Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your songwriting career is to NOT write.  Sometimes, writing a song actually hurts your chances for songwriting success more than it helps.  

Wanna know why?  Read on below.

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To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

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There are only so many hours in the day, and you’re chasing a BIG dream with a ton of competition and a low chance of success.  So you sure better be spending your time on the right things.  But are you?  How do you know?

Here’s what I used to focus my time wisely:  “W.R.A.P.”

You know how I like acronyms, and it just so happens that the four cornerstones of professional songwriting success happen to fall neatly into “W.R.A.P.”  This makes my heart so happy.  Let’s dive in.

1. Writing

This one’s pretty obvious. We’re songwriters, aren’t we? If you’re a writer… write. If you don’t write, there’s nothing to get recorded. And it’s not enough to just write every once in a while. Write hard, write consistently.

Of course, that’s easier said than done.  There are so many distractions and doubts that want to creep in.  But you MUST protect your writing time if you ever want it to be your profession.  Schedule it, then show up.  Hold yourself accountable.

“But wait a second,” you might be thinking. “Didn’t this blog post start out by warning me that writing songs might be HURTING my chances of success?  What’s the deal?”

That’s true.  While the actual writing is an unconditional part of songwriting success, it’s not the ONLY part of that success.  You must also do the other parts of W.R.A.P.  Writing is the fun part. (That’s why we got into this thing, right?)  But it can also become a hiding place where we avoid the more uncertain, less fun parts of turning pro.

So that’s what I mean.  Writing is a very important part of songwriting success, but it’s not the only part of it.

2. Recording

It’s not enough to have scratchy worktapes if you want someone else to cut and release your song. You have to get a good recording of your song- one that presents it in a good light. This could be a guitar/vocal, a full demo, or something in between.

And it’s worth noting that not every song is worth demoing.  Some songs only serve to get you to the next song.  Be honest with yourself.  Will this song really take you closer to your goals?  If not, be thankful for it as practice, and move on.  Don’t hide in the studio because it’s more comfortable than doing other, more scary or uncomfortable elements of W.R.A.P.

3. Accessing

A great song and demo does you no good if you can’t get it into the hands of someone who can do something with it. Accessing is building relationships and otherwise gaining access to singers, publishers, labels, producers, etc.

If you want cuts, you MUST gain access.  This may be through gaining access to a publisher who can take your song further than you can, or it may be building direct pitch relationships.  Or both.  And don’t leave Accessing to chance.  Make a plan to connect with others.  Schedule it.  Hold yourself accountable.

4. Pitching

Having access doesn’t mean anything if you don’t actually pitch your song.  You have to ask for the cut, as simple as that. You have to give publishers, artists, etc. the opportunity to say “yes” to your song.  This and Accessing are usually the scariest, most uncomfortable parts of W.R.A.P., but they are vital.  Again, you have to hold yourself accountable to pitching your best songs.  If you don’t, you know what’ll happen?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  And when nothing happens, nothing changes.  You’ll stay right where you are now.  Do you want that?

Note that each of these are cornerstones – you won’t have a stable, well-functioning career if you neglect one or more of them. I’m not saying you should spend equal hours on each of these areas, but you should give them the proper amount of time based on your particular situation.

W.R.A.P. is good for helping you focus on what’s important. If an opportunity comes up, compare it to W.R.A.P. If that activity doesn’t fall into one of those categories, it might not be a wise use of your time.  Perhaps you should replace that activity with W.R.A.P.

If it’s not W.R.A.P., maybe you should scrap it.

Hey, if you’re ready to work on Accessing, I have a great opportunity coming up.

Songwriting Pro’s next “Play For A Publisher” event is accepting songs NOW, and our guest is Joe Dan Cornett, Creative Director of Daywind Music Publishing & Billy Blue Publishing!  Joe Dan works in the Country, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass and CCM/Worship markets.  If YOU have the songs, HE knows what to do with them!  Play for a publisher.  Get his professional feedback.  Make a connection.  Overcome your fear.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND SEND IN YOUR SONG!

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, a #1 Single of the Year in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.  He  also  co-hosts  a 5-star podcast,  “The  C.L.I.M.B.”  on  iTunes,  Stitcher  & HERE.

