Tag Archives: Matt Cline

Frettie, Know The Row, Write Like A Pro

You will win or lose in the music business based on THIS.

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You will win or lose in the music business based on this one thing.  And the scary thing is, you may not even be thinking about it.

Read on if you want to level up your songwriting business.

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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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Okay, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.  You will win or lose as a songwriter based on how much value you add to OTHERS.  This isn’t about you.  You win by helping others win.

So, what does this mean, exactly?  It means that the amount of value you add to others will largely determine how much success you have.

Do you write great lyrics?  This is a big value to songwriters who don’t write great lyrics.  If they’re smart, they’ll want to write with you.  Do you write great melodies?  This is a major value to songwriters who are strong on lyrics but weak on melody.  They’ll want to write with you.  Do you have incredible, commercial songs that are perfect for Artist X?  Artist X is much more likely to want your songs.  That, in turn, earns you royalties.  You win by adding value.  You win by helping others get what they want.  It’s not about you.  It’s about helping others.

Opportunities come to those who add value.

The more value you add, the more opportunities you will have.  Let me give you a few personal examples.

“Caribou Barbie” recorded by Ray Stevens

Ray is a comedy legend with songs like “The Streak” “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” and “Everything Is Beautiful.”  So how’d I get my song “Caribou Barbie,” recorded by Ray?  I brought value.

I was over at Ray’s office one day, and he was in a meeting.  When Suzi, Ray’s daughter, poked her head out, I offhandedly said, “Hey, I have a song idea for Ray.  It’s about Sarah Palin, and it’s called “Caribou Barbie.”  She laughed and went back into the meeting.  Later that afternoon, I was over in Ray’s parking lot picking up my car when Ray happened to walk outside.  He said, “Hey, I wanna hear ‘Caribou Barbie’.”  I said, “Yes, sir- I’ll write it!”

Now I had something of value.  I had a title that the artist himself asked me to write.

Since Ray wanted me to write the song, my first question was, “who are the best possible cowriters?”  (I’m a lyricist, so I need a good melody-writer.)  It was an easy call to make- Matt Cline and Max T. Barnes.  Both these guys wrote for Ray’s publishing company, so he’d have extra incentive to record and release it.  They brought the value of publishing income for Ray, which made the song more valuable for him.  This, in turn, made them more valuable to me.

They also brought in the value of being dialed into the project, having songs in the mix already for Ray’s album.  Plus, they’re a great hang and really good writers.  That’s more value they brought to the table.  I called them up, they saw the value in the opportunity, we wrote the song, and Ray cut it.

Each person brought value to the song, and we all won.

“Crickets” recorded by Joe Nichols

I’m blessed to have the title track to Joe Nichols’ recent album, “Crickets,” on Red Bow Records.  This title was not my idea.  Joe himself didn’t ask me to write it.  But I brought a different value to this song.

 Bill Whyte and Lisa Shaffer had the idea for “Crickets.”  I’d never written with Bill, but I’d written several songs with Lisa.  She thought my sense of humor, storytelling and lyrical sensibilities would be a good fit for the song, so they invited me in.   Simply put, I was invited in by two good writers because they believed I would add value.

Bill was in the room because (if I remember correctly) it was his title (and he’s a fine writer).  Lisa was in the room because Bill had originally brought the idea to her because of their friendship and her songwriting skill.  I was added in because Lisa valued my lyrical abilities.

Unlike the Ray Stevens situation, Joe and his team had zero publishing or other direct financial interest in the song.  Neither, Bill, Lisa nor I were in Joe’s “camp.”  Joe cut the song because (I assume) he believed “Crickets” would add something valuable to his album.

What value can you bring?

Artists bring the value of having a record deal.  Published writers bring the value of experience and a team of songpluggers.  What’s your value?  Great hooks?  Do you record your own demos, saving your cowriters money?  Do you have artist potential?  Great melodies?  What can you do to add value?  If you identify your value, you can sell yourself on it.  Because, like it or not, we’re all in the service and sales business.

Here’s some value for you.

If you’re interested in getting cuts and hits, I have a great opportunity for you.  In May, I’m hosting Frettie’s “Know The Row” event with multi-hit songwriter, Jimmy Yeary!

