Tag Archives: Play For Publisher

Congrats To Our September 2019 “Play For A Publisher” Winners!

Congratulations to our newest “Play For Publisher” Top Ten songs and songwriters!

First of all, thank you to each of you who took a chance, took positive action, and submitted one or more songs to the “Play For Publisher” event with Matt Lindsey of Matt Lindsey Music.  Ya’ll are just plain awesome.

Out of about 200 songs, it took a while to whittle it down to just 10.

There were a lot of worthy songs sent in, and I felt bad about leaving so many out.  If your song wasn’t chosen this time doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good song.

You know, one time I turned a song in to my publisher, and they didn’t know what to do with it, so they didn’t want to do anything with it.  My cowriters wanted to demo it, and the publisher said they wouldn’t pay for a demo.

The song was called, “Crickets,” and we got it cut by Joe Nichols.  It’s the title track to one of his recent albums.

joe-nichols-crickets

That’s right.  The song my publisher wouldn’t even pay to demo got cut anyway.  (My cowriters did an out-of-pocket guitar/vocal, and we pitched it ourselves.)

Welcome to Nashville.  So while I listened to each and every song and did my best to pick the ones that have the best chance of catching Scot’s ear… I could be wrong.  That’s just the way the music biz works.  So if your song wasn’t selected, it doesn’t mean you should give up on it.

Okay, here are the Top Ten (in no particular order):

“Fun Lovin’ Drunk” by Alexsi Mallory

“To The Moon And Back” by Kay Mott, Mark Anthony Dolin

“Luckiest Man Alive” by Andrew Cavanagh, Benn Gunn, Kevin Rowe

“Songs I Wish I’d Written” by Jason Goolesby, Daniel Leathersich

“She’s All Over” by Steve Smentek, Brad McKinney, Mikey Meiers

“Hand Me Down Halos” by Selby Copeland, Brittany Brant, Claire Bunnik

“Shootin’ Stars” by Matt Tucker, Nick Columbia, Russell Sutton

“On Her Bedside Table” by Jeanne Freer

“Shady Behavior” by Jim Edwards, Donna Fant

“24 Clement Street” by Ted Hadzi-Antich

(The Songwriting Pro community would LOVE to hear your songs, so if you have a link you’d like to post to your “Top 10” song, please post it in the comments below!  You can also listen to all the Top 10 songs with a CLICK HERE.)

Congratulations!  Matt and I look forward to hanging out with you on September 23.  (In the days before the event, I’ll email the winners the instructions about the online meeting.)

Like I said, the 10 songs above aren’t the only good ones I had the pleasure of hearing.  There are several more that were put “on hold” for the top 10 songs.  This list could be quite a bit longer, but I’d like to spotlight a few of them, too.  (Ya’ll feel free to link up your songs in the comments, too!)

“ON HOLD” songs…

“Hot Water”  by Marla Rubenstein, Buttrey, Clagg

“Older, Budweiser Man” by Terry Cranert

“That’s What I’m Talking About” by Steve Christopher

“Two Dollar Bill” by Annie Havey

“I Hope You Don’t Fall In Love” by Cody Coggins

“You’re The One That’s Crazy” by Christian Devlin

“My Phone Got Drunk Last Night” by Doug Brisco

“Old Tattoos” by Curtis Cameron

“In My Rearview” by Joel Holman, Danny Mann

“Give Up” by Claire Bunnik, Brittany Brant, Selby Copeland

These songs, along with others, were in there battling it out with the top 10, so be encouraged!  You can hear all the “On Hold” songs with a CLICK HERE.

If you want to enter a song in the next round of “Play For A Publisher,” the best way to stay in the loop is to join the Songwriting Pro Insider’s List.  You can do this by downloading my FREE ebook, “Think Like A Pro Songwriter.”  Not only is this ebook full of helpful information, you’ll stay up to date on future opportunities like this one.  Here’s the link:

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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

_________________________________

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 top 10 in Texas, and a #1 in Canada… 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. SWP 4

What Kind Of Song Should I Play For A Music Publisher?

