All posts by Brent Baxter

WordPlay, Write Like A Pro

Wordplay Thursday #158

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Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

“Regret is __________.”

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things- and try to get IMAGERY in at least one of your plays!

“Regret is ________.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“Regret is an unfinished text flying out of your hand as you slam into the car in front of you.”

Wordplay Thursday

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

Adoption August

Adoption August at Songwriting Pro was a great success- because of YOU!  The short story is that every penny you spent on the Songwriting Pro store (minus the store’s fees) will go towards bringing two precious orphans (Wren and Quill) home from China.

Because of your generosity, we raised $2102.77 towards the adoption!  Thank you so much!

Now, I’ll be honest.  There are still about $15,000 to $20,000 in expenses left… so feel free to check out any other items in the Songwriting Pro Store.  I appreciate it.

To read more about our boys, Wren and Quill, CLICK HERE.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

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Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

It’s What I Want To Hear!

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SWP 2

It’s not about you.  It’s about the listener.  What’s in it for the listener?

As we began discussing last week (READ IT HERE), successful songwriters know it’s not about us- it’s about the listener.  When it comes to your song, what’s in it for the listener?  What’s going to make them stick around till the end and hit “repeat?”

If your song doesn’t have something in it for the listener, there’s no money in it for you.

Yep.  I just said that.

So, for the next few weeks, I’m going to be pointing out some things you can build into your song that can connect with your listeners.  So let’s dive in.

all about the listener

“It’s what I want to hear!”

Back when the Steve Holy single, “Good Morning, Beautiful” was climbing the charts and getting a bunch of radio spins… I didn’t quite get it.

I mean, it was okay, but I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about.  So I asked a female friend of mine, Heather, why she liked it so much. She just smiled and said, “Because it’s what I want to hear somebody say to me.”

Ooooohhh… (I’m a little slow sometimes.)

So a singer directly addressing the female listener and telling her something sweet that she wants to hear… makes her want to listen.  (Note to self: Try this on my wife.)

So one way to make your song more “cut/able” is to have your lyric say something the listener wants to hear.  Tell her she’s pretty.  Tell him you want to kiss him.  Yes, I know this should be pretty obvious, but if you’re like me… sometimes the obvious isn’t so obvious.

So here’s your homework.  Turn on the radio or your favorite playlist.  Find a song or two that answers the question, “What’s in it for the listener?” with “It’s what I want to hear!”  (Either you yourself as the listener or what a listener of the other gender would want to hear.)  Please leave a comment and let me know what you discovered!

If you’re interested in learning other ways to make your songs more “cut-able,” check out “Cut/able: Lessons In Market-Smart Songwriting.”  It’ll give you a ton of valuable insight into writing the type of commercial songs that artists want to record and audiences want to hear!

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.

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WordPlay, Write Like A Pro

Wordplay Thursday #157… and Adoption Update!

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Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

“Disappointed is __________.”

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things- and try to get IMAGERY in at least one of your plays!

“Disappointed is ________.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“Disappointed is when you lean in for a kiss and she turns, only offering her cheek.”

Wordplay Thursday

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

Adoption August

Adoption August at Songwriting Pro was a great success- because of YOU!  The short story is that every penny you spent on the Songwriting Pro store (minus the store’s fees) will go towards bringing two precious orphans (Wren and Quill) home from China.

Because of your generosity, we raised $2102.77 towards the adoption!  Thank you so much!

Now, I’ll be honest.  There are still about $15,000 to $20,000 in expenses left… so feel free to check out any other items in the Songwriting Pro Store.  I appreciate it.

To read more about our boys, Wren and Quill, CLICK HERE.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

SWP 4

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Congrats To The “Play For Publisher” Winners!

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Play For Pub

Congratulations to our “Play For Publisher” Top Ten songs and songwriters!

First of all, thank you to each of you who took a chance, took positive action, and submitted one or more songs to the “Play For Publisher” event with Chris Oglesby of BMG Chrysalis.  Ya’ll are just plain awesome.

Out of 160 songs, it took a while to whittle it down to just 10.  There were a lot of worthy songs sent in, and I felt bad about leaving so many out.  So just because your song wasn’t chosen this time doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good song.

You know, the only song I EVER had recommended to the NSAI Pitch-To-Publisher Luncheon was “Monday Morning Church.”

AND IT DIDN’T MAKE IT TO THE LUNCHEON.

That’s right.  The song that would go on to be a top 5 country hit was passed on- it didn’t even get played for the publishers.

Welcome to Nashville.  So while I listened to each and every song and did my best to pick the ones that have the best chance of catching Chris’ ear… I could be wrong.  That’s just the way the music biz works.  So if your song wasn’t selected, it doesn’t mean you should give up on it.

