Tag Archives: Erin Enderlin

Do Business Like A Pro, Frettie, Know The Row

Should a songwriter hold back their best ideas?

July 29, 2018 Brent Baxter 3 Comments

Are you sitting on your A-list song ideas, waiting for someday when you might get in the room with a hit songwriter or an artist?

Are you intentionally NOT writing these titles/ideas with your current cowriters because they’re unknown, unproven, or don’t have publishing deals?

That can be tempting. After all, you don’t want to “waste” your brilliant idea with anyone less than a hit songwriter or an artist. It’s tempting. But it’s also a mistake.

Read on if you want more songwriting success. ________________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success. Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

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Here are four reasons you should NOT save your best ideas for “someday.” This is why you should bring your best stuff to EVERY cowrite.

1. Today’s unknown cowriter might be tomorrow’s hit writer.

Erin Enderlin was definitely higher up the Nashville ladder than I as when we started writing together (she still is, by the way). But back then, she was still a college student with no cuts to her credit. It’s a good thing I decided to pitch her the idea of “Monday Morning Church” instead of waiting till “someday when I get to Nashville and get to write with a hit songwriter.” ‘Cuz you know what? Erin WAS a hit songwriter. And so was I. It just so happened that we’d write our first hit… with each other. If an unknown writer is talented and hardworking, don’t hold back your best stuff. I’m certainly glad I didn’t.

2. Your best work creates better opportunities.

Simply put, your B-list work isn’t going to open A-list doors. Always bring your best. And as your best gets better, you’ll start to get noticed by folks higher up the ladder. If nothing else, think of your best stuff as bait for better cowrites. Here’s an example. You’re a lyricist, but you’ve only written with “B-list” melody people. Opportunity might happen when a publisher says, “Wow- what a great lyric and idea. Let me get you with some of my melody writers.”

3. There’s more where that came from.

If you keep writing, you’ll have more ideas. You’ll get better ideas. You’ll write better grooves, better guitar licks. Your creativity is a renewable resource. Trust that your current “best stuff” is not the only “best stuff” you’ll ever have.

4. The clock is ticking.

For one thing, your current best stuff might not even be relevant in a year or two. The market may change. Trends may shift. Strike now, while the iron’s hot. Also, you are (or at least, you should be) growing as a songwriter. Most of your A-list stuff today will become your B-list stuff tomorrow. But the clock slows down for really good work. A great song stands the test of time, and you can only write one if you’re writing the very best you can, not holding back for “someday.” So do your best work as often as you can.

Does this mean that EVERY best idea is right for EVERY cowriter? No. But the point is that you want to do your very best work, regardless of who else is in the room. Your songwriting skill is like a sport- you play like you practice. If you don’t make it a habit to always do your best (acting like some cowrites are just “practice”), your best may not be there when you need it- when you finally do get in the room with that hit songwriter or artist.

What about you? Have you held back on presenting your best stuff to cowriters. How’d that work out? Have you presented your best stuff to an unproven cowriter only to be happily surprised by the results? I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment.

Also, if you’re looking for an opportunity to connect with some music industry pros, I have a great opportunity for you. In August, I’m hosting a “Know The Row” event with not one but TWO legit music business pros!

On August 14, you can hang out online and ask YOUR questions to music publisher, Scot Sherrod, of Rare Spark Media. Scot has had his hand in several hit country songs, and his current roster includes rising country star, Walker Hayes (“You Broke Up With Me” and “Craig.”)

Then on August 16, you can hang out online and ask YOUR questions to songwriter and recording artist, Aaron Goodvin. As a songwriter, Aaron has had songs recorded by country stars Luke Bryan and Cole Swindell. Goodvin is also a rising artist on Warner Bros. Canada with a few hits and award nominations to his credit. And he just signed as a songwriter with Reviver Records. Reviver is home to hit-making artists such as LoCash and David Lee Murphy.

This is YOUR chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with two real-deal music biz professionals.

You and I both want to learn what Scot and Aaron have to share.

Here’s the deal. You can join us online from anywhere in the world on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 from 7pm-8pm Central time and Thursday, August 16, 2018, exact time that evening TBD. And these special “Know The Row” events are 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 MUSIC PUBLISHER, SCOT SHERROD, AND RECORDING ARTIST, AARON GOODMAN.

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.

P4P, Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Writing A Hit Song Without Living In A Music Town

May 7, 2018 Brent Baxter 3 Comments

You don’t have to live in Nashville, New York or LA to write a hit song.