Not only did Jimmy write “I Drive Your Truck,” a CMA & ACM Song Of The Year and a #1 hit for Lee Brice, he’s also written hits for Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen, Rascal Flatts and more.

This is YOUR chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with a real-deal professional, hit songwriter.

You and I both want to learn what Jimmy has to share.

Here’s the deal.  You can join us online from anywhere in the world on Thursday, May 24, 2018 from 7pm-8pm Central time.  And this special event is FREE to members of Frettie.com!  (But don’t worry- you can still purchase a ticket even if you don’t want to take advantage of all of Frettie’s membership benefits.)

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS & MEET HIT SONGWRITER JIMMY YEARY.

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 & a top 10 in Texas… so far.

Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Set Your Cowriters Up For Success

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Man vs. PRO

I regretted the words as soon as they spilled out of my blabbermouth.  “Yeah, I have this funny idea…”  I didn’t regret sharing the idea because my cowriters hated it.  No, I regretted sharing the idea because my cowriters LOVED it. 

You see, we were jawboning at the front end of a cowrite, chit chatting and talking music.  Well, my inner “Mr. Entertainer” got the best of me and (for a laugh) I shared this whacky song idea.  Well, it got the laugh, but it also got a “we GOTTA write that!”

Well… shoot.

I wasn’t pitching the idea.  I was just going for a laugh.  My cowriters that day were both talented songwriters with cuts to their credit.  So it wasn’t a matter of them being lousy songwriters.  They’re good at what they do, but their wheelhouse is at one end of the country spectrum.  And this idea, unfortunately, was on the OTHER end of the spectrum.  Truth be told, the idea wasn’t in my wheelhouse, either.  If anything, I needed cowriters to make up for MY lack of strength in that type of song.

Me and my big mouth.

We ended up with a song that was pretty well written, and pretty good (we even demoed it).  But it just didn’t sparkle.  I’m not saying that I would’ve gotten the song cut with any of my other cowriters (it still would’ve been a long shot), but I’ll never know.

Hopefully, I’ve learned my lesson.  Ever since then, I try to be more disciplined about bringing the best appropriate ideas to each cowrite.

I want my cowriters to do what they’re great at.

cowriters great at

Here’s a time I got it right.  Some years ago, I found out comedy legend Ray Stevens (“Mississippi Squirrel Revival,” “The Streak,” “It’s Me Again, Margaret”) was working on a political comedy album.  Just so happened, I had a silly title called, “Caribou Barbie” about Sarah Palin (no, really).  Did I throw this idea out in my next cowrite?  Uh-uh.  I called up Matt Cline and Max T. Barnes.

Matt and Max both wrote for Ray at the time, so I knew our song would get a good listen.  But even more importantly, I knew those two guys would write it right up Ray’s alley.  Max already had a couple songs on the project, and Matt is just plain great at country comedy songs.  I basically just had to throw that T-bone of a hook in between those two Rottweilers and get out of the way.  The result?

Ray recorded the song for his album.  There’s even a silly video… (it’s political comedy, ya’ll… don’t take it too seriously, and don’t get too uptight).

Of course, I can’t guarantee that simply pairing the right idea with the right cowriter will result in a cut.  There are just so many things that go into landing a cut that I’ll never make that promise.  But bringing the right idea into a cowriter who is great at that kinda thing will probably result in a better song and a more enjoyable cowrite.

And you sure won’t regret that.

What about you?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.  Do you have any stories about bringing in an idea to just the right cowriter?  Or to the wrong one?  How’d it work out? Please leave a comment!

Also, if you think this post might be helpful for your songwriting friends, please share it through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, however you want.  I want to help as many songwriters as possible!

If you want to become a songwriting pro (in how you think, write songs or do business), then a great place to start is RIGHT HERE.  I want to help you on your songwriting journey.  I’ve been in the music business for years, and I’m here to help you get the cuts – and avoid the bruises.  CLICK HERE TO START HERE.

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 and a #1 in Canada… so far.

SWP 4

Biz

The Power Of Community

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Man vs Row 

Even LeBron has a coach and a team.

