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.

I believe there are four cornerstones to professional songwriting success. You can remember them by the acronym, “W.R.A.P.” They are:

1. Writing

This one’s pretty obvious. We’re songwriters, aren’t we? If you’re a writer… write. If you don’t write, there’s nothing to get recorded. And it’s not enough to just write every once in a while. Write hard, write consistently.

2. Recording

It’s not enough to have scratchy worktapes if you want someone else to cut and release your song. You have to get a good recording of your song- one that presents it in a good light. This could be a guitar/vocal, a full demo, or something in between.

3. Accessing

A great demo does you no good if you can’t get it into the hands of someone who can do something with it. Accessing is building relationships and otherwise gaining accesss to singers, publishers, labels, producers, etc.

4. Pitching

You have to ask for the cut, as simple as that. You have to give publishers, artists, etc. the opportunity to say “yes” to your song.

Note that each of these are cornerstones – you won’t have a stable, well-functioning career if you neglect one or more of them. I’m not saying you should spend equal hours on each of these areas, but you should give them the proper amount of time based on your particular situation.

WRAP is also good for helping you focus on what’s important. If an opportunity comes up, compare it to WRAP. If that activity doesn’t fall into one of those categories, it might not be a wise use of your time.

Brent

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