“Great means incredibly well crafted, easily memorable, with a universally relatable sentiment and a sense of authenticity—“from the heart” as they say. Iconic means touching a cultural nerve, standing the test of time and instantly recognizable by many people - that holds true even if it’s not widely considered… Read more...
In this issue: Jason Blume Gives Advice on Toplining Over a Track BMI Songwriter Channel Tres Discusses Touring, Inspiration, & Creative Philosophy BMI Celebrates its 2022 Christian Awards BMI Celebrates its 2022 Student Composer Awards Helen Sung Wins Charlie… Read more...
For genres like pop, hip-hop, R&B, and EDM/dance music, in most instances, the backing track is created before the words and vocal melody. The track consists of essentially all the music that will accompany the vocal and typically includes drums and percussion, keyboards, and bass. Live guitars or computer generated… Read more...
In this issue: Jason Blume Weighs in on “What Makes the Perfect Demo?” Brian Tyler’s Music Has All Wondering “Are We Dreaming?” Pop Legend Carole Bayer Sager Opens Up About, Life, Love & Collaboration A Conversation With Songwriting Legend Mike Stoller… Read more...
“How good do demos need to be?” is one of the questions I am asked most often in my workshops. To effectively answer this question, you need to identify the purpose of your demo recording. For example, is it intended to be pitched in the hopes of finding a home… Read more...
When we present a song to a music industry professional, whether in person or via the internet, it is always a good idea to have a lyric sheet available. At a face-to-face meeting, ask whether the listener would like to follow along with a lyric sheet. When sending songs via… Read more...
Back in the days when songwriting success was a distant dream, each time I met with a music publisher, I was a nervous wreck leading up to that meeting. I hoped the publisher would instantly recognize that my songs were destined to be GRAMMY-winning hits, and I would be offered… Read more...
Marketing and advertising studies show that we are better able to remember ads we are exposed to multiple times. When we see or hear something once, we are likely to forget it. But with repeated exposure it is more apt to stick in our brains. This also applies to melodies.… Read more...
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… Read more...
Prior to the pandemic only a small percentage of my songwriting students engaged in long-distance, online collaborations. But when COVID-19 arrived it brought most in-person co-writing sessions to a screeching halt. Instead of writers meeting at one of their homes or publishers’ offices, they met in Zoom rooms or used… Read more...
