Full Potential

After writing full-time for the past few years, I've noticed there are ruts that each of us can fall into periodically. One of these ruts develops when we believe that there's only one grading scale that matters: commercial radio. And if we don't succeed in that arena, then we must have failed in one way or another. But is this true? No.


The conventional music business does not naturally push creators to reach their full potential beyond the boundaries of the traditional radio song. No one else will make you push yourself to meet your full potential. That job belongs to each and every songwriter.

Instead of trying to just write songs that fit into the traditional definition of  a commercial song, explore the way you approach writing your next song. Who knows--maybe you'll discover a creative direction that feels most true to who you are.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

The Driving Force

I've been thinking a lot lately about the state of the industry. The conventional publishing model has developed in such a way that it provides the songwriter the opportunity to get songs pitched to a number of artists. The result of this is that the understanding of possible outlets creeps into the creative process (or is blatantly the goal) and causes the songwriter to create art that is driven by the opportunities at hand.

What would happen if it were the other way around? What if instead of the opportunity driving the art, the art drove the opportunity? Deep down in my soul I desire this to be the case. I want to sit down and write whatever I feel led to create that day, and figure out a way to monetize the art on the back end.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to even get songs into the right hands for them to be recorded by major artists, let alone find their way onto the radio (for more reasons than are worth getting into). In the meantime, I believe it's most important for each songwriter to write the art they feel most led to create. Those will be the songs that have the greatest chance of standing the test of time.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

What Is Not vs. What Should Be

While driving home from writing and recording yesterday afternoon, I heard a story on NPR about author Ann Patchett opening a new bookstore in Nashville called Parnassus. During the interview, she said:

"I think of this as my gift to the city: This is what I want to see in Nashville, and if I want to live in a city with a bookstore, then I'm willing to pay for it."

This embodies the entrepreneurial spirit. It may be easier to just complain about there not being a great bookstore in town, but it's far more rewarding to create one. I believe this is true for any artistic endeavor. Rather than criticizing what is not, let's create what should be. One piece of art is worth one thousand critiques.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Washed Up Art

A couple days ago Peter Cooper posted his thoughts about the current state of country music radio programming. Read it here.

There's one key thing that I take from Cooper's blog post, along with the ensuing 228 comments: Temporary art does not satisfy.

While there's room for mindless, fun songs, I believe most people, most of the time, desire to hear music with some substantive depth. And I believe most songwriters, most of the time, desire to write songs with substantive depth. As listeners and creators, all we can do is point to the art that is worth pointing to.

The gatekeepers in the middle will rarely be a good, honest compass leading to fine art; there are too many ulterior motives at play. With song services like Rdio and Spotify (both are like Netflix for music, providing unlimited, on demand streaming of any song) becoming readily available, the role of the traditional gatekeeper is diminished. We don't have to let someone else tell us what songs to like, but have the entire musical world at our fingertips.

Today I am going on a musical exploration of sorts, exposing my ears to music they've never heard. I feel like I'm back on Sanibel Island with a bucket in hand, searching the ground for shells of any color, shape or size that happens to grab my attention. There's plenty of room on the beach...

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Timeless Art in a Consumer's World

In America, many of our daily decisions are made out of a consumer's mindset. Everywhere we look are persuasive ads about how we should make those choices.

This mindset unfortunately has contaminated how we create art. Instead of creating out of a freedom, we tend to restrict ourselves to the rules of a commercial game. We want to please those who open the doors to financial success. While writing a song, we say things like, "A radio station wouldn't play that kind of song, so maybe we should pursue another direction."

But I believe that when art has true integrity, a by-product is that it will be desired by consumers, and radio will play it. (It may sound naive, but how can I convince myself to create outside of the commercial boundaries without believing that?) So rather than trying to write a song that contains marketable characteristics, we can focus on writing a song that is great art, and as a result, will sell.

A lot of radio stations have played the same safe music for years, mainly because what has worked in the past still "works" today (there are still people listening). Rather than fixing something that arguably/presumably isn’t broken, record label promotion teams have reacted by shaping their product to the mold that radio wants. Like a line of dominoes falling backwards, the songwriters have also felt the pressure to adapt in order to be competitive. The songwriter who writes something outside the box hardly has a shot at their song being heard over the airwaves. The result of this cycle is that each song ends up sounding like a slight version of the one before. If everyone’s aiming at the same bull’s eye, there will only be so much variation. It seems fair to call these songs average, because by default, they are lacking special distinction, rank, and status.

Deep down I want to believe that the best songs make it onto albums and over the airwaves, but that unfortunately isn’t always the case. It often feels like there are more behind-the-scenes politics than a November election. The challenge to the professional songwriter is to be true to his/her own voice while making a living writing songs for an industry that doesn’t treat new voices kindly. It’s the new voices, however, that cause the craft of songwriting to grow.

