Tag Archives: Play For Publisher

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

March 19, 2019 Brent Baxter 6 Comments

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 Scot Sherrod of Rare Spark Media. Ya’ll are just plain awesome.

Out of about 250 songs, it took a while to whittle it down to just 10. We have country, pop & gospel 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.

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):

“Be Your Bartender” by Brittany Brant, Selby Copeland, Susan Simonson

“Gonna Stay With Me” by Kevan Kirk

“Blocked” by Mikalyn Hay, Chris Graham

“Musical Beds” by Blaine Younger, Emily Kroll, Jonathan Olivares

“Coming Clean” by Brooke McBride

“Behind My Back” by Claire Bunnik, Carrie DeMaeyer

“Whiskey In My Eyes” by Zebb Rogers, Clay M., Mathew P.

“Got That Fire” by Stacy Clearman

“Mind Of It’s Own” by David Hill, Jeffrey East, Shelby Lee Lowe

“Tractor Time” by Dave Quirk, Chris Garner

(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!)

Congratulations! Scot and I look forward to hanging out with you on March 28. (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…

“Boomerang” by Zebb Rogers, Ceri Usmar, Steve Smentek

“Tattoos And Scars” by Troy Castellano, Andrew Rollins

“Cocktails And Beach Chairs” by Penelope Lane, Buck Wild

“24/7 365” by Tim Svedlund

“Still Shine” by Colleen Francis, Nigel Wheeler, Ryan Lorensen

“Slow Down And Live” by Mark Skinner, Aaron Clafton

“Something About Me” by Erinn Bates

“Dying Within” by Colin Clyne, Terry McDermott

“Kill Switch” by Sandra DeVault, Keesy Timmer

“Life Is Good” by Jason Street, J. Spears

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:

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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.

P4P

Congrats To Our September 2018 “Play For A Publisher” Winners!

September 18, 2018 Brent Baxter Leave a comment

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

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

Out of over 200 songs, it took a while to whittle it down to just 10. We have country songs, pop songs, cowrites, solo writes, male songs, female songs, simple recordings and full demos!

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, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good song.

So these were picked based on the song, not on the songwriter. As a result… some folks got more than one in the Top 10 and On Hold. Congrats to them for doing good, consistent work.

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

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 John’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):

“Ain’t That A Beach” by Jonathan Helfand, Lucy LeBlanc, McMellon

“Apple Tree” by Billy Sweeney

“Bulletproof Girl” by Jody Stewart-Regner, Brittany Brant, Selby Copeland

“Chasin’ The Ace” by Lynn Tessari, Mandy McMillan

“Funhouse” by Kris Bradley, Connor Thuotte, Katrina Burgoyne

“Hurt Somebody” by Ethan Bell, Steve Smentek

“Old Oak Tree” by Jenny Leigh, Ryan Sorest, Nick Donley

“Spin” by Marla Rubinstein, Troy Castellano, Jayne Sachs

“Stars In The City” by Cody Coggins, Cheryl Jividen

“Zero Latitude” by Troy Castellano, Donna King, Lisa Whitters

(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 or in the Songwriting Pro Facebook Group!)

Congratulations! John and I look forward to hanging out with you on September 25. (In the days before the event, I’ll email the winners the instructions about the online meeting.)

“ON HOLD” songs…

“A Dollar” by Bobby Simpson

“I Am Yours” by Russ Parrish

“Just A Dirt Road” by Marla Rubinstein, Lee Thomas Miller, Fran Beaudet

“Koozie In Your Pocket” by Selby Copeland, Joey Ebach

“Sexy As Hell” by Cody Coggins & Cheryl Jividen

“The Girl I Never Met” by Adam Bahadursingh, Sean Spollen, Jim Logrando

“We Made It” by Selby Copeland, Jeff Roe, Ryan Griffin, Jason Duke

“What Makes Me Want You” by Ava Paige, Patrick Dodge

“Where Cowboys Go To Die” by Blaine Younger, Jonathan Olivares, Ken Matthiessen, Jackson Gulick

“Who Are You Waitin’ For” by Karen Kiley, Brittany Brant

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

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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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God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

P4P, Write Like A Pro

Don’t take “no” from someone who can’t say “yes.”

