All posts by Brent Baxter

How You Can Connect With A Pro Songwriter

March 21, 2016 Brent Baxter 1 Comment

It’s hard to get a cowrite with a pro songwriter if none of them know you exist.

Last time, I wrote about a few people who can connect you to a pro songwriter (to read that post, CLICK HERE). The last item on that list was simply titled “You.” Today, I want to dive into some ways that you can reach out to a pro songwriter directly – how to get on a pro’s radar.

1. Industry Events

ASCAP, BMI, NSAI and other organizations host events which are open to the public or to their members. These events are good places to bump into pro songwriters. It may be a #1 party, a workshop, or a Christmas party. Show up, smile, and be friendly.

2. Songwriter Workshops

NSAI, Global Songwriters Connection and other groups often host workshops featuring pro songwriters as teachers, song evaluators, guests, etc. This is one of the few places where your song can be your first impression. That’s a great opportunity- if you have a great song! (To read more about how a great song is the best first impression you can make… READ HERE.)

3. Songwriter Rounds / Shows

Nobody likes to play to an empty room. Putting your smiling face in the crowd and giving the songwriter an honest compliment after the show will put you in the plus column.

4. Coaching

Okay, I wasn’t going to add this one, because it felt self-serving. But Andrew Cavanagh called it out in the comments last week, and it does work. Coaching/mentoring with a pro songwriter, whether paid or not, is a good way to get their attention. After all, the pro is focused on you (or your small group) for the length of the session. However, it does NOT guarantee anything more than the hour or whatever of feedback/help the pro and you both signed up for. Anything extra is a bonus. A coaching session rarely leads to anything else, so don’t expect it.

5. Online

Does the pro have a blog? Is he or she active on social media? Retweeting, liking, sharing, and leaving relevant (non-spammy) comments on their stuff helps you get your name and face in front of them in a positive way. Again… don’t spam. Don’t lead with “listen to my song” or “check out my website” or “download my song.”

6. Social Circles

If you live near a major music center (like Nashville, New York or LA), you may have a pro songwriter in the stands at your kid’s ballgame, volunteering at the same charities, or sitting in the pew in front of you at church (but PLEASE don’t choose your place of worship based on which industry people go there). These places allow you to connect as people first. And that’s a great way to start. Let the songwriting stuff come up later.

Okay, so now you’re breathing the same air as pro songwriters. Congratulations! Now you have the chance to go from them not knowing you exist to them possibly hating your guts and wishing they’d never laid eyes on you.

That’s right- you’re now in the perfect position to make a bad impression. Next time, we’ll discuss how to avoid that.

What about you? Have you had any success connecting with a pro at these events? Are there other places where you’ve connected? I’d love to hear your comments!

By the way…

Want some personalized help and guidance for your songwriting journey? I’ve just opened up some spots for 1-to-1 coaching. I’m happy to be your “personal pro”- to give feedback on your songs, answer any questions I can, help you develop your song ideas, and discuss goals and “next steps.” I also have some coach-writing spots open. This is when you and I actually write a song together! If you’re interested, CLICK 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.

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #134

March 17, 2016 Brent Baxter 10 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

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 this week, let’s try to get at least one image in at least one of our plays.

“Compassion is _____.”

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

“Compassion is a stranger’s tears sending one down my own cheek.”

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!

And thanks to Ernie Welch, Pete Smith, Mark Westendorf, Mitch Matthews, Dionne Kumpe, Ken Matthiesen, MW McDonough, Matt Martoccio, Debbie Davidson, Tommy Kib, Elaine Anderson, Barney Coulter, Debbie Convoy, Mark Steven Brocke, Kim Kondrashoff, Joe Slyzelia, Pamela Lack and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #133 (read it here)! Great job!

By the way…

I’m happy that so many of you have gotten value out of my workbook, “Cut/able: Lessons In Market-Smart Songwriting.” Its powerful insights and exercises are helping songwriters like you to craft songs that are more commercial.

But Cut/able can be better.

Through the process of teaching this material since its launch, I’ve come across several things I want to improve about the workbook. As a matter of fact, I’ll be adding a whole new section to the book, entitled (for now) “MVP-O-V: Most Valuable Point-Of-View.” This won’t be the only improvement, though. I’ll add new material to each of the other lessons, too.

Don’t worry, though. Everyone who has already purchased Cut/able will get the upgraded version FOR FREE. (I’ll email it to you when it’s ready.)

