Tag Archives: Songwriter

Show Me Your Songwriting Friends, And I’ll Show You Your Future

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.

“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”

Yes, I know that probably sounds like something your mother would say. But I think it’s true. And, if it IS true, it really matters who you let into your inner circle.

Consider these thoughts:

“You are the average of your 5 closest friends.”

“A person seldom outperforms his inner circle of friends.”

“People tend to earn within 10% of what their friends earn.”

“Birds of a feather flock together.”

Now consider YOUR inner circle- your closest friends, family, cowriters and music business connections. If the above statements are true, then it really matters what type of people these folks are.

If your friends are lazy songwriters, you’re more likely to be a lazy songwriter.

If your inner circle is full of negative complainers, you’ll end up being one, too.

If your close friends aren’t pitching songs or networking, you won’t do as much of it, either.

However, if your friends are serious about becoming better songwriters, you’ll become a better songwriter, too.

If your inner circle is full of positive, motivated people, you’ll stay more positive and motivated, too.

If your close friends are pitching songs and networking, you’ll likely do more of that, as well.

In light of this, are there changes you need to make? Obviously, you shouldn’t leave your family. Nor am I saying that you should never talk to your “happy-with-mediocrity” friends again. But I am encouraging you to seek out and start spending time with the go-getters, the achievers, the folks with positive, can-do attitudes. After all, the people closest to you are the ones who rub off on you the most.

God Bless,

Brent

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success!  You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it!  However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below.  Enjoy!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

 

The Shawshank Songwriter

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.

If you feel trapped in your day job- if you feel like you’re locked in a prison, I recommend watching “The Shawshank Redemption.” There is an important lesson in there for folks trying to escape their day jobs for the freedom of their dream jobs.

After years behind bars, Tim Robbins’ character, Andy, was finally able to tunnel his way out. No, I’m not suggesting you sneak a breakroom spoon into your cubicle and dig when your boss isn’t looking. The lesson is not about the tunneling itself, but how Andy went about it.

He was extremely patient and radically persistent.

You see, Andy knew he couldn’t just make a break for the wall and try to climb over. He would’ve gotten shot. He also knew that he couldn’t tunnel out in one night. There was just an impossible amount of work to do.

Andy knew he could only dig and remove a little bit of dirt a day without getting caught. So that’s what he did. Day after day, month after month, year after year, he dug a little dirt and spread it around the prison yard.

I’m sure there were times he must’ve been so frustrated that he was tempted to scream and hammer at the tunnel wall, desperate to finally get out! But he knew that would only lead to him getting caught- and getting caught meant, at the very least, changing cells and having to start all over.

And maybe that’s how you feel at your day job. You’re frustrated because you feel trapped, yet you can only do a little at a time to escape. Some days you want to walk into your boss’s office quit your day job right then… but you can’t. Maybe you don’t have any savings built up. Or maybe you have a family that is depending on you to bring home a steady paycheck, and you know you can’t let them down.

Or instead of quitting, you’re tempted to lock yourself in your writing room every night after work and polish your songwriting chops or stay out late at songwriter nights every night to network. But you have a spouse and children who need you, so you can’t.

So what do you do?

You do what Andy did.

You plan your escape tunnel. Decide how much and how often you can dig without causing certain financial or family ruin. (Notice I said “certain” not “possible.” There will always be risk in chasing your dream, but you don’t have to be suicidal.) Then you start digging at that pace- day after day, month after month, year after year. Dig as long as it takes.

Yes, it’s going to test your patience. Yes, it’ll feel like it’s taking too long. But be patient. Yes, it will take longer than the mad scramble up the prison wall, but it’s worth it to dig a tunnel big enough to bring your family and a little money with you on your escape.

God Bless,

Brent

A GIFT FOR YOU

I’ve recently released my 1st book on Amazon- and thanks to those of you who made it a bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories!  If you’d like to get your own copy of Hit Songwriting- How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success, it’s available for FREE, IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD at GiftFromBrent.com.  Or you can click on the image below.  Thanks!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Are You Taking Ownership Of Your Songwriting Success?

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.

Are you just hoping for success? Waiting on the universe to give you what it’ll give you? Or are you taking responsibility for it?

It’s easy and tempting to wait and hope for your cowriters, publishers, or manager (or ASCAP or NSAI…) to make something happen on your behalf. And while these people can be a valuable part of your team, they will never have as much riding on your success as you do. They have their own families to feed.

I know there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the music biz. There’s not a simple 1-2-3 process for earning success. And since it’s often unclear how to make success, it’s easy to become passive.