August 27, 2018 Brent Baxter 1 Comment

If an A&R rep, manager, or whoever doesn’t have the authority to tell you, “Yes, my artist WILL cut your song,” then that person doesn’t have the power to tell you, “No, my artist WON’T cut your song.”

If someone who can’t really say “yes” says “no,” all it means is that you need to find a different person to pitch that song to. Knock on a different door. Or maybe you need to knock on that same person’s door again after some time passes (you never know how the direction of an album- or how someone’s mood- might change).

The point is, don’t quit on a song you believe is right for that artist. Keep going until you’ve exhausted every avenue to get to that artist.

Actually, you don’t quit even then. 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 _________________________________

Let me tell you a story about a song called “Crickets,” which I wrote with Lisa Shaffer and Bill Whyte. The day we wrote it, we thought it was a great Joe Nichols song. The only trouble was… my publisher disagreed.

They didn’t want to demo it. That was the first “no.”

But you know what? All my publisher could do was refuse to PAY for a demo. They couldn’t stop me from demoing. So my cowriters, Bill and Lisa, went and did a guitar/vocal of the song, anyway. They believed in it.

But then we hit another “no.”

We couldn’t get “Crickets” through Joe’s label, Universal South. I personally pitched the song to the head honcho over there, and he passed. Thankfully, another avenue opened up.

After a while, Joe left Universal South and signed with Red Bow Records. We pitched it to the new label, and they loved it. Joe finally heard it, and he cut it as the title track to his next album.

If you believe in a song, keep pitching it. And never take “no” from someone who can’t say “yes.”

Have you had that experience where you’ve had success after refusing to take “no” from someone who can’t say “yes?” It doesn’t have to just be music: “She’ll never go out with you.” “You’ll never make the team.” etc. Let us know your story in the comments- we’d love to hear from you!

Also, if you’re ready to take another swing (or the first swing) with a song you believe in, I have a great opportunity for you.

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

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND SEND IN YOUR SONG- THE DEADLINE IS THIS WEEK!

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 & a top 10 in Texas… so far.

P4P, Write Like A Pro

The music business is a recommendation business.

August 20, 2018 Brent Baxter 3 Comments

The music biz has often been called a relationship business – and it IS. But how you GET those relationships is often a matter of recommendations.

And I want to help you get more of those recommendations.

First off, let me tell you about a few referrals and how they have really affected my songwriting career. Why? It’s not about me or my story. I’m not bragging. I’m sharing because I want to prove to you that recommendations MATTER.

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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Chad Green, my ASCAP representative at the time, picked up the phone and called Major Bob Music. He recommended that they listen to my songs. I ended up signing my first publishing deal with them. Thanks, Chad.

I used to do some gopher / bookkeeping work for a producer in town named Miles. He recommended I write with a young, unknown Canadian singer/songwriter named Aaron Goodvin. We eventually did, and years later, Aaron helped me land cuts on Canadian artist Drew Gregory and Sony Canada artist, Tristan Horncastle. Aaron himself is currently an artist on Warner Music Canada. Thanks, Miles and Aaron.

Separate recommendations by my cowriters, Lisa Shaffer and Brandon Kinney, led to my third publishing deal – a deal with Writer’s Infinity. Thanks, Lisa & Brandon.

A cowriter, Skip Black, brought me in on a cowrite with singer/songwriter, Benton Blount. (Any time a cowriter brings you in with an artist, it’s a recommendation.) Benton Blount went on to land a spot in the Top 10 of America’s Got Talent Season 10. I’ve had several cowrites and cuts on Benton’s albums so far.

I met radio host and record promoter, Jay Karl, several years ago. He liked my song “Armadillo,” and recommended it to one of his artists, Junior Gordon. Junior evenutally released it as a single in Texas, and “Armadillo” reached the top 10 on the Texas Regional Radio Chart. Thanks, Jay.

Chad Green, at this point a music publisher, recommended I write with an unsigned singer/songwriter from Georgia named Jason Wilkes. Jason has since gone on to sign a publishing deal, have a successful run on NBC’s The Voice, and one of my cowrites with WILKES was just released on his new EP. Thanks (again), Chad.

Again, this is not about bragging or showing off some of my success. This is about proving how recommendations can open doors for you- in some cases, doors you didn’t even know existed.