If you get the chance to play a song for a publisher, what kind of song should you play?  What kind of demo?  Should you play a cowritten song?

The awesome members of the Songwriting Pro community often ask me questions about publishers and publisher meetings.  I thought I’d answer a few of them here on the blog.  So let’s dive in!

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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

_________________________________

Question: What kind of song should I play for a music publisher in Nashville?  A country song?  I song I think fits the market or radio?  Or just something I think is cool?

Chris Oglesby of BMG Chrysalis dropped some great advice on us at a previous Play For A Publisher event that Songwriting Pro hosted.  Here’s what he had to say on the subject:

“Play songs for publishers that YOU love.  Don’t just play what you THINK the publisher will love.  After all, you probably don’t really know the publisher personally, so you don’t really know what they’ll like.  But songs that YOU love will tell the publisher a lot about YOU, and that’s valuable.”

I agree with Chris.  And that’s because publishers are usually looking for more than just a great song.  They’re looking for a great songwriter.  And so they want to get to know YOU.  Yes, they want to work with a writer that can write radio hits and make a ton money.  But what’s the special sauce that will make YOUR songs different, and tasty?  Well, that’s the “YOU” ingredient that only YOU can provide.  And the publisher can get the best taste of YOU when you play songs that you love- because they will have the most YOU in them.

After all, over the long haul, the real you is going to shine through in your songs- for better or worse.  So the earlier a publisher can find the real you, the earlier he or she can figure out if the two of you are a good match, musically, personally, and professionally.

As for me (since I’m currently collecting songs for our next Play For A Publisher event), I’m just looking for something that knocks my socks off.  Something I think is really cool.  Not everything I select for these events are radio-hit types of songs.  But each of them are really cool in their own way.

Question: Can I ONLY play fully-produced demos for publishers?  I don’t have full-band recordings of my songs…

You want to make the best first impression possible.  So, if you have two songs that are both really good, but one is demoed and the other isn’t, I’m always going to play the demoed song.  It’s more professional, and it’s just easier for the publisher to hear and “get” the full expression of your song.  But a worktape or guitar/vocal of a great song beats a full demo of a good song every time.

Good song people know great songs- even if they aren’t fully produced.  A good guitar/vocal should be enough.  Or even a clean, well-performed worktape.  But even the best song person might miss a great song if the work tape is really bad.

(Side note: I don’t want to work with a publisher who can’t hear a great song in a decent worktape.  After all, they’ll be listening to worktapes to help me figure out which songs to demo!)

For the Play For A Publisher event, you can send a demo, a simple stripped-down recording, or a work tape.  It’s all welcome.

Question:  Can I play cowritten songs for a publisher?  Or do I have to write the songs all by myself?

It doesn’t matter if your song is a solo write or a cowrite.  A publisher just wants a great song.  Granted, it’s more impressive if you can write a killer song on your own.  This is for two reasons: 1) it’s rare that great songs are written, much less by one person and 2) the publisher doesn’t have to wonder if you were responsible for the cool stuff in the song or not- they know it’s ALL you.

So, a great solo written song is an added bonus, but having a cowriter (or cowriters) on your song won’t make a publisher like it any less.

For the Play For A Publisher event, both solo and cowrites are welcome.  I screen them without any idea if it’s a solo or cowrite- I’m just listening for really cool songs.

Question: Ready to play YOUR song for a publisher?

If YOU would like to play your song for a legit music publisher, our next Play For A Publisher event is coming right up!  Our guest will be Matt Lindsey of Matt Lindsey Music.  Matt has worked closely with several #1 hit songwriters, and he’s been getting songs recorded by major artists for years.  If YOU have the songs, HE knows what to do with them!

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

Last question:  Is this event worth my time?

These events have resulted in publishers wanting copies of songs, to wanting meetings with the writers to an open door to send more songs.  It’s a great relationship-building tool for songwriters.