But here’s the catch: while I’m rebuilding Cut/able, it won’t be for sale. In fact, the last day that you can purchase Cut/able is Monday, March 22, 2016. After that, it’ll be unavailable until about May, when I relaunch.

So you should buy Cut/able today!

Why? Because today it’s still at it’s normal price. But after the upgrade happens, it’ll cost more.

So if you purchase before the March 22nd cutoff, you’ll get the current version immediately and you’ll also get the upgrade at no extra cost. I’ll send it out on relaunch day. In other words, I’m giving you the opportunity to buy it now before the price goes up.

To find out more about how Cut/able will help you write market-smart, commercial songs or to get your own copy, CLICK HERE or on the image below.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

The C.L.I.M.B.

Ready To C.L.I.M.B As A Songwriter? We have a podcast for that!

March 15, 2016 Brent Baxter 4 Comments

For the past few months, I’ve been working on a semi-secret project. And (thank goodness) I can finally let the cat out of the bag!

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little bit of a podcast addict. I love listening to stories, interviews, etc. as I’m driving around, doing office work, housework, or going for a walk. As a matter of fact, Man vs. Row probably wouldn’t even exist today without all that podcasts have taught me about blogging and online coaching. I’m a big believer in the power of podcasts to teach and inspire. And now I want to use podcasting as another way to teach songwriting.

My first podcast is now LIVE and available for download!

Only it’s not called “Man vs. Row.” It’s called, “The C.L.I.M.B.”

Why “The CLIMB?” Well, it’s an acronym which stands for “Creating Leverage In The Music Business.” And that’s our goal- to help indie artists and songwriters like YOU to create leverage, which is is defined as “strategic advantage; power to act effectively.”

And to help me create the leverage to make this podcast happen, I’ve teamed up with my buddy, Johnny Dwinell. Johnny owns Daredevil Production, an innovative artist development company. Not only do they develop and improve your artistry, they also grow and monetize your fan base, creating cash flow. Daredevil has worked with mult-platinum artists like Collin Raye, Tracy Lawrence, Ty Herndon, and Andy Griggs, just to name a few. You can find Johnny at daredevilproduction.com.

Johnny and I will take turns guiding each episode. Johnny’s episodes will be aimed at helping indie artists with marketing, understanding the music business, production, etc. He’s more on the artist side of things.

My episodes will focus on songwriting and music publishing business – areas I know well from my years in the music business as a songwriter.

Johnny and I aim to bring you a ton of value with each episode, and I hope you’ll check it out. The first 5 episodes are LIVE NOW on iTunes and Stitcher. Please subscribe and download ALL the available episodes today. We want to hit iTunes “New and Noteworthy” so more people will see the podcast and we can help the most people possible. Here are the links:

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

Biz, Cowriting

6 People Who Can Introduce You To Pro Songwriters

March 14, 2016 Brent Baxter 11 Comments

Trying to connect with pro songwriters in towns like Nashville can feel like standing knee-deep in a river and dying of thirst.

Pros are all around you- you see them at the coffee shop, walking up and down the sidewalks of Music Row, out at lunch in midtown, and out at songwriter nights. But how do you connect?

Maybe someone can introduce you.

I know. Easier said than done. But here are some people who have the possibility of connecting you to a pro. By “connecting,” I don’t necessarily mean booking a cowrite. I mean anything from “Bill Hitmaker, this is Manny Row,” to “Bill, you and Manny should write sometime!” to “Manny, let me book you with Bill.”

1. Your PRO Rep

If you’re a member of ASCAP, SESAC, or BMI, try to get a meeting with your rep. If you can make a fan out of him (or her), he might connect you with some other up and coming songwriters. Absolutely blow your rep’s mind, and he might connect you to a pro.

2. A Music Publisher

If a publisher really digs what you do, he/she might book you with some pro cowrites. Of course, connecting with a publisher isn’t easy. But I’ve written about that before. CLICK HERE to learn how to get on a music publisher’s radar.

3. Industry Contacts

Pro songwriters know people at organizations like NSAI. They hang out there sometimes. As these folks at these places get to know you (and become a fan of your writing and of you as a person), they may just grab you one day and say, “I want you to meet Bill Hitmaker. Bill, this is Manny Row…” Those kind of personal introductions are great.

