Tag Archives: Ray Stevens

Frettie, Know The Row, Write Like A Pro

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

1 Comment

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

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

________________________________

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

_________________________________

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

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

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

Opportunities come to those who add value.

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

“Caribou Barbie” recorded by Ray Stevens

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Crickets” recorded by Joe Nichols

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

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

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

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

What value can you bring?

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

Here’s some value for you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US, a #1 in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.

Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Set Your Cowriters Up For Success

1 Comment

Man vs. PRO

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

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

Well… shoot.

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

Me and my big mouth.

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

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

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

cowriters great at

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

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

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

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

And you sure won’t regret that.

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

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

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

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

SWP 4

Biz, Cowriting, Songplugging

Inside vs. Outside Songs- And Why It Matters

3 Comments

cropped-music_row_signs322.jpg

Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers.  Now, on to today’s post…

When an artist is working on an album, there are two types of songs which will (or will not) be considered: inside songs and outside songs. So what are these?

Inside songs are songs which are written by or with the artist, the producer, or a close associate. These are songs written or controlled/owned by someone with a close connection to the project.

Outside songs are basically all other songs- those written or controlled by people who do NOT have a close connection to the artist’s project.

Okay, so that’s pretty simple- some songs come from inside the circle of influence and some songs come from outside the circle of influence. Buy why is this important? It’s very important because, in most cases, inside songs have a much better chance of being recorded. Some artists, like Taylor Swift, write or cowrite all their own songs. If you’re not writing with Taylor, forget about getting a cut. Other artists may be very low key about the fact that they’re even working on a project. If you’re not in the loop, you might not even know the artist is cutting at all, much less what kind of song they want.

That’s why it matters if your songs are inside or outside- it affects their odds of being cut. Examples:

I had two songs cut on Ray Stevens’ “We The People” album. One song was a true inside song. “Caribou Barbie” was written at Ray’s request with two of his staff writers. The other song, “Fly Over Country” was an outside pitch. However, since Ray didn’t advertise that he was doing a record, I never would’ve known to pitch a song (much less that song in particular) without some inside information. I’ve also had two Lady Antebellum cuts (bonus tracks, sadly). “A Woman Scorned” was written with Hillary Scott, and “Last Night Last” was written with all three members of Lady A. Almost every song on that first album was written or cowritten by the band, so it definitely put those songs in a better competitive position.

This is not to say that ONLY inside songs get cut. I’ve had some outside songs get cut, too. “Monday Morning Church” was written before either my cowriter, Erin Enderlin, or I had ever had a cut, and only Erin was working with a publisher at the time. Erin’s publisher played the song for Alan Jackson’s producer, who played it for Alan. Same thing for my Joe Nichols cut- I sent “Crickets” to the head of Joe’s record label (even though we’ve never met). He loved it and sent it to Joe. The song became an outside cut- and the title track to his current album.

So, yes, both inside and outside songs still get cut. But inside songs have a definite advantage- and the inside track (pun intended).  How does this affect how I do business?  I try to get songs on the inside, of course.  It’s worth thinking about how you can do the same.  Yes, I know you might think you’re years away from being able to get any songs on the inside.  But simply knowing that there’s a difference between inside and outside songs will help you make more effective choices, and you’ll get there faster.

God Bless,

Brent

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014).  If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.”  I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album.  You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it.  You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices).  It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool.  But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL.  These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you.  God Bless!

YOU VS…

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

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

Biz, Craft, Cut Study, Video

Cut Study: Ray Stevens “Caribou Barbie”

1 Comment

Ray Stevens- We The People

Disclaimer: The song, “Caribou Barbie,” is a political song with a definite point of view.  This post, however, is NOT political.  The point here is to share the process by which the song got cut.  It appears on Ray’s album, “We The People.”

I was blessed to have written “Caribou Barbie” for Ray Stevens.  Ray is a comedy legend with songs like “The Streak” “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” and “Everything Is Beautiful.”  Today, I’d like to briefly discuss how we got the song cut and what you might learn from it.

I captured the title in my hook book.

I heard Sarah Palin referred to as “Caribou Barbie” during the 2008 Presidential campaign.  My brother-in-law, Matt Cline, was contemplating a political comedy album, and we thought it would be a good title- even though we didn’t know how to write it.  When McCain / Palin lost, I tucked the title in my hook book, figuring it would never be relevant again.