And here’s what a couple of previous participants have to say:

“The combination of Brent’s talent as a songwriting teacher with some of the best ears among Music Row’s publishers makes this an indispensable event for any aspiring writer.” – Joe Slyzelia “Vinyl Afternoon”

“I just took part in Brent Baxter’s Play For A Publisher event with Chris Oglesby of BMG. This was a great opportunity for me to get one of my songs in front of Chris and also to meet him personally. Chris listened to my song (and everyone else’s) start to finish and gave very useful and specific feedback regarding each. Chris and Brent took a lot of time throughout the night to answer everyones’ questions. This was very educational, helped me get my face and name in front of a prominent figure in the Nashville music industry, and honestly was a lot of fun. Thanks Brent and Chris for a great experience!” – David Hill “Are You Awake”

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 and a #1 in Canada… so far.  He  also  co-hosts  the  popular  podcast  “The  C.L.I.M.B.”  available  on iTunes,  Stitcher,  and  HERE.SWP 4

Do Music Publishers ONLY Want To Hear Fully-Produced Demos?

When trying to get a music publisher’s attention for cowrites or a publishing deal, how produced should my songs be?

Can I play a worktape (imperfections and all), a clean guitar/vocal or piano/vocal, or does it need to have a full band?

I’ve gotten this question from the Songwriting Pro community on several occasions, so let’s talk about it!

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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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What’s your goal?

Well, like most things in the music biz, there’s no one right answer.  Think about your goal for the meeting.  If it’s just to get feedback to make your song better, a work tape is preferable.  The publisher will feel more free to make suggestions.  If you have a full demo, it’s more uncomfortable for them to suggest changes that might mean you having to drop another $800 on a new demo.

But if your goal is to be seen as a pro and treated as a pro, you want everything about you to be professional.  And that includes your song’s production.  So you want to play the most pro-sounding recordings you have, whether that’s a guitar/vocal, or just your best “one-take” iPhone worktape.

Here’s what I do.

Even though I’m already seen as a pro in the biz, I only play demos or high-quality guitar/vocals for publishers when I’m first getting to know them.  Over time, I may feel more comfortable playing work tapes- but not at first.  At first I always want to put my best foot forward.

That being said, it’s important to start playing work tapes for a publisher as your relationship deepens and you’re talking about signing a deal.  I don’t want to write for a publisher who has to hear a full demo before he knows if the song is any good or not.  I want to be able to run into his office and play that day’s worktape and have him do backflips and yell, “we gotta demo that!”

Here’s what I’m NOT saying…

Now, I’m not saying that you should stop trying to make publisher relationships until you’ve dropped a few grand on demos.  I’m not saying that.  Get feedback through other sources first (Songwriter Pro Coaching, NSAI, etc.).  That way you can figure out if your song is worth demoing.

Playing the demo of a bad song just tells the publisher that you don’t have the judgement to know NOT to demo a bad song.  It tells the publisher that you probably don’t even know it’s a bad song.  So save your money (and your reputation) until your songs are ready.

So to break down playing a full demo for a publisher:

**If the song is amazing, the publisher can run right out the door and pitch it immediately.

**If the song is good, you look like that much more of a professional.

**If the song needs work, the publisher is less likely to suggest changes.

**If the song is bad, you look like that much more of an amateur.

If your song- worktape or demo- is ready for a publisher… if you’re ready to get some honest, helpful feedback… or if you’re ready to knock a publisher’s socks off, I have a great opportunity coming up for you.

Songwriting Pro’s next Play For A Publisher event is coming right up, and our guest is Matt Lindsey of Matt Lindsey Music.  Matt has worked closely with several #1 hit songwriters, and he’s been getting songs recorded by major artists for years.  If YOU have the songs, HE knows what to do with them!

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 and a #1 in Canada… so far.  He  also  co-hosts  the  popular  podcast  “The  C.L.I.M.B.”  available  on iTunes,  Stitcher,  and  HERE.SWP 4

Great Advice From Our June “Play For Publisher” Event!

Here are some great lessons from our June Play For A Publisher Event!

We recently had another great “Play For A Publisher” event. Our guest publisher was Joe Dan Cornett of Daywind Music in Tennessee.  Today, I’d like to share some of the best takeaways from the evening.  These aren’t direct quotes, but you get the idea. _______________________________

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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Uptempo is key for commercial appeal.  Most albums typically have 2 ballads to 8 mid or uptempos.  Your catalog should reflect that ratio.