You don’t even have to live in a major music city to get that song recorded by a major artist. At least, that’s my story. And I’d like to share it with you- along with a few lessons which might help you on your songwriting journey.

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To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success. Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

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As a songwriter living outside of Nashville, you may think it’s impossible to get a song recorded by a major country star. You’d be wrong.

Just because you may have a family, job, or other responsibilities that keep you from making a move to Nashville or one of the other major music centers, New York or LA, doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get a song recorded. It just means you have to…

…grow where you’re planted.

Now, don’t get me wrong, songwriters in Nashville have a decided advantage over those living elsewhere. They are close to the industry, it’s easier to make those all-important personal contacts in the business, and Nashville is a great place to learn the craft of songwriting. However, just because it’s harder doesn’t mean it’s impossible. At least not in my experience.

In 2000, after graduation from Arkansas State University, I was looking for jobs in Nashville, which, I hoped, would help in my pursuit of a songwriting career. However, the job offer came from a company in Little Rock, Arkansas, so Nashville would have to wait. But I knew I couldn’t afford to be idle in the meantime.

I couldn’t waste time waiting on an eventual move to Nashville.

I dove into the local music and songwriting scene in Little Rock, which by no means qualifies as a major music center. But my main cowriter from back home in Batesville was living there, too, so that was a start. Since I’m a lyricist and not a singer, I helped get my friend, Tim Meitzen, some gigs in town.

Now, what follows is a string of steps that by themselves may seem insignificant. But in the end, each of those forward steps led to my big break.

I was downtown one day and saw a flier for an upcoming songwriter’s night. Well, that was pretty rare in Little Rock, and I immediately signed up my co-writer, Tim. (That was part of my job as the non-singing half of our cowriting team.)

Tim played the writer’s round, and we met a few guys who were starting a publishing company based out of Little Rock. Through the course of that relationship, one of ‘em gave me a cd of songs by Erin Enderlin. Erin was a songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, who was currently in college at Middle Tennessee State University outside of Nashville.

Being active in the local music scene helped create my network.

Months later, I saw that Erin was going to be performing in Little Rock. She was in over her spring break, and I went out to catch her show. She’d been writing songs in Nashville and was having some success making contacts in the music business. I gave her a cd of some songs, and she liked them.

Well, when Erin came back over summer break, we started writing together. Then she went back to school and continued making music business contacts. Then, over Christmas break of 2001, I gave her a lyric I’d had for a few years for a song called, “Monday Morning Church.” She liked it and wrote a great melody for the lyric. She also made some tweaks to the lyric. Then she was back off to Tennessee.

Now, I ended up finally making the move to Nashville myself in March of 2002, but it was Erin’s contacts that made the cut of that song possible. She brought the song back to Nashville, where she had begun working with a publisher. He demoed the song, played it for Keith Stegall, and it was eventually recorded by Alan Jackson in March of 2004.

It all went according to plan. Kind of.

Looking back on it now, it might seem like a straight line to the record store, but that’s only in retrospect. At the time, I was plugging away, just trying to take advantage of every opportunity that I could either find or create. I chased several rabbits along the way, not knowing which one would lead somewhere.

And that’s the point. You don’t know which small step will eventually lead to where you want to go. No, the writer’s night at Starr’s Guitars wasn’t the Bluebird. No, Little Rock wasn’t Nashville. But taking those small steps, growing where I was planted, led to a hit song and the ability to do this for a living. At least for a while.

I wouldn’t presume to know exactly which steps you need to take. And I certainly don’t think I was so talented that Nashville couldn’t help but notice me. No, I know ultimately, it was up to God to open those doors. He had me in Little Rock at that time for a reason.

God has you where you are. And He has you there for a reason.

If I’d been idle, just waiting to get to Nashville, I might never have gotten here. But God had me there for a reason. And God has YOU were you are for a reason. Maybe it’s for music, maybe not. But I do know that where ever you are, it’s important to grow where you’re planted.

I hope my story encourages you to keep chasing your passions.

What about you? Do you live in Nashville, or are you chasing the songwriting dream from out of town? I’d love to hear from you!

Also, if you want to connect to a legit, real-deal music publisher- from anywhere in the world, I have a great opportunity for you.