But you have to take ownership. You have to resolve to never be a passive participant in your life. Take action. Good things don’t come to those who JUST wait. Good things come to those who are disciplined and patiently persistent.

Decide what success looks like for you, then try to figure out steps that will take you in that direction. And remember, these aren’t steps that happen TO you- these are steps that you TAKE.  Good things rarely just fall into your lap while you’re sitting still.  It’s a lot more common to find unexpected blessings when you’re out there moving with purpose.  So get moving.

The sooner you OWN your success, the sooner you EARN your success.

God Bless,

Brent

A GIFT FROM BRENT

I want to thank everyone who has downloaded my new book, Hit Songwriting- How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success.  You made it an Amazon best seller!  (I also appreciate the nice 5-star reviews!)  If you haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet, you can get it for FREE by clicking the image below.  Thanks!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Songwriting Decisions: Ruthie Collins & “Vintage”

Ruthie Collins EP

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.

Here are some of the songwriting decisions that went into the song “Vintage,” which has been recorded and released by Curb Records artist, Ruthie Collins.

Ruthie is a buddy of mine, as well as an artist on Curb Records. We’ve written off and on for a few years. She’s awesome. We were in the middle of working on another song, and we kinda hit a wall and decided to shelve it for a while. However, we had some time left, so we decided to look at another idea.

What idea(s) do I present?

I had this title in my hook book called, “Vintage.” I didn’t have an idea around it, but I liked the word. I hadn’t heard it as a song title before, and I knew Ruthie loved vintage clothes, furniture, etc. I usually like to wait until I have an idea or direction to go with a title before I present it to an artist… but I thought Ruthie would be be perfect person to help me figure it out. She loved the title.

What’s our angle?

The title “Vintage” just felt positive. Also, Ruthie had plenty of sad songs, so a happy song would fill a need for her. And making it somehow about love was a no-brainer. We landed on love being vintage.

What’s our point-of-view?

Deciding on the point-of-view was tricky. Our first impulse was to say, “our love is vintage,” but that made the singer old (because vintage = antique). And that doesn’t work for a young artist like Ruthie… or pretty much any artist selling many country records these days. Should we say, “THEIR love is vintage?” Well, that would work, but we still wanted the impact of “me” speaking to “you.” (That’s a more powerful way to write- directly addressing the listener.) We decided that the love was new, and the singer WANTED to love him UNTIL their love was vintage.

Vintage

Ballad or tempo?

With an idea like “Vintage,” it could’ve been a sweet ballad. But, thinking like songwriters who wanted cuts, we gave it as much tempo as we felt the idea could carry. We both love ballads, but Ruthie had plenty of those already. We needed to write what she DIDN’T have. And she DIDN’T have enough tempo songs. This made it positive-love-young-tempo. We wrote a verse and chorus that day. Ruthie, being the vintage expert, carried the bulk of the work. Thank goodness for cowriters!

Several months passed while Ruthie went in to record her debut album (which ended up on the shelf, but that’s another story). Eventually, she rediscovered the worktape and fell in love with it all over again.

Do we bring in another cowriter?

Ruthie really wanted to get the song right, and she thought Jessica Roadcap would help us get it there. I’d never written with Jessica, but I knew she was one of Ruthie’s “inner circle” of cowriters. I trust Ruthie’s instincts, and I also figured it would be valuable for other reasons, as well (see my post: “The Artist Camp: Multiple Points Of Contact”). She called up Jessica.

Together, the three of us tweaked the first verse, chorus melody, and wrote the second verse. Thankfully, Ruthie loved the finished result. She wanted the song to have the best chance of getting on her record, so she and Jessica demoed it.

It must’ve worked, because it’s on her new album! Thanks Ruthie and Jessica!

You can check out Ruthie at:   ruthiecollinsmusic.com

You can get the EP on iTunes <HERE.>

God Bless,

Brent

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

Cut Study: Ruthie Collins & “Vintage”

Ruthie Collins EP

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.

I’m blessed to have a cowrite on Ruthie Collins’ debut project on Curb Records. Here’s the inside story on how it made the record.

I wrote with a developing artist (early).

Ruthie was just coming off Season One of CMT’s “Can You Duet.” We got introduced at NSAI, and I started writing with her. That was back in August of 2008. Eventually, Ruthie got a record deal on Curb. Thanks to our friendship and writing history, I was able to bypass the gatekeepers at her publishing company and label (both Curb) and continue to book cowrites directly with her. I didn’t get blocked out, as sometimes happens when cowriters get deals.

