usasong
April 13th 11, 08:13 PM
Strategies For A Successful Career In Songwriting
By Sara Light
Before landing my first staff writing deal and major label cut, I
served as the membership director of the Nashville Songwriters
Association International (NSAI). Over the course of four years I
worked with, talked to and counseled new and aspiring songwriters and
I began to recognize certain similarities between those songwriters
who continually realized their goals and those who didn't. As I
watched people move to town, leave town, reach goals or give-up, I
learned some important strategies to achieving long-term success as a
songwriter.
Strategy 1: Find your team
From the day we make the decision to pursue our dream of becoming a
professional songwriter we're beginning a long and often frustrating
journey. Like Dorothy on her way to Oz, we need help reaching our
destination. At first, our family and friends may be the ones to give
us the emotional support we need to keep going. Eventually, however,
we must expand our team of supporters to include industry
professionals who can keep us moving in the right direction.
Performing Rights Organization representatives (in the US: ASCAP, BMI,
SESAC, in Canada: SOCAN, in the UK: ALCS), publishers, professional
songwriters, producers and even major label recording artists, all may
eventually become part of our team. Attending songwriting workshops
given by local, national and international songwriting organizations
is one way to start. You never know if the unknown guy you bump into
today might be the Garth Brooks of tomorrow. Just a few of the hit
songwriters and artists who have attended songwriting workshops
include Mark D. Sanders ("I Hope You Dance"), Mike Reid ("I Can't Make
You Love Me"), Carolyn Dawn Johnson ("I Don't Want You To Go") and
Dianne Warren ("How Do I Live"). By continually improving our
songwriting craft and expanding our knowledge of the industry, we let
our potential team know that we're serious and motivated. In addition,
by having the patience to form honest relationships and showing
appreciation when someone helps us, we earn the trust and respect that
we need to add members to our team little by little. Rarely is success
achieved overnight. It usually takes years of hard work and
persistence. Take for example, Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross who
were both given a helping hand by the artists for whom they had been
singing backup. Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks and Vince Gill made
contacts by singing demos while looking for their label deals.
Luckily, we don't need everybody in town to like our songs, but we do
need a strong team who does.
Strategy 2: Stay Focused
Most of the aspiring songwriters I've met actually begin with some
kind of plan. For some, it is to take frequent trips from their
hometown to a major music center in order to write and establish
relationships. For example, Northern California songwriter, Steve
Seskin ("Don't Laugh At Me"), and up-state NY songwriter, Hugh
Prestwood ("The Song Remembers When"), both have had great success
writing for the Nashville market. However, one thing most "out-of-
town" writers would probably tell you is that making and maintaining
contacts from a distance takes an incredible commitment of time, money
and energy. For other songwriters, the plan is to move to a major
music center and find an alternate means of income until the ship
carrying their hit song comes in. Don Schlitz ("The Gambler") tells
the story of how he wrote songs while working as a computer operator
at night. Garth Brooks had a variety of jobs when he moved to
Nashville, including selling boots.
Strategy 3: Set Goals
Even if we're living in a major music center, it's easy to get
sidetracked or discouraged if things aren't happening as quickly as we
might have hoped. Organization and goal setting are key ingredients to
persevering and moving forward on our journey. In his book, Life Is A
Contact Sport (William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1994), manager Ken
Kragen, whose past and present client roster includes Lionel Richie,
Kenny Rogers, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood, discusses how using a
step-by-step approach has made him and his clients successful. Instead
of looking at a desired outcome as an overwhelming task, Kragen sets
smaller goals. He helps his clients create a road map beginning from
where they are and the steps they need to accomplish to reach their
ultimate goal. By reaching intermediate goals along the way, the
payoff is constant and the journey is satisfying. I followed Kragen's
advice and over the years some of the goals I set for myself and
reached included: I will take guitar lessons; I will host a show at
the Bluebird Café in Nashville; I will get meetings with five music
publishers this month; I will write everyday; I will save enough money
to demo ten songs this year; I will get a major artist cut.
Strategy 4: Take chances
In an industry as competitive as this one, we cannot afford to let our
fears of failure hold us back. To "take a chance" means something
different for everyone. We all have different strengths and weaknesses
and different "comfort zones." What might feel like a risk to one
person, might be a piece of cake to another. But, as my favorite T-
shirt says, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." I've been
told that Jodee Messina walked right up to the head of Curb Records,
Mike Curb, and told him that he needed a redhead on the label. If she
hadn't done that, who knows if today she'd have several number one
singles and a platinum album. So keep in mind that if you're not
writing a song today, someone else is. If you're not calling a certain
publisher, someone else is. If you're not booking a gig - well, you
get the point. If we never step outside of what feels comfortable to
us we can't learn the skills we need to succeed. We must be willing to
accept possible rejection or failure and keep going in spite of it. A
good example of this kind of perspective and persistence is
exemplified by what Thomas Edison said to his wife while watching his
laboratory burn down - "that's a good way to get rid of all those
mistakes I was making in there."
You've already taken a huge step, just by allowing yourself to pursue
your dream. It's not always an easy thing to do, but don't let
yourself give up too easily. You can do it!