Songwriting Pro’s next Play For A Publisher event is coming right up! Our guest is Tim Hunze of Parallel Music in Nashville, Tennessee. Tim has worked closely with several #1 hit songwriters, and he’s been getting songs recorded by major artists for years. If YOU have the songs, HE knows what to do with them!

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND SEND IN YOUR SONG!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Do Business Like A Pro

It Takes A Lot Of Songwriting Swings To Get A Hit

May 30, 2017 Brent Baxter 2 Comments

Don’t give up on your song if the first publisher doesn’t love it. And don’t give up on that publisher if they don’t love your first song. You usually have to swing the bat a lot of times to get a hit. Here are a few of my stories that prove that.

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To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success. Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

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I hope these stories from my songwriting journey inspire you on YOUR journey. And there are some lessons in this we’ll get to at the end.

*Back before I had any success as a songwriter, I cold-called Major Bob Music, a publisher. They said I could drop off a comp (a comp is a few songs on a CD). I never heard back from them. Months later, a mutual contact in the industry, Chad Green, recommended me to them. We eventually sign my first publishing deal.

*My first meeting at ASCAP was with Mike Doyle. He saw potential in a couple of songs, but he probably forgot about me the minute I walked out of his office. About five years later, he’s my songplugger at Major Bob.

*Years later, a different publisher didn’t believe in my song, “Crickets” enough to demo it. My cowriters did a guitar/vocal, anyway. I pitched it to Joe Nichols’ label. They passed. More pitches. Eventually, it got put on hold for Easton Corbin. Didn’t get cut. Joe Nichols got a new record label. Pitch. Cut. Title track to his album, “Crickets.”

*I had a song idea and lyric called, “Monday Morning Church.” This was back in Little Rock, Arkansas. I showed it to (at the time) my main cowriter. He never did anything with it. I showed it to another potential cowriter. Nothing happened. Then I met Erin Enderlin. She loved it. We wrote it, and Alan Jackson made “Monday Morning Church” a top five hit.

What does this mean for you?

It means you shouldn’t give up!

What if I had given up on “Monday Morning Church” because the first few potential cowriters passed on it? What if I’d given up on “Crickets” because my publisher didn’t love it? What if I had given up on Major Bob Music because they apparently didn’t love the songs I dropped off or because one of their songpluggers didn’t do backflips over me five years earlier?

Nobody will believe in you or your music… until they finally do.

I’ve heard stories of producers who had to hear a song 3, 4 or 5 times on separate occasions before they finally “got it” and cut it. What if those writers had given up after only one try?

The people who succeed in the music business are the ones who don’t give up. I know the feeling. I know it’s frustrating. You write a song that you really believe in… and the first publisher you play it for skips to the next song halfway through the chorus without any comments. Or you finally get that first publisher meeting- and they say you need to “dig deeper.”

It hurts.

But if you want to be a pro, you have to act like a pro. And pros will take an honest look at themselves and their writing. Then they’ll get out the guitars and write another song. Then demo another song. Then pitch another song. Then call another publisher. Eventually, they’ll call the same publisher back. Or they’ll pitch that same song again. Why? Because…

Pros know that their songs probably won’t be “the right song at the right time” the first time.

We also know WE probably won’t be the right songwriter at the right time the first time, either. I sure wasn’t the right songwriter the first time I met Mike at ASCAP. But I WAS the right songwriter at the right time a few years later at Major Bob.

You’ll never hit home runs if you don’t keep swinging the bat.

So, what about you? Is there a song you believe in that’s been passed over? Maybe it’s time someone hears it again. Maybe you’ve been passed over as a writer. Maybe it’s time to put yourself out there again.

Let me help.

I’m hosting Songwriting Pro’s Play For A Publisher event next month. Now that I’ve done a few of these, I’ve seen some cool stuff happen. I’ve seen a songwriter who didn’t make it to one Play For A Publisher – make it to the next. I’ve seen the same song NOT make it to one Play For A Publisher, then make it to the next.

Maybe THIS time is the right time for you. CLICK HERE to learn more, submit your song, and take another swing.

Tim Hunze is coming back to do another Play For A Publisher event in June! He’s a successful publisher with Parallel Music in Nashville, Tennessee. Tickets are on sale now, and space is limited. CLICK HERE to check out all the details and submit YOUR song for Tim!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Should You Save Your Best Stuff For ONLY Hit Songwriters & Artists?

June 6, 2016 Brent Baxter 5 Comments

Are you sitting on your A-list song ideas, waiting for someday when you might get in the room with a hit songwriter or an artist?