Even Springsteen has The E Street Band. Even Han Solo (yep, a guy with the last name “Solo”) has Chewy.  Scooby Doo has Shaggy and the gang. Heck, Kool has The Gang.  And I have too many examples.

Here’s the deal.  There’s a romantic notion about being a creative island- of being an artistic hermit  who produces great art and sets the world on fire while never leaving their cabin in the mountains.

That might be fine if you just want to create for yourself or for the sake of creating.  That’s great.  But if you want your art, your songs, to connect with a larger audience… if you want your songs to get on the radio… you can’t be a lone wolf.

You need a community.  Just like I do.

Community

Over the years, my community (friends, cowriters, and music biz peeps) have introduced me to great cowriters that have become close friends.  They’ve opened doors for me to get jobs and publishing deals.  They’ve gotten record deals and have recorded my songs.

And, perhaps most importantly, my community has challenged me to become a better songwriter, and they’ve encouraged me when I felt like a lousy one.

There’s Mike Doyle, my first ASCAP writer’s rep, who told me that I had talent but also said I needed to keep working on the craft.  There’s Neal Coty, who has continued to write with me and tell me, “I’m gonna get us a cut,” even when I’m frustrated.  There’s Lisa Shaffer, who told Paul Compton he should consider me for a publishing deal when I was without one.  And there’s Paul himself, who sent me back to the writer’s room on many occasions to dig deeper- to rewrite even when I didn’t want to.  There’s Tim Meitzen, my first cowriter, who gave me the thrill of hearing my song played for an audience for the first time.  There’s Sheree Spoltore at NSAI who introduced me to Ruthie Collins, who ended up becoming a friend, cowriter, and an artist on Curb Records.  There’s Matt Cline, who has never failed to tell me I’m good enough- even when I’ve doubted it.

And there’s more.  There are many friends and cowriters who have prayed for me and opened their hearts, guitar cases and hook books for me.  They’ve made me a better songwriter, and they’ve made me a better person.

Do you have a community? If so, give them a shout-out in the comments or share this post with them and say “thanks.”

It can be hard to find a community sometimes- a group that understands the struggles of an aspiring songwriter.  Folks who don’t just nod and say, “sorry, bro…” when you share a wall you’ve hit- folks that can really relate because they have bruises from those same walls.  It can be difficult to find those people- especially when you live outside of a major music city like New York, LA or Nashville.  I know- I lived in Arkansas in the days before social media.

I want to help you form a community.  I’m putting together a small group to meet through a series of live, online, interactive video workshops called, “The C4 Experience.”  We’ll meet (from anywhere in the world) online for a total of 8 hours over two months.  I’ll lead our discussions, but everyone will be encouraged to participate- to share your struggles and victories, and to ask your questions.  We’ll spotlight each of the 8 group members of the course of the C4 Experience, and we’ll work together to help each other grow as songwriters.  It’s my hope that once the C4 Experience is over, you’ll stay in touch with each other, either as cowriters or as fellow travelers on the songwriting journey.

In short, we’ll start building a community.  And you know how I feel about those.

Here are the details of the “C4X.”

c4x

“C4” stands for:

Creative
Commercial
Coaching
Community

The C4 Experience is about celebrating your creative spirit and sharpening your commercial songwriting, guided by expert coaching and encouraged by a supportive community.

Let’s look at each part of this:

Creative:
I want to celebrate you because I’m a fan of you! I love dreamers and doers. And while I take the craft of songwriting very seriously, I believe it should be fun. If you’ve ever been to one of my workshops or live events, you know I like to have fun while I’m teaching- so you can have fun while you’re learning. And I also believe you can be creative while being commercial, which brings me to the next “C.”

Commercial:
This workshop series is for songwriters that want to write commercially successful songs- either for yourself or for others to sing. By the end of this workshop, my goal is for your songwriting to be a lot more commercial.

Coaching:
Each two-hour session will begin with 30 minutes of teaching and a lesson review. Each lesson will be based on one of the four sections of “Cut/able.” You’ll do the reading and exercises before each workshop, and we’ll meet online to discuss the lesson and answer any questions. Each student will also receive 45 minutes of “spotlight coaching.” This is a time for us to focus on YOU- your situation, your challenges, and your songs. I’ll lead, but the other students can also give their advice.

