How the music publishing business happens is almost a total mystery to most people outside of it. Inside of it the people reviewing, recording, and releasing music understand the simple truth that it all begins with “the song” we’re inviting as many people as possible to experience.
No song, no experience.
That “song” may come to their attention in one of many ways, but that it is “the song” is almost always unmistakable and almost everyone involved in the process has very little trouble identifying it as “the song.” Truly iconic songs in any genre are rare, so when they do happen people in the music business almost never miss them.
I happen to have the sad distinction of turning down Ray Boltz’ huge hit “Thank You” that launched his career and touched millions of people. Guess I just took a Stupid Pill that day or was just trying to be too cool. Other than occasional blunders like that, any music exec worth their salt never misses a big one.
Chad Segura, VP of Publishing for Centricity Music in Franklin, Tennessee, once said on our podcast that “publishers aren’t looking for good or even great songs… we’re looking for phenomenal songs.” That’s completely understandable considering that thousands of songs come flying at them every day with the vast majority not even close to what they could use. Since most artists also write or co-write their own material it puts even more pressure on songwriters to power up their game. Sounds easy enough. Just write phenomenal songs and you’re in, right?
Well, yeah.
While Mike Harland, Director of LifeWay Worship, also said on our podcast that “you can’t hide a great song,” the fact remains that most aspiring writers are obsessed with “being heard” and “getting my songs out there” much more than they are with writing truly phenomenal songs. If they’d only spend the time they worry about getting a “break,” at least for now, on their actual songwriting the quality of their writing would increase and thereby increase the likelihood of writing something worth hearing if they did get that break.
Let me be very blunt — getting in front of the right people isn’t your real problem.
Having something phenomenal in your hands when you do is your biggest challenge.
Getting your first appointment with a publisher isn’t nearly as hard as getting your second one. Remember that.
I recently taught a webinar with the same title as this article pointing out that we now live in “the best of times and the worst of times” when it comes to songwriting and publishing.
Before the Digital Revolution the record companies and radio stations controlled what was heard. Now you do. What once took scores of people to get songs out to the world now happens millions of times a minute on Youtube.
FACT: In the next thirty minutes over 18,000 hours of video will be posted on Youtube with much of it being music.
Yes, you now hold in your hand more publishing power than every record company combined. But so does every other twelve-year old on the planet with a smart phone. Best of times. Worst of times. The big companies have big marketing budgets but the artists they promote still have to have “the song” if they’re going to hit.
And, it wasn’t the big record companies that launched Shawn Mendez or The Beibs. They were Youtube phenoms first. No marketing budgets.
So what do you do to be heard these days?
You focus on the quality of your songwriting instead of on being heard yet. Instead of tossing out under-cooked lyrics and trite melodies, you spend the time developing your craft so your songs have half a chance of standing out from the millions that have us awash in a sea of mediocrity. Why add more and keep deepening the ocean of bad songs?
The publishing part is easier than ever.
The songwriting part is as challenging as it’s ever been and you need a lot more song power these days to be heard above the noise. Here’s a massive “tip” for you (though I despise “tips, tricks, and hacks” for songwriting):
Always START your song with a GREAT IDEA.
Most aspiring songwriters sit down to write and just emote, writing out their feelings, and most are feeling really bad judging by what I hear. It’s almost like they think the world actually cares abut what they’re feeling or they’re hoping someone will come along to validate their feelings. If they happen to be Christian songwriters they always add a “But Jesus….” to the end of a very depressing first verse and try to pivot into a positive chorus about going from “brokenness to happiness” or “darkness to light” in Christ.
It’s almost like Christian songwriters are stuck writing the same song over and over and over like Phil Connors (Bill Murray) was stuck living the same day over and over in the movie Groundhog Day. The difference is that Connors figured out he could use each day to learn something new and when the time warp is finally broken he’s learned to speak French fluently, flip cards into an upturned hat, jazz piano, and the life stories of nearly everyone in town.
If you learned just one new thing about songwriting each day instead of relying on what you think you know about it your songs would become so much better, so much more effective in sticking in people’s heads and make them love them (and you). Seems like I spend most of my time convincing people they ought to learn how to do what they say they want to do instead of just wishing the world loved them as they are.
Be more like Phil Connors and less like yourself today.
Really want to be heard by the world? Here are three vital shifts you’ll need to make to write songs the world would love to hear:
- Make it about THEM and not YOU.
- Make it simple, singable, emotional
- Do not preach, whine, or vent – (Ralph Murphy, songwriter and music business exec)
Writing and publishing your songs to reach the world starts with writing “the song” that is so far above average that everyone sits up and notices. Once you’ve done that, the rest is easy.
“But how do I know when I’ve done it?” you ask.
Oh, you’ll know because the people around you will tell you.
You see, you’re already in front of the right people. Play your songs however you can for your family, your church, your priest or rabbi, your barber, your chiropractor and anyone you can tie down long enough to listen. If it’s good they’ll be polite and try to encourage you. If it’s great they’ll want a copy and start telling other people they just have to listen to this new song by their friend, you. That’s how you know.
Then you get the best recording of it you can afford and start posting it on social media, especially Youtube, and start getting as many people as you can to listen, like, and share it. You post it in the KSA Forums. You get one of our pro coaches to critique it and be exposed to it. If it is truly great, it will start to be noticed and find its own way through the morass of songs floating out there. Maybe “out there” isn’t the best place for your songs, after all. Maybe in here is much better.
And finally, the pro songwriters write hundreds of songs every year to be successful at it.
Don’t think that you can write four and compete with them.
Hope to see you soon.