It’s not enough to JUST have a relationship. Your contact has to do more than just know you or be aware of your existence. They have to have a reason to make a recommendation – either TO you for FOR you. And those reasons usually fall into one of two broad categories.

They want to help themselves.

If a cowriter brings you in to write with an artist because they know you’ll kill it… and you DO kill it… who comes out looking cool? Your cowriter who hooked it up! He or she gets to be the one who “made it all happen.” Plus, he benefits from being part of a better song. He also strengthens his ties with the artist.

If a publisher hooks you up to write with a pro, it’s because she hopes you either already have “the goods” or she can help you develop “the goods.” Why? So she can publish your hits and make money, that’s why!

Your relationships are definitely NOT gonna hook you up if they think it’ll make them look bad to their friends or bosses. Why should they? Even if you’re friends and he wants to help you, what’s the point? If you don’t have the skills or personality to take advantage of the opportunity, you might feel good in the moment, but all you’ll really accomplish is wasting someone’s time and hurting your reputation.

To help someone else.

Sometimes your contact will hook people up or pass along a song with little or no self-interest. Maybe they think you’ll be a great cowriting team or just good friends. Or he knows Artist X needs a hit, and he believes your song is it. So he passes it along.

Your contact may not have any direct financial stake in that recommendation. But he or she will still benefit from the good will and hero status a successful recommendation can bring. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

I’ll be honest, I would LOVE to reach hero-status as part of YOUR songwriting journey. I want to be part of YOUR success story. And you know what? I also want to be part of the success stories of my publisher friends. I want to help you get your best songs heard, and I want to help my publisher friends find great songs.

Which leads leads me to a cool opportunity…

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

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

P4P, Write Like A Pro

Are you setting S.M.A.R.T. songwriting goals?

August 12, 2018 Brent Baxter 2 Comments

Do you have songwriting goals, or just songwriting dreams? Your answer matters because goals call us to action while dreams call us to wait.

Just look at the language, and we’ll talk about each.

“I reached my goal.”

“My dream came true.”

We use words like “reached” or “achieved” in association with goals. These are action words, meaning we DID something to achieve our goal.

Dreams “come true” as if it’s something that happens TO you instead of something that YOU do.

You have a much better chance of successfully reaching a goal than you do of having a dream come true.

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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Goals are measurable and have a deadline. You know if you’ve reached a goal by the time the deadline has passed. If a goal is vague or has no deadline, it’s just a dream, and you can spend the rest of your life dreaming about “someday.”

Dreams are great. I can’t imagine living without having dreams. I’m a dreamer. But dreams without goals?

Those are just wishes.

Instead of just wishing, you should be setting S.M.A.R.T. goals if you want your best chance to be successful.

S.M.A.R.T. goals are: Specific. Measurable. Actionable. Reasonable. Time-bound.

Specific.

A goal needs to be specific, not vague. For example, “Do more songwriting stuff” is not specific. However, “Finish more songs” is more specific.

Measurable.

Make your goal measurable so you can track your progress and know if and when you reach it. For example, “Finish more songs” is not measurable. “Finish 12 songs” is measurable.

Actionable.

A SMART goal is actionable. This means you have the ability to affect the outcome. You can do something about it. Setting a goal for something you can’t do anything about is like setting a goal for the sun to come up tomorrow or for it not to rain tonight. “I will finish 12 songs” is something you can do something about.

Reasonable.

A goal should be something that requires effort (and is worth the effort), but it shouldn’t be unreasonable. For example, “Finish 12 songs on my lunch break” is just not reasonable. A more reasonable goal might be, “Finish 12 songs over the next 3 months.”

Time-bound.

Your goal should have a deadline. Without one, it’s too easy to keep putting off the work. Without a deadline, it’s easy to tell yourself you’ll get around to it “someday.”

Not only that, without a deadline, how will you know if you’ve actually accomplished your goal? “Finish 12 songs,” could take the rest of your life. “Finish 12 songs in the next 3 months” lets you know in three months if you accomplished your goal. It also gives you a sense of urgency.

Setting SMART goals can take you from a vague non-goal of “Do more songwriting stuff” to the SMART goal of “Finish 12 songs in the next three months.”

Here are some other examples of SMART goals:

“Record 5 new demos this year.”

“Select and join a PRO by the end of August.”

