The 360 Degree Songwriter


Book Description

There is a song; and there is a Hit Song. Which one do you want to write? Are you a Hit Song Maker? This book analyzes what is a “Hit Song”, covering my Hit Song Recipe - a collection of special ingredients that makes up the “Hit Song” sauce. This analysis will help you as a songwriter gain a clearer path on how to write a “Hit” song and why you should at least write one for your catalog. Who knows, once you get hooked, you may realize that all your songs can be Hits! But songs aren’t Hits just in the writing. This book focuses not just on songs, but you as the songwriter. This is where my coined phrase, “the 360º (Degree) Songwriter” comes into play. You’ll discover the mindset you need in order to write the Hit songs, deliver them to the ears and minds, and jettison them, and you, towards success. You’ll also receive tips on marketing, branding and networking in the music business, including an in-depth chapter on licensing and publishing your songs. By the end of this book, you’ll have your Writing Recipe book, and you’ll be able to determine whether you're up to playing the music business game to succeed as a professional, consummate, 360º Songwriter. Through my carefully crafted strategies, you’ll give your SONG the BEST SHOT. Actually, a SLAM DUNK.




Songwriting Strategies


Book Description

(Berklee Guide). Write songs starting from any direction: melody, lyric, harmony, rhythm, or idea. This book will help you expand your range and flexibility as a songwriter. Discussions, hands-on exercises, and notated examples will help you hone your craft. This creatively liberating approach supports the overall integrity of emotion and meaning in your songs. It will help you become more productive, versatile, and innovative in your songwriting. You will learn to: * Discover more ideas for songs song seeds and capture them in their most powerful and usable form * Overcome writer's block by having many more pathways through the writing process * Develop strong song structures by working independently with melody, lyrics, harmony, and rhythm * Write songs more easily, guided by your well-tuned "songwriter's compass"




2015 Songwriter's Market


Book Description

The most trusted guide to songwriting success! There is a home out there for every song you've written, but in order to place those songs and advance your music career you must arm yourself with steadfast determination, unending passion, and the most accurate music business knowledge available. For more than 38 years, Songwriter's Market has provided songwriters and performing artists with the most complete and up-to-date information needed to place songs with music publishers, find record companies and producers, obtain representation with managers, and more. This comprehensive guide gives you the tools and first-hand knowledge you need to launch your songwriting career right now! In the 2015 edition, you'll also gain access to: • A new foreword by hit songwriter and best-selling author Jason Blume • New interviews with music publishers, Grammy Award-winning producers, and major music industry leaders • Articles about how to create and mix a professional demo at home, how to get the most out of music conferences, and much more • Hundreds of songwriting placement opportunities • Listings for songwriting organizations, conferences, workshops, retreats, colonies, contests, venues, and grant sources (helpful for indie artists looking to record and tour on their own) *Includes access to the webinar "Song Seeds: How to Jump-start Your Songwriting Process" from author and Berklee College of Music professor Mark Simos.




Songwriter's Market 40th Edition


Book Description

Songwriter's Market is the go-to source for songwriters and performing artists who seek career advice and up-to-date information for placing their songs with music publishers, discovering record companies or producers, securing representation with a manager, and much more. With insights from a variety of industry experts and both career and up-and-coming songwriters, this edition features the firsthand and insider knowledge songwriters need to launch their career. You gain access to: • Interviews with veterans like Phil Cody, Chip Taylor, and Marc Jordan and rising stars like Simon Wilcox, Francesco Yates, and the Grammy-nominated Erik Blu2th Griggs. • Articles on breaking into Nashville, using Twitter to market yourself as a songwriter, and crowdfunding. • Hundreds of songwriting-placement opportunities. • Listings for songwriting organizations, conferences, workshops, retreats, colonies, contests, venues, and grant sources. + Includes exclusive access to the video "Pat Pattison Masterclass: Rhythm and Form" "Songwriter's Market is the indispensable tool you need to build your songwriting career. From the secrets of hit songwriting craft to an unequaled collection of pitching resources for your final recordings, this book delivers it all." --Robin Frederick, writer and producer of more than 500 songs for television, records, and audio products, and author of top-selling songwriting books




