
-FRUSTRATIONS OF ALL SONGWRITERS-
TRAIN CORRECTLY – GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT
You will attain your goals by evaluating where you are in your development , noting what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, then implementing programs & specific exercises to facilitate correction. A good coach can help you achieve mastery by teaching you to coach yourself. You’ll learn things you didn’t even know you don’t know, recognize your limits, and how to push yourself to the edge & beyond. The end result is growth and excellence ~ ‘Personal Excellence.’
It’s obvious, in listening to thousands of songwriter submissions, many wish, hope, & dream for commercial success, but it's often unclear as to what makes a song commercial. In addition, many would-be songwriters don’t know how to get their work into the right hands or do a proper demo. Hundreds of dollars are spent on demos that can’t be used because the song wasn't ready. Let’s face it, a good demo makes an OK song sound great, but a great demo can never turn a good song into a great one.
It’s so disappointing when you pour heart & soul (& a big chunk of change) into your work, only to hear a publisher tell you:
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I can’t use it,
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It’s a good idea but not working for me
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The second verse is weak, or it needs a bridge,
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I can’t make out the lyric (because the band is overpowering)
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The song is way too long, or no reply at all.
Okay, so you have a song or two published-what does that mean? Are you aware of the various streams of income?
If a publisher likes your song enough to offer you a publishing contract, it doesn’t guarantee monetary profit from the song. Publishers DO NOT get paid until songs make it onto records that make money. Something to think about when you start pitching your songs! Your competition is made up of the thousands of songwriters out there & the few hundred getting most of the cuts. Producers often go back to writers they like to mine material for new albums. Wouldn’t you like to be one of those writers?
Writing commercial songs isn’t easy and usually takes some (a lot sometimes) re-writing.
Serious songwriters are willing to look at new ways of doing things. They take the time & effort to study, prepare & invest in themselves by taking classes, going to workshops, buying books, and reading them. What if you trained the same way an athlete trains?
In my opinion this is what it absolutely takes: Self-discipline, Willingness to be vulnerable, Self-esteem, & Willingness to hear 'No' and keep trying in spite of being discouraged.
C