I brought in the right title.

Knowing Ruthie loves all things vintage, I thought she’d like the title. I kept it in my “Ruthie Collins Ideas” file on my laptop. One day we hit a wall on another song we were writing, and we decided to move on to something else. I mentioned, “Vintage” and Ruthie lit up like a Christmas tree.

The timing was right.

The song sat unfinished for probably a year while Ruthie finished up her debut album and I had to go get a day job.  I did have one song on there called, “Always Open.” What I didn’t know was that they basically scrapped the whole album she’d recorded, and she was now headed in a different direction. It was a direction that “Vintage” fit perfectly. Ruthie rediscovered the worktape and said, “We HAVE to finish this!”  Boy, am I glad she did!

We served the song, generously.

Ruthie and I can write a good song on our own, and we know it. Almost all of our cowrites were just the two of us. But Ruthie really wanted to make sure we got it right, and she thought her good friend and cowriter, Jessica Roadcap, would be a great fit. In terms of ownership (and potential money) this brought us each down from 50% to 33.33%. But we’d rather have 33.33% of a cut than 50% of nothing. And it was a good call. Jessica brought great value to the song. (Plus, it gave me a new friend in the music biz and in Ruthie’s camp.)

We positioned the song to win.

Ruthie could’ve just played the worktape for Curb, but she really wanted to put “Vintage” in the best light possible. So she and Jessica demoed it. They even went back and did several tweaks to the demo to get it just right.

Ruthie championed the song.

Ruthie believed in the song. She knew it really fit her brand, and she didn’t sit around hoping her label and marketing team would happen to come to the same conclusion. She actively brought them ideas around the “Vintage” concept. “Vintage,” both the song and the style, summed up her brand.

Right idea, written right, with the right artist at the right time. Easy and predictable… right?

You can check out Ruthie at:   ruthiecollinsmusic.com

You can get the EP on iTunes <HERE.>

God Bless,

Brent

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

Day Job: A Songwriter’s Prison or Patron?

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.

Prison Patron

If you have the dream of being a full-time songwriter, singer/songwriter, or other type of creative, I know it can be easy to think of your day job as a prison. You feel chained to your desk, or the sales floor, or the job site all day. You feel imprisoned by the 8-to-5 because you aren’t free to do what you love all day. This view of your day job as a prison understandably breeds resentment and despair.

But what if there’s another way to look at it?

What if, instead of being your prison, you day job is your patron?

It’s never been easy making a living from art. Way back when, artists used to find a rich person to provide financial backing so they could work on their art. This person was known as a “patron.”  Of course, these days I wouldn’t expect to find someone to give you room and board just so you can write songs. (Of course, there are a few publishing deals out there, but they don’t usually pay enough to feed a family.)

So let your day job be your patron.

Let your day job pay for the roof over your writing room and the coffee in your mug. Let your job during the day fund your art on nights and weekends. Get paid while you build connections in the music business. Let your boss pay for your demos- he won’t even ask for your publishing!

I know, I know. It’s easy to resent that your day job doesn’t allow you time to write as much as you want. But, in reality, your day job DOES buy you more time. It buys you time to learn and get better while there’s very little to lose by failing.

Relying completely on songwriting to feed your family is extremely difficult- I know from experience.

So use this time to improve your songwriting, build relationships, and start growing your business.

Turn your prison into your patron.

God Bless,

Brent

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

Become an MvR VIP!

If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, or if you want special discounts on Man vs. Row products and services, become an MvR VIP!  Simply enter your email in the “Become an MvR VIP” 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

Brent’s Instagram: Man_vs_Row

Dreams Without Goals Are Just Wishes

Man vs Row

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.

Do you have songwriting goals, or just a songwriting dream?

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.

“My dream came true.”

“I reached my goal.”

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

Dreams “come true” as if it is 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?

Because 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.
God Bless,

Brent

NEW CUTS!

I just wanted to let you know that I have a couple new cuts being released on this week!  Anthony Orio (3-time reigning “Nashville’s Best Local Band” winner) has just released his debut single to Sirius XM “The Highway” and iTunes.  It’s called “Those Nights These Days,” and I wrote it with him and Matt Cline.  And tomorrow, Curb artist, Ruthie Collins will release her debut EP on iTunes.  It features a song I wrote with her and Jessica Roadcap called, “Vintage.”

Click to check out Anthony Orio

Click to check out Ruthie Collins

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this free report today!

The Pro Knows

Become an MvR VIP!

