAI (www.nashvillesongwriters.com) 

NSAI, or Nashville Songwriters Association International, is a great organization with chapters across the world.  I attended Angie Owens’ workshop in Bono, Arkansas, while I was in college.  Not only were the lessons (and occasional pro writer) sent from Nashville educational, it made me feel that Nashville wasn’t so far away.  It made the dream more real.  I also used the Song Evaluation Service, where a published songwriter would listen to the song I sent in and give me their feedback.  It was both encouraging and educational.  NSAI also gave me a place to go on my 1st couple trips to Nashville- their office and their Thursday night workshop.  NSAI has a lot more services now than back when everything was off-line, so I definitely recommend checking them out.  There is also a similar, newer, organization called Global Songwriters Connection.  Check them out at www.globalsongwriters.com.

2. ASCAP (www.ascap.com)

ASCAP is a performing rights organization (PRO).  Basically, they collect airplay money from radio stations, etc. and send it to their writers and publishers.  I joined a few years before moving to Tennessee, and it gave me a place to play songs.  Now, I had to call early and often, but I was usually able to get a sit-down meeting with a writer’s representative, who would listen to my mediocre songs and give me advice.  There are two other PROs in the US- BMI (www.bmi.com) and SESAC (www.sesac.com).  Check each of them out, and get in where you fit in.

3. Songwriting books.

I read whatever I could find on songwriting and music publishing.  Not only did these books give me a lot of techniques and info which helped my writing, I learned a lot about the music biz.  That helped me look like less of a novice on my first trips to Nashville.  Here are some that really helped me out, along with links…

“All You Need To Know About The Music Business” by Donald Passman

“Writing Better Lyrics” by Pat Pattison

“The Songwriter’s Guide To Music Publishing” by Randy Poe

“The Songwriters Idea Book” by Shelia Davis

4. My Local Music Scene

I was living in Little Rock at the time, and there wasn’t much of a songwriting community.  But I connected to what I could find.  My cowriter (pretty much the only one I had at the time) played one of the rare songwriter nights in Little Rock.  (I’m a non-performing lyricist.)  This led to us meeting an aspiring music publisher, who introduced me to my first real live Music Row publisher in Nashville.  He was also the guy who first told me about Erin Enderlin, who would write “Monday Morning Church,” our Alan Jackson hit, with me.

5. An Organized System.

What good is an inspired idea or an unfinished lyric if you lose it in the back of a drawer or under the seat of your car?  I keep a “hook book” full of potential titles and song ideas.  I’ve kept the same list since I started writing songs back in 1994.  I only take titles off it when I write them.  That’s the one place I can go to sift through all my potential ideas.  I also have folders on my computer for “unfinished songs,” “finished songs,” “lyrics ready for cowriting,” etc.  I also have lists of potentials titles such as “beach ideas” and “gospel ideas.”  But everything goes on the master list.  Having an organized system allowed me to easily find “Monday Morning Church” when I was looking for lyrics to present to Erin.  The earliest draft of that lyric was 1 1/2 years old when I showed it to her.  That’s a lot of old notebooks to look through, if I would’ve even remembered to look for it.

6. A Talented, Connected Cowriter.

Songwriting is a team sport.  I was very blessed to be on a team with Erin Enderlin for “Monday Morning Church.”  I lived in Little Rock and really didn’t know anyone in the biz.  Erin, also from Arkansas, was going to college in Middle Tennessee and had been making connections.  And she’s a talented enough writer to take advantage of those connections.  A great idea and her talent and connections gave “Monday Morning Church” a real chance to go from a title in my hook book to a hit on the radio.

So, there you have it.  These are the 6 resources that helped me become a hit songwriter.  Everyone’s journey is unique- so your mix of talents and resources won’t be the same as mine.  But I hope I’ve given you some hope and some things to think about.  And thank you again for checking out Man vs. Row.  I hope it helps you become a more efficient, effective, and successful songwriter.

What about you?  What resources have you used or are currently using?  What results have you gotten?  I’d love to hear from you!

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!
A Gift For You

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

Brent’s Instagram: Man_vs_Row

The Cure For Your Songwriting Symptoms

cropped-SWP-2.jpg

Songwriters are a sick bunch of folks.

And, no, I don’t mean we’re crazy for doing what we do. (Okay, maybe a little, but that’s not what I’m talking about today.)  What I mean by sick is that we have a lot of aches and pains that really bother us. As a pro songwriter and teacher, I’ve had a lot of writers come to me over the years looking for a way to heal their pain.

Songwriter pains include:

*I’m not getting cuts.
*I can’t find good cowriters.
*Publishers won’t set me up with cowrites.
*My ASCAP/BMI rep won’t introduce me to publishers or cowriters.
*Publishers won’t give me a meeting.

Songwriters are often tempted to treat each of these conditions as a separate illness, but I think that’s usually a mistake.

These are just symptoms. The disease is having songs that aren’t good enough.

We can treat the symptoms all day long, but until we address the disease itself, your songwriting success will be limited. For example, we might be able to smooze our backsides off and finally talk our way into a cowrite with a pro writer… but so what? He or she will figure out pretty quickly that our songwriting isn’t up to snuff, and we probably won’t get a second cowrite.

But if we write strong songs, it’ll be a lot easier to get a pro to sit down to write. And when we prove our skill again- in the writing room- it’ll be easier to get a second cowrite.

It’s hard to think of a “songwriter symptom” that isn’t dramatically helped or fixed completely by writing better songs.
Want your ASCAP or BMI rep to start introducing you around? Write better songs.
Want better song evaluations? Write better songs.
Want better cowrites? Be a better cowriter yourself- by writing better songs.
Want cuts? Write incredible songs, which lead to more relationships in the biz which lead to more opportunities to write more incredible songs, which put you in a much better position to get cuts.

Treat the illness and the symptoms become a lot less severe or just go away on their own.

God Bless,

Brent