4. Other Songwriters

Who do your current cowriters and songwriting friends know? Who are their cowriters? Maybe you can arrange a lunch or (better yet) a cowrite between the three of you. But don’t just expect your cowriters to just do you a favor. Make it easy on them by presenting an amazing idea or melody that you want to write with a pro. It could be pretty attractive for your cowriter to hook up your amazing idea/melody with an established pro who has connections. Your cowriter wins by bring both sides value and being in the room, too. And “great idea” + “pro songwriter” increases his chance of a cut, so he should be happy to get all three of you together.

5. Personal Relationships

If you live in Nashville, odds are you know somebody who knows a pro. Don’t abuse your friendships, but do be on the lookout for opportunities to meet those pros. Maybe it’s their kid’s birthday party. Maybe it’s at a Christmas party. You never know.

6. You

That’s right, YOU can introduce yourself to pro songwriters. There are several ways to do this. As a matter of fact, it’s worth it’s own post. And that’s exactly what we’ll discuss next Monday.

Please remember that all of these people don’t just exist to solve your problems and make you happy (you don’t even exist for the sole purpose of solving your problems, but that’s for more of a theological post…). You have to be patient. Don’t just walk in these folks’ doors and expect them to pick up the phone and call a pro on your behalf. It’s a big compliment for someone to make a professional introduction. Treat it- AND THEM- with respect. Build a relationship.

Hopefully, these folks will become a fan of both you and your songs. If it’s not happening, keep working to write better songs. Also, take a look at how you present yourself. Are you coming off as too aggressive, too negative, too desperate, too unprofessional, etc.? Every time a person makes a contact/recommendation on your behalf, it’s a reflection on them. Do your best to make them look good by introducing people to you!

What about you? Did I miss anyone? Have you used any of these avenues to meet & connect with a pro? Have you used different avenues? I’d love to hear your comments!

By the way…

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #133

March 10, 2016 Brent Baxter 18 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

“Inspiration is _____.”

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

“Inspiration is your first time watching a songwriter round at The Bluebird Cafe.”

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!

And thanks to Mark Westendorf, Matt Martoccio, Ken Matthiesen, Barney Coulter, Linda Keser, Jerry Childers, Kim Kondrashoff, Nancy Deckant, Debbie Davidson, Pamela Lack, Tomas Giraitis, W McDonough and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #132 (read it here)! Great job!

If you want to become a pro songwriter, you need to think like one. In my FREE e-book, “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” I not only reveal several of the mindsets which separate the pro songwriter from the amateur, but also…

How to get on a music publisher’s radar
How the pros know who is looking for songs
Six simple ways to make your songs more commercial
And more!

To get your FREE, INSTANT download of “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” just click on the image below, or CLICK HERE!

God Bless,

Brent

Muse

Fail. Fail. Fail… Win.

March 7, 2016 Brent Baxter 6 Comments

Let me share some failures with you. Don’t worry. There’s a happy ending.

Elvis Presley was booed off stage in Batesville, Arkansas (my hometown). Garth Brooks got passed on by every record label in Nashville. “Bless The Broken Road” was a non-hit single for an artist named Melodie Crittenden in 1998. A songwriter named Brett James gave up on the music biz and moved back to Oklahoma. A young songwriter named Kenny Chesney was told by a cowriter they should hire a demo singer for their song because Kenny “can’t sing.” “Monday Morning Church,” written by two unknown writers, failed to make NSAI’s Pitch-To-Publisher Luncheon.

What a bunch of losers, right? What a bunch of nobodies who never made it and songs that failed miserably.

Of course, we all know that’s not how these stories end.

Garth, Elvis, and Kenny became hugely successful artists, selling millions of records. Brett James started getting cuts, moved back to Nashville, and has written a ton of hits. “Bless The Broken Road” became a multi-week #1 and career song for Rascal Flatts. “Monday Morning Church” went top 5 for Alan Jackson and got me into the music business.

That’s how life often works. Fail. Fail. Fail… Win.

Obviously, not every song and songwriter that gets rejected will eventually find major success. Honestly, most won’t. Some songwriters have countless “fails” before a win. Some don’t have very many at all.

So, if you have some failures on your ledger… so what? Dust yourself off and try again. Learn from your failures. Fail again. Fail better.

The truth is, we rarely know when we’re close to a success or a breakthrough. We just keep working hard, plugging away. Fail, fail, fail…

I know. It’s easy for me to say. I’ve been blessed with some wins to go along with my losses. And I can’t promise you that your next (or first) win is just around the corner. But I can promise you that failing is just part of the process. It’s a part of every success story.