Okay, here are the Top Ten (in no particular order):

“Hard To Forget” by Jason Hamor

“I Got Something” by Shane Grove

“River Queen” by Kim Kondrashoff

“Anyway” by Mikalyn Hay

“Vinyl Afternoon” by Joe Slyzelia (and Donna King)

“Are You Awake” by David Hill

“Where Will I Be” by Susan Giacona

“Heartbroken Song” by Isaac Slutzky

“Stinger” by Jerry Glidewell

“Country Music Makes Me Thirsty” by Andrew Cavanagh

Congratulations!  Chris and I look forward to hanging out with you on October 13.  (I’ve already emailed the winners the instructions about the online meeting.  If you didn’t get the email, please let me know!)

Lastly, if you’re the writer of one of the Top Ten and would like everyone to be able to hear your song, feel free to leave a link in the comments!

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.

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Think Like A Pro

What’s In It For The Listener?

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SWP 2

I was leading one of Songwriting Pro’s online workshops the few weeks ago when a question came along that really hit me upside the head.

The group was sharing song ideas as part of a workshop exercise.  We were brainstorming and helping each other (it was a lot of fun).  Anyway, while we were discussing one particular idea, Jonathan (one of the awesome workshop members) asked a simple but hugely profound question:

What’s in it for the listener?

For the listener

If you want to get cuts, your song better have a good answer to that question.  Why should your listener care about your song?  What about your song will bring them back for more?  What does your song have going for it that will motivate the listener to stream the song 10 times a day or to (brace yourself…) actually BUY YOUR SONG?

It’s not about you.  It’s about the listener.

all about the listener

Do you have a friend who bores you to death with pointless stories or who drones on about some topic that doesn’t interest you in the least?  Your eyes glaze over and you can’t recall anything he/she said 2 minutes later?  Is there any way you’d want to put that conversation on repeat?  Of course not!

But what about your other friend?  You know- the one you actually like?  He/she talks about things that interest you, things you can relate to, or they just plain know how to tell an entertaining story.  Or maybe… they talk about YOU.  Your conversations with the friend actually have something in it for you.

So if you want to get cuts, make sure each song has something in it for the listener.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll be diving into some of the specific ways you can build something “in it for the listener.”

In the meantime, here’s your homework.  Turn on the radio or your favorite playlist.  For the next 10 songs, ask yourself, “What’s in it for the listener?”  Please leave a comment and let me know what you discovered!

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.

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The C.L.I.M.B., Write Like A Pro

The C.L.I.M.B. Episode 33: Songwriting Chart Study

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theclimbFINAL

The C.L.I.M.B. Podcast Episode 33 is live and ready for download!

In this week’s episode, Johnny and I dive into the Billboard Country Singles Chart to pull out some songwriting lessons.  Learn from success! (And be sure and subscribe so you never miss another helpful episode!)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

The C.L.I.M.B. stands for “Creating Leverage In The Music Business,” and that’s the goal of this podcast- to help singers, indie artists and songwriters like YOU to create leverage in the music business.  What is leverage?  It’s “strategic advantage; the power to act effectively.”  We want to help YOU make stuff happen in the music biz.

Thanks to everyone who has already downloaded our first run of episodes, covering topics like “10 Ways To Get To A Music Publisher” and “6 Simple Ways To Make Your Songs More Commercial.”

It’s been exciting to see how folks are digging the show- and being helped on their CLIMB.  If YOU like it, we’d really appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave a rating or review on iTunes.  Positive ratings and reviews help us to climb the iTunes rankings so more people become aware of the show and we can help more singers, songwriters, and indie artists like you make The CLIMB!The CLIMB iTunes review 3

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW

Climb reviews

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

If you aren’t on iTunes, you can listen to the show at our website:

TheCLIMBshow.com

Thanks for your time. It means a lot to me, and hopefully it’ll be a lot of help for you!

God Bless and keep C.L.I.M.B.ing,

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.

Write Like A Pro

There’s only ONE day left!

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SWP 4

The deadline for submitting a song to Songwriting Pro’s “Play For Publisher” event is TOMORROW (Saturday)!

If you’ve thought about submitting a song (or two or three) for the Play For Publisher event, you have until the end of the day tomorrow (Saturday the 24th) to purchase your ticket and reserve your spot.  Details and a link are at the end of the post.

In the meantime, here’s a encore of a recent blog post on the topic.  Thanks!

God bless,

Brent

I used to think my songs were pretty dang good.  Then I played them for a pro. 