“Book my first cowriting session by the end of the month.”

“Attend one songwriting conference next year.”

“Play one song for a publisher by the end of September.”

When your goals are SMART, you’ll get more done and be more successful. And that’ll make you look REALLY smart.

What do you think? What are YOUR thoughts on goal-setting? What are some of your songwriting goals? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

If one of your goals is to get a song in front of a publisher, I want to help make that happen.

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

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

P4P, Write Like A Pro

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

August 6, 2018 Brent Baxter 1 Comment

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

We had a great “Play For A Publisher” event in June with Tim Hunze of Parallel Music in Nashville. The Songwriting Pro community brought some strong songs, and Tim brought some great advice. Let’s dive into some of his advice!

Publishers are looking for GREAT songs. Bring your best and let him know who you are as a writer. Bring something that represents the real you, not just who you think the publisher wants you to be.

Want more? 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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Even thought it might be an honest line… beware if it makes the singer look like a jerk. Singers tend to prefer songs that make them look good.

Be sure you write to the hook. If you have a great hook but a cliche’ setup or even a non-setup, it’s a missed opportunity.

Aim for the fringes. If an artist usually writes a particular type of song, it’s going to be really hard for you (not writing with the artist) to get a cut on that type of song. Aim for the fringes. Aim for what they don’t write.

A clean guitar/vocal with a loop beats a bad demo. Either go simple demo or do a great full demo. A mediocre or “not great” demo hurts you.

A great place to find new artists is the “New Boots” playlist on Spotify.

Most artists don’t want songs that are super wordy.

A lot of artists like good, positive message songs.

These are just a few of the value-bombs Tim dropped on us that night. If you’d like a get a legit music publisher to give YOU some advice… I have a great opportunity for you.

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

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

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Congrats To Our June 2018 “Play For A Publisher” Winners!

June 11, 2018 Brent Baxter 10 Comments

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 Tim Hunze of Parallel Music. Ya’ll are just plain awesome.

Out of over 230 songs, it took a while to whittle it down to just 10. We have country songs, pop songs, cowrites & solo-written songs!

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.

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

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 Tim’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):

“Surprised” by Kay Williams Mott, Katherine Portanova

“Fences” by Eric Mallon

“The Boy That Once Was Me” by Sam Speirs

“She’s Gonna Leave A Mark” by Jeff Roe, Matt Rogers

“Three-Star Hotel Room” by Curtis Cameron

“Stars In The City” by Cody Coggins, Cheryl Jividen

“All About The Party” by Jonathan Helfand, Conner Sweet

“Hey, LA” by David Michael, Daniel Leathersich

“Picture Frame” by Josh Kiser

“Beat Down” by Troy Werner

(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!)

Congratulations! Tim and I look forward to hanging out with you on June 19. (In the days before the event, I’ll email the winners the instructions about the online meeting.)

“ON HOLD” songs…

“Nice Tall Glass” by Marla Rubenstein, Tucker Bouler, Betsy Walter, John Cirillo, Dan Reifsnyder

“Just An Old Tattoo” by Richard Rende, Jacob Morris

“It’s Goin’ Fast Enough” by Marla Rubinstein, Kelly McGrath, Brad McKinney,

“Stars” by William Underwood

“Furniture” by John Watts

“LA” by Brendan Roberson

“Ammunition” by Tiffany Williams

“Nowhere Bar” by Dan Harrison, Andrew Capra

“I Thank God For Your First” by Jonathan Helfand, Joey Ebach

“Life Behind Bars” by David Micheal, Ross Cooper

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

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

P4P, Write Like A Pro

This one surprising fear may be silently killing your songwriting career.

May 28, 2018 Brent Baxter 7 Comments

You know that great song idea you believe is a sure-fire hit… Why haven’t you written it yet?

What’s really keeping you from writing that powerful song idea that’s been sitting in your notebook? And why haven’t you called and asked for that (potentially) life-changing cowrite even though you think they’ll say “yes?” And what’s keeping you from walking through that open door to play your best song for an artist or publisher?

Is it fear of failure?

Maybe. Maybe not. 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

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Maybe you fear that the artist or publisher will say your best song isn’t good enough. Maybe you fear “ruining” your hit idea because when you write it, you might write it “wrong.” Maybe you’re afraid of sitting down with a big-time writer and being exposed as a fraud. You might be terrified of what happens if your dream gets crushed. Or…

…maybe you fear what will happen if your dream comes true.

