What constitutes a hook? Any element of a song that grabs a listener’s attention and “hooks” them in. With there being so much competition for our listeners’ attention, including multiple hooks throughout our songs has become more important than ever. According to an article in The Atlantic magazine, “A short-attention-span… Read more...
Before addressing what might constitute being “too clever” in lyrics, I’ll begin by defining what I mean by “clever” lyrics. For the purposes of this article I’m referring to songs with lyrics that are witty, tongue-in-cheek, humorous, or amusing. These are in contrast to those that fall into the category… 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...
BMI singer/songwriter Jaida Dreyer stopped by Broadcast Music, Inc.’s Los Angeles office last week to meet with BMI Director, Film/TV Relations, Anne Cecere; Associate Director, Distribution and Administration Services, Barbie Quinn; and Associate Director, Writer/Publisher Relations, Justin Seiser. Having inked a publishing deal with GRAMMY award-winning producer Byron Gallimore (Faith… Read more...
On the heels of last year’s sweep of the CMA Awards, BMI’s country music songwriters and producers are well positioned for another great year in 2013. BMI affiliates received the vast majority of award nominations - four out of five in most categories, the entirety of the Male Vocalist of… Read more...
BMI brought in Better Than Ezra lead singer Kevin Griffin recently (9/23/13) to perform an acoustic set in front of the Board of L & L Broadcasting and listeners of the legendary radio station KINK-FM in the state-of-the-art Bing Lounge in Portland, OR. Griffin, performed classic BTE songs such as… Read more...
Nominations for the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards overwhelmingly show BMI writers at the top once again. The nominations include country music’s best established and emerging talent. Leading with seven nominations is BMI songwriter Eric Church, Hunter Hayes with six, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift each with five, Luke Bryan,… Read more...
BMI’s country music songwriters and producers clinched the overwhelming majority of the 46th Annual CMA Awards nominations, announced September 5. In almost every category, four out of five of the nominees are BMI members, such as the Entertainer of the Year field, in which Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney… Read more...
BMI songwriters and artists overwhelmingly dominate the list of 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards nominees, announced Thursday, January 26. BMI has historically represented the majority of country music’s leaders – from Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and Porter Wagoner, to Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard – and a… Read more...
For a composer or lyricist, being recognized for a songwriting achievement never loses its luster, no matter how many times such an honor comes an artist’s way. Still, the thrill that results from being a “first-time” winner is always especially memorable. In 2011, BMI staged seven ceremonies that recognized the… Read more...