Songwriting in Practice


Book Description

(Berklee Guide). Become a more productive songwriter! Learn to organize the full range of your creative content, from starting inspirations to finished songs. This book offers pragmatic tools, resources, practices, and principles for managing the many kinds of creative materials gathered or generated across a song's life cycle. Organize your ideas and sources of inspiration, sketches and drafts, versions and revisions, to streamline your songwriting process. Create and use "song seed" notebooks and lists, song journals, and writing and co-writing session logs, as you develop your overall song catalog. You will learn to: * Capture and access inspirations of all types lyric, melodic, chordal, rhythmic, or concept in songwriting notebooks, journals, and lists * Energize and improve your creative work writing by organizing all your song ideas for easy access at every stage of songwriting * Manage the full lifecycle of your songs, from sketches and drafts, through versions and revisions, to "fair copies" and demos * Develop an efficient songwriting workflow that connects inspirations to opportunities and projects * Rapidly access your strongest creative material in high-stakes, deadline-driven writing and co-writing sessions * Develop your song catalogue to support publishing, administration, and licensing * Use the organizing process to gain insights for advancing your craft and range as a writer




The Singer-Songwriter Handbook


Book Description

The singer-songwriter, someone who writes and performs their own music, is an ever-present and increasingly complex figure in popular music worlds. The Singer-Songwriter Handbook provides a useful resource for student songwriters, active musicians, fans and scholars alike. This handbook is divided into four main sections: Songwriting (acoustic and digital), Performance, Music Industry and Case Studies. Section I focuses on the 'how to' elements of popular song composition, embracing a range of perspectives and methods, in addition to chapters on the teaching of songwriting to students. Section II deals with the nature of performance: stagecraft, open mic nights, and a number of case studies that engage with performing in a range of contexts. Section III is devoted to aspects of the music industry and the business of music including sales, contract negotiations, copyright, social media and marketing. Section IV provides specific examples of singer-songwriter personae and global open mic scenes. The Singer-Songwriter Handbook is a much-needed single resource for budding singer-songwriters as well as songwriting pedagogues.




Songwriter's Market 2016


Book Description

THE MOST TRUSTED GUIDE TO SONGWRITING SUCCESS For nearly 40 years, Songwriter's Market has provided songwriters and performing artists with the most up-to-date information needed to place songs with music publishers, find record companies and producers, obtain representation with managers, and much more. Featuring a holistic focus on all aspects of songwriting--from idea generation to marketing--this completely updated edition has more resources than ever before, giving you the tools and first-hand knowledge you need to launch your songwriting career. You'll also gain access to: • Articles on improving and honing your songwriting craft: from finding your voice to using rhyme and alliteration to create a better song • Technical pieces on project management, the best tools for songwriting on the go, and using social media to your advantage • New interviews with industry executives and insiders • Hundreds of songwriting-placement opportunities • Listings for songwriting organizations, conferences, workshops, retreats, colonies, contests, venues, and grant sources (helpful for indie artists looking to record and tour on their own) + Includes an exclusive FREE download of the webinar "Pat Pattison Masterclass: Rhythm and Point of View" by best-selling songwriter and author Pat Pattison "This book is for the self-starters, the hard workers, and the driven songwriters. Writing songs is only the first part of the journey. Once you've crafted the perfect song, you need to get it into the right hands. Songwriter's Market provides you with the tools you need to do just that." --Ben Camp, assistant professor of songwriting at Berklee, songwriter for Sony/ATV, and songwriter for artists on Columbia, Sony, and Universal "For many years, my role in the music industry has been as a director, and now an owner, of a global songwriter membership organization. Through my experience, I know that songwriters consistently refer to the Songwriter's Market as a go-to resource for credible services, information, and connections." --Sheree Spoltore, founder and president of Global Songwriters Connection and former assistant executive director of Nashville Songwriters Association International




The Absolute Essentials of Songwriting Success


Book Description

Your greatest desire is for your original songs to be recorded, released, and broadcast. But do you have a realistic plan to make this dream your reality? Author and hit tunesmith Rand Bishop draws from 40 years of on-the-job experience while visiting with some of the most-honored song crafters of the last five decades, unveiling a long-term strategy for building a career composing hit songs. The lessons, essays, quotations, and profiles in this book reveal how a Song Dog becomes Top Dog.







The Craft of Songwriting


Book Description

(Berklee Guide). Take your songwriting to the next level! This book breaks down the processes used by hit songwriters and dives deeply into the craft of songwriting. Discover the tools and techniques for melody, harmony, lyrics, and form behind so many great songs. You will access the magic and come out more connected to your heart and craft. Online audio tracks illustrate these techniques in context, showing how they affect your song's overall impact.