Maybe somewhere deep down you fear that your hit song idea REALLY IS A HIT.

A hit can be scary. A hit means you finally have to decide if you want to quit your “safe” day job and try to repeat your success. Nobody expected anything from you as a writer before- but now they’re waiting to see if you can do it again. Yikes!

And what if your cowrite with the big-name writer goes really well, and he wants to write again or even recommends you to his big-name writer buddies? Maybe you’ll be found out as a fraud. (You aren’t a fraud, by the way.)

Success can make you feel a lot of pressure to write at a high level again and again, on demand. And maybe you don’t know if you’re up for that. Maybe you don’t know if you’re good enough.

Fear of success can be just as paralyzing as fear of failure.

Now, I’m no shrink, so I’m not going to try and walk you through how to defeat fear of success. But I do know there’s value in identifying where your fear is coming from- so you can call it by name as you battle it.

And I know there’s value in facing your fears. It’s okay to be afraid. Just do what you fear, anyway. Fear gives you the opportunity to be brave.

What about you? What fears have been holding you back? And what are you going to do to punch that fear in its big fat face? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, and if you’re afraid of putting your music out there, of having a real live music professional hear it… I have a great opportunity for you to practice bravery.

Songwriting Pro’s next Play For A Publisher event is coming right up! Our guest is Tim Hunze of Parallel Music. Tim 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! Play for a publisher. Get his professional feedback. Make a connection. Overcome your fear. But the deadline to send in your song is THIS WEEK.

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

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

P4P, Write Like A Pro

2 rhyming mistakes that can ruin your song

May 20, 2018 Brent Baxter 5 Comments

You might not think too much about your rhymes. You might just go with whatever rhymes fall out naturally as you write your songs. Any rhyme is a good rhyme, right?

Wrong.

If you want to write songs that thrill your fans or get recorded by other artists, you need to be intentional about your rhymes. Making the following two rhyming mistakes can hurt your song – and your chances for songwriting or artist success.

Read on if you want to write better songs.

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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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1. Boring Rhymes.

“My love for you… is true” and “without you… I’m so blue” is NOT gonna cut it. Neither will “our love… is a gift from above.” Moon and June. My way and the highway. Heart and apart.

Professional songwriting is so competitive, you must be more interesting. Publishers and artists want something fresh- something they haven’t heard before a bazillion times.

If you think you’ve heard a certain rhyme a lot, imagine how many times a publisher has heard it!

Yes, some boring rhymes will make it into songs on the radio, but they’re probably either internal rhymes which don’t have to do as much work (they’re almost like “bonus rhymes,”) or they’re few and far between. Or they’re written by the artist or an established hit songwriter. Either way, you want to be better than that. You have to be better than that.

To get away with simple, cliche rhymes, you have to do something absolutely amazing in other areas of your song- melody, idea, raw simple honesty, or something else. But why put yourself in a position to have to depend on those other parts of your song?

Why not get the best of both worlds- have a great melody AND interesting rhymes?

2. Chasing Rhymes.

It’s easy to start chasing rhymes. This is when you write a line with a setup rhyme and, instead of concentrating on what needs to be said, you just try to get the payoff rhyme to work.

For example, line 2 of your verse says, “You’re the one I love” setting up an “of”-sounding rhyme in line 4. It’s easy to spend lines 3 and 4 just getting to, “Girl, we fit like a glove,” without really stopping to consider the thought behind the lines should be.

A place this happens a lot is the line right before the chorus.

The line right before the chorus is one of the most important lines in your song- it sets up the chorus and helps determine the impact the top of the chorus has on the listener. (In basketball terms, the last line of the verse or pre-chorus throws the ball up – alley oops it- so the chorus can slam dunk it.)

But sometimes that line, instead of serving the song or chorus, is trapped into serving the rhyme that comes before it. For example, a writer can get too focused on, “The line above ends in ‘blue’ so I have to write the next line so it ends with an ‘oo’ sound.”

This can result in a line that’s weaker than it should be.

To avoid this trap, I’ll often figure out the IDEA of the set-up line, but intentionally leave it unrhymed. Then I’ll move on to the last line of the chorus and get that line just right.

