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How to Write a Hit Song - A New Approach

I want to try something new and, if you're interested, you need to let me know right now.

I recently met this guy, I'll call him Mr. X, whom is an expert on the subject of creativity.  His background is in visual art (painting, drawing, etc) and the majority of what he does focuses on these mediums, but he is highly sought-after by artists of all types when it comes to them enhancing their ability to be creative.

A few days ago, he was explaining to me some things about the mind and how it works when coming up with new ideas.  As he was doing this, I was thinking, "This would work great for songwriters."

After 100+ episodes of Music Business Radio, many with top songwriters, this is what I know about songwriting...

1. Writers block happens...sometimes a lot.
2. There are only a few subjects people want to hear about.  The big one is love.
3. The real skill in coming up with a hit song is saying something which has already been said and is familiar to people, but doing it in a new way.
4. A small group of very talented songwriters gets the majority of the album cuts and singles, so you have to be exceptionally good at expressing yourself and "painting the picture" with your lyrics, if you want to compete with them and have any success.

As a visual artist, "painting the picture" is what this guy does...literally.  But he's in the same situation any songwriter is...he has to tell a heartfelt, emotional story with very limited space.  Every stoke of the brush matters for him, just like every word and note matters for you.

Ask yourself this...  Wouldn't it be great if you could:

• Eliminate "Blocks" in Your Writing - No More Staring at a Blank Piece of Paper!
• Instantly Come Up with New and Unique Ways of Expressing a Familiar Theme?
• Finish Entire Songs in Just Minutes...Not Hours, Days, or Weeks

These techniques have worked for painters, illustrators, and other visual artists and I'm convinced they'll work for you and apply to your songwriting.

Here's the deal...

Normally, these "Creativity Workshops" are about $500 to attend.  This version of it will be brand new though, with all new curriculum created just for songwriters.  In short, it will be a "beta test" and we'll be working out a few kinks. 

Right now, we're expecting this event to last about 8-10 hours, but I've been known to deliver seminars that go for 15 hours in a single day, so it might go a little longer, depending on if the audience wants to keep going.

Normally, I focus on marketing and "music business" things, so this is new for me.  Mr. X is the expert at the "creativity" stuff, so he'll be the one delivering the info here.  However, I'll likely add some content on the music business aspects of songwriting, just to give you an action plan you can use on all the great songs you're going to create with his method.

The admission cost: FREE

Seriously -- this is something new and we're testing the material, so we're not going to charge admission.  The only thing you'll pay is a "seat reservation fee" (probably about $20) just to make sure you're serious about showing up and we don't end up with a bunch of empty seats from people who say they'll be there, but flake out on us...and keep somebody else from being in that seat.

Date will be sometime in January, so it will be a great way to start off the new year.  Location will be Nashville, which will give us access to a ton of great songwriters and make it a great networking event.

My question for you...

Would you be interested in attending?

Reply below with you thoughts.  Let me know the specifics you'd like to cover, any questions that you have, and more about yourself.

Looking forward to seeing you in January!

Man Makes $85,000/year Selling His Body

Well, not his body exactly, but the t-shirt which covers it...

From his site, iWearYourShirt.com:

"In this up and down economy I’m outsourcing my wardrobe (namely shirts) to corporate america and you! I’m going to wear a different shirt for 365 days straight in 2009, take multiple pictures throughout my day and blog about it. Days are sold at 'face value' so January 1 is $1 and December 31 is $365."

Here is an example of what you'd get for your money...

Used to see a lot of this stuff during the the late 90s. Obviously, it still works. Perhaps your band could do something similar...

Classic 80s Hits... Interpreted for Ragtime Piano

Ever wonder what 80s hits by bands such as Journey and Bon Jovi would sound like if they were written around the turn of the century, at the height of the ragtime piano era? Probably not, but NYC pianist Scott Bradlee did and the video below has helped draw attention to his music with over 77,000 views on YouTube...

Street Art

I've always been fascinated by street performers.  I especially love the people who are doing something different, such as playing on instruments they've made.

Regardless of the style of performance or how it's being done, I think street performers add a lot to the environment.  Like this guy...

If you have stories of interesting street performances or how you're making money doing street performance, please post them below.

Cracking Pandora - How to Write a Hit Song

Had Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora.com, on Music Business Radio a couple of weeks ago, and I've been playing around with the service ever since.

For those that don't know about Pandora, let me bring you up to speed...

Pandora is an online radio station, which gives users an individual "station" based on their likes and dislikes.  You pick a song or artist and Pandora takes it from there.

Songs on the service are organized based on 396 characteristics.  With each song played, you have an opportunity to say "I like this" or "I don't like this."  If you like a certain song, you get other songs with similar characteristics.  And if you don't like a song, you get less of those songs.

For example... Just now, I created a station based on the band U2.  The first song played was "Miss Sarjevo."  The second song was "Every Breath You Take" by the Police.  Third song, "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" by the Killers.

Here is what I found interesting...