Are you intentionally NOT writing these titles/ideas with your current cowriters because they’re unknown, unproven, or don’t have publishing deals?

That can be tempting. After all, you don’t want to “waste” your brilliant idea with anyone less than a hit songwriter or an artist. It’s tempting. But it’s also a mistake.

Here are four reasons you should NOT save your best ideas for “someday.” This is why you should bring your best stuff to EVERY cowrite.

1. Today’s unknown cowriter might be tomorrow’s hit writer.

2. Your best work creates better opportunities.

3. There’s more where that came from.

4. The clock is ticking.

Does this mean that EVERY best idea is right for EVERY cowriter? No. And that’s something we’ll discuss soon. But the point is that you want to do your very best work, regardless of who else is in the room. Your songwriting skill is like a sport- you play like you practice. If you don’t make it a habit to always do your best (acting like some cowrites are just “practice”), your best may not be there when you need it- when you finally do get in the room with that hit songwriter or artist.

If you enjoyed this post and think it might help others, I’d appreciate a share on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn… wherever. Thanks!

Also, 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

Craft, Cut Study

6 Words That Changed My Life

January 11, 2016 Brent Baxter 7 Comments

In 2002, I was an unknown lyricist who had just moved to Nashville from Little Rock, Arkansas. Almost zero contacts in the music business. No cowrites with pro songwriters.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years. In 2005, I’m standing on stage at the NSAI Awards receiving one of only 12 “Songs I Wish I’d Written” awards given that year. The next night was the ASCAP Awards, where I’d be receiving an airplay award for a top 5 single. I now had a publishing deal at Major Bob Music and wrote regularly with other pro songwriters.

So what got me from point A to point B? What got me from waiting tables at Cracker Barrel with a name tag that said, “Hello, my name is Brent” to having people introduce me as “This is Brent, he wrote ‘Monday Morning Church’ for Alan Jackson?” Well… God took me from A to B, really. God gets all the credit, because it certainly wasn’t because of my songwriting skills at the time.

Looking back now, it’s almost embarrassing how green I was.

And it wasn’t about my networking skills. I still knew almost no one in the music business. I was at an industry party talking to some guy. This was in 2004 after the song got cut but before it was a single. We were chatting about the song, and he said, “Man, I love that song.” I said, “Oh, you know it?” He said, “Yeah. I cut it on Alan.” It was Keith Stegall, Alan’s producer. A legend in the biz and I didn’t recognize him because I’d never actually seen him in person before. I was so embarrassed. So, no…

I was not a networking genius.

And my success wasn’t about my cowriter’s political pull in the biz. It was her first cut, too. She was still in college at MTSU! She did have a well-established publisher pitching the song, though. But our names had nothing to do with the cut.

What God used more than anything else to take me from unknown lyricist to hit songwriter… was 6 little words I ran across in a poem my mother wrote:

“Empty as a Monday morning church.”

An image. A really great image became the core of my first cut and changed my life.

If you’re like me and want to write songs that get on records and radio and compete for the big money, you’re stepping into a very, very competitive business. There are only a few spots available on the album of a major artist. And there are even less slots available on radio.

In a business this competitive, you need every advantage you can get. Small advantages can bring big results. Adding great images to your songs can give you that advantage. It can make you more attractive and valued as a cowriter. It can get you that second publisher meeting. It can make a record label go from “what else do you have” to “let me keep a copy of that.” Likewise, better imagery can take your song from “let me keep a copy of that” to “put that on hold- I want to play it for my artist.” Or maybe great imagery will even take your song from “I want to put that on hold” to “we want to record your song.”

Great imagery can even make the difference between getting a $300 album cut or a $300,000 hit single.

In a business this competitive, the opposite is also true. Your song that’s being held for an artist might not get cut because they decide to record a song that’s just a little better. Or even if they do cut your song, they might single a different song instead. And the difference between an album cut and a hit single is huge. It’s not just a huge money difference, getting a hit single will boost your status and prestige much more than an album cut ever will.

Don’t settle for images that work. Strive for the BEST images you can get into your songs. It’ll make a big difference in your songwriting. And that big difference might just give you that small edge that turns you pro.

Think you can’t write great images? Think you either have to be born with the “imagery-gene” or you’re just out of luck? Put those thoughts away. You CAN learn to get a lot better with imagery-writing. My first songs didn’t have nearly the level of imagery I can write now. What made the difference?

