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
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…
Hey, ya’ll!
Again, thank you so much for being a part of the Man vs. Row community. I really appreciate you, and I want MvR to provide great content and services that SERVE YOU. So it would help me (to help you) if you’d leave a comment about your biggest obstacle or question regarding songwriting and/or the music biz. It could be about the craft, the business, networking, whatever. The better I understand what you want to know about, the better I can answer those questions or provide products and services to help you. Thanks!
God Bless,
Brent
MAN VS. ROW… LIVE!
I’m excited to be speaking on song idea discovery and development at the 2014 Songwriting And Music Business Conference in Nashville, TN! Click the image below to find out more. I’d love to see you there!
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!
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Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter
Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com
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How does one go about setting up pitch meetings when they have no prior successes/connections? Is it a simple cold call and appointment setup? A referral? Also is this process roughly the same in every major music center (I’m in NYC for reference)?
My biggest question? I have plenty little ideas, but my biggest question would be how to finish as many as possible of them into complete songs. I guess it’s a lot about killing your darlings…
Hey Brent, Really looking forward to the cool stuff you’re sending out! You rock!! Sending my obstacles soon.
Hi Brent, Anything to do with the publishing side and copyright administration, would be greatly appreciated. (ie: single song contracts, figuring out how to track all the different royalty sources, publisher vs. independent, etc.). Thanks for putting out all the info for us that you do!
Thanks for asking for our questions, Brent. Over the years, I’ve joined and paid dues to Songwriters associations on the national (NSAI, AMA), and local (VOCAL) levels, alleged A&R organizations (Taxi, Broadjam, …), radio services like AirPlay Direct, and a host of Tip Sheets. What is your take on these orgs and services, and do you recommend any of these or others?
I’ve been at this a long time…got a bunch of indy cuts…but the biggest question is WHO DO I TRUST !!! My publisher in Nashville “forgot” to list a song in my BMI Works Catalog that is currently being sold by an indy artist on CDbaby, itunes, amazon etc…we (cowriters) don’t have a contract on the song from the publisher. He has told me this is how it’s done now, that a single song contract is not issued until there is a “physical product”…Methinks I may be getting screwed and not getting kissed…no contracts and he is claiming 100% of my publishing @ BMI,,, so again WHO DO I TRUST?? This includes well over 200 songs in the form of Nashville Demos. close to $100,000.00 investment on my part
Melody… what are techniques you use to keep your melodies fresh? Are you a chord progression person or are you more lyric/hook person?
One weird technique I stumbled into generating a new melody thought is turning on my iPad while taking a shower. But… hang with me… keeping the volume low enough where you only hear bits and pieces … and maybe not even to the point of distinguishing a key. I found my creative juices are awakened melodically through doing that. I’ve stumbled on a couple of really good melodies doing this crazy exercise. Do you have anything crazy like this creatively-speaking you try to get you out of the writing rut?
I have lots of (brilliant!) ideas and song snippets but can’t seem to coalesce them into a complete song. Or everything is great except for ONE line!!!
Second question, how do you co-write with someone long distance?
Dear Brent, How can I make the best use of social networking (I.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to get my music services noticed. I am with a group of songwriters who are creating a music production business and have had some successes. Yes we do have a website. Any help from you is appreciated. Thank you, Robert.
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Hi Brent, I am a member of ASCAP and have been blessed enough to place twice as runner-up in the NSAI song contest. However, I have asked twice to meet with a writer’s rep at ASCAP and have been turned down twice. Do I have the wrong conception of a PRO. It’s tough enough to break into the business but do you have to break into a PRO?
Is it important to use this studio over that one? (Given the end recording is equal …when u are recording your demo)?
Is who you network with at the studio more important than going to the best studio for for dollar (valuewise)?
Do successful artists actually listen to songs when they solicit them from pitchers in Nashville? Or, is this just a wasted effort? If they do listen, are there any who provide feedback to the writers? And why are there so many “tailgate” songs? Not every CM fan is a 20 something female. I would think that neglected fans who are past that stage in life will just listen to their oldies and not buy current music (my opinion). Am I missing something? Is there a tried-and-true formula for a hit song?
For the average working guy, who has a good…no, let’s say a great song….what should he do with it? Who should he send it to? Not everyone has the huevos to move to Nashville to pursue their dreams.
Thanks for your blog. It keeps me chasing that great song!
I’d have to say my biggest question as a lyricist only and not near Nashville any ideas how to find a co-write with a composer?
Hi Brent,
I completely understand the Nashville credo, “you need to be present to win”….Can you provide any advice to “out of towners”, who are only able to visit Nashville for short bits of time (people who are serious, but can not live in Nashville full time yet). Let’s say one can get to Nashville 4 to 6 times per year (4-7 days per visit). If this were you, how would you map out your stay / maximize your visit. What would your goals be. How would you prioritize. Which open mics to focus on. Is there a typical place where “out of towners” hang (besides NSAI)? Other points I may be missing? …… What would Brent do if he was an “out of towner” ?
The long game, would be to spend increasingly more time in Nashville writing, co-writing, connecting and pitching. The short game is to set up the connections and path leading to the long game. How would you set up your short game?
Thank you for your time and great Blog!………Rich
Brent, thanks for all you do. My question is simple: Whats the best way to find publishers if you’re looking into doing Cuts AND TV/Film placements? I’ve had a few placements but every polite attempt to follow up on those contacts have failed. What’s the appropriate path to Publishers and Music Supervisors? Where do I find them? NSAI doesnt seem to know either.
Thanks to each of you who have put yourselves out there by posting your biggest question / obstacle. I will try and tackle each of these in a future post or in some way. Please be patient with me, though. It takes some time to put my best thinking together, but I ‘ll get there. Again, thank you.