Category Archives: Muse

These posts are meant to inspire.

Muse

Are You On The P.A.T.H. To Songwriting Success?

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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.

PATH

Songwriting is a journey. If you have big dreams for your songwriting, then it’s a long journey. It’s been my experience that a wise path is critical to a successful journey. Here are the elements of a wise P.A.T.H.

Purpose.

Why are you on this journey in the first place? Where do you want to go, and why do you want to go there? Without a clearly-defined purpose, without a desired destination at the end of the path, all you can do is wander. Find or define your purpose.

Action.

The path will not travel under your feet. You have to get moving! Take action, but not just any random action. The point isn’t to walk in circles or to run in place. Take the action you believe will move you in the direction of your purpose.

Time.

Any purpose worth following will not be fulfilled overnight. You have to put in the time. You have to resolve yourself to sticking with it for the long haul.

Habit.

Habit multiplies the effects of your efforts. When you have Purposeful Action Taken Habitually (hey, that spells P.A.T.H., too), that’s when all your positive momentum starts adding up like a snowball rolling downhill.

The path to success is paved with the stones of Purpose, Action, Time and Habit.

God Bless,

Brent

KNOW THE ROW

You’re invited to be a part of an exclusive Google Hangout with myself and music publisher & former ASCAP Membership Representative, Chad Green.  Ask Chad YOUR questions face-to-face as we discus how YOU can get on the radar of a publisher or PRO!  Click below to find out more:

Know The Row pic 2

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #78

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Wordplay Thursday

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.

“That child ran outside as naked as _____.”

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

“That child ran outside as naked as the honest truth.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Helen O’Shea, adamagain47, Megan Brennan, Adam Farr, Eric Velez, Nila, Jeff Green, Debbie Convoy, Tim Bell, Martin Vipond, Tommy Kib, Amy Nichols, Mae Young, Barney Coulter, Willa Thompson, Mark  Westendorf, Brek Lancaster, Eric Tingstad, Michael Klenda, Matt Martoccio, Debbie Davidson, Ken Matthiesen, Renata Scruggs, Michael P. Baker, nomoretories and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #77 (read it here)! Great job!

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, Muse

Show Me Your Songwriting Friends, And I’ll Show You Your Future

4 Comments

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.

“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”

Yes, I know that probably sounds like something your mother would say. But I think it’s true. And, if it IS true, it really matters who you let into your inner circle.

Consider these thoughts:

“You are the average of your 5 closest friends.”

“A person seldom outperforms his inner circle of friends.”

“People tend to earn within 10% of what their friends earn.”

“Birds of a feather flock together.”

Now consider YOUR inner circle- your closest friends, family, cowriters and music business connections. If the above statements are true, then it really matters what type of people these folks are.

If your friends are lazy songwriters, you’re more likely to be a lazy songwriter.

If your inner circle is full of negative complainers, you’ll end up being one, too.

If your close friends aren’t pitching songs or networking, you won’t do as much of it, either.

However, if your friends are serious about becoming better songwriters, you’ll become a better songwriter, too.

If your inner circle is full of positive, motivated people, you’ll stay more positive and motivated, too.

If your close friends are pitching songs and networking, you’ll likely do more of that, as well.

In light of this, are there changes you need to make? Obviously, you shouldn’t leave your family. Nor am I saying that you should never talk to your “happy-with-mediocrity” friends again. But I am encouraging you to seek out and start spending time with the go-getters, the achievers, the folks with positive, can-do attitudes. After all, the people closest to you are the ones who rub off on you the most.

God Bless,

Brent

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success!  You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it!  However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below.  Enjoy!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

 

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #77

32 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

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.

“Her mood was darker than _____.”

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

“Her mood was darker than a black hole’s shadow.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Mark W., Carol Buford, Amy Nichols, Jeff Green, Mae Young, Ken Mattiesen, Eric Tingstad, Dave Quirk, Willa Thompson, Matt Martoccio & everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #76 (read it here)! Great job!

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

Biz, Muse

The Shawshank Songwriter

12 Comments

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.

If you feel trapped in your day job- if you feel like you’re locked in a prison, I recommend watching “The Shawshank Redemption.” There is an important lesson in there for folks trying to escape their day jobs for the freedom of their dream jobs.

After years behind bars, Tim Robbins’ character, Andy, was finally able to tunnel his way out. No, I’m not suggesting you sneak a breakroom spoon into your cubicle and dig when your boss isn’t looking. The lesson is not about the tunneling itself, but how Andy went about it.

He was extremely patient and radically persistent.

You see, Andy knew he couldn’t just make a break for the wall and try to climb over. He would’ve gotten shot. He also knew that he couldn’t tunnel out in one night. There was just an impossible amount of work to do.

Andy knew he could only dig and remove a little bit of dirt a day without getting caught. So that’s what he did. Day after day, month after month, year after year, he dug a little dirt and spread it around the prison yard.

I’m sure there were times he must’ve been so frustrated that he was tempted to scream and hammer at the tunnel wall, desperate to finally get out! But he knew that would only lead to him getting caught- and getting caught meant, at the very least, changing cells and having to start all over.

And maybe that’s how you feel at your day job. You’re frustrated because you feel trapped, yet you can only do a little at a time to escape. Some days you want to walk into your boss’s office quit your day job right then… but you can’t. Maybe you don’t have any savings built up. Or maybe you have a family that is depending on you to bring home a steady paycheck, and you know you can’t let them down.

