Career Songwriter

Over a steaming cup of tea and some of the best sweet potato fries I’ve even eaten, I recently met with a past student and fellow songwriter of mine, Joy Gora, in Boston, MA. We talked about the craft, about the daily challenges and the victories we experience as we journey through the business. I found her insight about song critiques particularly valuable, and asked her to write a bit to share with my Berkleemusic readers. Joy is a wonderful lyricist, singer/songwriter, and former student of the Berkleemusic songwriting courses. Below you’ll find some of the things she’s doing to promote her songs and examples of feedback she’s gotten from various sources like TAXI and NSAI. You can hear more of Joy’s music at http://www.lyricwriter.net/.

Song Critiques
Even though music is an extremely subjective art, I’ve often leaned on feedback from different sources in order to improve my own craft of writing songs. I will admit that as a Berkleemusic student I have been quite spoiled with quality detailed instructor feedback and a warm supportive environment of fellow songwriting students. But outside of the classroom I’ve found a variety of song evaluation methods offering different styles and opinions. And I use the word opinion because I believe a song critique is just that – one person’s opinion.
Hopefully critiques are coming from an educated opinion, but I believe even comments from fans attending shows can be very enlightening. If you are looking for a way to improve your songwriting through feedback here are a few sources you may want to consider.
Friends and family – Ok this one may seem dull, but I can’t leave out the support system of those that want to see you succeed and those that will always tell you how great your writing is. It’s invaluable, especially on those days when you wonder how “good” your stuff really is. Let them cheer you on.

Other songwriter friends and musicians can appreciate the depth of your soul that goes into your art and they can often times make cool suggestions while still treading lightly on your work. A friend of mine will send songs out to her friends saying, “let me know which ones you like the best.” If she gets replies from them and everyone is saying “I love song #3″ then she knows that particular one resonates with people.

Your fan base – If you have the opportunity to play live, your audience can sometimes be the best critic. If someone takes the time at the end of the night to comment on a song or if you silence a room with your latest ballad that may mean something to you as you continue to write.

Taxi – Taxi is an “independent A&R company.” Outiside of my Berklee classes, one of my first experiences with a song evaluation was from TAXI. These critiques are streamlined into a form style of evaluation with a multiple choice answer with some room for actual comments. You get back a combination of song opinion and the experience of what it’s like to interact with the gatekeeper of an artist looking for new material. These particular evaluations are really in the confines of that particular listing. If you’ve never pitched you stuff to and A& R person, it’s a safe way to build your courage muscles for rejection!

The areas of focus for Taxi critiques are Style (was it right for the artist), Melody, Structure, Lyric, Title, Overall Rating and verbal overall comments. I think their focus is more on why the song wasn’t forwarded than specific suggestions as to how you could improve your writing or song. To give you a sense, here are a few of the comments I’ve gotten from my last few evaluations:

“Really Nice work here, but for a debut album by a young country artist, the theme here is a bit too mature (especially for commercial country. The hook needs to be a bit more repetitious and better defined. I really enjoyed the song though”

“A really nice love song with some expressive lyrics, but it’s not quite the style of song that they’re looking for with this request. Songs like those of Shania Twain and Carolyn Dawn are what they need. Clever stories with memorable country pop melodies/hooks are what this artist is trying to find. But still, this is a good love song, good writing.”

“There is some nice imagery here and you sell the emotion well, but musically it is just a little too busy and is not quite in the style that is being requested. The musical attitude is much more pop than country – a bit too sophisticated.”

Nashville Songwriters Association International – As a member of NSAI, you may submit one song per month for evaluation. An independent team of published songwriters will evaluate each song’s commercial potential and return an evaluation. Any song submitted to the Song Evaluation Service that is judged “Ready-to-Pitch” by the song’s evaluator is then screened by the entire panel of NSAI song evaluators. If approved, the song is played for major music publishers and label A&R representatives at NSAI’s exclusive Pitch to Publisher Quarterly Luncheon. On a quarterly basis, they play the best songs from their Song Evaluation service for a “who’s who” of Nashville publishers at their in-person listening session.

The focus for these critiques is: overview, form, hook, lyric, melody, and commercial viability. Usually you get a one or two line statement under each subject. Here are a couple of sample comments from my own evaluations:

“ Very good overall especially the 2nd verse. The chorus bothered me though. It needs more edge. It feels too wholesome and fuzzy. Very good with a few fixes. Add some tongue in cheek wit”

“ I like the hook and idea. The lyrics were good, I would work on making them more youthful. Keep it simple so the listener can enjoy the song without having to think too much”

Song Camps and Workshops – A fellow songwriter friend of mine had the opportunity to get a one-on-one session with Pat Pattison and Jason Blume based on the way a particular workshop was set up. There were large group lectures that broke-out into small sessions where she got to work with other hit writers. She told me this experience changed her life and how she approached music, writing and her career.

Pitch to Publisher Events – ASCAP, and BMI come to mind as organizations that help you get in front of a publisher with your music. As an example, ASCAP has an event called Song Source every Wednesday afternoon in Nashville that allows each participant an opportunity to play their most commercial song to a music publisher and get direct feedback.

