Why accurate songwriting splits are crucial when paying music publishing royalties. Our friends at ASCAP just made a fun little animated video that explains why it’s so important to get … Continue reading
songwriting
Should My Producer Get Publishing and Songwriting Credit?
If you create original music and haven’t signed your publishing rights away, YOU are your own publisher and YOU own your publishing. You are owed publishing royalties for the usage … Continue reading
Make your songs more playlist-friendly with these four editing tricks
What are playlisters listening for when they consider your music? YOUR music should meet THEIR needs. [This article is based on an excerpt from Michael Warner’s book Work Hard Playlist … Continue reading
6 kinds of collaboration that can introduce your music to new audiences
Musical collaboration is about much more than cross-promoting … but any extra attention is a nice benefit. For me though, there’s a difference between teaming up with another artist primarily … Continue reading
Steve Lacy: Making the most of what you have instead of being held back by what you don’t
The 19-year-old nabbed a Grammy nomination, as well as a production credit on the new Kendrick Lamar LP – using only his phone. Steve Lacy spent his early teenage years … Continue reading
How to respond to tragedy as an artist, songwriter, or musician
I wrote and published the first version of this post after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. Unfortunately, I have updated and republished it many times since then, as more … Continue reading
“What do music supervisors and producers think of my music?”
That’s the question artists were asking during the Song Pitch Session hosted by NPR’s Bob Boilen at 2017’s DIY Musician Conference in Nashville. In the video above you can see … Continue reading
How many songs do you throw away? (Why failure is necessary in songwriting)
Take heart, songwriters. Even Josh Ritter writes crappy songs. As he says in this clip from a recent Berklee Online session, “The default setting for writing is failure to get … Continue reading
The 5 things you’re afraid of when you put out new music (and how to cure the fright)
Fear can come in many varieties for an artist who’s just about to release a new album or single. Everything feels heightened when this music you’ve poured so much into … Continue reading
How to make your chorus stand out so it attracts listeners
It’s important to make your chorus stand out from the rest of your song, since it’s usually your song’s central element. With that in mind, we’re going to look at … Continue reading