If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, or if you want special discounts on Man vs. Row products and services, become an MvR VIP!  Simply enter your email in the “Become an MvR VIP” 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

MvR’s Facebook:  facebook.com/manvsrow

Brent’s Instagram: Man_vs_Row

What Is Your Songwriting Endpoint?

Man vs Row

Brent Baxter 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.

At different times in my songwriting history (and I guess I’ve been doing this long enough to officially consider it “history”) I’ve had various “endpoints.”

What is an endpoint?

The endpoint is the basic target your efforts try to hit. It’s where you focus your effort and where most of your effort ends. It’s the horizon you don’t often look past.

When I first started out, my endpoint was a finished song and a worktape. It felt great, and I had a sense of accomplishment and something to listen to. I dreamed of hearing one of those songs on the radio. But pretty much all I did about that was dream.

Years later, after I had moved to Nashville, my endpoint was to impress a publisher so they’d start pitching my songs. Sure, I dreamed of getting songs on the radio, but on a day-to-day basis, I didn’t work at anything beyond landing a good publisher relationship.

Later still, I had a publishing deal and my endpoint was often getting my publisher to demo songs so THEY could pitch them. I’d even had a hit on the radio by this time, but I couldn’t really see beyond the demo.

These days, my endpoint is the farthest it’s ever been. The endpoint now is getting cuts and singles. I’m writing with just a few artists and the conversation and work centers on getting songs on their records and on the radio. Demos, if they’re discussed at all, are recorded to pitch to the artist’s label for their own record. (If it doesn’t make their record, then we’ll pitch it around. But that’s Plan B.)

Sure, I’ve worked for years to get to the point where it’s realistic to talk about cuts and singles. But how much further would I be in my career if hits had ALWAYS been the endpoint?

Instead of aiming at just writing songs, what if the endpoint had been writing songs that an artist would want to sing? (And not just what I wanted to say?)

Instead of effectively washing my hands and walking away when a song got demoed, what if I kept going, getting my demos in the hands of decisionmakers myself?

Instead of playing that demo for an A&R rep and then letting off the gas, what if I kept working to get the song to the people who made the final decision?

Instead of being happy to just write a song with a baby artist, what if I had really focused on writing that special deal-getting song with that artist?

Most of the endpoints I’ve had have not been set consciously. There were just set at the next song or the next step in my career.

And those steps (write, publish, demo, etc.) are each good steps. But they are each just steps on a staircase. If those steps are your focus, where your attention and energy is focused… you might just miss an elevator with its doors wide open.

I wonder how many I missed?

I encourage you to take a look at your goals for your writing- then take an honest assessment of where your attention and energy is focused. Have you set your endpoint where only a milemarker should be? Milemarkers are great- they mark progress and keep you feeling motivated.

But a milemarker is NOT an endpoint.

God Bless,

Brent

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

Become an MvR VIP!

If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, or if you want special discounts on Man vs. Row products and services, become an MvR VIP!  Simply enter your email in the “Become an MvR VIP” 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!

Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Facebook:  facebook.com/manvsrow

Instagram: Man_vs_Row

You Must Have Invisible Talent

Man vs Row

Brent Baxter 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.

The music business is frustrating. Why aren’t the best singers always the biggest stars? Why aren’t the best songs always the biggest hits?

Because it’s about MORE than just vocal chops or well-crafted songs.

Maybe you sing great, but your shows aren’t entertaining. Or maybe your personality makes you hard to work with. Or your style of music appeals to just a small niche.

Same goes for songwriting. Maybe you have a high level of craft, but your songs are oranges when most folks only want apples. Or maybe you’re unreliable and difficult so pros don’t let you into their inner circles.

Or maybe you’re good and getting better but just haven’t connected with the right people yet.

What I’m saying is, it takes more than visible talent. By “visible talent,” I mean the part that the outsider can easily see. You sing great or put on a great live show or write great songs. Don’t get me wrong- visible talent is a must if you’re going to get to the top. But you also need the invisible talent. Talent like people skills, drive, determination, grit, good business sense, good commercial sense, etc.

Think of a house. It might look big and beautiful from the outside (visible talent). But if it sits on a foundation made of sand or it’s eaten up with termites (invisible talent), it’s just a matter of time until a storm blows it down.

So, yes. Work to improve your visible talent. But also work on your invisible talent. You need both.

God Bless,

Brent

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

Become an MvR VIP!