The chorus of your song is prime real estate, and it’s where you need to blow peoples’ minds.

Have your idea… and stick with it!  Don’t let your song wander off-topic.

If I like a song, I live with it for a long time and try to hate it.  If I can’t hate it- I can pitch it!

Your genre dictates your lyrics.  For example, Southern Gospel can have more “old-way-of-saying-it” lyrics than will work in Contemporary Christian.

It’s great when the chorus is so hooky that I can hear it only once then sing it back to you.

Don’t give publishers “Option A / Option B” on your lyric page.  It can throw them.  You need to be confident in your lyrics.

I hope you found these pearls as helpful as I did!  If you were there or watched the replay, what takeaways did YOU get from the session?  What are your thoughts on these pieces of advice?  Please leave your thoughts in the comments!

I want to give another shout-out to all of the writers who joined us for the event. Ya’ll really represented the Songwriting Pro community well!

“Endless Love” by Zebb Rogers, Ceri Usmar
“Go Get Her” by Jason Goolesby, Eric Harper
“Old Camp Meeting” by Kristi Fitzwater, Dixie Phillips, Bev Herrema
“Wait Oh Children” by Stacy Clearman
“Tuned Into You” by Dylan Todhunter
“Washed By The Water” by Russ Parrish, Topher King
“Never Good At Math” by Kyle Jackson-Rachky, Kelly McKay, Brad McKinney
“Mad Woman” by Chelsey Stallings, Brett Turner
“Love Is A Teenager” by Molly Brown, Lucy LeBlanc, Joanne Stacey
“Liquid Courage” by Chelsey Satterlee, Selby Copeland

If YOU would like to play your song for a legit music publisher, our next Play For A Publisher event is coming right up!  Our guest will be Matt Lindsey of Matt Lindsey Music.  Matt has worked closely with several #1 hit songwriters, and he’s been getting songs recorded by major artists for years.  If YOU have the songs, HE knows what to do with them!

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 and a #1 in Canada… so far.  He  also  co-hosts  the  popular  podcast  “The  C.L.I.M.B.”  available  on iTunes,  Stitcher,  and  HERE.SWP 4

Congrats To Our June 2019 “Play For A Publisher” Winners!

Congratulations to our newest “Play For Publisher” Top Ten songs and songwriters!

First of all, thank you to each of you who took a chance, took positive action, and submitted one or more songs to the “Play For Publisher” event with Joe Dan Cornett of Daywind Music.  Ya’ll are just plain awesome.

Out of about 230 songs, it took a while to whittle it down to just 10.  We have country & gospel songs, male songs, female songs, solo writes and co-writes!

There were a lot of worthy songs sent in, and I felt bad about leaving so many out.  If your song wasn’t chosen this time doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good song.

You know, one time I turned a song in to my publisher, and they didn’t know what to do with it, so they didn’t want to do anything with it.  My cowriters wanted to demo it, and the publisher said they wouldn’t pay for a demo.

The song was called, “Crickets,” and we got it cut by Joe Nichols.  It’s the title track to one of his recent albums.

joe-nichols-crickets

That’s right.  The song my publisher wouldn’t even pay to demo got cut anyway.  (My cowriters did an out-of-pocket guitar/vocal, and we pitched it ourselves.)

Welcome to Nashville.  So while I listened to each and every song and did my best to pick the ones that have the best chance of catching Joe Dan’s ear… I could be wrong.  That’s just the way the music biz works.  So if your song wasn’t selected, it doesn’t mean you should give up on it.

Okay, here are the Top Ten (in no particular order):

“Mad Woman” by Chelsey Stallings, Brett Turner

“Never Good At Math” by Brad McKinney, Kelley McKay, Kyle Jackson-Rachky

“Old Camp Meeting” by Kristi Fitzwater, Dixie Phillips, Bev Herrema 

“Washed By The Water” by Topher King, Russ Parrish

“Endless Love” by Zebb Rogers, Ceri Usmar

“Tuned Into You” by Dylan Todhunter 

“Liquid Courage” by Selby Copeland, Chelsey Satterlee

“Wait, Oh Children” by Stacy Clearman

“Love Is A Teenager” by Lucy LeBlanc, Joanne Stacey, Molly Brown

“Go Get Her” by Jason Goolesby, Eric Harper 

If you want to hear the top 10 songs, you can do that with a CLICK HERE.

