Career Songwriter

It’s true that no two songwriter’s careers are alike. Most of us start with no contacts, little experience, and a lot of inspiration. Gradually we expand our network of contacts that will play key roles in opening doors to that publishing deal, artist deal, recording facility, producer, co-writer, event booker, agent, manager, or that one fan that becomes an unexpected loudspeaker to the world.

Many budding writers wonder what it’s like to work day to day as a songwriter, and the picture is as varied as those who live it. There are a few foundational activities, however, that every one of us finds ourselves immersed in on a regular basis.

Staying afloat in the commercial industry requires that we get out of the house once in awhile. Growing our network of fans and industry contacts is the gasoline we need to keep rolling. When we hole up in our bedroom writing songs all month, we overlook the troublesome reality that no one will hear those songs without a team of believers. This is such an important element of being a career songwriter. Without a network of people who believe in our art, we stand very little chance of influencing a larger circle. The tricky part is wading through the marshes of industry players and audiences who do not take a particular interest in what we do in order to find the ones who do. But when we’re committed to letting as many people know about our art as possible, we see the effects resonate like waves on a lake.

Being a naturally introverted person, I have to make an intentional effort to continue to build my network. So instead of relying on my feelings, I schedule time in my calendar during which I’ll make phone calls, go out to shows, take CDs to non-music functions and tell a few people about my music, or play a show with a friend. I try to expand my network by meeting just 2 new people each month that could play an important role in my next big break. Just 2 people – that’s all it takes. Gradually those two people turn into 4, and 8, and 16, and before I know it, I’m getting emails from someone I’ve never met who heard my music and enjoyed it. Two weeks later I find out my new acquaintance’s uncle is the best friend of a publisher I’ve been wanting to meet, or a writer I’ve been wanting to collaborate with. You just never know.

As I’m building my network of believers, I do a lot of prioritizing and planning. Without my calendar, I’m likely to lose track of where I put my time. Every morning I glance at my to-do list and prioritize those things that are in sync with my vision for my career. It’s easy to want to take every opportunity that comes along because after all, it’s an opportunity. We may never get another opportunity again – or at least that’s how we’ve been conditioned to think as career musicians. When I slip into survival mode, my vision gets put on hold. It’s absolutely imperative that I keep a close watch on the small steps I take towards those bigger goals.

Many of the distractions that masquerade as my career are identifiable by their fruits. They almost all keep me from writing. So when I look back and see that I haven’t written a song in a month, or I’ve got 5 unfinished ideas lying around and haven’t been able to set aside time to finish them, I know I’ve got to regroup. This is a real problem for artists, especially when touring. Setting aside time to write is absolutely essential to being a writer. It sounds ridiculously simple, but it’s amazing how often we overlook that very simple equation. Taking consistent time to write = songs worth recording.

As a staff writer for a publishing company, I wrote about two songs a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I also co-wrote a few times a week, collaborating with other writers in appointments set up by either me or my publisher. If my collaborator and I were already friends, we might get together at 10am and begin writing an idea that sprung from our morning conversation, or from the notebooks we carried with scratches of ideas. If the collaborator was someone I had just met, I’d ask to meet for coffee first so we could get to know eachother a bit better. Some writers are comfortable just delving into the song. I need a little time to acclimate myself to the new relationship before my strengths as a writer can really shine. I learned this through the experience of many years of co-writing, and I encourage other writers to do the same. Learn how your strengths as a writer flourish the most, and in what situations. Do you prefer to write from a title, to discuss many different story ideas with your collaborator, or to finish a song in a short 2 hour session and come back to it later instead of laboring over each word? Do you collaborate better when you come in prepared with an idea already percolating? Do you need some time to generate ideas along before regrouping with your collaborator to discuss the best approach? Understanding how you approach the process will help you find what you’re looking for in great collaborations.

Staying inspired is sometimes a challenging task for any prolific writer. As a career songwriter, we often need to write even when not inspired. I often use tools such as Destination Writing to coerce ideas out onto paper, using my 10-step process for writing songs as described in my book, Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling. Other times I’ll bring a title, an unfinished verse, or even a short melodic and harmonic progression to a co-writer to help get inspiration. I read books, I watch movies, I go to coffee shops and listen to conversations (I admit it’s true) and write down interesting phrases that could make for great song ideas. I sit out on sidewalks and watch people, I travel, and I listen to music I love. I allow myself the permission to write a mediocre song. That last thought is incredibly important for a career writer. We understand that if we create our art with desperation, as if each expression is the last great thought we’ll ever have, then we’re bound for failure.