Or instead of quitting, you’re tempted to lock yourself in your writing room every night after work and polish your songwriting chops or stay out late at songwriter nights every night to network. But you have a spouse and children who need you, so you can’t.

So what do you do?

You do what Andy did.

You plan your escape tunnel. Decide how much and how often you can dig without causing certain financial or family ruin. (Notice I said “certain” not “possible.” There will always be risk in chasing your dream, but you don’t have to be suicidal.) Then you start digging at that pace- day after day, month after month, year after year. Dig as long as it takes.

Yes, it’s going to test your patience. Yes, it’ll feel like it’s taking too long. But be patient. Yes, it will take longer than the mad scramble up the prison wall, but it’s worth it to dig a tunnel big enough to bring your family and a little money with you on your escape.

God Bless,

Brent

A GIFT FOR YOU

I’ve recently released my 1st book on Amazon- and thanks to those of you who made it a bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories!  If you’d like to get your own copy of Hit Songwriting- How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success, it’s available for FREE, IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD at GiftFromBrent.com.  Or you can click on the image below.  Thanks!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #76

15 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

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.

“I’ll tell you, that kid’s sneakier than _____.”

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

“I’ll tell you, that kid’s sneakier than fine print.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Steve, Rachel Walker, Matt Martoccio, Roger Vines, Mark Barnowski, steverzbck, Barney Coulter, Jeff Green, Willa Thompson, Adam Farr, Brek Lancaster, Irene Miller Fyler and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #75 (read it here)! Great job!

A GIFT FROM BRENT

I want to thank everyone who has downloaded my new book, Hit Songwriting- How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success. You made it an Amazon best seller! (I also appreciate the nice 5-star reviews!) If you haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet, you can get it for FREE by clicking the image below. Thanks!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Biz, Muse

Are You Taking Ownership Of Your Songwriting Success?

2 Comments

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.

Are you just hoping for success? Waiting on the universe to give you what it’ll give you? Or are you taking responsibility for it?

It’s easy and tempting to wait and hope for your cowriters, publishers, or manager (or ASCAP or NSAI…) to make something happen on your behalf. And while these people can be a valuable part of your team, they will never have as much riding on your success as you do. They have their own families to feed.

I know there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the music biz. There’s not a simple 1-2-3 process for earning success. And since it’s often unclear how to make success, it’s easy to become passive.

But you have to take ownership. You have to resolve to never be a passive participant in your life. Take action. Good things don’t come to those who JUST wait. Good things come to those who are disciplined and patiently persistent.

Decide what success looks like for you, then try to figure out steps that will take you in that direction. And remember, these aren’t steps that happen TO you- these are steps that you TAKE.  Good things rarely just fall into your lap while you’re sitting still.  It’s a lot more common to find unexpected blessings when you’re out there moving with purpose.  So get moving.

The sooner you OWN your success, the sooner you EARN your success.

God Bless,

Brent

A GIFT FROM BRENT

I want to thank everyone who has downloaded my new book, Hit Songwriting- How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success.  You made it an Amazon best seller!  (I also appreciate the nice 5-star reviews!)  If you haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet, you can get it for FREE by clicking the image below.  Thanks!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #75

14 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

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.

“After eating all that garlic, his breath was stronger than _____.”

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

“After eating all that garlic, his breath was stronger than super glue.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Dan Retz, Matt Martoccio, Ricky, Michael Hay, Cathy, Johnshouse, Ken Matthiesen, Martinvipond, Steve, Jeff Green, Debbie Convoy, Steve Probst, Kim Kondrashoff, Michael Klenda, Adam Farr, Steverzbck and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #74 (read it here)! Great job!

God Bless,

Brent

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #74

24 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

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.

“Their first date went quicker than _____.”

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

“Their first date went quicker than a hiccup.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Ken Matthiesen, Donna Kossow, Barney Coulter, Cathy, Michael Klenda, Michael P. Baker, Andrew Clayton, Janet Goodman, Willa Thompson and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #73 (read it here)! Great job!

“HIT SONGWRITING”

FREE ON AMAZON!

I’ve just released my first book on Amazon!  It’s called, “Hit Songwriting- How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success” and you can get it for FREE!  Today and tomorrow (Thursday and Friday), you can download it for FREE from Amazon.  After that, it makes us start charging.  This book will teach you how to find a good songwriting coach and how to make the most of that relationship.  Go get it TODAY!  Just CLICK HERE or on the image below.  Thanks!

Brent Baxter Book BIG

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #73

11 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

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.

“His head was spinning like _____.”

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

“His head was spinning like a windmill in a hurricane.”

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!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Adam Farr, Michael Flanigan, Debbie, Jaredith Mize, Ken Matthiesen, Mel Ayres, Amy, Willa Thompson, Michael Klenda, Terry Gene, Michael P. Baker, Kim Kondrashoff, Brek Lancaster and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #72 (read it here)! Great job!

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

BECOME AN MVR VIP!

If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, or if you want special discounts on Man vs. Row products and services, become an MvR VIP! Simply enter your email in the “Become an MvR VIP” section on this page. It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below. Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it. I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else. Thanks!

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God Bless,

Brent