Time, education and practice. Now, I can’t do much about “time,” but I can help you with education. Here’s a video clip that you might find helpful.

What about you? What are some of your favorite images from song lyrics? Please share in the comments!

Since strong imagery is such an important part of professional-level songwriting, I’ve put together a course on imagery. It’s called, “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” and it’s available now. By the end of the course, you’ll have the basic skills to:

Effectively use both literal and figurative imagery.
Make your story come to life using imagery.
Prove your character’s personality using imagery.
Make your listener connect to your character’s emotions using imagery.
Hook your listener in the song’s first few lines using imagery.
And to begin more songs (more easily) using imagery exercises as the start of your songwriting process.

Click here if you’re ready to “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” or click on the image below.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Biz, Cowriting

Don’t Neglect Your Songwriting Peer Group

September 14, 2015 Brent Baxter Leave a comment

Starting off, pretty much every songwriter wanting cuts feels like the fastest way to get there is to “write up.”

To “write up” is to write with a songwriter who is at a higher level in his or her career. It might mean writing with a hit songwriter, a published songwriter, or even just someone who’s been at it for more years. Hey, writing up is great if you can make it happen, but it’s not going to suddenly unlock every door on Music Row. And focusing on writing up might actually lead to some big mistakes.

The big danger of focusing on writing up is that you’ll neglect your peer group. Don’t neglect your peer group! Who is your peer group? It’s those songwriters in the same boat as you. It may be that guy in your hometown that has the same dreams and work ethic as you. It might be that unpublished writer you keep running into at songwriter rounds. It might be someone in the same online community who posts songs that are similar to yours.

Sure, maybe none of these folks are pro writers… (yet), but who’s to say where they’ll be in five or ten years? If the raw talent and work ethic are there, maybe all they’re missing is time and the right song or connections. What if you’re supposed to write your first hit TOGETHER?

That’s what happened with “Monday Morning Church.” Neither Erin Enderlin nor I had ever had a major cut before that song. When I wrote that song with her, I WAS writing with a hit songwriter – she just hadn’t written the hit YET. We were supposed to write that hit together!

I’m glad I didn’t neglect our cowriting relationship while I was busy trying to write up. Here are some ways of neglecting your peer group:

1. Holding back your best ideas

What if I had held off on writing “Monday Morning Church” until I could finally get in the room with a “real” hit songwriter? What if I thought my idea was too good for one of the best cowriters I had back then? Well, the song might never have gone top 5, and you might not be reading this blog right now.

Write your best ideas with your best cowriters, whoever they are, even if they aren’t a “pro” yet.

Even if the song doesn’t live up to your hopes, it’ll still probably be better than the average idea you’re tempted to settle for instead. And better songs will lead to better opportunities in the future.

2. Not writing with a good writer just because he/she isn’t a “pro”

Like I said, neither Erin nor I had ever had a cut when we wrote our future top 5 single together. I was so much better off writing with her – an unsigned but talented and serious writer, than I would’ve been just waiting to write with a hit songwriter.

I’m not saying your should write with just anyone with a pulse. I’m saying don’t overlook a serious, talented, hardworking songwriter just because they don’t have a hit or a publishing deal yet.

Knowing that you shouldn’t neglect your peer group is one way that pro songwriters think. And if you want to become a pro, you need to think like a pro. 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

Biz, Cowriting, Craft

6 Resources That Helped Me Become A Hit Songwriter (And None Of Them Is A Guitar)

November 24, 2014 Brent Baxter 12 Comments

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.

Here is my list of 6 resources that helped me become a hit songwriter. Will merely using these resources guarantee that you end up with a top 5 Alan Jackson single like I did? No, of course not. But they were helpful to me, and I hope they’ll be the same for you. Now, let’s get to the goods.

1. NSAI (www.nashvillesongwriters.com)

NSAI, or Nashville Songwriters Association International, is a great organization with chapters across the world. I attended Angie Owens’ workshop in Bono, Arkansas, while I was in college. Not only were the lessons (and occasional pro writer) sent from Nashville educational, it made me feel that Nashville wasn’t so far away. It made the dream more real. I also used the Song Evaluation Service, where a published songwriter would listen to the song I sent in and give me their feedback. It was both encouraging and educational. NSAI also gave me a place to go on my 1st couple trips to Nashville- their office and their Thursday night workshop. NSAI has a lot more services now than back when everything was off-line, so I definitely recommend checking them out. There is also a similar, newer, organization called Global Songwriters Connection. Check them out at www.globalsongwriters.com.

