Tag Archives: Lonestar

Know The Row, Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Songwriting advice from hit songwriter, Chris Lindsey!

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Here’s golden advice from a #1 songwriter.

Chris is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer, and his cuts include “Amazed” by Lonestar, “Every Time I Hear That Song” by Blake Shelton, as well as cuts by Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, The Civil Wars and more.  He also has a great podcast called, “The Pitch List.”

Chris was a recent guest on Frettie.com’s “Know The Row,” and he shared some great, real-world advice for songwriters.  Here’s some of what he had to say.

Read on!

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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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Here is a bit of Chris’ advice (paraphrased):

You need to be writing edgy material, because it could be 6-8 years out from hitting the radio. “Every Time I Hear That Song” was 6 years old when it went #1 for Blake Shelton.

However honest you can be with yourself about your songs, that’s how far you can go in the music business. It’s key to honestly evaluate yourself and your music. Be vicious with yourself.

When you work with artists, you’re really trying to assist them.

If it’s not working, try something different- different cowriters, different style of writing, etc.

Songwriters tend to be precious with their songs- their babies. But if a producer passes on a song, it’s not personal. Your song just isn’t what they need at that time for that project.

No matter how much this town (Nashville) beats you up, if you can take a beating, you’ll come out of it… good. You’ll be a better writer.

If you just want to make money, there are easier businesses than the music business.

After your “finish” your song, play it in person for someone you respect. You’ll hear the song in a whole new way and find things you need to fix that you never noticed before. It’s hugely helpful.

Even if you come out of the gate with a hit, it doesn’t get easier. It’s always competitive. Even if you’ve written a hit, you have to write today’s song TODAY. You have to get today’s cut TODAY.

I tend to reject a song idea if there’s no “service” in that idea. As songwriters, we should be trying to add value to people’s lives. If a song doesn’t seek to serve others or add value, I’ll reject it. Value could be giving someone a smile after a hard week at work. Or value could be validating someone’s love. We make the most money by serving the most people.

Instead of being so focused on “writing up” (writing with big-name hit songwriters), you need to find YOUR people. Write together, stay together, form a wedge and bust through as a group.

If you’d like to hear EVERYTHING Chris had to share, the full video replay is available in Frettie’s Member Area.  It’s right there along with full video replays of other events with hit songwriters, Byron Hill & Jimmy Yeary, music publisher Scot Sherrod, artist/writer Aaron Goodvin, and more.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

If you want to join our next event live, “Know The Row” is a cool opportunity for us to hang out together (online) with a music industry pro.  It starts off with a brief conversation between me and our guest, as he or she reveals information YOU need to know about the music biz.  After that, we’ll open it up to YOUR questions.

This month, our guest is hit songwriter KENNA WEST!  Kenna has had over 30 #1 singles in the gospel and southern gospel markets.  She currently writes for Word Publishing.   He’s has been nominated for multiple Dove Awards, multiple “Songwriter Of The Year” nominations (AGM, SGM), and over twenty “Song Of The Year” nominations.  Artists who have recorded Kenna’s songs include Karen Peck & New River, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Marty Raybon, Brian Free & Assurance, and more.

This is something you do NOT want to miss!

This event will be on Thursday, November 29, from 7:30pm-8:30pm Central time.

Can’t make it to the live event?  Every “Know The Row” is recorded and added to the Frettie Members Area.  These videos are a resource for Frettie subscribers.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE INFO.

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 in Canada, and a top 10 in Texas.  His songs appear on 5 industry-certified gold & platinum albums & singles… so far.  He also hosts a top-rated songwriting and music business podcast called, “The C.L.I.M.B.” which can be found on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

Biz

Encore: The Band Is A Brand. Are You Brand Conscious?

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Here’s an encore of one of my very first blog posts.  I’m sharing it for two reasons: 1) a lot of you have started following this website since it was originally posted (thanks!) and might find this post helpful, and 2) I need to lay low this week.  I’ve been getting so busy with Songwriting Pro stuff that I’ve neglected some very important things (namely Bible study and prayer time).  Plus, Emily and I are adopting and there is a TON of paperwork (and even more need for Bible study/prayer time).

Thanks for understanding.  I hope to be back in the swing of things next week!

God Bless,

Brent

Man vs. PRO

This is the part of songwriting I didn’t know I was signing up for- the business, strategic side of things. Sure, I have my MBA, but I really just wanted to write my songs and have them pitched by somebody to somebody and- whammo! Cuts. But the world is how it is, not how I wish it were. So now I think about artists as brands and try to act accordingly.

An artist is a brand, and they and their team (label, promotion, management) work really hard to position their brand (artist) into a certain place in the market. In business terms, they want to increase their market share- on radio and in our wallets. Everything supports the brand image: album artwork and photos, songs, videos, etc.

Artists are looking for songs that fit their brand.