If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, or if you want special discounts on Man vs. Row products and services, become an MvR VIP!  Simply enter your email in the “Become an MvR VIP” 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

Brent’s Instagram: Man_vs_Row

6 Resources That Helped Me Become A Hit Songwriter (And None Of Them Is A Guitar)

Man vs Row

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.

Here is my list of 6 resources that helped me become a hit songwriter.  Will merely using these resources guarantee that you end up with a top 5 Alan Jackson single like I did?  No, of course not.  But they were helpful to me, and I hope they’ll be the same for you.  Now, let’s get to the goods.

1. NSAI (www.nashvillesongwriters.com) 

NSAI, or Nashville Songwriters Association International, is a great organization with chapters across the world.  I attended Angie Owens’ workshop in Bono, Arkansas, while I was in college.  Not only were the lessons (and occasional pro writer) sent from Nashville educational, it made me feel that Nashville wasn’t so far away.  It made the dream more real.  I also used the Song Evaluation Service, where a published songwriter would listen to the song I sent in and give me their feedback.  It was both encouraging and educational.  NSAI also gave me a place to go on my 1st couple trips to Nashville- their office and their Thursday night workshop.  NSAI has a lot more services now than back when everything was off-line, so I definitely recommend checking them out.  There is also a similar, newer, organization called Global Songwriters Connection.  Check them out at www.globalsongwriters.com.

2. ASCAP (www.ascap.com)

ASCAP is a performing rights organization (PRO).  Basically, they collect airplay money from radio stations, etc. and send it to their writers and publishers.  I joined a few years before moving to Tennessee, and it gave me a place to play songs.  Now, I had to call early and often, but I was usually able to get a sit-down meeting with a writer’s representative, who would listen to my mediocre songs and give me advice.  There are two other PROs in the US- BMI (www.bmi.com) and SESAC (www.sesac.com).  Check each of them out, and get in where you fit in.

3. Songwriting books.

I read whatever I could find on songwriting and music publishing.  Not only did these books give me a lot of techniques and info which helped my writing, I learned a lot about the music biz.  That helped me look like less of a novice on my first trips to Nashville.  Here are some that really helped me out, along with links…

“All You Need To Know About The Music Business” by Donald Passman

“Writing Better Lyrics” by Pat Pattison

“The Songwriter’s Guide To Music Publishing” by Randy Poe

“The Songwriters Idea Book” by Shelia Davis

4. My Local Music Scene

I was living in Little Rock at the time, and there wasn’t much of a songwriting community.  But I connected to what I could find.  My cowriter (pretty much the only one I had at the time) played one of the rare songwriter nights in Little Rock.  (I’m a non-performing lyricist.)  This led to us meeting an aspiring music publisher, who introduced me to my first real live Music Row publisher in Nashville.  He was also the guy who first told me about Erin Enderlin, who would write “Monday Morning Church,” our Alan Jackson hit, with me.

5. An Organized System.

What good is an inspired idea or an unfinished lyric if you lose it in the back of a drawer or under the seat of your car?  I keep a “hook book” full of potential titles and song ideas.  I’ve kept the same list since I started writing songs back in 1994.  I only take titles off it when I write them.  That’s the one place I can go to sift through all my potential ideas.  I also have folders on my computer for “unfinished songs,” “finished songs,” “lyrics ready for cowriting,” etc.  I also have lists of potentials titles such as “beach ideas” and “gospel ideas.”  But everything goes on the master list.  Having an organized system allowed me to easily find “Monday Morning Church” when I was looking for lyrics to present to Erin.  The earliest draft of that lyric was 1 1/2 years old when I showed it to her.  That’s a lot of old notebooks to look through, if I would’ve even remembered to look for it.

6. A Talented, Connected Cowriter.

Songwriting is a team sport.  I was very blessed to be on a team with Erin Enderlin for “Monday Morning Church.”  I lived in Little Rock and really didn’t know anyone in the biz.  Erin, also from Arkansas, was going to college in Middle Tennessee and had been making connections.  And she’s a talented enough writer to take advantage of those connections.  A great idea and her talent and connections gave “Monday Morning Church” a real chance to go from a title in my hook book to a hit on the radio.

So, there you have it.  These are the 6 resources that helped me become a hit songwriter.  Everyone’s journey is unique- so your mix of talents and resources won’t be the same as mine.  But I hope I’ve given you some hope and some things to think about.  And thank you again for checking out Man vs. Row.  I hope it helps you become a more efficient, effective, and successful songwriter.

What about you?  What resources have you used or are currently using?  What results have you gotten?  I’d love to hear from you!

God Bless,

Brent

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