Back when I was in Arkansas, writing songs and dreaming of getting cuts and hits, I thought I was a pretty good songwriter.  After all, my main cowriter, Tim Meitzen, liked our songs, and so did many of the people who came out to Tim’s gigs.  Tim just finished an album, and the studio owner / producer had good things to say about the songs – most of which I cowrote.  So I was feeling pretty good about myself.  (The phrase “as good as the stuff on the radio” might’ve been said once or twice.)

Then I played my songs for a pro.

I knew Danny Tate (a little) from back home.  His dad was the minister of music at my church.  Danny was a pro singer/songwriter who’d spent time in both Nashville and LA.  He’d gotten several cuts, his biggest being “Affair Of The Heart” for Rick Springfield in the ’80’s.  He’d also had a record deal and landed at least one video, “Dreaming'” on VH1 during my college days.  So he was no rookie.

Rick Springfield

I sent him some songs, and he was kind enough to listen.  He was also kind enough to be honest.  He gave me some valuable feedback, basically saying that “there’s a whole ‘nother level of songwriting” in Nashville.  Be told me my stuff was okay, but it didn’t meet professional standards.

Ouch.

By Little Rock, Arkansas, standards, Tim and I were doing strong work.  But by Nashville standards, we had a long way to go.  A later trip to meet Mike Doyle at ASCAP confirmed this.  I left that meeting encouraged but  reminded that the bar was set higher than I was reaching.

Those moments were NOT fun, but they were NECESSARY.

I appreciate Danny and Mike.  Their feedback was sometimes frustrating, but it helped me to reach higher.  Their feedback helped me turn pro.

It’s easy to let “the bar” slip down lower than it should.  It’s easy to start judging your work against what your cowriters or other amateurs are writing.  Having your friends and family like your songs and request them can lower the bar.  But “friends and family” is not where the bar is really set.

If you want cuts and hits, you can’t set the bar at “what mama likes.”

Set The Bar

So… how do you “re-set” the bar?  How do you raise your songwriting standards?  Here are a couple ways.

Go to great songwriter rounds.

Open mic nights don’t count.  I’m talking about hitting the later rounds where the pros play.  Yes, it’s fun to hear their cuts and hits.  But pay special attention to their songs that haven’t gotten cut yet.  You’ll hear songs that blow your mind- and it’ll blow your mind that those songs haven’t been recorded yet.  Those great songs?  That’s your competition.

Get professional feedback.

There are some places that offer song evaluations and coaching, and that’s great.  But I’ll be honest- I used to do a bunch of coaching sessions, and it’s easy to start grading on a curve.  A song may sound pretty good when it’s in the middle of a bunch of beginner coaching sessions.  That same song might sound very different if you’ve been listening to pro demos all day.

Your best bet to get an accurate assessment of your song is to get it in the ears of someone who is actively in the trenches.  Play it for someone who has their own songs (or the songs of their writers) judged by the highest standards on a regular basis.

Having a pro re-set your songwriting bar can be uncomfortable.  But it’s worth it.

If you’ve never played your songs for a pro, I encourage you to do it as soon as possible.  If it’s been a while, you’re due for a tune up.

So, how do you get to one of these pros?  Well, there are a few ways… but let me tell you about an event I have coming up.

In October, I’m hosting the first Songwriting Pro Play For Publisher (“P4P”) event.  This is YOUR opportunity to get YOUR song heard by a successful, active music publisher.  And we’re kicking off our first P4P event with a great guest: Chris Oglesby of BMG Chrysalis!  Chris is a 25-year music biz veteran, and he works every day with hit songwriters like Tony Lane, Brett Beavers, busbee, Hillary Lindsey, and more.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS AWESOME OPPORTUNITY.

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.

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Time to work “ON” my business!

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SWP 4

I’ve written before about the importance of working ON your business verses just working IN your business.

Well, it’s time to take my own advice.

I’ve been so busy lately with work, family, adoption stuff, church stuff, workshops and keeping up with the blog that I haven’t been doing enough to prepare for the long-term growth of Songwriting Pro.

There are some cool things I really want to make available for you – things that I believe will help you grow as a songwriter – and things that will allow me to help MORE songwriters like you.

But I need to take some time to focus on preparing those things.

So I don’t plan on blogging any new stuff for the month of September.  But I believe it’s going to be worth it in the long run.  I appreciate your patience during this process.

If you want to check out some classic posts, there are several links below.  Also, I’m still taking entries for our first “Play For Publisher” event with Chris Oglesby of BMG Chrysalis through Sept. 24.  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO SUBMIT A SONG.

Play For Pub

Here are those classic blog posts.  Feel free to check them out or just go bouncing around the site – there’s probably some stuff you’ve missed or would enjoy reading again!