Whether you are writing FOR or WITH a certain artist, it’s important for you to understand their brand. Ask yourself: who is their audience- who do they speak to? What message do they send to their fans? How do they deliver this message? How do they want to be perceived? This goes deeper than just “traditional country” or “pop country.”

If you can write a song that really fits an artist’s brand, you have a great opportunity. Think about “Real Good Man” for Tim McGraw. What a great song for him. Musically, it fits him well. Great feel, and Tim can sing it. Lyrically, that’s totally his persona- a real bad boy, but a real good man.

The artist is Coke. Their songs are Coke Classic, Cherry Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, etc. They want songs that both reinforce and expand their brand. They may want Cherry Vanilla Coke or Raspberry Coke or something. Your song needs to fit on the same shelf. Your song may be the best $200 bottle of wine to be found, but it doesn’t matter. That artist is Coke.

Taco Bell doesn’t sell hamburgers.

My buddy, Tim Meitzen, told me one time, “They only have about three ingredients, but they keep putting them in different shapes!” That’s how some artists are. They keep giving you the same basic ingredients, but they put a little different spin on them. And when they do add something new, say, a Dorito as a taco shell, it still makes sense for the brand.

Luke Bryan is married with children. (So was Al Bundy, but that’s a different topic altogether.) Anyway, Luke has a family, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to his music. His music presents him as a Spring Breakin’ tailgatin’ good ‘ol party-boy who loves the ladies. I believe there’s only one song in which he has a wife and kids. But that was on his first album before he really found his image/voice/brand. And it wasn’t a single. Since he found his image, he has really stuck to it. And who can blame him? It’s working great.

It’s not about what you think an artist should sing or who they should be

… or where you think they should go as an artist. Unless you’re in their circle of influence, it doesn’t really matter what you want. Sorry.

I ran into a branding issue with Lady Antebellum.

Back before Lady A existed, I wrote a song with Hillary Scott, Casey Koesel, and Jon Armstrong called, “A Woman Scorned.” It’s a fun, rocking, fairly aggressive song that shows off Hillary’s vocals really well. Later, when she, Charles, and Dave formed Lady Antebellum, they started playing our song in all their shows (it’s on YouTube). They even cut it for their debut album. Score! Right? Wrong. When it came time to deciding which last couple of songs wouldn’t make the record, “A Woman Scorned” was reduced to a bonus track. That was disappointment with zeroes on the end of it. But after hearing their album, I understood why. It didn’t fit their brand. It was too aggressive. Even though the song had served them well and helped them get their deal, it didn’t fit the image. I couldn’t argue with that.

The lyric and melody BOTH have to work for the artist.

I’ve mainly focused on lyrical content, but the music has to fit the artist’s brand, too. Miranda Lambert isn’t likely to cut a song that sounds like Shania Twain no matter how well the lyric fits her. Ask yourself: is this song the right kind of pop? The right shade of country?

And it’s important to remember that these brands change over time. They aren’t locked in forever. Lonestar was one thing before “Amazed,” and another thing after. Toby Keith was one thing before “How Do You Like Me Now” and another thing after. Kenny Chesney had a slower, but no less important transition to beaches and nostalgia. So don’t lock a brand in your mind with super glue. Make sure to look for the shifts that are inevitable.

Agree? Disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

God bless and enjoy the journey,

Brent

Craft

Change Your Time Zone To Finish Your Song

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Finish 5

Are you trying to finish your song, but you’re stuck?  Try experimenting with the element of time. Don’t let your use of time be happenstance. It’s a powerful tool if you use it wisely. Time can be used as a telescope, framing your idea through the lens of a character’s whole life (and beyond). Or it can be a microscope, framing your idea through the lens of just a few pivotal seconds in a character’s life.

I dealt with the time element on an idea I had called, “Love Is Tough.” My initial thought was a three-act play where each verse told part of the singer’s love story with the girl- some struggle they overcame, some fight, etc. And the chorus would say something like, “Love is tough, but our love is tough enough to handle it.”

Yeah, that works, but it didn’t really excite me. But one day I started working on it with Brent Anderson and Joel Shewmake. We put away the telescope and unpacked the microscope. Instead of looking at years, we started looking at just a few minutes. To me, that made all the difference.

We didn’t have to set up a whole new situation in each verse, so we were free to really dig into the emotion. Heck, we didn’t even have to talk about WHY they had a fight. That wasn’t the point. All that mattered was that even though love can be tough, their love is tougher. (The song, “Tough,” ended up being cut by Lonestar and is a Wal-Mart exclusive track on their album, “Party Heard Around The World.”)  Oh, and Brent Anderson just had is first #1 with Blake Shelton’s “Lonely Tonight.”  Congrats, Brent!

Another way to play with time is to experiment when WHEN the story happened. For example, your “leaving song” idea could be framed as…

     “When you left me” (at some unspecified time in the past)
     “Last night when you left me”
     “You’re leaving me right now”
     “One of these days, when you leave me”

Each one of those options will have a different energy to it. In general, there’s more power in the present. “You’re breaking my heart right now” is more powerful than “you broke my heart.” “You look so good tonight” is more powerful than “you looked so good last night.”