2. ASCAP (www.ascap.com)

ASCAP is a performing rights organization (PRO). Basically, they collect airplay money from radio stations, etc. and send it to their writers and publishers. I joined a few years before moving to Tennessee, and it gave me a place to play songs. Now, I had to call early and often, but I was usually able to get a sit-down meeting with a writer’s representative, who would listen to my mediocre songs and give me advice. There are two other PROs in the US- BMI (www.bmi.com) and SESAC (www.sesac.com). Check each of them out, and get in where you fit in.

3. Songwriting books.

I read whatever I could find on songwriting and music publishing. Not only did these books give me a lot of techniques and info which helped my writing, I learned a lot about the music biz. That helped me look like less of a novice on my first trips to Nashville. Here are some that really helped me out, along with links…

“All You Need To Know About The Music Business” by Donald Passman

“Writing Better Lyrics” by Pat Pattison

“The Songwriter’s Guide To Music Publishing” by Randy Poe

“The Songwriters Idea Book” by Shelia Davis

4. My Local Music Scene

I was living in Little Rock at the time, and there wasn’t much of a songwriting community. But I connected to what I could find. My cowriter (pretty much the only one I had at the time) played one of the rare songwriter nights in Little Rock. (I’m a non-performing lyricist.) This led to us meeting an aspiring music publisher, who introduced me to my first real live Music Row publisher in Nashville. He was also the guy who first told me about Erin Enderlin, who would write “Monday Morning Church,” our Alan Jackson hit, with me.

5. An Organized System.

What good is an inspired idea or an unfinished lyric if you lose it in the back of a drawer or under the seat of your car? I keep a “hook book” full of potential titles and song ideas. I’ve kept the same list since I started writing songs back in 1994. I only take titles off it when I write them. That’s the one place I can go to sift through all my potential ideas. I also have folders on my computer for “unfinished songs,” “finished songs,” “lyrics ready for cowriting,” etc. I also have lists of potentials titles such as “beach ideas” and “gospel ideas.” But everything goes on the master list. Having an organized system allowed me to easily find “Monday Morning Church” when I was looking for lyrics to present to Erin. The earliest draft of that lyric was 1 1/2 years old when I showed it to her. That’s a lot of old notebooks to look through, if I would’ve even remembered to look for it.

6. A Talented, Connected Cowriter.

Songwriting is a team sport. I was very blessed to be on a team with Erin Enderlin for “Monday Morning Church.” I lived in Little Rock and really didn’t know anyone in the biz. Erin, also from Arkansas, was going to college in Middle Tennessee and had been making connections. And she’s a talented enough writer to take advantage of those connections. A great idea and her talent and connections gave “Monday Morning Church” a real chance to go from a title in my hook book to a hit on the radio.

So, there you have it. These are the 6 resources that helped me become a hit songwriter. Everyone’s journey is unique- so your mix of talents and resources won’t be the same as mine. But I hope I’ve given you some hope and some things to think about. And thank you again for checking out Man vs. Row. I hope it helps you become a more efficient, effective, and successful songwriter.

What about you? What resources have you used or are currently using? What results have you gotten? I’d love to hear from you!

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!

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Cut Study

The Story Behind “Monday Morning Church”

August 31, 2014 Brent Baxter 10 Comments

A lot of people ask me about the story behind “Monday Morning Church.” Did I lose someone close to me? Did I just make it up? Stick around and find out.

Back in 1999, I was in the final semester of getting my Master’s Degree in Business at Arkansas State University.

At that point, I was writing songs at night and on weekends.

I went back home to Batesville, Arkansas, one weekend to hang out with the folks. My mom, an English teacher, showed me a poem she had written as an example to her students.

The poem was about a teacher’s day, and it had a line that read, “Trudging wearily through the parking lot, as empty as a Monday-morning church.”

When I saw that line, it about blew the top of my head off! I thought it was a brilliant image. Immediately, I told her I was gonna use it.

Back at school, I started working on the lyric (I don’t write melodies). I remember sitting in my little off-campus apartment at my computer and kicking that title around. With an image like “empty as a Monday morning church,” I knew it had to be something serious.