The line at the end of the verse or right before the chorus is more important than the line in the middle of the verse. And I’d rather have the more important line determine the rhyme of the less important line. This frees me up to focus on finding the strongest idea for the last line of the verse- on finding the best idea and figuring out how to say it. After I have that figured out, I can go back to the set-up line and figure that one out.

Remember: the thought behind the line is more important than the rhyme at the end of the line.

It requires intentionality, discipline and time to build the habit of putting the thought behind the line first. But it’s worth it. It helps your song to be more thoughtful and more interesting. Figure out the thought first, then figure out the rhyme.

Rhymes matter. If you don’t believe me, just ask a publisher.

Easy for me to say, right? How do you actually GET your song to a publisher to ask them? Well, I’m glad you asked. I have a wonderful opportunity for you.

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 is Tim Hunze of Parallel Music. Tim 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

P4P, Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

5 Ways To Ruin A Publisher Meeting

May 14, 2018 Brent Baxter 2 Comments

Let’s say you’ve leveraged your networking and songwriting skills to finally land a meeting with a music publisher. Congratulations! Now, don’t screw it up.

No pressure, right? Don’t worry. I’m here to help. To keep you from ruining this opportunity, here are five things you SHOULD NOT do in a publisher meeting.

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Okay, let’s dive in!

1. Don’t be an ask-hole.

Don’t focus on your needs and what the publisher can do for you. It’s okay to share your goals with the publisher. That clarity will help the meeting. But don’t beat them over the head by asking for cowrites with their writers, hook-ups with a producer or artist, hook-ups with a PRO, helping you land a round at the Bluebird Cafe, or for more of their time that you originally agreed to. This is not all about you. Publishers are looking for songwriters who solve the publisher’s problems. Publisher’s aren’t in business to solve problems for you.

2. Don’t talk bad about other songs or songwriters.

Nashville is a small town, and there’s a decent chance that the publisher knows someone involved with that song or artist. Heck, the publisher may even publish that song or songwriter! (Same goes for any major music center: New York, LA, etc..) It’s okay to state that certain things aren’t your cup of tea. That helps the publisher understand your artistic voice. But draging a song, songwriter, or artist through the mud won’t be helpful. The point is how YOU get better, not how you wish someone else were “better.” It’s unprofessional. Besides, publishers operate in a rough, frustrating, failure-heavy business. If you’re ALREADY negative, why would they want to spend more time with you?

3. Don’t disrespect the publisher’s time.

If you asked for a 15-minute meeting, stick to the 15 minutes. Even if you don’t have an agreed-upon meeting length, it’s better to make things short and sweet. After a little bit, volunteer to bail. “Well, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I know you’re busy.” If the publisher wants to visit more, they’ll certainly tell you so. If they need (or want) to end the meeting, you’ve allowed them to do so in a way that helps them feel good. It’s uncomfortable and rude to overstay your welcome. Believe me, there’s probably nothing the publisher can tell you in that 20 minutes of overtime (“Just one more thing…” “Just one more song…”) that is worth being annoying and inconsiderate.

4. Don’t be arrogant or argumentative.

If confidence is good, overconfidence is even better, right? Wrong. Be humble. Take their feedback and advice with a teachable attitude. If they get the vibe that you think you already have it all figured out, that’s a turn-off. Even if you think the publisher is foolish not to fall in love with your song and see its obvious hit qualities, be humble. You can’t argue a publisher into loving your song. They’ll just end up disliking both your song and you. Be thankful for the opportunity, and tell them so. Sincerely.

5. Don’t be a total fanboy (or girl).

Yes, it’s cool to compliment the publisher about their writers or their success. Yes, it’s great to express appreciation for their time and let them know you respect them. But please don’t freak out and overdo it. If you gush too much, it’s unprofessional. If you act unprofessionally, like you’re just a wide-eyed tourist, the publisher won’t take you seriously as a songwriter or as a pro. Don’t fake like you’re a big shot, but try to act like you belong there. Be humble, but don’t humiliate yourself.

If you avoid these mistakes, it’s sure to help the quality of your next publisher meeting. Hopefully, you have great songs to play for them, too!

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 next guest is Tim Hunze of Parallel Music. Tim 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