Each Monday morning, I send an email with inspiring tips and encouragement to those who subscribe to my email list. Last week, that email included contact information for a new publishing company that was seeking songs. Quite a few people sent their songs to me, in addition to… Read more...
In this issue: Jason Blume Reveals the Biggest Mistake Songwriters Make Dave Simons delves into tips and tools for recording two voices at once. BMI Announces That Lil Wayne Will Be Named a BMI Icon at the 2023 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards BMI Celebrates its… Read more...
At the publishing company to which I was signed, many of the writers in their Nashville office scheduled co-writing sessions with two different collaborators each weekday: one at 10 a.m. and the other at 2 p.m., with a lunch break in between. They did not always finish the songs they started… Read more...
The toughest critiques I do when I teach my workshops are those that require my telling the writers and artists that they have written a perfectly crafted song; that there is nothing wrong and nothing to fix. I tell them to pat themselves on the back because few writers will ever… Read more...
My father: “How long are you going to give this songwriting? You can’t go on struggling forever.” Me: “You’re right, Dad. I can’t do this forever. If I’m not successful in the next hundred years, I’m going to give up and go back to school!” We’ve all heard stories… Read more...
In this issue: Jason Blume Breaks Down the Process of Getting Your Songs on Playlists Cliff Goldmacher on the Pros and Cons of Using Clichés in Your Music BMI Celebrates its Latin Awards and Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards BMI Returns to Austin… Read more...
When I started teaching workshops for aspiring recording artists and songwriters more than 30 years ago, signing with a major record label was the only way for artists to reach a wide audience. Without a major label to provide distribution to record stores, radio promotion, and financing for videos, most unsigned… Read more...
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...
I’m often asked which point of view is the strongest for songs. Point of view, which is sometimes referred to as the narrative perspective, determines whether the singer is sharing his or her own story and feelings; telling someone else’s story and feelings; or acting as an impartial narrator. Let’s look… Read more...
In this issue: Jason Blume on How to Make Sure Your Songs Are Hitting the Right Target BMI Presents “Music & Film: The Creative Process” Composer Roundtable at the 2023 Sundance Film Fest BMI Names Tracy McKnight Vice President, Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media… Read more...