Community:
The C4 Experience is limited to just 8 students, so there will be time to get to know everyone else in the group over our 8 hours together over 4 nights. You’ll encourage each other and probably find out that your challenges aren’t that different from anyone else’s. Successful commercial songwriting is a team sport, and this just may help you build that team.

HOW DOES C4 WORK?

The C4 Experience is an online event, so you can join in from anywhere there’s an internet connection. You do NOT have to be in Nashville. You can join us from anywhere in the world. We’ll meet via Fuze, an online videoconferencing platform. Basically, I’ll send you a link before each session, and you just click to join in. If you have questions, you can find out more about Fuze, here:
System requirements
Join Fuze meeting through an internet browser

We’ll meet 4 times:

     Tuesday, January 12, 7:30pm to 9:30pm (Central time)
     Tuesday, January 25, 7:30pm to 9:30pm (Central time)
     Tuesday, February 9, 7:30pm to 9:30pm (Central time)
     Tuesday, February 23, 7:30pm to 9:30pm (Central time)

Each night will begin with a 30-minute lesson from “Cut/able.” We’ll work through the workbook in order:

*Session 1- W.I.L.L.power: Proving Personality & Emotions Through Your Lyrics (Connect on a deeper level with the artist and listener through effective use of imagery.)

*Session 2- PUL’D To Success: The Value of Positive, Uptempo, Love/Depth Songs (Give the artists what they need, give radio what it wants, and give the fans what they like by learning the importance of writing positive, uptempo, love/depth songs.) Read more here.

*Session 3- Neighborhoods: Where Will You Build A Home For Your Songs? (Develop skills to identify an artist’s “brand” so you can write songs that fit that brand and speak to the artist’s core audience.) Read more here.

*Session 4- Fill The G.A.P.S.: Growth, Achievement, Preaching/Positioning, Songwriting (Pinpoint areas of opportunity within an artist’s catalog- slots you can fill with your songs, songs that fit the artist’s brand without being just like what they’ve already done.) Read more here.

After the lesson/Q&A, we’ll do two 45-minute spotlight coaching sessions. We’ll focus on one of the group members each session (two per night). Each of the eight community members will get his or her own spotlight over the course of the event.

The cost of the entire C4 Experience is $250, which is a great deal. It works out to $31.25 an hour (for 8 hours). I usually charge $150 for just one hour of coaching. But with C4, you get 4 30-minute lessons with Q&A and a personalized 45-minute spotlight coaching session. PLUS, you get to participate in the spotlight sessions of the 7 other songwriters. Believe me, there will be plenty you can learn from their sessions, too!

An average demo in Nashville currently costs anywhere from $500 to $1000. That’s just for ONE SONG. That’s a fine investment if your song is commercially strong. If it isn’t… you just wasted a lot of your money. Wouldn’t it be better to spend $250 to keep from wasting $1000 or more (again and again)? For less than the price of demoing one song, you can learn how to write song after song after song that’s worth demoing!  And the friends you stand to make- the allies and traveling companions?  What are they worth?  You can’t even put a price on that.

BONUS!

Since we’ll be learning from my workbook, “Cut/able,” it only makes sense to give you a copy when you join C4. It sells for $25, but I’ll throw it in for free. (If you already own “Cut/able,” there’s a discount code in the back of the workbook. Use it at checkout, and it’ll knock $25 off the price, so it’s like you get it for free!)  Click here to find out more about “Cut/able.”

Tickets for this event are on sale NOW. There are only 8 spots open, and I expect them to go fast- so don’t wait too long and miss your chance to take your songwriting to the next level!

I look forward to seeing you in January- CLICK HERE or on the image below to reserve your spot now!

c4x

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 and a #1 in Canada… so far.

Community

Biz, Mini, Muse

You Win By Adding Value

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You win by adding value.  Opportunities come to those who add value.  For example, I brought the idea of “Caribou Barbie” (a Ray Stevens cut) to Matt Cline and Max T. Barnes because they added value by being in Ray’s camp and because they write that kind of song very well.  The value I brought was a title that Ray himself told me I should write.  Lisa Shaffer and Bill Whyte brought the title and idea of “Crickets” (a Joe Nichols cut) to me because they thought my lyrical sensibilities would make the song better.

