Songwriter Tips Archives - Nashville Music Line

The Simpsons know the music biz

Synch licensing pays big $$$ over 30 seasons

The writers of the Simpsons apparently know a thing or two about the music business. Or at least the challenges faced by songwriters in the current climate.

In a recent episode, Lisa asks Bart to write a song for her…

Bart: “What will you do for me if I write the song?”

Lisa: “I might make brownies later.”

Bart: “Wow! That’s the best deal any songwriter ever got! And that’s true even if I don’t get the brownies!”

Bart and Lisa. Image copyright Twentieth Century Fox

Hard to believe that the Simpsons have just started their thirtieth season. Over the years, the show has featured a lot of music, both original and pre-existing songs for which the production company had to get clearance prior to use with a synch license.

Fees for a network show such as The Simpsons could be in the $6,000 to $10,000 range for an ‘all television’ synchronization license. Even if Bart doesn’t get the brownies, quite a number of songwriters and music publishers have pocketed some nice change over the years thanks to that animated family.

For a full list of every song ever featured in the Simpsons, by season and episode, visit this Tunefind website. Each listing include the composition’s title, the composer and/or recording artist and links to Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Season 28 was particularly tuneful with eighty-eight songs.

Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com

“No idea how songwriting works”

“I used to think I knew what I was doing 40 years ago, but now I have no idea how songwriting works.” – John Prine

So, take heart, aspiring songwriters! John Prine – one of America’s most respected singer/songwriters has confessed his lack of understanding. Now you have permission to ‘fess up. You can honestly (sort of) say that you know as much about songwriting as John Prine does.

That quote was taken from an interview in the May 2018 edition of American Songwriter. And so was this one:

“I was waiting and waiting until the song knocked on my door, but I had to put some sort of effort into it, finally. You’ve got to get in there at some point and pull the tooth out.” – John Prine

Songwriting, like any other endeavor, takes a combination of dedication, focus and perseverance. Sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike you isn’t going to cut it.

Keep your hook book handy

Sure, sometimes an idea does suddenly pop up, seemingly from out of nowhere. That’s why you have a hook book, to keep all the words and phrases that come to you when you least expect them. Maybe it’s something you saw on the TV news or a snatch of overheard conversation at Starbucks.

But it’s in the writers’ room when you and your co-writers take those vague ideas, words and phrases and work at turning them into songs. It’s one percent inspiration and ninety-one percent perspiration. Get in there and pull the tooth out.

As for the amazing Mr. Prine, earlier this year he released his first album of new songs in thirteen years. Titled ‘Tree of Forgiveness,’ it was produced by Dave Cobb and released on Prine’s own label, Oh Boy Records.

Read more about John Prine, his music and his upcoming tour dates (most of which sell out fast) at his website.

How to build community with YouTube

Official Artist Channels ‘pull it all together’

YouTube wants artists and musicians to build a home on their platform. And they’re telling you how to do it.

YouTube made a concerted effort to reach music creators with PowerPoint presentations at both Music Biz 2018 and Summer NAMM in recent weeks. The company is aware that both music creators and music listeners/viewers are increasingly seeing YouTube as a go-to music platform. In the presentation titled ‘Creating a Home for Music on YouTube,’ the company showed how artists and songwriters can effectively showcase their work and connect and engage with fans.

Benefits of your own Official Artist Channel

The key, according to YouTube’s Nathan Sheppard*, is building and maintaining your Official Artist Channel (OAC). Most music creators probably have some kind of presence on YouTube, perhaps even their own channel. But YouTube believes that your OAC can be your prime marketing tool – if you take advantage of all its possibilities.

Among the benefits of a fully-functioning OAC:

‘Direct to Fan’ features: Your OAC unites your full body of work under one banner. Your fans and followers now have a single place to subscribe.
Attribution: Visitors will see a music note icon next your name (or your OAC name) so they know everything posted here comes officially from you.
Search optimization: When visitors search for any of your output on YouTube, your OAC shows up at the top.

The parts of an OAC

As Nathan pointed out, an OAC isn’t a new channel. It is a new layout that can be used on any channel that is owned and operated by you the artist, your management or your record label. He showed the ‘parts’ of an OAC: Continue reading “How to build community with YouTube”

7 Facebook security tweaks to keep artists, songwriters safe

How to make Facebook work for you, not against you.

Exposure. That’s something every ambitious artist and songwriter strives to achieve.

