Tag: Song Writing
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Object Writing: The 10-Minute Exercise That Changed Songwriting
Some of the most memorable country songs aren’t built around complicated words or elaborate stories. They’re built around small details that make listeners feel like they’re standing right there with the singer. An empty coffee cup. A screen door swinging in the wind. A pair of work boots sitting beside the bed. Ordinary objects. But…
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One Year Later: Building Nashville Lyrics
What Changed in a Year of Writing, Producing, Learning, and Building a Catalog One year ago, Nashville Lyrics was barely an idea. I had written several songs. I could produce music from my lyrics. And at the time, some of those songs sounded pretty good to me. Looking back now, I can also see what…
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What Makes a Catalog Worth Coming Back To?
The Goal Isn’t Just to Get Someone to Listen Once Getting someone to open a music catalog is one challenge. Add Post Giving them a reason to come back is another. That’s an important distinction. A catalog shouldn’t function like a one-time sales pitch. Ideally, it becomes a resource. Someone hears a song today. Then…
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How Songs Move Through My Catalog
A Song Doesn’t Go From Idea to Pitch in One Step When people see a finished song, they usually see the end result. They don’t see the versions that came before it. The rough idea. The unfinished lyric. The production attempt that didn’t work. The rewrite. The second production. The catalog review. Or the decision…
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The Business Side of Nashville Lyrics
How a Curiosity About Making Songs Turned Into Building a Music Catalog Nashville Lyrics didn’t begin with a business plan. It didn’t begin with a publishing company, a website, copyright registrations or a catalog prepared for industry professionals. It started with curiosity. I heard a podcast where someone talked about listening to music he’d created…
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Why I Don’t Pitch Every Good Song
Because a Good Song Still Has to Be the Right Song One of the easiest mistakes in songwriting is assuming that once a song is good enough, it should be pitched. I don’t think that’s true. A song can be well written. It can have a strong hook. It can sound professional. It can even…
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Behind The Scenes: One Look, One Chance
Sometimes a Song Doesn’t Start With an Idea. It Starts With a Moment. Some songs are imagined. Some are observed. And every once in a while, a song begins with something that actually happened. “One Look, One Chance” falls into that last category. The idea goes back more than 25 years, to a time when…
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How I Organize a 100+ Song Catalog
Because Eventually, Your Memory Stops Being a Catalog System When you’re starting out, organizing songs is easy. You remember everything. You know which song has the female vocal. You remember which one needs another rewrite. You know where the newest mix is stored. You know which songs are ready to pitch. Then the catalog grows.…
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The Difference Between a Demo and a Master
When Does a Song Stop Being a Demonstration and Become the Finished Recording? Songwriters use the word demo constantly. Then there is another word that sounds like the next level: master. It’s tempting to think the difference is simple. A demo is rough. A master sounds professional. But that’s not always true. Modern demos can…
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Why Metadata Matters More Than You Think
A Great Song Can’t Get Found If Nobody Knows What It Is Metadata might be one of the least glamorous words in songwriting. Nobody sits down with a guitar dreaming about entering BPM, key, genre, mood, writer information and ownership details. But once you begin building a serious catalog, something becomes obvious: The song and…