Maybe you’ve had so many “fails” in a row that you’re considering quitting your pursuit of professional songwriting or getting cuts. If that’s where you are, there’s a book by Seth Godin that may serve you. It’s called, “The Dip,” and it’s about when to stick it out and when to just get out. I’m a fan of Seth’s work, and while I haven’t read this book just yet, it’s on my to-read list. Here’s a link if you want to check it out.

I’d love to hear from you! Have you read “The Dip?” What did you think? Have you heard (or lived) any good Fail-Fail-Fail-Win stories? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #132

March 3, 2016 Brent Baxter 13 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

“Loss is _____.”

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

“Loss is realizing you can’t smell her perfume on the pillow anymore.”

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!

And thanks to Max Maxwell, Dionne Kumpe, Matt Martoccio, Ken Matthiesen, Nancy Deckant, Debbie Convoy, Barney Coulter, Jerry Childers, Linda Keser, Kim Kondrashoff, Tommy Kib, Nick S., W McDonough, Wm and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #131 (read it here)! Great job!

Wordplay Thursday is a fun way to the get the creative juices flowing and get some song ideas. However, if you’d like a deep dive into several ways to make the most of your new ideas, join me on March 29 for Man vs. Row’s “Focusing Your Great Song Ideas” online workshop. During this workshop, we’ll discuss several actionable tips tactics to write your best ideas in the best way possible. I use these methods, and they’ve definitely been a big help in my songwriting career. And it’s an online workshop, so you can join from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection. CLICK HERE TO FOCUS YOUR GREAT SONG IDEAS.

Tickets are limited for this workshop, and they are only a few spots left- so don’t delay. Reserve your spot today! Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Craft, Muse

Your Songs Have To Be Better. Period.

February 29, 2016 Brent Baxter 3 Comments

Ever turn on the radio, get mad and think, “Well, my stuff is just as good as THAT! Why aren’t mine getting cut???”

Raise your hand if you’ve been there. Yep. Me, too. And you might actually be writing songs that are, in fact, just as good as some of the ones on the radio.

But “just as good” isn’t good enough.

Unless you’re already one of the cool kids on Music Row with a bunch of hits and a strong network, being “just as good” equals “just as good as invisible.” It’s not enough to get you noticed or to get your song on the radio.

If your songs are just as good as a pro’s, expect the pro writer to get the cut.

After all, the pro has paid his (or her) dues, written a lot of really good songs, has industry contacts and might be writing with the artist or producer. If anyone’s going to get their mediocre song recorded, it’s them, not you. It might not seem fair, but a songwriter in that position has earned it.

Your songs have to be better. Period.

Not only do your songs have to cut through all the clutter of “bad” songs, they have to leapfrog all the “good” songs and be so good they land in the stack of “great” songs.

Sure, vanilla songs will get cut, but yours probably won’t. As an outside songwriter (one without strong industry connections), you’re up against songwriters who DO have those connections. Basically, your song has to be so good or so right for the artist that they pick yours INSTEAD of their buddy’s (or even their own song).

Write songs so good they can’t be ignored.

So… how do you actually do that?

There are a few ways to make your songs stand out: great melody, great production, great idea… I’m a lyricist, so I’ve always found my advantage in finding and developing ideas. Being known for consistently brining in strong ideas – and knowing what to do with them – has helped me attract great cowriters and land some great cuts.

I want to teach you how to find and develop great song ideas, too.

A great idea is one of the best ways to get other songwriters to not only notice you, but to tell their friends about you. If you can make another songwriter say, “I wish I’d thought of that!” they’ll remember you.

And I want you to be memorable.

I’m hosting two live, online workshops in March, and I’d love for you to join me. On March 22, I’m hosting “Finding Great Song Ideas.” Together, we’ll explore strategies and exercises I use to come up with my best song ideas. This isn’t about just waiting for lighting to strike. This is about how to stand in the rain with a big lightning rod. CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO FIND GREAT SONG IDEAS.

On March 29, I’m hosting “Focusing Your Great Song Ideas,” which dives into how to get the most out of your great ideas. This isn’t about going with the first angle that hits you. We’ll discuss exercises and tactics to make sure you’re writing your best ideas in the best ways possible. CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SONG IDEAS.

Both workshops are online, so you can join us from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. The two workshops build on each other, but they also stand alone. You don’t have to attend both to get a lot of value out of either one. However, there’s a discount if you do join both. Check them out at the links above or go to… www.gumroad.com/manvsrow.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #131

February 25, 2016 Brent Baxter 18 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

“Regret is _____.”

