Music Marketing [dot] com

How to Write a Hit Song

I spend thousands of dollars per year to learn from the top marketing guys in the world.  The majority of people at the top of their games do something similar.  If you're not moving forward, you're moving backward...and sometimes moving forward costs money. :)

With that said, I've found a lot of musicians to be very skeptical of anything which promises them "help" in exchange for money.  If you're one of them, don't worry, because this free series of songwriting videos which promote this songwriting course looks to be pretty solid.  Here is one on the art of writing hooks...

Haven't reviewed the course, so I can't comment on its quality or how it will work for you, but based on the above video, and the fact that the course is only $27, I feel comfortable mentioning it here and feel you'll get something out of it.

Seth Godin on the Music Business

This is a special, Internet-exlusive episode of Music Business Radio featuring Seth Godin.  This episode was taped backstage at the 40th annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, TN.

We talked about the changing music business, how musicians and labels can make more money, how to get raving fans, word of mouth, tastemakers (and how to be one), licensing, and much more.

Special thanks to Jeff Walker and the staff of AristoMedia for help with this interview!

For future Internet-exclusive episodes, subscribe to our podcast.

Music City Remixed

My friend Craig Havighurst just completed a radio documentary for WPLN called Music City Remixed. 

This is a great documentary about how the music business is changing and what's going to happen after the major label shakeout is over.  I suggest everybody listen to it.

Download or listen below...

Thoughts?

What Will it Sound Like Live?

When I'm working, I usually have music playing in the background.  Today a band called Jellyfish came on, which got me thinking about the songwriting and recording process.

We're at a time in the music business where it is very easy to go crazy when recording something.  Unlimited tracks, samples, effects, etc.  And there are plenty of people who take advantage of all this stuff, by adding, and adding, and adding things to the mix.  More samples, more instruments, more harmonies, etc.

Here's the problem...  Does it work live?

Live performance isn't the only way to make money in the music business, but it's where most independent musicians and bands make the majority of their money.  And to be successful at it, you have to have material which works well via live performance.

It's great to have a slickly produced record.  It's great to take advantage of new recording technology.  But don't forget that the purest form of connection with fans is made via live performance.  They can hear you, see you, smell you, touch you, and receive a complete experience, not just the aural one they get with a recording.

If you're song doesn't work in a stripped down, able-to-be-played-live way, how are you going to connect like this?

You're not.

If you're musician who plays live, when you're writing and recording songs, ask yourself, "What will it sound like live?"  And if it doesn't work live, don't do it.

Put this into the mix when you're working on a new album and I promise you it will change your career.

The 10-Year Overnight Sensation

Here's an interview I recently did with Shawn Mullins.  You probably know him from his hit song Lullaby.  What you probably don't know is how he got his deal, how he lost it, how he got another deal, and how he still performs over 200 dates per year.

Shawn shared his thoughts on writing, touring, licensing, life after a major label, and more.  He also played a couple of songs, live in the studio.

Subscribe to the podcast or listen below...

How to Last 30+ Years in the Music Business

Daryl Hall is 1/2 of the best selling pop duo of all time, but he's also had a great run as a solo artist as well as a songwriter.

What's the secret to his longevity?  In my opinion, it's that he lays the foundation with a great, well-written song, but has the flexibility to follow musical and trends without completely selling out.

His new project, Live from Daryl's House, is a great example of this.  The site has a different live show every month, each with different guest musicians who help bring a new twist to old classics.  If you go there now, you'll see a stripped down version of this song from 1986...

Yes, it has all the trends you'd expect from 1986-- the long hair, the hexagon drums, the neon...  But it doesn't feel like an act.

Compare it with the current version on his site... Acoustic guitars, a set that looks like a barn, denim and cowboy hats...

Totally different from the original, but it doesn't feel like an act either.

If you've got a foundation like he has with this kind of flexibility, you'll have a long career.

Do you know of any other artists with a similar ability?  Post them here.

District Court Rules Yahoo, AOL Pay Millions To Songwriters

A US District Court has ruled AOL, RealNetworks, and Yahoo should pay license fees that could amount to as much as $100 million to ASCAP and its membership for songs which they streamed to users from 2002 until now.  The ruling also includes payment for use until 2009.

Sounds good on paper.  The little guy wins, right?

Look, I think songwriters deserve to be paid.  I live in Nashville and own a publishing company!  But since the rate will likely be more than what is paid by traditional broadcast radio stations, my opinion is that it will make it more difficult for anyone to play music online in the future, which will mean nobody gets paid.

So how is this good for the music business?

A Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers

Here's a "Bill of Rights" for songwriters, which ASCAP has created.  If you like it, you can add your name to the list.

Just as citizens of a nation must be educated about their rights to ensure that they are protected and upheld, so too must those who compose words and music know the rights that support their own acts of creation. Without these rights, which directly emanate from the U.S. Constitution, many who dream of focusing their talents and energies on music creation would be economically unable to do so - an outcome that would diminish artistic expression today and for future generations.

At this time, when so many forces are seeking to diminish copyright protections and devalue artistic expression, this Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers looks to clarify the entitlements that every music creator enjoys.

1. We have the right to be compensated for the use of our creative works, and share in the revenues that they generate.
   
   
2. We have the right to license our works and control the ways in which they are used.
   
   
3. We have the right to withhold permission for uses of our works on artistic, economic or philosophical grounds.
   
   
4. We have the right to protect our creative works to the fullest extent of the law from all forms of piracy, theft and unauthorized use, which deprive us of our right to earn a living based on our creativity.
   
   
5. We have the right to choose when and where our creative works may be used for free.
   
   
6. We have the right to develop, document and distribute our works through new media channels - while retaining the right to a share in all associated profits.
   
   
7. We have the right to choose the organizations we want to represent us and to join our voices together to protect our rights and negotiate for the value of our music.
   
   
8. We have the right to earn compensation from all types of "performances," including direct, live renditions as well as indirect recordings, broadcasts, digital streams and more.
   
   
9. We have the right to decline participation in business models that require us to relinquish all or part of our creative rights - or which do not respect our right to be compensated for our work.
   
   
10. We have the right to advocate for strong laws protecting our creative works, and demand that our government vigorously uphold and protect our rights.

More thoughts on this tomorrow.  Until then, feel free to leave any comments below...

 

Song for Barack Obama = Good Publicity for You

Just got an email from songwriter Trevor Justice.  He was so inspired by Barack Obama's speech on January 8th that he wrote a song about it called "Yes We Can" and kept many phrases from the speech intact.

You can hear it at www.myspace.com/trevorjusticemusic.

Doing something timely like this is a great way to get media attention, especially when the topic is something that so many people feel so passionately about. A right wing band known as The Right Brothers has been doing something similar for a few years, with great results.

If this is who you are as an artist, I say go for it.  But be sure you want to get involved in something much larger than your music before doing so.  Songs like "Bush Was Right" might be hot for a bit, but what happens when people find Bush is a liar?

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.