News Archive
It would be hard to look at a list of current hit songs without noticing a trend: the growing use of featured artists. A featured artist is one who makes a guest appearance on another artist’s recording to create a collaboration. What’s the difference between a duet and a song…
When it Comes to Song Titles, Don’t Hit the Nail Too Squarely on the Head
Most of the writers who attend my songwriting workshops already know how to write perfectly crafted songs. My job is to help them write the kinds of songs that a music publisher, record label executive, record producer, or recording artist will feel compelled to choose over the competition. One of…
5 Tips for Making Your Lyrics Stand Out
At my songwriting workshops I stress the importance of including lyric and melodic elements in our songs that will compel listeners and decision-makers to choose our material over the tough competition. Let’s look at some ways to write lyrics that command attention. 1. Find a Fresh Angle It’s unlikely that…
10 Ways to Push the Creative Envelope With Your Songs
Sometimes, playing it safe is the most dangerous thing we can do. This is especially applicable when our goal is to write songs that rise above the competition; songs that become artists’ signature songs; and songs that impact audiences and propel artists to a next level. We need to find…
Worlds Collide: BMI Hosts Pop and Country Writers for Retreat at Fontanel
BMI invited top pop songwriters from L.A. and country songwriters from Nashville to hunker down at the historic Fontanel Mansion in Nashville from January 18 to 22 and collaborate on new songs. The writers held multiple brainstorming sessions in the storied mansion, with special performance of the new tracks to…