Close

Pharrell Williams appears in...

News Archive

Duets and Featured Artists: The Hot Trend in Recordings

Photo

From MusicWorld, posted 2.25.22 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...


The “3 P’s” of Songwriting Success

Photo

From The Weekly, posted 1.04.22 I often tell my songwriting students that I teach tools—not rules. There are no rules in songwriting. Similarly, there is no road map that points the way to guaranteed success. But there are three things I consistently see in those who achieve their songwriting goals. Let’s look at the “3… Read more...


Are Your Songs Too Repetitious – or Not Repetitious Enough?

Photo

From MusicWorld, posted 5.21.21 If we were collaborating on a song and I suggested that one particular line of lyric – and the melody that accompanies it – be repeated eighteen times, would you think that would be entirely too repetitive to be successful? How about if, in the same song, I insisted that… Read more...


What Makes a Song a Worldwide Phenomenon?

Photo

From MusicWorld, posted 2.20.20 Warning: Listening to the songs referenced in this article is likely to result in an inability to get them out of your brain. It is an incredible accomplishment for a song to reach the top of one of the Billboard charts. Occasionally, songs connect with listeners sufficiently to… Read more...


BMI Congratulates its 2020 Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees

Photo

From News, posted 1.17.20 The Songwriters Hall of Fame unveiled its list of inductees for 2020, and once again, BMI is very proud to count members of this august class of music creators as its own. Initially conceived to honor and celebrate the work of songwriters, composers and lyricists responsible for the world’s most… Read more...


Tips for Writing Songs About Anything…But Love

Photo

From MusicWorld, posted 6.19.19 At my BMI Nashville Songwriters’ Workshops, I screen and critique songs from each attendee. When I find songs that I believe are competitive with those being written by today’s top hitmakers, I forward them to ten music publishers who have agreed to listen. After the last BMI Workshop, I forwarded… Read more...


How to Write a Song That’s Fun to Listen to—and Fun to Sing

Photo

From MusicWorld, posted 7.19.18 When it was suggested I write about songs that are fun to sing, the jukebox in my brain instantly thought of “The Name Game” (recorded by Shirley Ellis, written by Lincoln Chase and Shirley Elliston). Anyone of a certain age remembers plugging his or her name into the… Read more...


When Clever is Too Clever in Songwriting

Photo

From MusicWorld, posted 11.15.17 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...


BMI Helps Ohio Restaurateurs Honor ProStart Winners

Photo

From News, posted 2.22.17 BMI teamed up with the Ohio Restaurant Association and the ORA’s Education Foundation to honor the winners of their annual Pro-Start competition by providing the musical entertainment at the awards ceremony held recently (2/19) in Columbus. 17 culinary, 11 management and 15 Burger Battle ProStart Ohio high school student teams… Read more...


Finding Great Song Titles and Fresh Angles

Photo

From MusicWorld, posted 4.20.15 Your title and concept are the foundations upon which your entire lyric will be built. The strongest lyrics deliver listeners to the title, and the title is the logical conclusion of the lines that precede it. If you build on a weak foundation you’ll be facing an uphill battle to… Read more...


More news...