I had access to the artist’s camp.

Matt was published by Ray Stevens at the time, and we were hoping Ray would do a political album.  When he finally decided to, we started pulling ideas together for it.  If I hadn’t had access to the camp via Matt, I wouldn’t have even heard about the project until it was already finished.

I squeaked my wheel.

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

I picked my cowriters strategically.

Since the artist had already said he wanted to hear my idea, I knew it would be easy to find a cowriter.  So, the question was, “who’s best?”  It was an easy call- Matt Cline and Max T. Barnes.  Both these guys wrote for Ray’s publishing company, so he’d have extra incentive to cut it.  They were also dialed in to the project, having songs in the mix already.  Plus, they’re a great hang and really good writers.  I called them up, and we met at Ray’s the next morning.

We wrote the song with the artist in mind.

Obviously, we kept Ray top-of-mind as we wrote the song.  What does Ray want to say?  What’s his musical style?  Is X-Y-Z his brand of humor?  We wrote it and laid down a worktape that day.

We pitched the song directly to the artist.

The next day, Matt and Max played “Caribou Barbie” for Ray.  We were open to his suggestions, but other than a few tweaks Ray made in the studio (including the word ‘jackass’- that wasn’t me), it was pretty much the same.

There you go.  Preparation (hook book) + access (cowriter) + action =  a cut.  Every cut has its own particular details, but I hope my story helps you on your journey.

God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS…

You can check out “Caribou Barbie” on iTunes by clicking here.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

What did I miss?  Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment! (Unless you just want to go on a political rant- that isn’t the point of this blog or post.)

SHOUT OUT…

Big shout out to Gord Bamford, who has the #1 country song in Ireland this week (Dec. 2013) with a song we wrote called, “When Your Lips Are So Close.”  It hit #1 in Canada a couple weeks ago, and it’s good to see it making its way across the globe!

www.gordbamford.com

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

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

Biz, Craft, Songplugging

10 Reasons Songwriters Should Pitch Their Own Songs

10 Comments

cropped-music_row_signs322.jpg

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 mistake.  Not that Scot, Mike, and Jesse weren’t smart, hardworking guys who wanted me to succeed.  No, those guys worked hard 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.

1. My odds improve.

It’s HARD to get cuts, so I want all hands on deck.  Simply put, the more songs of mine that are getting pitched, the better the chance of the right song hitting the right ears at the right time.

2. My 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 my own songs helps keep my best old songs in circulation.

3. I hear my songs more honestly.

Sitting across the desk from a producer or A&R rep makes me hear my songs differently.  Little flaws which I might’ve ignored before become more obvious, especially if they pass on the song.  Over time, this kind of listening makes my “flaw-detector” more sensitive when I’m writing.

4. I demo songs more wisely.

On a related note, the experience and feedback I get from pitching helps me demo only my best-chance songs.  My flaw-detector is more sensitive, and I ask myself 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 my catalog better than I 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 I 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.  Ray cut it.

6. It builds my personal brand.

An A&R rep may hear five of my songs in a day from five different sources.  That’s great, but they might never know those are my songs.  They might associate the songs with my cowriters or the publishers who brought them.  If it’s ME in the room, though, the rep hears several of my songs in a row and get to put my face to the name on the CD.  And I get to do the same, which is handy if I see them out at an industry function.  Oh,and I hopefully get them to like me 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. I get the inside scoop.

The A&R/producer  can tell me what they need, and I can ask followup questions.  That may bring to mind another song from my catalog (from any publisher I’ve had) which I 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 me by my plugger.

9. My songs are the focus of the pitch meeting.

My plugger goes into meetings representing several writers, all of whom are really good.  So while I might land a couple of songs in the meeting, there are others that won’t be mine.  But in my meetings, I’m on all the songs.  More pitches, more chances to win.

10. I develop my 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.  Now, please forget everything you just read- I don’t need the extra competition.

God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS…

What did I miss?  Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

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

Biz, Mini, Muse

You Win By Adding Value

3 Comments

cropped-music_row_signs322.jpg

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

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

-Brent

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

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