God bless and see ya soon,

Brent

BE HELPFUL

5 THINGS SONGWRITERS SHOULD QUIT

6 SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR SONGS MORE COMMERCIAL

7 MISTAKES THAT KILL YOUR SONG’S EMOTIONAL POWER

THE 4 CORNERSTONES OF SONGWRITING SUCCESS

ARE YOU WORKING IN YOUR BUSINESS OR ON YOUR BUSINESS?

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.

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Do Business Like A Pro, P4P

You Might Not Believe This About Music Publishers, But…

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SWP 4

I wanna let you in on a Music Row secret.  No, it’s not Carrie Underwood’s phone number.  It’s a secret that can help your songwriting career get started.  Ready?  Okay, here it is:

Publishers actually WANT to like your songs. (It’s just that most songs aren’t good enough.)

I know it may not seem like it.  Playing your songs for a publisher for the first time can be terrifying.  Maybe you’ve heard horror stories about how they’ve said mean things to songwriters or how they never like anything.  Like… never ever.

Or maybe you’ve had your own song-babies called ugly to your face. Or your emails have gone seemingly ignored.  It can be easy to feel like publishers take some perverse joy in crushing songwriters’ dreams.

But I don’t think that’s really the case.

I think publishers are disappointed when they don’t like your song.  Why?  Here are a few reasons:

1. Great songs and songwriters help publishers keep their jobs.

A publisher earns his or her paycheck by getting songs cut.  And that is HARD.  So the more great songs and songwriters they can find and sign, the more their odds of getting hits increase.  They want your songs to be great so they can keep their jobs.

Pub Home Keep Job

2. Publishers don’t want to hurt your feelings.

Unless the publisher is a sociopath (or you’re an arrogant jerk and have it coming),  he takes no joy in leaving a boot-print on your heart.  Publishers know a ton of songwriters, and they know how much this stuff means to them.  Why would they enjoy hurting you?

3. Bad songs create unpleasant work for the publisher.

If they don’t listen in front of you, the publisher may just not respond if it’s a bad song.  But if you’re sitting across the desk or in a room full of other people, they have to think of something to say.  In a hurry.  And we’ve already established that they don’t want to hurt your feelings.  That means they have to go through verbal acrobatics to be kind but honest without giving you false hope.  That’s stressful.  And NOT fun.

4. Average songs waste a publisher’s time.

As I’ve said, getting songs cut is hard.  And spending part of your day listening to un-cutable songs doesn’t make it any easier.  Finding a great song is 3:00 well spent.  Sitting through anything less than a great song is 3 minutes the publisher will never get back.

Pub Hope Waste Time

5. Publishers are people.  And people like to be liked.

Publishers know the fastest way to your heart is to tell you your song is awesome.  They also know the quickest way to offend you is to say that you made an ugly song-baby.  Publishers are people, too- and they’d rather be on your Christmas card list than your “I’ll-see-you-in-the-parking-lot-later” list.

Sure, some publishers believe in tough love and will be brutally honest.  Others may just be having a bad day and aren’t inclined to like anything on that day.  And most publishers probably expect that songs from unknown songwriters won’t be great, so you must overcome their expectations.  But I don’t see why a bunch of publishers would hear something great, know it’s great, but tell you it’s bad or just ignore it.  Why would a publisher do that?  How does that benefit them?  Sure, it may be great, and they’re just mistaken to think it isn’t… but why purposefully tell you it stinks when it doesn’t?

Yes, a good publisher has a very high standard for songs.  But they WANT to find great songs.

Do YOU have a song that a publisher should hear?  If so, I have an opportunity for you…

I’m hosting the next round of Songwriting Pro’s “Play For A Publisher” soon!  We have these awesome events- with legit hit music publishers- every quarter, and the deadline to submit your song is coming up quickly!  CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

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.

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WordPlay, Write Like A Pro

Wordplay Thursday #156

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Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

“Scared is __________.”

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things- and try to get IMAGERY in at least one of your plays!

“Scared is ________.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“Scared is climbing in an ambulance with your wife.”  (I know this from recent personal experience.  Thanks again for your prayers.  It’s good to be back home!!)

Wordplay Thursday

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

Play For Pub

Want to play one (or more) of your songs for a real, all-up-in-the-middle-of-the-biz music publisher?  I have a great opportunity coming up for you- CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR SONG IN THE EARS OF A MUSIC PUBLISHER!

Adoption August

This month is Adoption August at Songwriting Pro!  The short story is that every penny you spend on the Songwriting Pro store (minus the store’s fees) will go towards bringing two orphans home from China.  Help yourself become a better songwriter while helping two boys join the Baxter family- how cool is that?

To read more about Wren, Quill and Adoption August, CLICK HERE.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Man vs. PRO