Unlike Amazon, which makes selections based on "People who purchased X album also purchased Y album," Pandora doesn't look at sales records or what it thinks you might like based on demographics or anything like that.  The only thing it looks at is the uniqueness of the music itself.

My assistant lives in Toronto.  The morning I was interviewing Tim, I had her on the phone, going over the day's schedule, and we were discussing Pandora.  I typed in Aldo Nova, a well known Canadian musician, just to see what would come up.  And I got other Canadian musicians from the same time, such as Honeymoon Suite, Loverboy, and Triumph.

Interesting, right?  Especially since Pandora isn't looking at geography or time period.

But here is where it got really interesting...

Bon Jovi kept coming up.  Specifically, songs from their self-titled album, such as "Runaway."

Why?  Pandora said it was this...

electric rock instrumentation
a subtle use of vocal harmony
acoustic rhythm piano
repetitive melodic phrasing
a vocal-centric aesthetic
minor key tonality
electric rhythm guitars
a dynamic male vocalist

But the interesting thing to me was that Aldo Nova actually played guitar on that record as well as co-wrote several of the songs.

Obviously, there is some kind of "footprint" being left behind by Aldo Nova, even though he wasn't the artist.  And that same mark went on to brand other songs during that time and from his area of the world.

Do all songs have a "footprint" like this? Assuming they do, could it be that Pandora has the ability to "decode" a hit song for you?

Think about it...  People who a certain genre of music, enjoy more than one act from that genre.  But not everybody who likes "rock music" will enjoy every song in the genre.

But what if you took the "genre" of a specific song and split it into 396 characteristics...  Couldn't you recreate it in a new song that lovers of the original song would also enjoy?

Something to think about...

For those of you interesting in writing a commercial song, hit Pandora.com, start a new station based on something hot, and see what characteristics pop up.  Probably little things that you never would have analyzed before-- type of hi-hat, slight use of vibrato, etc.

And if you're not interested in a commercial song, but want something more "artsy" that will impress even the most apathetic of indie record store clerks, you can analyze songs like that also. 

Whatever you want, Pandora looks at it all the same, which is what I find so interesting about it.  One characteristic isn't any better than the other, it's just different.

If any of you try this, please let me know how it works for you.  And if you have any thoughts on the subject, feel free to post them below.   

Three Simple Ways to Stimulate Your Creative Inspiration

When you’re not used to tapping your natural creative flow, it can seem incredibly difficult to awaken it.  You may be so used to working long hours, dealing with problems, fighting traffic, or living your life on autopilot that you’ve forgotten how it feels to be creative and inspired.

You may be surprised to learn that awakening your creative inspiration can be a simple and quick process, if you use the right activities to do so.

Below are three simple suggestions for stimulating your creative inspiration.

Exercise.  Exercise helps your body release all those feel-good endorphins that benefit you in so many ways.  Besides better health and clearer thinking, your creative inspiration is naturally triggered by physical activity.  Not just any physical activity, but those that make you feel happy and energetic.  Try walking briskly through a natural setting, dancing to upbeat music, or even engaging in a more soothing exercise like yoga.  After your exercise session, spend a few minutes gently stretching your muscles and relaxing your body.  Not only will you feel wonderful physically, but your senses will awaken and your creative inspiration will flow more naturally. 

Meditate.  Meditation is great for stress relief and spiritual pursuits, but it can also create a harmonious environment for your creative inspiration.  In order to tap into your creativity, you need to feel relaxed, peaceful and happy.  Meditation can easily help you achieve this, and it’s not as complex as you might fear.  Meditation can be as simple as sitting quietly with your eyes closed for 10 or 15 minutes.  The objective is to quiet your mental chatter and rest in a state of inner peacefulness.  This may be challenging at first if you’ve never meditated before, but the more you do it the stronger your mental focus will get.  It’s not uncommon for people to start with only 10 minutes of meditation a day, and quickly decide they like it so much that they extend that time to 30 or even 60 minutes!  If you stick with it long enough, you’ll notice that not only do you feel more creative, you feel calm and in control in all areas of your life.

Breathe.  Deep breathing gets ALL of your energy flowing more freely, which also boosts your creative inspiration.  Most of us are shallow breathers, using only a portion of our lung capacity.  This is especially true if you have a hectic and stressful life.  Get into the habit of taking very slow, deep breaths several times a day and you’ll quickly notice a difference in how you think and feel.  A “deep” breath is one that starts in your abdomen.  Place your hand on your tummy and allow it to expand as you begin inhaling.  Once your abdomen is expanded fully, continue expanding up through your chest, fully filling your lungs with air.  Then slowly exhale until your lungs are deflated.  Do this 2 or 3 times, slowly so you don’t hyperventilate and get dizzy.  As you breathe deeply, imagine that you can feel your energy flowing freely through your body, awakening all of your senses.  Besides being very relaxing, you’ll quickly notice that deep breathing makes your mind seem sharper and clearer, which helps you more easily tap into your creative inspiration.

Of course, once you’ve awakened your creative inspiration, it’s a good idea to set aside time for the expression of it.  Even if you have limited time available, devote a few minutes a day to creative pursuits that make you feel good.  By doing so, you keep your creative energy flowing more steadily.