I settled on the idea of a man who had lost his wife and was having a crisis of faith. The first lines of the song came first:

“You left your Bible on the dresser, so I put it in the drawer. ‘Cuz I can’t seem to talk to God without yelling anymore.”

I remember really liking those lines, even though I knew they might be too in-your-face. As it turns out, they seem to be most peoples’ favorite part of the song, so what do I know?

I’m not sure how long it took me to write the first draft of the lyric- probably a few hours over the next couple of days.

The lyric sat around for a few years…

…with occasional false starts by various cowriters. I eventually moved to Little Rock and met Erin Enderlin, who was a Conway native going to school outside of Nashville.

I rewrote the 2nd verse and showed it to Erin during a cowrite her parents’ place over Christmas break. Thankfully, she liked it. A few days later, she played the melody for me. She’s a great writer.

Erin took our song back to Nashville…

…and played it for her publisher, a guy named Jeff Carlton. He demoed the song I believe in 2003, which was after I had finally made the move to Nashville myself.

Even though I had originally written the lyric with a male artist in mind, Erin sang the demo from a woman’s point of view, and Jeff played it for Keith Stegall, a producer in town. Keith loved it, thank goodness.

In August of 2003, Keith put “Monday Morning Church” on hold for Lee Ann Womack.

It was my first hold.

However, he didn’t end up working on that Lee Ann album, and the song came off hold. Then he put it on hold for Terri Clark. It stayed on hold for her over Christmas.

Word was, she was going into the studio in early March of 2004. On the night of my two-year anniversary of moving to Nashville, Erin called with good news and bad news. The bad news was that Terri didn’t cut our song. The good news was that Alan Jackson had put it on hold.

Well, the rest of that month was pins and needles. Jeff called me with the news that Alan had cut “Monday Morning Church” in late March. It was an unbelievable feeling! Erin and I both finally had our first cuts.

And it only took five years and two states to go from an idea to a record.

God Bless,

Brent

Sept. 22: KNOW THE ROW with CHAD GREEN

Man vs. Row invites you to be a part of an exclusive Google Hangout with 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. To find out more, click on the image below:

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Biz, Muse

I Wrote A Hit Song Without Living In Nashville

August 18, 2014 Brent Baxter 11 Comments

You don’t have to live in Nashville to write a hit song. Or even to get that song recorded by a major artist. I’m Brent Baxter, and that’s my story

As a songwriter living outside of Nashville, you may think it’s impossible to get a song recorded by a major country star. You’d be wrong. Just because you may have a family, job, or other responsibilities that keep you from making a move to Nashville or one the other major music centers, New York or LA, doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get a song recorded. It just means you have to grow where you’re planted.

Now, what follows is a string of steps that by themselves may seem insignificant. But in the end, each of those forward steps led to my big break.

If I’d been idle, just waiting to get to Nashville, I might never have gotten here. God has you where you are for a reason. Maybe it’s for music, maybe not. But I do know that where ever you are, it’s important to grow where you’re planted.

I hope my story encourages you to keep chasing your passions.

What about you? Do you live in Nashville, or are you chasing the songwriting dream from out of town? I’d love to hear from you!

God Bless,

Brent

KNOW THE ROW

MvR presents your opportunity to visit with new Curb Records artist, Ruthie Collins, as she prepares to release her first single to country radio. Ruthie and hit songwriter, Brent Baxter, will give you an insider’s look at the reality of songwriting and record-making on Music Row. But they won’t be the only ones talking- you’re invited to join in the conversation, too! There are only EIGHT tickets available for this intimate get-together. Click on the image below to find out more!

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Biz, Cowriting, Songplugging

Inside vs. Outside Songs- And Why It Matters

April 9, 2014 Brent Baxter 3 Comments

FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! 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…

When an artist is working on an album, there are two types of songs which will (or will not) be considered: inside songs and outside songs. So what are these?

Inside songs are songs which are written by or with the artist, the producer, or a close associate. These are songs written or controlled/owned by someone with a close connection to the project.

Outside songs are basically all other songs- those written or controlled by people who do NOT have a close connection to the artist’s project.

Okay, so that’s pretty simple- some songs come from inside the circle of influence and some songs come from outside the circle of influence. Buy why is this important? It’s very important because, in most cases, inside songs have a much better chance of being recorded. Some artists, like Taylor Swift, write or cowrite all their own songs. If you’re not writing with Taylor, forget about getting a cut. Other artists may be very low key about the fact that they’re even working on a project. If you’re not in the loop, you might not even know the artist is cutting at all, much less what kind of song they want.