Exposure is essential. It’s all about getting noticed and spreading the word about your creative output. However, there’s a fine line between exposure and being exposed. Whereas exposure is good, being exposed is bad, and can turn out to be very bad indeed. In case you hadn’t noticed, there are some pretty seedy people lurking out there in cyberspace.

Ensuring your personal security and guarding your privacy while promoting yourself is important for every singer and songwriter, but it should be of particular concern to parents who are guiding the careers of their minor children.

Ask yourself this question: When did I last review my security and privacy settings on my Facebook page? If the answer is “Not for some time” (or worse still, “Never”) here are a few quick and easy ways to be sure that your security is all that it should be.

1. Find your security settings

To get started, go to your Facebook page and look for the little ‘downward-pointing’ arrow icon at the top right of your page. Click on that, and then click on “Settings” at the bottom of the drop down menu. This brings up a page headed General Account Settings. Look at the menu on the left of page. (Note: you’ll be returning to this menu for all the steps you need to follow.)

Click on ‘Security and Login.’ Here you can see where you are logged in to Facebook. Be sure that only your own devices are logged in. There are several ways to check and increase your Facebook security on this page.

2. Change your password

Under ‘Security and Login’ click on ‘Change Password’ and click ‘Edit.’ Click ‘Save changes’ when you have completed the change. It is a good idea to change your password frequently, at least every three months, and pick a password that is not the same as one you are using elsewhere.

Avoid using anything too obvious (such as part of your email address or the name of a pet that others might know). And always change your password immediately if you think your password has been stolen or accessed by someone else. Continue reading “7 Facebook security tweaks to keep artists, songwriters safe”

Ten ways to keep your music career moving forward

Make Nashville’s ‘ten year town’ reputation work for you

So you’re a songwriter or an artist with the goal of a successful career in music. You’ve been in Nashville for six months or a year, or maybe a couple of years. You’re beginning to wonder why ‘things aren’t happening’ for you. Perhaps your family and friends back home are dropping hints that ‘you haven’t made it yet.’

It’s hard to keep focused on your career when you feel it is stagnating, going nowhere. It’s even harder when loved ones cast doubts on your decision to follow your musical dream. Those doubts begin to worm their way into your mind, undermining your self-confidence.

Note: This is a corrected re-post of a previously posted item. Due to an editing error, much of the information in Number 6 (“Join a songwriters’ association”) was inadvertently omitted. The correct text has been restored, below. Apologies for the error!

A marathon, not a sprint

It is important to remind yourself (and maybe Mom and Dad) that this is a marathon not a sprint. Everything you do, every day, is bringing you closer to achieving your goal. Think of it this way: if you’d chosen to become an engineer or an architect, instead of a singer or a songwriter, you’d have attended a four-year college, and then gone on for a master’s degree and post-graduate work before you ever had a chance to earn a single dollar. Speaking of dollars, you (or your parents) would have had to invest many tens of thousands of dollars in your education over many years with no guarantee of success.

As an aspiring musician, you are creating your own education, with the help of peers and mentors, honing your craft, learning and getting better every day.

Every day, promise yourself to do something that moves your music career further along. Here are some idea starters that you can adapt to suit your own career objectives.

“You’ve got to work hard for your success and you’ve got to have a steady presence. That’s the secret.” – Kid Rock

[1] Network

Get out there. Meet people. Be where things are happening. Introduce yourself by saying, “I’m [Name]. I’m a singer-songwriter.” Hear yourself saying that out loud! See? Now that’s what you are! Get to know other people who are at the same level of experience (or lack of it) as you are. Also network with people whose knowledge and experience you can learn from.

A word of warning: Do NOT be a gherm! (The ‘g’ is hard, as in ‘Grrrrrrr!!’) That Nashville term refers to someone who is obnoxiously pushy, perhaps going up to a famous artist or producer and trying to hand them your CD or aggressively asking a song publisher for a meeting when they have no idea who you are. It’s a matter of respect. Get a reputation as a gherm and your career can quickly stall. Network: Yes! Gherm: No!

[2] Write… and Co-write

Keep writing, every day. Write something, even if it is just a phrase or a few words. Keep a ‘hook book’ in which you can jot down words, phrases, a snatch of overheard conversation or just ideas that maybe someday you could turn into a song. (Your hook book can be a ruled paper notebook or a file on your iPhone, whichever you’re more likely to use as soon as the idea hits you.)

