Tag Archives: Play For Publisher

Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

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

14 Comments

Play For Pub

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

Last week, we another great “Play For A Publisher” event. Our guest publisher was Tim Hunze of Parallel Music on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. Today, I’d like to share some of the best takeaways from the evening. I’d like to give a hat-tip to Chris Smith, who put many of these points together. Thanks, Chris!

Tim’s a big sucker for cool opening lines.

Tim is a “title freak.” If you have a great title, he’s already interested. You’re “winning before your song is spinning.”

Don’t just sit in the same situation for the whole song. Have some sort of resolution or journey.

If you can demo it, do it. Much of what is coming to him has at least a track or loop of some sort. Most of his writers are writing with track guys. That said, if you’re not in the industry full time, a guitar/vocal will work. A great song will get through.

What’s the “WHY” of your song? Why are you sharing this song/story with the listener? Why should the listener care about hearing your song?

Keep writing up-tempo. He still gets 10-to-1 ballads. Even from pro Nashville writers. He always needs up tempo.

In songwriting, most of the time girls like sensual more than sexy. So don’t just talk at her, paint her into the scene.

Sometimes Tim will cover the choruses with his hand and just read the verses to make sure the verses have a good, natural flow to them.

Challenge yourself to come up with a new idea. A unique spin on an old thing. He listens to 100+ songs a day, so ideas, melodies, lines, titles, all need to be fresh.

Sometimes songwriters forget that they know more than the listener- and they don’t get enough of the important information out of their heads and onto the page. As a result, the listener is either confused or emotionally disconnected from the song.

For commercial country music, don’t rely too heavily on mystery. Spoon feed the listener. Don’t be too clever and don’t leave them wondering what the song was trying to say. If the listener is trying to figure out what’s going on, they’re in their heads- not their hearts.

There’s value in bringing a “change-up” song to a publisher or A&R person- a song that’s great but not “the usual.” Even if it’s not exactly what they need, it’ll be a breath of fresh air. (As long as the song is killer, of course.)

Two things Tim harps on with his writers are idea and melody. Neither can be stale.

If you have a stale melody, the best lyric in the world won’t be heard.

What does Tim look for in a writer? He said it’s a “feeling and a vibe.” It’s a feeling that the writer “has something to say.”

How do songwriters get songs to a guy like him? Events like Play For A Publisher, NSAI, PROs (ASCAP, SESAC, BMI), attorneys…

He probably gets 5 or 6 random writers reaching out to him each day. That 8-15 new songs per day, in addition to his writers and other writers he knows.

If you were there, what takeaways did YOU get from the session?  Please leave it in the comments!

I want to give another shout-out to all of the writers who joined us for the event. Tim was honestly impressed by the overall level of the songs and songwriting. Ya’ll really represented the Songwriting Pro community well!

“Steam” by David Hill, Gelman, McKinney
“Never Be Tennessee” by Curtis McCabe
“Some Days” by Barry McGuire
“Drink You Up” by Leslie Bowe, Karen Kiley
“Jesus, The Beatles & Me” by Donna King, Lee Black, Gina Boe
“Bent” by Mindy Gars Dolandis, Amanda Williams
“Leavin’ Town” by Chris Smith
“Girl In Every Song” by Jim Logrando, Sean Spollen
“Santa Fe Rain” by Roy Semlacher, Allen
“Grass Stains” by Pat Aureli, Todd Dickinson, Marty Dodson

Tim specifically mentioned reaching out to a couple of ya’ll. If he does, please let me know- I’d love to share that with the community!

Also, I know many of you who entered would still love to get personal feedback on your songs. While I didn’t have time to send feedback on each of the Play For Publisher entries, you CAN book a one-to-one coaching/mentoring session with me. I’ll be happy to discuss your song with you (and anything else you want). CLICK HERE TO BOOK A COACHING SESSION.

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

Uncategorized

Congrats To The Newest “Play For Publisher” Winners!