When I signed my first publishing deal with Major Bob Music, I thought, “This is great!  I can just sit in my writer’s room, write every day, and let our three songpluggers pitch my songs and get ‘em cut.”  This was a big mistake. 

Wanna know why?  Read on below.

_______________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

My mistake didn’t have to do with my songpluggers.  Scot, Mike, and Jesse were all smart, hardworking guys who wanted me to succeed.  Those guys worked busted their backsides for all of their writers.  It was a mistake because I spent the first couple years of that deal missing out on the benefits of pitching my own songs.

Here are ten benefits of pitching your own songs.

1. Your odds improve.

It’s HARD to get cuts, so you want all hands on deck.  Simply put, the more songs of yours that are getting pitched, the better the chance of the right song hitting the right ears at the right time.

2. Your back catalog stays active.

When you leave a publishing deal, it’s natural for your pluggers to back-burner your old songs and focus on their current writers and their newest songs.  Pitching your own songs helps keep your best old songs in circulation.

3. You hear your songs more honestly.

Sitting across the desk from a producer or A&R rep makes you hear your songs differently.  Little flaws which you might’ve ignored before become more obvious, especially if they pass on the song.  Over time, this kind of listening makes your “flaw-detector” more sensitive when you’re writing.

4. You demo songs more wisely.

On a related note, the experience and feedback you get from pitching helps you demo only your best-chance songs.  Your flaw-detector is more sensitive, and you ask yourself important questions like, “Do I ever pitch this type of song?  Does this type of song ever get kept or cut?  Is this song going to replace one of the songs I’m currently pitching?  Am I excited about playing this song for so-and-so?”

5. Nobody knows your catalog better than you do.

Sometimes, a song may sit around for years before the right pitch comes along.  A plugger probably won’t remember it if it’s not in the regular pitching rotation.  But you might.  For example, when I heard that comedy legend, Ray Stevens, was doing a political album, I dusted off an old, never-before-pitched song called “Fly Over Country,” which had reverted back to me from my Major Bob deal.  I pitched it myself, and Ray cut it.

6. It builds your personal brand.

An A&R rep may hear five of your songs in a day from five different sources.  That’s great, but they might never know those are YOUR songs.  They might associate the songs with your cowriters or the publishers who brought them.  If it’s YOU in the room, though, the rep hears several of your songs in a row and get to put your face to the name on the CD.  And you get to do the same, which is handy if you see them out at an industry function.  Oh,and you hopefully get them to like you as a person, which never hurts.

7. It can lead to cowrites.

When an A&R or producer associates your amazing songs with you- an amazing person – and you happen to be in the room with them… they might just decide to hook you up for a cowrite with another writer they dig or (even better) one of their artists.  It’s a beautiful thing.

8. You get the inside scoop.

The A&R/producer  can tell you what they need, and you can ask followup questions.  That may bring to mind another song from your catalog (from any publisher you’ve had) which you can play right then or send later.  And this info won’t have the chance of getting mis-relayed or not relayed at all to you by your plugger.

9. Your songs are the focus of the pitch meeting.

Your plugger goes into meetings representing several writers, all of whom are really good.  So while you might land a couple of songs in the meeting, there are others that won’t be yours.  But in your meetings, you’re on all the songs.  More pitches, more chances to win.

10. You develop your own contacts.

What happens if your songplugger gets hit by a bus?  Or if you lose your publishing deal?  If you’re only relying on your plugger’s contacts and don’t have any of your own, your songs aren’t gonna get heard as often.  I’ve been between deals, and it felt good knowing (and not just hoping) that my songs were still getting pitched.

So, there you go.  My top ten reasons songwriters should pitch their own songs.  But, like I said in point #1, I’m an all-hands-on-deck kind of guy.  So I like working with publishers when it makes sense.  If you’re interesting in working with a publisher, too, I have a great opportunity coming up.

Songwriting Pro’s next “Play For A Publisher” event is coming right up, and our guest is Joe Dan Cornett, Creative Director of Daywind Music Publishing & Billy Blue Publishing!  Joe Dan works in the Country, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass and CCM/Worship markets.  If YOU have the songs, HE knows what to do with them!  Play for a publisher.  Get his professional feedback.  Make a connection.  Overcome your fear.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND SEND IN YOUR SONG!