That’s why it matters if your songs are inside or outside- it affects their odds of being cut. Examples:

I had two songs cut on Ray Stevens’ “We The People” album. One song was a true inside song. “Caribou Barbie” was written at Ray’s request with two of his staff writers. The other song, “Fly Over Country” was an outside pitch. However, since Ray didn’t advertise that he was doing a record, I never would’ve known to pitch a song (much less that song in particular) without some inside information. I’ve also had two Lady Antebellum cuts (bonus tracks, sadly). “A Woman Scorned” was written with Hillary Scott, and “Last Night Last” was written with all three members of Lady A. Almost every song on that first album was written or cowritten by the band, so it definitely put those songs in a better competitive position.

This is not to say that ONLY inside songs get cut. I’ve had some outside songs get cut, too. “Monday Morning Church” was written before either my cowriter, Erin Enderlin, or I had ever had a cut, and only Erin was working with a publisher at the time. Erin’s publisher played the song for Alan Jackson’s producer, who played it for Alan. Same thing for my Joe Nichols cut- I sent “Crickets” to the head of Joe’s record label (even though we’ve never met). He loved it and sent it to Joe. The song became an outside cut- and the title track to his current album.

So, yes, both inside and outside songs still get cut. But inside songs have a definite advantage- and the inside track (pun intended). How does this affect how I do business? I try to get songs on the inside, of course. It’s worth thinking about how you can do the same. Yes, I know you might think you’re years away from being able to get any songs on the inside. But simply knowing that there’s a difference between inside and outside songs will help you make more effective choices, and you’ll get there faster.

God Bless,

Brent

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!

YOU VS…

Anything you’d like to add or ask? Leave a comment! Are there any topics you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post? Thanks!

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Are you sitting on your A-list song ideas, waiting for someday when you might get in the room with a hit songwriter or an artist?

1. Today’s unknown cowriter might be tomorrow’s hit writer.

2. Your best work creates better opportunities.

3. There’s more where that came from.

4. The clock is ticking.

You don’t have to live in Nashville, New York or LA to write a hit song.

As a songwriter living outside of Nashville, you may think it’s impossible to get a song recorded by a major country star. You’d be wrong.

…grow where you’re planted.

I couldn’t waste time waiting on an eventual move to Nashville.

Being active in the local music scene helped create my network.

It all went according to plan. Kind of.

God has you where you are. And He has you there for a reason.

I hope my story encourages you to keep chasing your passions.

Don’t give up on your song if the first publisher doesn’t love it. And don’t give up on that publisher if they don’t love your first song. You usually have to swing the bat a lot of times to get a hit. Here are a few of my stories that prove that.

What does this mean for you?

It means you shouldn’t give up!

Nobody will believe in you or your music… until they finally do.

It hurts.

Pros know that their songs probably won’t be “the right song at the right time” the first time.

You’ll never hit home runs if you don’t keep swinging the bat.

Let me help.

Are you sitting on your A-list song ideas, waiting for someday when you might get in the room with a hit songwriter or an artist?

1. Today’s unknown cowriter might be tomorrow’s hit writer.

2. Your best work creates better opportunities.

3. There’s more where that came from.

4. The clock is ticking.

Looking back now, it’s almost embarrassing how green I was.

I was not a networking genius.

An image. A really great image became the core of my first cut and changed my life.

Starting off, pretty much every songwriter wanting cuts feels like the fastest way to get there is to “write up.”

1. Holding back your best ideas

2. Not writing with a good writer just because he/she isn’t a “pro”

1. NSAI (www.nashvillesongwriters.com)

2. ASCAP (www.ascap.com)

3. Songwriting books.

4. My Local Music Scene

5. An Organized System.

6. A Talented, Connected Cowriter.

THE PRO KNOWS

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At that point, I was writing songs at night and on weekends.

I settled on the idea of a man who had lost his wife and was having a crisis of faith. The first lines of the song came first:

“You left your Bible on the dresser, so I put it in the drawer. ‘Cuz I can’t seem to talk to God without yelling anymore.”

The lyric sat around for a few years…

Erin took our song back to Nashville…

It was my first hold.

And it only took five years and two states to go from an idea to a record.

Sept. 22: KNOW THE ROW with CHAD GREEN

Become an MvR VIP!

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

FREE GIFT

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Helping songwriters turn pro.