“You overhear a conversation on a bus and you think, ‘that’s a great first line.’” – Richard Thompson from an interview at SongwritingMagazine.co.uk

Continue reading “Ten ways to keep your music career moving forward”

Why songwriters should focus on ‘presence’ in writing session

Presence: part of your “Pod of Seven P’s”

Having presence is more than your physical body simply being in a given place at any given time. Just because you are standing in a particular spot or sitting on a specific chair in a certain location, doesn’t mean that you have presence.

When you have presence, your complete attention and every fiber of your being is focused on where you are and what you are doing. Taken to an extreme, all five of your senses are brought to bear with laser-like concentration on that specific moment in time and what you are doing there.

Note: this is one part of my seven-part series “The ‘P’ Pod: Seven characteristics shared by the most successful people in the music industry.” It is currently being serialized at MusicStartsHere.org

In reality, a total state of presence is virtually impossible to achieve and would probably make us unaware if the house was burning down around us! However, developing your sense of presence is an essential element in your own professional growth and in your relationship with others.

Songwriting needs you to ‘be here now’

On a personal basis, any act of creation – a song, for example – requires your total presence, or at least as total as is practical. If you’re constantly checking your email, responding to texts or (AAAaargh!) listening to someone else’s music on your earbuds, you don’t have presence in your creation and it will suffer.

Worse still, if you are in a writing session with co-writers and you’re answering phone calls because “I gotta take this” or you’re saying, “Wait! You gotta see this video someone just sent me,” you’re not only destroying your own presence but also that of your co-writers. That’s unproductive, but it’s also inconsiderate in the extreme and is disrespectful to your colleagues.

Continue reading the ‘Presence’ chapter at MusicStartsHere.org. MusicStartsHere is a great resource for singers and songwriters that I highly recommend!

Sign the Petition and Ask Congress to Pass the Music Modernization Act

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

For too long, songwriters have had to work within an outdated system that over-regulates and undervalues their music. The Music Modernization Act of 2017 will help change that.

[Note: the text of this post is reproduced from an email sent out to ASCAP members. You do not have to be an ASCAP member to respond to this request that is supported by all Performing Rights Organizations and other entities involving songwriters and music publishers. You can find the original message here.]

Improved compensation for music creators

ASCAP has long advocated for a more flexible framework that can adapt to the realities of the modern music marketplace. The Music Modernization Act is a bipartisan music reform bill that represents months of compromise and collaboration between stakeholders from the music and tech sectors.

It includes provisions that we hope will ultimately result in compensation for our members that better reflects the true value of your music:

Rate court reform: replacing a single rate court judge for each PRO with different judges randomly assigned to each rate-setting proceeding (the “wheel” system)
Removal of Section 114(i) of the Copyright Act: allowing a rate court to consider all relevant evidence when determining songwriter compensation – including the rates that recording artists earn – an ability that is currently prohibited by law.

The Music Modernization Act of 2017 also includes provisions to reform Section 115 of the Copyright Act to create a single licensing entity that will administer the mechanical reproduction rights for all digital uses of musical compositions like those used in interactive streaming models. This replaces the “bulk NOI” process that often failed to result in payments to songwriters and music publishers with a system that will enable digital music services to find the owners of the music they use.

While no legislation will solve all of our industry challenges, on balance we believe this is a significant step forward for all music creators.

You can help now. Ask Congress to pass the Music Modernization Act today. Click here to sign ASCAP petition.

If you are a member of BMI or SESAC and have received notification from them about a petition regarding the Music Modernization Act of 2017, you are of course welcome to respond to their communication.

Perseverance vital to success in music

Perseverance: part of a singer or songwriter’s “Pod of Seven P’s”

By Preshias Harris

In many ways, Perseverance is the first cousin of Passion. When one has passion, perseverance must inevitably follow as the means of realizing one’s passion.

Note: this is one part of my seven-part series “The ‘P’ Pod: Seven characteristics shared by the most successful people in the music industry.” It is currently being serialized at MusicStartsHere.

Perseverance has sometimes been called persistence or “stick-to-it-iveness.” Whatever happens to knock you off course, you just keep going toward your goal. This doesn’t mean that, if you come to a ravine, you simply walk straight ahead and over the edge. By perseverance, you find another path, a way around the obstacle, and continue on to your goal.

Don’t let the naysayers discourage you

Your music career will, without doubt, run up against various obstacles as you proceed. There’ll be people who will tell you that you should forget about music and get a ‘real’ job. There will be meetings with music executives that you feel certain will bring about your big break, only to see those hopes crumble. And there will be promises made to you that turn out to be nothing but smoke and mirrors.