15 Comments

Play For Pub

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 about 200 songs, it took a while to whittle it down to just 10.  We have a few country songs, some gospel, male songs, female songs, somebody raps, there’s a second-time submission (way to not give up), some solo writes, and even a work tape!

There were a lot of worthy songs sent in, and I felt bad about leaving so many out.  So just because 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 his current album.

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 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):

“Steam” by David Hill, Gelman, McKinney

“Never Be Tennessee” by Curtis McCabe

“Some Days” by Barry McGuire

“Drink You Up” by Leslie Bowe, Karen Kiley

“Jesus, The Beatles & Me” by Donna King, Lee Black, Gina Boe

“Bent” by Mindy Gars Dolandis, Amanda Williams

“Leavin’ Town” by Chris Smith

“Girl In Every Song” by Jim Logrando, Sean Spollen

“Santa Fe Rain” by Roy Semlacher, Allen

“Grass Stains” by Pat Aureli, Todd Dickinson, Marty Dodson

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 December 6.  (I’ve already emailed the winners the instructions about the online meeting.  If you didn’t get the email, please let me know!)

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 them, too.  (Ya’ll feel free to link up your songs in the comments, too!)

“ON HOLD” songs…

“One More”  by Marialaina DiFalco

“Hang Ten, My Friend” by Pat Aureli, Danny Myrick

“That Old Screen Door” by Pamela Lack, Jean Nolan, Bobby Earl Ray

“I Am Blessed” by Mindy Gars Dolandis, Chris Castle

“Blue Kisses” by Daniel Leathersich

“I Think My Buddy’s Broken” by Jason David Hiatt

“Mid Western Civilization” by Ed Daniels

“Favorite Shirt” by Rich Mahan

“Better Get Used To It” by Dave Quirk, Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux

“Just A Little Broken” by Allister Bradley, Dean McTaggert

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

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

Do Business Like A Pro, Live Event

What Kind Of Song Should You Play For A Publisher?

7 Comments

Ask Your SWP

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?

I’m excited to host another Play For A Publisher event in December, and I’ve received several questions from writers like you. I thought I’d answer a few of them here on the blog since the answers apply to more than just the Play For A Publisher event.

Question: What kind of song should I play?  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 our last Play For A Publisher event.  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 can figure out if the two of you are a good match, musically, personally, and professionally.

As for me (since I’m doing the screening for the Play For A Publisher event), I’m just looking for something that knocks my socks off.  Something I think is really cool.  Not everything we played at the last event was a radio hit type of song.  But each of them were really cool in their own way.

Question: Can I ONLY play demos?  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 work tape or guitar/vocal of a great song beats a full demo of a good song.

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 work tape.  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 work tape.  After all, they’ll be listening to work tapes 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?

Time is running out for our next Play For Publisher event!  The event itself is Tuesday, December 6, 2016, but the deadline to submit a song is Saturday, November 19.  After the 19th, it’s too late- so don’t wait.  Get your spot today!

Our special guest will be Tim Hunze of Parallel Music Publishing.   Tim works with a staff of pro songwriters including Lance Carpenter (“Love Me Like You Mean It” – #1 for Kelsea Ballerina), Jon Mabe (“The Climb” – #1 for Miley Cyrus), Jenn Schott (“Two Lanes Of Freedom” – Tim McGraw) and more!  Tim is a real pro, and he has a lot of wisdom to share from his years in the music business.  And, I’ll be honest- he’s a heck of a nice guy, too!

tim-hunze

CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR SONG (OR SONGS) FOR THE UPCOMING “PLAY FOR A PUBLISHER” EVENT.

Last question:  Is this event worth my time?

Well, let’s hear from a couple of the last event’s participants…

“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”

Play For Pub

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

Uncategorized

Great Advice From Our “Play For A Publisher” Event

4 Comments

Play For Pub

The 10 songwriters to join us for our first “Play For Publisher” event were great- but they weren’t the only ones to write really good songs!