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

“Regret is long sleeves on a hot day just to hide a Spring Break tattoo.”

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!

And thanks to Ernie Welch, Linda Keser, Tommy Kib, Tomas Giraitis, Matt Martoccio, Nancy Deckant, Ken Matthiesen, Debbie Convoy, Nick S., Jerry Childers, Kim Kondrashoff, Debbie Davidson, Barney Coulter, Pat Aureli, Joe Slyzelia and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #130 (read it here)! Great job!

Wordplay Thursday is a fun way to the get the creative juices flowing and get some song ideas. However, if you’d like a deep dive into several ways of finding great song ideas, check out my upcoming online workshop “FINDING GREAT SONG IDEAS.” Almost nothing can fast-track your songwriting career like consistently writing great ideas, and our online workshop will cover several repeatable methods for coming up with game-changing song ideas. CLICK HERE TO FIND SOME GREAT SONG IDEAS.

And because just having a great idea is only PART of writing a great song, I also have an online workshop coming up called, “FOCUSING YOUR GREAT SONG IDEAS.” This online workshop dives into several ways to make the most of your great idea. I use these methods, and they’ve definitely been a big help in my songwriting career.

These workshops build off each other, but you don’t have to take both. Each one is designed to give you plenty of great tips and advice all by themselves. You don’t have to attend “FINDING” to attend “FOCUSING” but if you do sign up for “FINDING Great Song Ideas,” you’ll get a code for $10 off “FOCUSING Great Song Ideas.” CLICK HERE TO FOCUS YOUR GREAT SONG IDEAS.

Tickets are limited for these workshops, and they’re going fast- so don’t delay. Reserve your spot today! Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Artist Insights, Songplugging

Artist Insight Report: Eric Church “Mr. Misunderstood”

February 22, 2016 Brent Baxter 19 Comments

If you want your songs to get recorded by major artists, you need to understand those artists.

Understanding what an artist has recorded before can help you predict what he or she might record in the future. So, today, I decided to dive into Eric Church’s new album, “Mr. Misunderstood.” Here’s what I found, track-by-track. (Note: “PUL’D” is a reference from my workbook “Cut/able: Lessons in Market-Smart Songwriting.” It means “Positive-Uptempo-Love/Depth.” “Neighborhood” is also a reference from “Cut/able.” Check out the workbook HERE.) POV is “Point Of View.)

Artist: Eric Church

Album: Mr. Misunderstood

Producer: Jay Joyce

Label: EMI Records Nashville

“Mr. Misunderstood”

Writers: Eric Church, Casey Beathard

POV (Point of view): You/me

Timeframe: Present tense singing to “Mr. Misunderstood,” past tense about himself.

PUL’D: Positive, Ballad to Midtempo, Depth

Neighborhood: Rocker / indie. Fits his rocker image. Preaching to his choir: outsiders, musicians.

Subject: Music, life.

Notes: Sing-a-long “na-nas.” No repeating chorus, just the title. Lots of imagery. Speaks to the outsiders and musicians- clearly makes himself one of them.

“Mistress Named Music”

Writers: Eric Church, Casey Beathard

POV: I/me

Timeframe: Past

PUL’D: Positive, Mid-ballad, Depth/Life

Neighborhood: Bad boy. Alcohol & drug references. Rocker.

Subject: Music, Musician

Notes: Strong imagery, blues-sound, big guitar solo/classic rock long outro, big choir on intro

“Chattanooga Lucy”

Writers: Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell

POV: You/me

Timeframe: Present

PUL’D: Positive, Uptempo blues rock, Love

Neighborhood: Rocker, rough side of the tracks, edgy

Subject: Music, girl

Notes: Blues, lots of imagery, soul falsetto, female gang BGVs

“Mixed Drinks About Feelings”

Writers: Eric Church

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Present

PUL’D: Sad, Ballad, Lost love

Neighborhood: Drinkers

Subject: Lost love, drinking

Notes: Alcohol references, female lead (smoky voice) on 2nd verse, blues/soul

“Knives Of New Orleans”

Writers: Eric Church, Travis Meadows, Jeremy Spillman

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Negative, mid-uptempo, depth/life

Neighborhood: Tough guy, dark side of life

Subject: Murder about money

Notes: Good imagery, big driving feel, storytelling- takes on a character, big classic rock Bob Seger Springsteen epic

“‘Round Here Buzz”

Writers: Eric Church, Luke Dick, Jeff Hyde

POV: You/me

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Negative, midtempo, love

Neighborhood: Average Joe

Subject: You’re gone, so I’m hanging around our hometown drinking.

