Evening Also Celebrates the Top Pop Songwriters and Music Publishers on Tuesday, May 10 in Beverly Hills
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Casting Your Songs
While a film or TV show’s casting director is tasked with finding the right actors for a given role, those of us who create and represent songs have the job of identifying the ideal artists for our songs. Whether you are a songwriter pitching your own material or a music publisher…
BMI Mourns the Loss of Hitmaking Songwriter/Producer Jim Steinman
BMI was very saddened to learn of the passing of legendary rock and pop hitmaker Jim Steinman, who died Monday at the age of 73. A versatile songwriter, lyricist, composer and producer with a flair for the dramatic, Steinman left his signature on albums that have sold over 190,000,000 copies worldwide.…
Songwriters Hall of Famer Steve Dorff Shares Stories and Songs with Hospitality & Tourism Execs
Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Steve Dorff entertained a large gathering of Boston-area hospitality and tourism industry executives recently (1/21) with a lunch hour virtual performance of some of his biggest hits, while sharing the stories behind his songs and how they came to be recorded by some of the music…
5 Tips to Rebound, Reset, and Reinvigorate Your Songwriting
For most of us, 2020 will rank as one of the most tumultuous years of our lifetime. The restrictions, losses, and fears caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the emotions stirred up in the political and social arenas, touched virtually everyone—and creative people were hit extra hard. Songwriters, musicians, singers,…
Using Chords and Modulations as Musical Hooks in Your Songs
The chords we choose to accompany our melodies not only contribute to the flavor of our songs, they can provide some of those magical musical moments that make our songs hooky, exceptional, and unforgettable. To keep our listeners’ attention we need to include hooks, elements that are catchy and memorable, not…
Andrew Hollander Talks Composing for “Words On Bathroom Walls” With the Chainsmokers
With a slew of award-winning films on his extensive resume, including one of the highest grossing independent films in history, Waitress, Andrew Hollander is undoubtably a uniquely gifted composer. But his story goes on to tell the other half of his impressive creativity, and that’s what a talented songwriter and producer…
What Makes a Song a Worldwide Phenomenon?
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 retain…
Hall of Fame Songwriter Steve Dorff Performs at Idea Bank Fall Conference
In what has become an annual tradition, BMI provided the musical entertainment at the International Idea Bank fall conference, held recently (10/22) in Elko, Nevada. The GRAMMY and Emmy-nominated songwriter Steve Dorff performed at The Ruby 360 Lodge for an audience of radio executives from around the world. Dorff has written…
10 Ways to Push the Creative Envelope With Your Songs
Sometimes, playing it safe is the most dangerous thing we can do. This is especially applicable when our goal is to write songs that rise above the competition; songs that become artists’ signature songs; and songs that impact audiences and propel artists to a next level. We need to find ways…