I want to share some of the “honorable mentions” among the dozens and dozens of submissions.  If you’re one of these writers, keep going!  If you’re NOT one of these writers… KEEP GOING!

The 10 “Honorable Mentions” songs are:

“The Captain” by Kris Krumal

“Hand It Down” by Dave Udis & Michael Skottle

“Welcome Home” by Tami Dove

“Easier On Me” by Megan Brennan, Brett Sheroky, Tommy Cole

“Just One Night” by Dave Quirk & David Hill

“Olivia” by Colleen Brown Keenleyside

“Drinking With You” by Jeff Hodge, Palmer Lee, Blaine Younger

“My Happy Place” by Steve Probst

“Where Jesus Lives” by Dale Mercer & Briahnna Sullivan

Good work, ya’ll!

Chris Oglesby of BMG Chrysalis dropped some great advice on us all (including me).  Here are just a couple of the gold and platinum nuggets from the night (paraphrased):

“Assume the girl you’re singing about is in the audience and listening.  Especially when it’s a positive love song, make sure to weed out the lines that might offend her.  Just assume she’ll take things the wrong way.”

“Heart beats clever.  Don’t get so wrapped up in writing to the theme that you neglect to hit us in our emotions.”

“Be sure that it’s clear from the beginning of your song who you’re singing to.  Don’t take me out of the song by making me try to figure it out.”

“Don’t be too safe.  A publisher can always rein you in, but we can’t pull you out if you don’t go far enough.”

“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.”

The Play For Publisher event was so much fun, and the feedback was so good… let’s do it again!

Really, was it good?  Well, let’s hear from a couple of the participants.

“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 Publisher event with Chris Oglesby of BMI. 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”

So, here’s the scoop:

Our next Play For Publisher event will be on Tuesday, December 6, 2016.  Our special guest will be Tim Hunze of Parallel Music Publishing!  Tim works with a staff of pro songwriters including Lance Carpenter (“Love Me Like You Mean It” – Kelsea Ballerina), Jon Mabe (“The Climb” – Miley Cyrus), Jenn Schott (“Two Lanes Of Freedom” – Tim McGraw) and more!  Tim is a real pro, and he has a lot of wisdom to share from his years in the music business.  And, I’ll be honest.  He’s a heck of a nice guy, too!

tim-hunze

CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR SONG (OR SONGS) FOR THE UPCOMING “PLAY FOR A PUBLISHER” EVENT.

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

Uncategorized

Congrats To The “Play For Publisher” Winners!

19 Comments

Play For Pub

Congratulations to our “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 Chris Oglesby of BMG Chrysalis.  Ya’ll are just plain awesome.

Out of 160 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.  So just because your song wasn’t chosen this time doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good song.

You know, the only song I EVER had recommended to the NSAI Pitch-To-Publisher Luncheon was “Monday Morning Church.”

AND IT DIDN’T MAKE IT TO THE LUNCHEON.

That’s right.  The song that would go on to be a top 5 country hit was passed on- it didn’t even get played for the publishers.

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 Chris’ 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):

“Hard To Forget” by Jason Hamor

“I Got Something” by Shane Grove

“River Queen” by Kim Kondrashoff

“Anyway” by Mikalyn Hay

“Vinyl Afternoon” by Joe Slyzelia (and Donna King)

“Are You Awake” by David Hill

“Where Will I Be” by Susan Giacona

“Heartbroken Song” by Isaac Slutzky

“Stinger” by Jerry Glidewell

“Country Music Makes Me Thirsty” by Andrew Cavanagh

Congratulations!  Chris and I look forward to hanging out with you on October 13.  (I’ve already emailed the winners the instructions about the online meeting.  If you didn’t get the email, please let me know!)

Lastly, if you’re the writer of one of the Top Ten and would like everyone to be able to hear your song, feel free to leave a link in the comments!

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