Notes: Good imagery, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus

“Kill A Word”

Writers: Eric Church, Luck Dick, Jeff Hyde

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Positive, midtempo, depth

Neighborhood: Tough guy with a heart of gold

Subject: Singer’s fed up with the negative junk in the world.

Notes: Tough, but positive. Violent language, but wants to make the world a better place. Dark.

“Holdin’ My Own”

Writers: Eric Church

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Positive, Midtempo, Depth/Love

Neighborhood: Rebel, but laid back.

Subject: Fatherhood, family, music, settling down.

Notes: Biographical (“troubadours”), mid-acoustic kinda beach/bouncy.

“Record Year”

Writers: Eric Church, Jeff Hyde

POV: Me/You

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Bittersweet, midtempo, lost love

Neighborhood: Average Joe

Subject: Music, lost love

Notes: Name drops artists from several genres: country, rock, R&B, soul. Ends up thanking the girl for leaving because it helped him rediscover all this great music. Starts off sad, ends up feeling positive.

“Three Year Old”

Writers: Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Positive, Mid-ballad, Depth

Neighborhood: Average Joe, good guy, but not perfect

Subject: Fatherhood

Notes: Great images, lessons to a dad from his kid. Lighthearted, but deep. Jesus reference.

TAKEAWAYS:

The big theme is music- how it has and continues to affect Eric’s life. It’s the constant drumbeat in the background of these songs and the thread that holds the record together. Classic blues and rock sounds. He’s dark, an outsider… but he has a good heart. He lives wild, but is maturing. Church wrote on every song and has a small circle of cowriters on this record, mainly Casey Beathard, Jeff Hyde, and Luke Dick. Hyde has the most cuts. Eric tends to write all of his own stuff, so there’s little chance of an outside cut. Path to a cut: work your way into cowrites with his cowriters, prove yourself and earn your way into the room with Eric.

What do you think? What insights would you like to add? Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to see more Artist Insight Reports from Man vs. Row in the future? Let me know in the comments!

Pro songwriters know they need to study artists and the market to have their best chance at writing songs that get cut. And if YOU want to become a pro, you need to think like a pro, too. In my FREE e-book, “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” I not only reveal several of the mindsets which separate the pro songwriter from the amateur, but also…

How to get on a music publisher’s radar
How the pros know who is looking for songs
Six simple ways to make your songs more commercial
And more!

To get your FREE, INSTANT download of “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” just click on the image below, or CLICK HERE!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

It’s hard to get a cowrite with a pro songwriter if none of them know you exist.

1. Industry Events

2. Songwriter Workshops

3. Songwriter Rounds / Shows

4. Coaching

5. Online

6. Social Circles

For the past few months, I’ve been working on a semi-secret project. And (thank goodness) I can finally let the cat out of the bag!

Trying to connect with pro songwriters in towns like Nashville can feel like standing knee-deep in a river and dying of thirst.

Maybe someone can introduce you.

1. Your PRO Rep

2. A Music Publisher

3. Industry Contacts

4. Other Songwriters

5. Personal Relationships

6. You

Let me share some failures with you. Don’t worry. There’s a happy ending.

Of course, we all know that’s not how these stories end.

That’s how life often works. Fail. Fail. Fail… Win.

The truth is, we rarely know when we’re close to a success or a breakthrough. We just keep working hard, plugging away. Fail, fail, fail…

Ever turn on the radio, get mad and think, “Well, my stuff is just as good as THAT! Why aren’t mine getting cut???”

But “just as good” isn’t good enough.

If your songs are just as good as a pro’s, expect the pro writer to get the cut.

Your songs have to be better. Period.

Write songs so good they can’t be ignored.

I want to teach you how to find and develop great song ideas, too.

And I want you to be memorable.

If you want your songs to get recorded by major artists, you need to understand those artists.

Artist: Eric Church

Album: Mr. Misunderstood

Producer: Jay Joyce

Label: EMI Records Nashville

“Mr. Misunderstood”

“Mistress Named Music”

“Chattanooga Lucy”

“Mixed Drinks About Feelings”

“Knives Of New Orleans”

“‘Round Here Buzz”

“Kill A Word”

“Holdin’ My Own”

“Record Year”

“Three Year Old”

TAKEAWAYS:

Helping songwriters turn pro.