This article is provided by USA Songwriting Competition. For more
information and articles relating to songwriting, please go to:
http://www.songwriting.net/blog
and:
http://www.songwriting.net
By Sara Light
Before landing my first staff writing deal and major label cut, I
served as the membership director of the Nashville Songwriters
Association International (NSAI). Over the course of four years I
worked with, talked to and counseled new and aspiring songwriters and
I began to recognize certain similarities between those songwriters
who continually realized their goals and those who didn't. As I
watched people move to town, leave town, reach goals or give-up, I
learned some important strategies to achieving long-term success as a
songwriter.
Strategy 1: Find your team
From the day we make the decision to pursue our dream of becoming a
professional songwriter we're beginning a long and often frustrating
journey. Like Dorothy on her way to Oz, we need help reaching our
destination. At first, our family and friends may be the ones to give
us the emotional support we need to keep going. Eventually, however,
we must expand our team of supporters to include industry
professionals who can keep us moving in the right direction.
Performing Rights Organization representatives (in the US: ASCAP, BMI,
SESAC, in Canada: SOCAN, in the UK: ALCS), publishers, professional
songwriters, producers and even major label recording artists, all may
eventually become part of our team. Attending songwriting workshops
given by local, national and international songwriting organizations
is one way to start. You never know if the unknown guy you bump into
today might be the Garth Brooks of tomorrow. Just a few of the hit
songwriters and artists who have attended songwriting workshops
include Mark D. Sanders ("I Hope You Dance"), Mike Reid ("I Can't Make
You Love Me"), Carolyn Dawn Johnson ("I Don't Want You To Go") and
Dianne Warren ("How Do I Live"). By continually improving our
songwriting craft and expanding our knowledge of the industry, we let
our potential team know that we're serious and motivated. In addition,
by having the patience to form honest relationships and showing
appreciation when someone helps us, we earn the trust and respect that
we need to add members to our team little by little. Rarely is success
achieved overnight. It usually takes years of hard work and
persistence. Take for example, Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross who
were both given a helping hand by the artists for whom they had been
singing backup. Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks and Vince Gill made
contacts by singing demos while looking for their label deals.
Luckily, we don't need everybody in town to like our songs, but we do
need a strong team who does.
Strategy 2: Stay Focused
Most of the aspiring songwriters I've met actually begin with some
kind of plan. For some, it is to take frequent trips from their
hometown to a major music center in order to write and establish
relationships. For example, Northern California songwriter, Steve
Seskin ("Don't Laugh At Me"), and up-state NY songwriter, Hugh
Prestwood ("The Song Remembers When"), both have had great success
writing for the Nashville market. However, one thing most "out-of-
town" writers would probably tell you is that making and maintaining
contacts from a distance takes an incredible commitment of time, money
and energy. For other songwriters, the plan is to move to a major
music center and find an alternate means of income until the ship
carrying their hit song comes in. Don Schlitz ("The Gambler") tells
the story of how he wrote songs while working as a computer operator
at night. Garth Brooks had a variety of jobs when he moved to
Nashville, including selling boots.
Strategy 3: Set Goals
Even if we're living in a major music center, it's easy to get
sidetracked or discouraged if things aren't happening as quickly as we
might have hoped. Organization and goal setting are key ingredients to
persevering and moving forward on our journey. In his book, Life Is A
Contact Sport (William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1994), manager Ken
Kragen, whose past and present client roster includes Lionel Richie,
Kenny Rogers, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood, discusses how using a
step-by-step approach has made him and his clients successful. Instead
of looking at a desired outcome as an overwhelming task, Kragen sets
smaller goals. He helps his clients create a road map beginning from
where they are and the steps they need to accomplish to reach their
ultimate goal. By reaching intermediate goals along the way, the
payoff is constant and the journey is satisfying. I followed Kragen's
advice and over the years some of the goals I set for myself and
reached included: I will take guitar lessons; I will host a show at
the Bluebird Café in Nashville; I will get meetings with five music
publishers this month; I will write everyday; I will save enough money
to demo ten songs this year; I will get a major artist cut.
Strategy 4: Take chances
In an industry as competitive as this one, we cannot afford to let our
fears of failure hold us back. To "take a chance" means something
different for everyone. We all have different strengths and weaknesses
and different "comfort zones." What might feel like a risk to one
person, might be a piece of cake to another. But, as my favorite T-
shirt says, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." I've been
told that Jodee Messina walked right up to the head of Curb Records,
Mike Curb, and told him that he needed a redhead on the label. If she
hadn't done that, who knows if today she'd have several number one
singles and a platinum album. So keep in mind that if you're not
writing a song today, someone else is. If you're not calling a certain
publisher, someone else is. If you're not booking a gig - well, you
get the point. If we never step outside of what feels comfortable to
us we can't learn the skills we need to succeed. We must be willing to
accept possible rejection or failure and keep going in spite of it. A
good example of this kind of perspective and persistence is
exemplified by what Thomas Edison said to his wife while watching his
laboratory burn down - "that's a good way to get rid of all those
mistakes I was making in there."
You've already taken a huge step, just by allowing yourself to pursue
your dream. It's not always an easy thing to do, but don't let
yourself give up too easily. You can do it!
This article is provided by USA Songwriting Competition. For more
information and articles relating to songwriting, please go to:
http://www.songwriting.net/blog
and:
http://www.songwriting.net