A career in music – just like careers in many other areas – can be filled with heartache and disappointment. But that doesn’t mean you’ve made the wrong career choice. Simply that you have to recognize the obstacle and find a way to get past it and back on track.

Continue reading the ‘Perseverance’ chapter at MusicStartsHere.org. MusicStartsHere is the go-to place for news and information that artists, songwriters and anyone interested in the music scene need to know.

Songwriters: ‘hard work’ is the key

Hall of Famer Gary Burr’s advice to rising songwriters

“You have to go to work every day. You just have to go to work. I went to the office every morning, I went to the office every afternoon. If I had something good, it wasn’t going to be good enough ‘til I went over it with a fine-tooth comb several times. You just work hard. The ones [songwriters] who are making it today are just working really, really hard.”

Gary Burr. Photo: Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Those words came from Gary Burr, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame during an interview on the Public Television show, The Songwriters, produced the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in conjunction with Middle Tennessee State University. MTSU professor Robert Gordon Jr. directs the episodes, which are filmed by students from the school’s College of Media and Entertainment. Ken Paulson, Dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, hosts the new show and interviewed Burr during a recently televised episode.

Songs for Garth, Ringo, Skynyrd and more

Gary Burr backstage with Ringo Starr. Photo: Mark Mirando

Burr has been honored with Songwriter of the Year Awards from Billboard Magazine and ASCAP in addition to the Hall of Fame recognition. In a 40+ year career, he has written or co-written literally hundreds of songs that have been cut by major artists including Garth Brooks, Collin Raye, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Tim McGraw, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ringo Starr and more. Many of those cuts are also Number One hits. Take a look at the Discography at his website.

In his interview with Paulson, he emphasized that there’s no ‘trick’ to songwriting. As with any other creative enterprise, it takes a commitment to working at it every day, just like a ‘regular’ job because it is your job. You can’t wait for inspiration, said Burr. You simply sit down, either alone or with your co-writer and start work. That’s where hits are born.

‘The Songwriters’ currently airs in Nashville on WNPT Channel 8 on Saturday evenings. Check local TV schedules for air dates and times in other areas.

Brett Young celebrates new Number One

First ‘Number One’ for three co-writers

It’s always a great day for me when I can celebrate songwriters’ success, and nothing says ‘success’ like a Number One party. When it’s a writer’s first-ever Number One, that’s an even greater thrill.

On Monday, July 17, Nashville’s music community showed up at FGL House at a party co-hosted by ASCAP and BMI to acclaim Brett Young’s second consecutive Number One hit, the Platinum-certified “In Case You Didn’t Know.” Brett was on hand to celebrate with his three co-writers, for whom this song was their first chart-topper.

Kyle Schlienger (ASCAP), Tyler Reeve (BMI) and Trent Tomlinson (BMI) had apparently gotten together ‘south of the border’ to pen the hit with Brett.

Pictured (L-R): Kyle Schlienger, Brett Young, Tyler Reeve, Trent Tomlinson. Photo: ASCAP

“In 2015, I asked these guys to come to Puerto Vallarta with me to write some songs,” explained Brett. “I was lucky enough that they agreed even though they didn’t know me well. But who passes up a free trip to Mexico? We knew we had something special with ‘In Case You Didn’t Know’ from the start, but I’m so thankful for how this song continues to change my life.”

Song’s ‘Making Of’ video shown

At the party, we saw a video that had been recorded during their songwriting retreat, showing how the song developed from the original concept. For novice songwriters attending the Number One party, it was a fascinating opportunity to watch ‘behind the scenes’ as the four guys collaborated on the song’s creation. If you are a ‘rookie’ songwriter and, even if a hit recording artist isn’t likely to ask you to join him on an expenses-paid trip to the beach, it certainly was an inspiration to see how hard work and persistence can pay off in the long run.

The song ultimately landed at No. 1 across multiple platforms: Mediabase and Billboard Charts, Sirius XM’s The Highway, Vevo Country Chart for six consecutive weeks and No. 1 CMT Hot 20 Chart for two consecutive weeks. With “In Case You Didn’t Know,” Brett is also currently nominated for a Teen Choice Award in the Choice Country Song category and fans can vote here

For additional information and a full list of tour dates, including stops on Lady Antebellum’s YOU LOOK GOOD WORLD TOUR, visit Brett’s website.