I almost always finish every idea I start. When even I’m not certain if what I’m writing is better or worse than the last song I wrote, it’s an exercise in becoming a more consistent writer. Finally, taking time to realize what makes my voice as a writer unique, and how I most effectively express that voice is a valuable enterprise and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. Taking a look at the typical patterns within the songs I write, gathering feedback from trusted fans and collaborators, and even matching phrases of my life with the song material that sprung from them help me to summarize what I do well, and what kind of artist would be most interested in recording my songs.

Being a career songwriter is a precious gift, and one that comes with tremendous satisfaction. Getting into the studio to record my latest songs with some of my favorite musicians is one of the highlights of the process. On the contrary, pitching my songs through networking contacts is a nuisance I’d rather not have to pursue. But, both are necessary in sustaining a career. Without pitching my material, I can’t influence the world. Great results come at the expense of time and energy, and are a small price to pay for the fulfillment of positively affecting the lives of others through my art.

I hope you find satisfaction in the day to day activities on the road to expanding your circle of influence with your music. When you receive that email from someone who has been profoundly and positively affected by your music, you’ll recognize how your unique road has been leading you in the right direction all along.

Andrea Stolpe

The path to becoming a professional songwriter is never as clean-cut as we’d like it to be. If only there were ads in the classifieds “writer needed for top pop act,” with a phone number and an address to send a resume, it would be more obvious to know where to start. For me, the transition from hobbyist to professional writer was a bit like wandering through the woods and then suddenly stepping out into the clearing. I didn’t know how far down the path I had tread until I found myself already at my destination.

The trouble with success like anything in life, is that it’s not typically a steady upwards curve. There are months or years when even professional songwriters don’t get paid for their craft, being in-between deals or waiting for royalties to trickle in, and so in the most realistic sense, professional is a just a matter of experience and a way of doing business.

So what are some of the activities or elements that transition a hobby songwriter to a professional? I’ll give you my two cents, and you can add your own as you look back into the woods from your own clearing.

The first activity that makes the change is writing. It seems obvious, but it’s amazing how easy it can be to get distracted or just plain too busy, and stop writing regularly to develop our craft. Writing songs can certainly be a gift, and with that gift each of us brings a certain style and inspiration. But like any other skill, it takes dedication to learn to direct our inspiration to consistently achieve the results we want. That’s the important word here, consistency. Professional writers don’t just write one great song every 6 months. They write 10 good ones every 3 months, and if we’re lucky, 2 or 3 of those stand out as great songs.

I can’t stress enough the importance of writing, even when you don’t feel inspired. If you’re going for a publishing deal, for example, the company expects you to continuously put out more material. That’s how you stay relevant and current to the industry. Even as an artist writing for yourself or for others, if the last song you wrote and recorded was 6 months ago, you could be 6 months behind the trend…not to mention everyone you’ve played the song for has begun to forget you’re still around. Fans need to be reminded too. With so much new music coming out that is so accessible, we can’t go into hiding for too long before we’re simply out of mind as well as out of sight.

All the other activities, from networking to performing, getting to know names in the industry, gaining studio and recording experience, co-writing, following leads to meetings with industry gate-keepers, and so on are secondary. Learning how to carry ourselves in a meeting such as how many songs to play and how to accept criticism and compliments are certainly important, but without the activity of writing, we hardly get the chance to practice those skills.

There are hundreds of thousands of people who write songs and fancy themselves songwriters. What makes the difference between a hobbyist and a professional is how aware the write is of his/her own shortcomings and potentials. It’s not how many songs we get recorded or how much money we make (artists as famous for not being recognized and appreciated until they’re dead). It’s how much we enjoy the craft that enables us to survive just about anything along the way.

If you’re writing a few times a week and would like to step up your game in other areas of the business, I encourage you to follow some of the steps I’ve outlined in my previous blogs entitled ‘While You Are Writing.’ If you have specific questions about a crossroads you’ve reached in your career, please feel free to submit your comments in response to this blog. I’d be glad to take a stab at brainstorming with you for your next big career step.

