Okay, let’s say you finally scored that cowrite with a pro writer.  Congrats!

Now don’t blow it. 

However, if you insist on messing up this opportunity to begin a cowriting relationship with a pro, here are 7 surefire ways you can do it.

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1. Be late.

Nothing says, “I’m not thankful for this opportunity” quite like being late or getting the time or date wrong. The pro is already NOT writing with one of his regular, trusted cowriters because he or his publisher scheduled you instead. Now the pro is not writing at all because he’s waiting on you to show up. Not a good start.

2. Be unprepared.

When you finally show up, make sure you have to borrow a pick.  And a pen.  And paper.  Oh, and whatever you do, make sure you don’t have any ideas or melodies or grooves ready when the pro says, “got any ideas?”  Of course you don’t have any ideas!  You like to…

3. Take without giving.

Be sure and expect the pro to carry you.  Don’t put yourself out there and really try to write something great.  Basically try to sit quietly in the room while the pro writes the song and gives you half.  And be sure and try to get the pro to hook you up with HIS contacts without offering any of YOURS.

4. Be arrogant.

You can also ruin this cowrite by going to the other extreme.  Try to impress the pro by ALWAYS being right and making sure you write YOUR idea and use all YOUR lines.  Run the show.  After all, the pro has only had more success than you- what could he possibly add to YOUR hit-in-progress?  Let him just sit back and watch you work.

5. Talk trash.

This is especially awesome of you haven’t had any cuts of your own yet.  Bad mouth what’s on the radio and the writers who wrote those songs.  If you’re lucky, they might be the pro’s friends, cowriters, or people he respects.  Or artists who have recorded his songs, too.  But you wouldn’t know that because you…

6. Don’t know who you’re writing with.

If you’re lucky, you can insult one of the pro’s songs without knowing it.  Or maybe you can ask the pro, “hey, what have you written” which is WAY more professional than a 2 minute Google search and being able to say something like, “congrats on that cut” or “man, I really love your song…”  Remember, if you want to blow a pro cowrite, it’s better to bruise an ego than stroke it.

7. Complain about the business.

Because you’re the only one who has had disappointments.  And because complaining is super productive.  And because a negative attitude is SO attractive that the pro can’t wait to spend more time with you.  Odds are, the pro has been around longer and has a bigger stack of “almosts” and “could’ve beens” and won’t be impressed by your problems.

So there you go. 7 ways to ruin a pro cowrite.  Now, I can’t guarantee that pulling out just one or two of these tricks will doom your potential cowriting relationship.  But I’d say the odds are pretty good of you being “one & done” if you hit ’em with the right combo.

But don’t just take my word for it.  Ask one of my fellow pros yourself.  Here’s your chance.

Every quarter, I host Frettie’s “Know The Row,” with an industry pro.  And our next event is coming up in February with hit songwriter, Byron Hill!

This is your chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with a real-deal professional songwriter. Since moving to Nashville and signing his first publishing deal in 1978, Byron’s songs have generated more than 700 recordings, and have been released on ninety-one industry certified Gold and Platinum albums and singles!  Wow.

You and I BOTH want to know what Byron has to share.

Here’s the deal.  You can join us online from anywhere in the world on Thursday, February 8, 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 BYRON HILL.

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.