Story songs are essentially short stories set to music. Like short stories, effective story songs are tasked with conveying a great deal of information with a relatively small number of words. While many songs include elements of a story, the following components are almost always included in strong story songs:… Read more...
To grab our listeners’ attention we need to separate our songs from the competition, and one way to accomplish this is by including an unexpected twist—an element of surprise. This article examines various ways to incorporate twists into lyrics and melodies. Story Songs With Surprise Endings “Ol’ Red” (written by… Read more...
With so many people orbiting Lee Brice and so much attention heaped on him — and with schedules to stick to and places to be — the BMI country music star is so busy that you can practically hear it. There’s a buzzing around him, but it’s a noise and… Read more...
It’s that time of year again for sun, sand and songwriters. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s 19th Annual Key West Songwriters Festival kicks off Wednesday, May 7, and continues through Sunday, May 11. The lineup this year is stronger than ever with Sara Evans, Anders Osborne, Kacey Musgraves, Robert… Read more...
BMI and the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon will once again join forces to present the Key West Songwriters Festival from May 1-5, 2013. Featuring many of the most beloved songwriters, the event has become an annual pilgrimage south for country and pop music heroes for 18 consecutive years. This year, Gary… Read more...
The Better Angels Music Key West Songwriters Festival has announced red-letter additions to its 2012 lineup, set for May 2-6. The names on the growing bill continue and expand the festival’s tradition of elevating songwriters, from marquee performers to behind-the-scenes hit-makers. Most of the stacked schedule is free, including more… Read more...
BMI celebrated the songwriters and publishers behind country music’s most-performed songs of the past year during the 59th annual BMI Country Awards. BMI staged the event in its Nashville offices, located in the heart of Music Row, where behind-the-scenes hit-makers and center stage superstars came together to toast… Read more...
Presented by BMI, Perennial Favorite Slated for April 27-May 1 The Better Angels Music Key West Songwriters Festival, presented by BMI, is exploding, surpassing even the biggest dreams of its founders and longtime supporters. The 2011 lineup is unprecedentedly deeper: genre-hopping singer/songwriters Raul Malo, Marshall Chapman, and Robert Earl Keen;… Read more...
BMI songwriters, artists, and producers earned 72% of the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards nominations, announced earlier this week. With seven nominations, BMI torchbearer Miranda Lambert leads the list of nominees. The reigning ACM Top Female Vocalist will vie for that title again, as well as Song and… Read more...
Walk the narrow sidewalks along Nashville’s famed Music Row on just about any day of the week and you’ll see them, wide-eyed and star struck. Young writers, with little or no experience under their belts arrive with dreams of making it big. While their hopes are high, many of them… Read more...
