“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” (African Proverb) Not every great song is the result of collaboration, but a look at recent hits by artists such as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Keith Urban, Imagine Dragons, Luis Fonsi, P!nk, Adam Levine, Kenny… Read more...
In honor of Classical Music Month, The Weekly tapped into Deirdre Chadwick, who leads BMI’s Classical team, for her thoughts on how composers develop their own voice. Here’s what she said: Deirdre Chadwick, Creative, New York: I think if you posed the question to 100 composers, you could easily… Read more...
We’ve all been there. We know what we should be doing for our music careers, but we just can’t seem to find the time to get to it. It’s so much easier to do almost anything but the necessary work to move forward as a songwriter. Well, in the end, this… Read more...
One of my greatest joys as a producer and engineer over the years has been bearing witness to the musical genius that is the session musician. The same people you’ve been hearing on recordings your whole lives are the men and women who make their living coming into the studio and… Read more...
During a recent song critique, I turned off the recording after listening to the first verse and chorus. The writer protested, “But you’ve got to keep listening. It all comes together in the bridge and then the last chorus explodes!” That might have been the case, but the chances are miniscule… Read more...
With all the different genres of music in the world, you might think the way to approach creating music for a specific genre would be unique. Not necessarily so, especially when it comes to production. Read on for good advice for readying your music for decision-makers, no matter what the genre. Read more...
Writer’s block. The mythical beast that plagues writers of all stripes. While songwriting is a somewhat unpredictable activity, I happen to believe that there are ways to hedge against freezing up when it comes time to write. To that end, I’ve put together a few ways to get you past writer’s… Read more...
Above and beyond the inspiration that often serves as the seed for all songwriters, there are lots of significant things to consider when it comes to refining your songwriting craft. Here are a few tips and things to keep in mind if you’re wondering how to make the leap from your… Read more...
For most songwriters, the idea of being a staff songwriter for a music publisher is a lifelong dream. However, in order to make this dream become reality, you’ll need to be more than just a gifted songwriter. You’ll need to show a publisher - and yourself - that you’re ready to… Read more...
As manager of artists ranging from Rancid, The Interrupters and Blink-182 through to Dirt Nasty, The Glitch Mob and Elohim, Kevin Wolff has shrewdly overseen a diverse stable of music creators and helped each push the envelope and establish themselves in the competitive music marketplace. First via Deckstar and then through… Read more...