Weave a Creative Flavor Through Your Everyday Routine

We often link creativity to artistic pursuits, but we can add a dose of creativity to our everyday activities too.  In this way, we are able to make our entire lives more creatively inspired, rather than saving creative inspiration for those odd moments when we have time to engage in creative activities.

Below you’ll find simple and effective ways to weave creativity into your daily activities:

Bring natural beauty indoors.  Flower arrangements or mini-fountains are good ways to bring a creative flavor to a mundane setting.  Stop by a floral shop on your way to work and buy a small arrangement of flowers to beautify your workspace, or stop after work and buy some for your home.  Even better, buy a few small arrangements and mix and match them to create something entirely new.  Buy a mini-fountain or build one out of river rocks, and let the trickle of water soothe and inspire you.

Surround yourself with color.  Experiment with different colors and pay attention to how they make you feel.  You may discover, for example, that red makes you feel more empowered and inspired, so you might wear a red scarf or tie on the days when you feel out of touch with your creativity.  If your job is very stressful, try placing a lavender-scented candle in your workspace.  Even if you can’t light it, you can look at the soothing color and take a whiff of the calming scent from time to time.

Shake up your routine.  If you always visit the same coffee shop in the morning and order the same flavored coffee and the same plain bagel with cream cheese, why not try something new?  Leave earlier and visit a diner for a hearty breakfast of eggs or pancakes.  Try taking a different route home, or find a local park and take a walk before heading home.  Visit your local library some Saturday morning and explore new subjects.  The more you can open your mind to new experiences, the richer and more creative your life will seem.

Just add music.  Rather than doing chores and driving in silence, why not turn on some pleasing music?  Even better, explore different types of music than you may be used to.  Try hard rock while exercising, or opera while taking a bubble bath.  Or if you usually listen to music, try tuning into a radio talk show to open your mind to new ideas and alternative views.  Engaging your mind and emotions while performing mundane activities can make the time seem to pass faster while also stimulating your creativity.

Spice up your diet.  If you’ve gotten into the rut of eating the same old foods every day, try including new foods to tantalize your taste buds.  Buy a book of interesting recipes or take a cooking class to experiment with different dishes.  Ask friends with different ethnic backgrounds to share some of their favorite recipes with you, and share some of your favorites with them.  Visit new restaurants in your area and try menu choices that you wouldn’t ordinarily order.  Since food is such a large part of our daily lives, expanding your food choices is a great way to add flavor and richness to your ordinary activities.

Three Ways to Make Creative Activities More Fun

As adults, we often get wrapped up in the seriousness of our everyday responsibilities and lose touch with that light, joyful part of us that used to laugh and play.  As a result, we lose touch with our creative side and we begin seeing our creative pursuits as very serious business too.  Instead of enjoying creative activities, we approach them with the expectation of perfection, and get frustrated if our creations don’t match the vision we expect to see. 

Remember when you were a child and you dove into creative projects just because they were fun?  You didn’t care if your creations weren’t perfect because you actually enjoyed creating them.  Your parents probably hung them on the refrigerator and proudly displayed them to family and friends, which filled you with pride and satisfaction. 

You can recapture that sense of freedom and lightness again by purposely making your creative activities fun.  Here are three simple ways to do that:

Get silly.  Instead of trying to make a “serious” piece of art, act like a kid again.  Make a finger-painting, construct something funny with clay, make some macaroni necklaces, or trace your hand and make a “turkey.”  Sitting in front of a mirror trying to draw a self-portrait can easily get you giggling uncontrollably; or if you’re already accomplished at sketching or drawing, try doing a caricature of yourself.  With any of these activities, don’t worry about what the creations look like afterwards.  Just have fun with the process of creating them.      

Get outrageous.  Make it your mission to be as bold and unorthodox with your creations as you can.  Try making an abstract painting, writing a dirty limerick, or experimenting with new dance moves.  Let go of your inhibitions and step away from known or traditional ways of doing things.  Let your creative vision burst forth in riotous color and come up with something completely original.  Remember, no one has to see your creations but you!  The more you can enjoy the process of creating them, the less you will care what they look like when you’re done.

Get emotional.  Try infusing strong emotion into your creations.  Imagine that you want to express your emotions in your artwork, so that anyone looking at it would know instantly what you were feeling at the time you created it.  Use colors, shapes, words, numbers, and symbols to express strong feelings of love, anger, hate, sadness, joy, or anything else you wish to express.  Consider which colors express your emotions most accurately, and then use them boldly.  Also experiment with different mediums.  For example, you might want to write when you’re feeling sad, and paint when you’re feeling inspired. 

There are many more ways to make creative pursuits fun; we have covered just a few of them.  The most powerful way to have fun with your creativity is simply to let your heart lead you.  Visit a hobby or craft store, and pick up a kit to try something new.  Buy a book about a creative activity you’d like to learn.  Then simply spend time playing with it each day.  Before long, you’ll have forgotten all about any notion of perfection and instead will have tapped that childlike joy of creative inspiration again.