Congratulations!  Joe Dan and I look forward to hanging out with you on June 18.  (In the days before the event, I’ll email the winners the instructions about the online meeting.)

Like I said, the 10 songs above aren’t the only good ones I had the pleasure of hearing.  There are several more that were put “on hold” for the top 10 songs.  This list could be quite a bit longer, but I’d like to spotlight a few of them, too.  (Ya’ll feel free to link up your songs in the comments, too!)

“ON HOLD” songs…

“Song That Takes You Home”  by Steve Smentek, Kelly McKay, Ceri Earle

“Never Doing This Again Morning” by Larry Palaszynski, Luther Lewis

“Good Kid” by Chelsey Stallings, Brett Turner

“Right Side Of Wrong” by Marla Rubenstein, Don Hall, Les Hauge

“To The Moon And Back” by Mark Dolin, Kay Mott

“I Put My Foot Down” by Ralston Wells, Kyle Sturrock

“Living On The Edge” by Robert Easley

“Wisdom” by Sandra Lyerly

“Love Lust And Drunk” by Alexsi Mallory

“Slaying It” by Doug Folkins, Jack Williams, Bill DiLuigi

“The Man That Prays For Me” by Ashley Taylor, Sara Davis

“Windows” by Trevor Peverley, Marshal Herridge

These songs, along with others, were in there battling it out with the top 10, so be encouraged!

If you want to enter a song in the next round of “Play For A Publisher,” the best way to stay in the loop is to join the Songwriting Pro Insider’s List.  You can do this by downloading my FREE ebook, “Think Like A Pro Songwriter.”  Not only is this ebook full of helpful information, you’ll stay up to date on future opportunities like this one.  Here’s the link:

________________________________

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

_________________________________

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 top 10 in Texas, and a #1 in Canada… 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.SWP 4

Songwriting: If You Can’t W.R.A.P. It, You Should SCRAP It.

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

_________________________________

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.SWP 4

10 Reasons Songwriters Should Pitch Their Own Songs

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.

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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

_________________________________

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.SWP 4

Here’s Why YOu Don’t Need A Music Publisher.

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.SWP 4

Great advice from our September 2018 “Play For A Publisher” event!

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

We had a great “Play For A Publisher” event in September with John Ozier of Ole’ Music in Nashville.  The Songwriting Pro community brought some strong songs, and John brought some great advice.  Let’s dive into some of his advice (paraphrased)!

You can never have a bad meeting if you play great songs.  John tries not to “cast” his songs too much- he just takes in his best songs.

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

_________________________________

Write honesty.  Don’t cast your songs so much (thinking “who can cut this? I’m going to write it like I think Artist X will like”) that you end up faking it.  There’s no cookie-cutter way of writing a good song.  Figure out what makes you different as a songwriter and do more of that.

Go for interesting, hooky phrasing.  Phrasing seems to be what’s separating good songs from great songs right now.

Small publishers can’t sign 5 writers who all do the same thing.  They want specific skillsets.  They can’t be redundant.  Build a body of work that the publisher loves.  They’ll take work ethic over talent.  You can’t control your talent, but you can control your work ethic.  It’s 10% talent and 90% hustle.

First lines are important.  Hook the listener fast.  And if a title looks like a bumper sticker, that’s a good thing.

A&R wants tempo, attitude, and ear candy.  Your song needs to fit sonically between the current hit songs and artists.  Study radio.  Catch the upswing of styles and sonics.

Not every song is for radio.  Synch (film/tv) is a growing business for music publishers.  Plus, synch licensing can help build an artist’s brand.

Want to play YOUR song for a legit music publisher?  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.SWP 4

Great advice from our March 2019 “Play For A Publisher” event!

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.SWP 4