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, a #1 Single of the Year in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.  He  also  co-hosts  a 5-star podcast,  “The  C.L.I.M.B.”  on  iTunes,  Stitcher  & HERE.

With the number of available publishing deals shrinking (along with royalty income), with more and more artists writing their own songs in “camps,” and with home recording getting better and cheaper… do songwriters still need publishers?

The answer is “NO… IF…”

Want more?  Read on below.

_______________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

Here’s why you DON’T need a publisher.

1. You aren’t trying to get other artists to record your songs.

You write for yourself, family and friends.  You aren’t actively pursuing commercial success.  If somehow someone gets ahold of your song and records it… whatever.  But you aren’t chasing it.  Or you’re the artist and record your own songs.

2. You have your own pitch relationships.

You can get meetings with artists, A&R reps, and/or music producers.  Even if you can’t get meetings, you can at least email them songs- and you KNOW they’ll listen.  Or you are your own (signed) artist and write for yourself.  The point is, you can get your songs to someone who can say “yes.”

3. You’re self-funded.

You can cover your own demo expenses.  And you are in a financial situation that allows you the flexibility to write a lot.  In other words, you don’t need an advance (or draw) from a publisher.

4. You can do your own publishing administration.

You either outsource your publishing admin, or you’re able to do the business side yourself.  You know how to copyright, register, and license your songs that do get cut.

5. You have your own cowriter relationships.

Publishers often help hook their writers up with high-level cowriters- or even artists.  If your networking and people skills are strong enough, you can do this yourself.

So there you go.  Five reasons you might not need a publisher.  Sound like you?  Awesome!  But if that doesn’t sound like you, I have a great opportunity coming up!

Songwriting Pro’s next “Play For A Publisher” event is coming right up, and our guest is Joe Dan Cornett, Creative Director of Daywind Music Publishing & Billy Blue Publishing!  Joe Dan works in the Country, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass and CCM/Worship markets.  If YOU have the songs, HE knows what to do with them!  Play for a publisher.  Get his professional feedback.  Make a connection.  Overcome your fear.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND SEND IN YOUR SONG!

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, a #1 Single of the Year in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.  He  also  co-hosts  a 5-star podcast,  “The  C.L.I.M.B.”  on  iTunes,  Stitcher  & HERE.

Want to get inside the mind of a hit music publisher?  Read on!

We had a great “Play For A Publisher” event in March with Scot Sherrod of Rare Spark Media in Nashville.  The Songwriting Pro community brought some strong songs, and Scot brought some great advice.  Let’s dive into some of his advice (paraphrased)!

It’s not a publisher’s job to tell you exactly HOW to “fix” or change your song.  That’s up to you- you’re the creative one.  But part of their job is to raise red flags when necessary.

Want more?  Read on below.

_______________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

When you want to be a songwriter in a corporate environment, it’s hard not to me married to each song you write.  After all, you have to be close to a song to write a life-changer.  But you also have to have perspective to see the song for what it really is.

I don’t listen to a lot of outside songs (songs that my staff writers didn’t write).  I try to have a well-rounded roster of writers, and I go to their stuff first.  With outside songs, it’s all about who’s looking RIGHT NOW.

Think about how to demo a song where it’s a wide pitch- where it can be presented to many different artists.  The more “specific” a demo is (when it sounds so much like a particular artist), the less places you can pitch it.

Make sure your lyric, melody and demo all match as far as mood.

These days, the ability to make tracks is a plus.  That can expand who a publisher can put you in a writing room with.

Don’t be afraid to write an alternate version of your song to see if a different direction can make it better.  You can always go back to the original version.

Songwriting Pro’s next Play For A Publisher event is coming right up, and our guest is Joe Dan Cornett, Creative Director of Daywind Music Publishing & Billy Blue Publishing!  Joe Dan works in the Country, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass and CCM/Worship markets.  If YOU have the songs, HE knows what to do with them!  Play for a publisher.  Get his professional feedback.  Make a connection.  Overcome your fear.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND SEND IN YOUR SONG!

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, a #1 Single of the Year in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.  He  also  co-hosts  a 5-star podcast,  “The  C.L.I.M.B.”  on  iTunes,  Stitcher  & HERE.