However, one size does not fit all. Take the time (pun intended) to find the best time zone for your song.  The one with the best energy just might give you the “umph” you need to finish your song!

If you’d like more techniques to help you finish your songs, check out my ebook, Finish Your Song! 20 Ways To Overcome Creative Roadblocks.  It’s in the Man vs. Row store.  Click HERE or on the image below to find out more.

Finish 5

Biz

The Band Is A Brand. Are You Brand Conscious?

5 Comments

This is the part of songwriting I didn’t know I was signing up for- the business, strategic side of things. Sure, I have my MBA, but I really just wanted to write my songs and have them pitched by somebody to somebody and- whammo! Cuts. But the world is how it is, not how I wish it were. So now I think about artists as brands and try to act accordingly.

An artist is a brand, and they and their team (label, promotion, management) work really hard to position their brand (artist) into a certain place in the market. In business terms, they want to increase their market share- on radio and in our wallets. Everything supports the brand image: album artwork and photos, songs, videos, etc.

Artists are looking for songs that fit their brand.

Whether you are writing FOR or WITH a certain artist, it’s important for you to understand their brand. Ask yourself: who is their audience- who do they speak to? What message do they send to their fans? How do they deliver this message? How do they want to be perceived? This goes deeper than just “traditional country” or “pop country.”

If you can write a song that really fits an artist’s brand, you have a great opportunity. Think about “Real Good Man” for Tim McGraw. What a great song for him. Musically, it fits him well. Great feel, and Tim can sing it. Lyrically, that’s totally his persona- a real bad boy, but a real good man.

The artist is Coke. Their songs are Coke Classic, Cherry Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, etc. They want songs that both reinforce and expand their brand. They may want Cherry Vanilla Coke or Raspberry Coke or something. Your song needs to fit on the same shelf. Your song may be the best $200 bottle of wine to be found, but it doesn’t matter. That artist is Coke.

Taco Bell doesn’t sell hamburgers.

My buddy, Tim Meitzen, told me one time, “They only have about three ingredients, but they keep putting them in different shapes!” That’s how some artists are. They keep giving you the same basic ingredients, but they put a little different spin on them. And when they do add something new, say, a Dorito as a taco shell, it still makes sense for the brand.

Luke Bryan is married with children. (So was Al Bundy, but that’s a different topic altogether.) Anyway, Luke has a family, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to his music. His music presents him as a Spring Breakin’ tailgatin’ good ‘ol party-boy who loves the ladies. I believe there’s only one song in which he has a wife and kids. But that was on his first album before he really found his image/voice/brand. And it wasn’t a single. Since he found his image, he has really stuck to it. And who can blame him? It’s working great.

It’s not about what you think an artist should sing or who they should be

… or where you think they should go as an artist. Unless you’re in their circle of influence, it doesn’t really matter what you want. Sorry.

I ran into a branding issue with Lady Antebellum.

Back before Lady A existed, I wrote a song with Hillary Scott, Casey Koesel, and Jon Armstrong called, “A Woman Scorned.” It’s a fun, rocking, fairly aggressive song that shows off Hillary’s vocals really well. Later, when she, Charles, and Dave formed Lady Antebellum, they started playing our song in all their shows (it’s on YouTube). They even cut it for their debut album. Score! Right? Wrong. When it came time to deciding which last couple of songs wouldn’t make the record, “A Woman Scorned” was reduced to a bonus track. That was disappointment with zeroes on the end of it. But after hearing their album, I understood why. It didn’t fit their brand. It was too aggressive. Even though the song had served them well and helped them get their deal, it didn’t fit the image. I couldn’t argue with that.

The lyric and melody BOTH have to work for the artist.

I’ve mainly focused on lyrical content, but the music has to fit the artist’s brand, too. Miranda Lambert isn’t likely to cut a song that sounds like Shania Twain no matter how well the lyric fits her. Ask yourself: is this song the right kind of pop? The right shade of country?

And it’s important to remember that these brands change over time. They aren’t locked in forever. Lonestar was one thing before “Amazed,” and another thing after. Toby Keith was one thing before “How Do You Like Me Now” and another thing after. Kenny Chesney had a slower, but no less important transition to beaches and nostalgia. So don’t lock a brand in your mind with super glue. Make sure to look for the shifts that are inevitable.

Agree? Disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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YOU VS…

Pick a current artist from whatever genre you target with your writing. Break down their brand. Then be a sweetheart and post your notes in the comments. Together, ya’ll can really help each other out. Thanks!

SHOUT OUT…

Thanks to Chelsea Bain for recording my song, “Simple Is Hard.” It’s on her new album, “All American Country Girl.” You can hear her music being blasted off a stage at a NASCAR event or on Fox Sports. You can check out the song on iTunes here. Thanks, Chelsea!