Artists bring the value of having a record deal.  Published writers bring the value of experience and a team of songpluggers.  What’s your value?  Great hooks?  Do you do your own demos, saving your cowriters money?  Do you have artist potential?  Great melodies?  What can you do to add value?  If you identify it, you can sell yourself on it.  Good luck and God bless!

-Brent

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Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

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

Biz

6 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Pitch A Song

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Let’s say you have the opportunity to pitch to an artist.  Maybe Aunt Agnes knows a guy that mows the lawn of the guy that cuts Blake Shelton’s hair.  Or maybe you’re a staff writer who knows you shouldn’t leave all the pitching to your plugger.  Either way, you want to make the most of your pitches.  Here are some questions to ask as you’re going through your songs.

1.  Does your song fit the artist’s brand?

As I wrote about last week, artists are brands.  Check out the blog post here.  But simply put, if your song is a french fry, don’t bother pitching it to Taco Bell.  They don’t DO french fries- it doesn’t fit their brand.

 2.  Can the artist sing the song?

I’ve been in an A&R pitch meeting at a label, and I pitched a certain song for a certain artist on their roster.  The A&R rep said the lyric was right up his alley, but she didn’t think he could sing it.  Pass.  My buddy, Anthony Orio, has pitched songs to a publisher before, and the publisher told him, “What guy can sing this melody?”  Well, Anthony could.  But the point is that not a lot of guys could sing a song that rangy, so it wasn’t as attractive to a publisher as a song they could pitch everywhere.

3.  Does the artist already write this type of song?

For example, Keith Urban tends to write his own feel-good mid-and-uptempo songs.  Most of his ballads and darker songs, however, tend to be written by other writers- “Raining On Sunday” “You’ll Think Of Me” “Making Memories Of Us” and “Stupid Boy,” for example.  Your best bet for getting a Keith Urban cut is probably to bring him something he records but doesn’t typically write himself.

4.  Is it a quality recording?

I’ve gotten cuts from demos.  I’ve gotten cuts from good guitar/vocals.  But unless it’s something I wrote with the artist, I’ve never gotten a cut off a worktape.  There are writers that can pitch a worktape, but they’ve had enough success that the listener expects to hear a great song because of who wrote it.  Also, they can probably play it directly for the artist or producer.  Depending on how close you are to the project, your song may have to get past an A&R intern, a production assistant, and who knows who else before it can get to someone who can give you the “Big Yes.”  I personally don’t count on every person in that chain to be able to hear through a worktape- especially when it’s sandwiched between great-sounding demos.

5.  Is this song a step into the artist’s future?

Right after Brad Paisley hit with “The Fishing Song,” he got blasted with fishing songs from everywhere.  Notice how he STILL hasn’t put another one out as a single?  I’m sure he didn’t want to get pigeonholed as the fishing guy (although that was an important part of his brand at the time).  Besides, he can write a great fishing song on his own- he doesn’t need to pay me for mine when he can make money on his.  Successful artists evolve over time.  Plenty of writers will be pitching them their LAST hit.  You need to pitch them their NEXT hit.

6.  Is this a great song?

I’ve made the mistake of pitching songs that were the right brand, but just okay.  It’s like kicking a field goal perfectly straight… but five yards short.  No points.  There are too many really good and great songs out there- why would an artist cut yours?

I hope this list is helpful for you.  It’s not an exhaustive list- each pitch opportunity comes with it’s own particulars.  But I think you’ll be well served to keep these questions in mind.  Happy hunting!

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YOU VS…

What questions would you add to this list?  Please post them in the comments.  Thanks!

SHOUT OUT…

Big thanks to my good buddy and cowriter, Anthony Orio, for cutting two of our songs last week!  Both were written with Matt Cline, and are for an upcoming release from Anthony.  You can check out Anthony here.  You can check out his previous two albums on iTunes here.  I’m blessed to have several songs on each.  Thanks, Anthony!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

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