Keep writing,

Ben

The Life of a Song (Part 3 of 6)

On the business side, there are six steps in the life of a song. I've decided to break it down into six posts.

Here's a basic unfolding of events (with estimated length of time in parentheses):

1. Song is written and turned into publisher
2. Song is demoed (three months after it is written)
3. Publisher pitches song to artists/labels/managers around town (six months)
4. Artist decides to record song (three months)
5. Album gets mixed and label promotes upcoming release (six months)
6. Album is release, and publisher and songwriter look forward to royalties (six-nine months)

Here are some basic general levels of approval that a song has to go through before it could be heard on the radio consistently:

Photo by Fod Tzellos. Used with permission.

           1. The songwriter(s)
2. The publisher(s)
3. The artist’s manager(s)
4. The record label
5. The artist(s)
6. The promotion team
7. The radio DJ(s)
8. The listener(s)

I believe the most important step is the first one. If we don't write something that we believe in, then why should we expect someone else believe it?

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

The Brian Mason Show

It sounds like Ricky is going to join me and Gordon on the Brian Mason show tomorrow morning (listen online here) from 7-9 central time.

The Elevator Pitch

The doors open and you walk onto the elevator. As you press the button for your floor, you notice the only other person you'll be riding with: a clean-cut, older gentleman wearing a designer suit. You introduce yourself as a budding entrepreneur, to which he responds, "What's your idea?" Realizing you've just stumbled into a potential investment opportunity, you jump right into the 60-second summary of your business plan. There's only one chance to make a great first impression.

So it is with a song and its listener. The song finds its way to the ears of a producer, publisher, record label executive, radio DJ, audience or potential buyer with the intention of convincing the listener that it is well worth their emotional investment.  Often if the listener isn't sold in the first 30-60 seconds of a song, it's on to the next one.

The next time you write a song, put yourself in the shoes (or ears) of the listener. Ask yourself, "If I were hearing this song for the first time, would I believe enough in the music and message to invest my time and emotions?"

Keep writing,

Ben

Timeless Art in a Fast World

There is a fun app on my phone that allows me to take professional-looking pictures in almost no time. I can make the most menial object look epic, without having to pay a professional photographer. That's a blessing and also a possible hazard.

We live in a fast world, and we want high-quality things, quickly. A picture program like this is appealing because it cuts out cost and time. But that also means that a tool like this could potentially take away work from photographers.

What does this look like when it comes to writing songs? With professional-quality microphones and recording equipment cheaper than ever, anyone and their mom is able to get an album onto iTunes. The real issue when it comes to such available technology is that we are tempted and able to hit the recording button too soon. Instead of carving on and reshaping a lyric or melody, we attempt to make up for any deficiencies in the song by making a sparkly and shiny recording. But a great recording of a mediocre song is still only a mediocre song. Few will remember hearing it.

When more people have access to create timeless-looking art, the challenge is to encourage all to participate, while still preserving and passing on the integrity of the craft. The reality is that with everyone taking photos on their phones, we are potentially only adding more noise to the craft of photography. It becomes easier to be average, and more difficult to be exceptional.

In the end, time is what separates the good from the mediocre – in a photographer's photos and in a songwriter's songs. If we create something true and good, it will stand up ten years from now. But if we only write something that sounds like what’s currently on the radio, then it’ll just sound like that "other" song. And who just wants to blend in?

Keep writing,

Ben

Writing Tools - a Writer's Friend

There are two sides of the writing process - the actual art being created, and the way we capture and portray that art. Both sides of this coin are necessary. For example, the most beautifully written concerto suffers greatly if it isn't given a proper performance and recording. And what good is a great recording if the song is only mediocre?

Though tools are important in the writing process, it is essential to remember where new art actually comes from: inspiration. I am confident this inspiration is not found in digital 1s and 0s as much as it is found in nature's leaves and raindrops. As wonderful as the newest and shiniest recording program or studio compressor is, it will never provide the fuel for a fresh new song in the same way that organic life does.

Photo by Ton Rulkens. Used with permission.

I believe our tendency is to look to these tools for salvation when we create, rather than to be on the lookout for true inspiration. The result can often (but not always) be heard on the radio - a sonic masterpiece that wouldn't stand up on its own when performed solo on guitar or piano. Our challenge when it comes to writing songs is to always remember that the inspiration and the tools with which we capture this inspiration are separate, yet connected. The metaphor that comes to mind is this:

Songwriter = conductor
Song = train
Writing tools = tracks
Inspiration = coal/fuel

In the coming weeks and months I am going to talk in more detail about the specific tools that I have found helpful in my own writing process. And please feel free to clue me in on the tools you find useful!

Keep writing,

Ben