Sincerely,
Andrea Stolpe

I hope last week’s songwriting organization and song analysis have opened up new doors for you both in your craft and in your business of songwriting. This week I’ll add two more activities for your consideration when you’re looking for ideas to grow your career and skill level.

Business:
Make it a point to identify one musician who might help bring your songs to life. It might be a producer, an engineer, another songwriter, a bass player, keyboardist, vocalist, or ukeleist…. (make sure that’s how they like to be called)
The goal here is to sit down with someone who would be willing to play your song on guitar while you sing, willing to sing your song while you play keyboard, willing to listen to your song and talk about how it might be arranged, etc. You’ll expand your circle of contacts while gain a broader view of how your song is received. You can find these kinds of people anywhere, no matter where you live. Check local music stores for bulletin boards where players advertise their skills. Many of the customer service folks at these stores are trained musicians, so consider how their experience might combine nicely with yours. Check the yellow pages for recording studios in your area and ask if you might come by and view the facility. They should consider you a potential customer, and you should consider the facility somewhere you may choose to record in the future. As you attend shows at clubs and other venues such as coffee shops, business conventions, restaurants, hotel lobbies, and wherever else you see live music, consider that many of these working musicians are in the spotlight to network as well. Bring your business card with contact information, and as always, be honest about your intentions. You’ll need to decide what it might be worth to you in dollars to have a guitar player sit down with you for an hour and work up a guitar part for your song as you sing. If you bring a good recording device, you could end up with a great work-tape (what we call a rough demo of a song) you can add to your catalog. If you can’t pay right now, then be forthcoming about that. Many musicians are very clear about the fact that investing in folks early on in their career for free leads to great friendships and paid gigs down the road. Whatever outcome you expect, be prepared to wind up with renewed energy for writing more songs, and at least one new experience where you put yourself out there for potential success.

Craft:
One common complaint I hear from songwriters is how difficult it sometimes is to actually finish a song. We start out feverishly excited about an idea, or maybe about a knock-out first line or verse. Then, we get to the prechorus or the chorus and the ideas stop flowing. Or, maybe we’re stuck at the beginning of the second verse, without a clue where to go from there. We may have played the song in its unfinished state to a family member, friend, or writing group, only to receive feedback about the imperfections that already exist, stunting our excitement about finishing the song.
Whatever the case, the plight of the unfinished song clutters our minds and desks, keeping us from the valuable experience of actually writing through an entire idea. To deal with this problem, you’ve first got to make a pact with yourself.

1. Promise to finish every idea you start, no matter how insignificant the writing feels.
A professor once instructed me to write a song a week, and to finish each song that I started. At first I rebelled, but soon found that even if I was just writing a second verse and bridge section to fulfill the goal of finishing a song, I was practicing a valuable exercise. The first few times, the second half of the song was less focused, less intentional, and certainly less captivating than the first half. I repeated lines and ideas in several songs I finished, but I also found that I came up with good, original ideas at the same time. What was most important was that I grew a catalog of finished works.

2. Identify the section of the song in which you typically lose your groove.
Do you find verses come easily to you, and your biggest fear is a chorus that really pays off? Or, do you overflow with chorus material and avoid verse writing altogether? At what point do your musical ideas fall short of your expectations? Clarify your weak points, and do some research in those areas. There are several books on the market that focus on each of these individual points. I recommend Pat Pattison’s Writing Better Lyrics, Jimmy Kachulis’ Songwriting Workshop: Melody and Songwriting Workshop: Harmony, and my own book, Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling.

3. Before you begin writing an idea, make an outline and stick to it.
If you start with a title or theme, practice outlining the content of each section. If you’re unsure how to do this, take a look at Writing Better Lyrics, or Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling for help. Then, stay focused on your outline as you develop the lyrics in each section.

4. Hold off on playing your songs for family members or those close to you until you’ve lived with them (your songs) for at least two weeks. Feedback when we’re so close to an idea can sometimes be less constructive and more destructive. After I’ve given my own ears time to separate from a song, I’m more objective and can often make many observations on my own. I also like to have several song ideas in development at one time, so that when I do play my older material, I’m not crushed if it’s not my best material. The value of my ideas never hangs on one song or idea alone, and finding some separation from ideas of the past helps to foster future creativity.