Proven Professional Songwriters – Ok, I’ve saved my favorite for last. There are numerous hit songwriters that are genuinely interested in sharing their knowledge to help you pen the best songs possible. They help you dig deep inside of yourself to bring out what unique experiences only you bring to the world of music. They can help you turn mediocre songs into great songs by offering specific, relevant hands on advice. These critiques are usually not generic, but rather focus on tools like, point of view, rhyme scheme, structure, power positions and originality.

There are certainly other places to seek opinions about your music, but whatever path you choose, I encourage you to let you songs see the light of day and play them to anyone who wants to give you an opinion. I personally have gained golden insight into how professionals in the industry look at music, what resonates with listeners, and tips to improve my writing. I have also disagreed with comments I have received so I caution you to try a variety of song evaluation sources and stick with the ones that are helpful to you. Take away from these critiques only what you want to take and throw out the rest. I was recently told that I had to “dumb down” my lyrics for a certain genre. My take away from that was not that I had to change my style of writing, but that my song just wasn’t right for that artist. I often remind myself of the many stories of songs that were rejected for years before they became hits.

Thanks to Joy for setting aside time to share her experience with us -

Andrea Stolpe

Over a steaming cup of tea and some of the best sweet potato fries I’ve even eaten, I recently met with a past student and fellow songwriter of mine, Joy Gora, in Boston, MA. We talked about the craft, about the daily challenges and the victories we experience as we journey through the business. I found her insight about song critiques particularly valuable, and asked her to write a bit to share with my Berkleemusic readers. Joy is a wonderful lyricist, singer/songwriter, and former student of the Berkleemusic songwriting courses. Below you’ll find some of the things she’s doing to promote her songs and examples of feedback she’s gotten from various sources like TAXI and NSAI. You can hear more of Joy’s music at http://www.lyricwriter.net/.

Song Critiques
Even though music is an extremely subjective art, I’ve often leaned on feedback from different sources in order to improve my own craft of writing songs. I will admit that as a Berkleemusic student I have been quite spoiled with quality detailed instructor feedback and a warm supportive environment of fellow songwriting students. But outside of the classroom I’ve found a variety of song evaluation methods offering different styles and opinions. And I use the word opinion because I believe a song critique is just that – one person’s opinion.
Hopefully critiques are coming from an educated opinion, but I believe even comments from fans attending shows can be very enlightening. If you are looking for a way to improve your songwriting through feedback here are a few sources you may want to consider.
Friends and family – Ok this one may seem dull, but I can’t leave out the support system of those that want to see you succeed and those that will always tell you how great your writing is. It’s invaluable, especially on those days when you wonder how “good” your stuff really is. Let them cheer you on.

Other songwriter friends and musicians can appreciate the depth of your soul that goes into your art and they can often times make cool suggestions while still treading lightly on your work. A friend of mine will send songs out to her friends saying, “let me know which ones you like the best.” If she gets replies from them and everyone is saying “I love song #3″ then she knows that particular one resonates with people.

Your fan base – If you have the opportunity to play live, your audience can sometimes be the best critic. If someone takes the time at the end of the night to comment on a song or if you silence a room with your latest ballad that may mean something to you as you continue to write.

Taxi – Taxi is an “independent A&R company.” Outiside of my Berklee classes, one of my first experiences with a song evaluation was from TAXI. These critiques are streamlined into a form style of evaluation with a multiple choice answer with some room for actual comments. You get back a combination of song opinion and the experience of what it’s like to interact with the gatekeeper of an artist looking for new material. These particular evaluations are really in the confines of that particular listing. If you’ve never pitched you stuff to and A& R person, it’s a safe way to build your courage muscles for rejection!

The areas of focus for Taxi critiques are Style (was it right for the artist), Melody, Structure, Lyric, Title, Overall Rating and verbal overall comments. I think their focus is more on why the song wasn’t forwarded than specific suggestions as to how you could improve your writing or song. To give you a sense, here are a few of the comments I’ve gotten from my last few evaluations:

“Really Nice work here, but for a debut album by a young country artist, the theme here is a bit too mature (especially for commercial country. The hook needs to be a bit more repetitious and better defined. I really enjoyed the song though”

“A really nice love song with some expressive lyrics, but it’s not quite the style of song that they’re looking for with this request. Songs like those of Shania Twain and Carolyn Dawn are what they need. Clever stories with memorable country pop melodies/hooks are what this artist is trying to find. But still, this is a good love song, good writing.”

“There is some nice imagery here and you sell the emotion well, but musically it is just a little too busy and is not quite in the style that is being requested. The musical attitude is much more pop than country – a bit too sophisticated.”

Nashville Songwriters Association International – As a member of NSAI, you may submit one song per month for evaluation. An independent team of published songwriters will evaluate each song’s commercial potential and return an evaluation. Any song submitted to the Song Evaluation Service that is judged “Ready-to-Pitch” by the song’s evaluator is then screened by the entire panel of NSAI song evaluators. If approved, the song is played for major music publishers and label A&R representatives at NSAI’s exclusive Pitch to Publisher Quarterly Luncheon. On a quarterly basis, they play the best songs from their Song Evaluation service for a “who’s who” of Nashville publishers at their in-person listening session.

The focus for these critiques is: overview, form, hook, lyric, melody, and commercial viability. Usually you get a one or two line statement under each subject. Here are a couple of sample comments from my own evaluations:

“ Very good overall especially the 2nd verse. The chorus bothered me though. It needs more edge. It feels too wholesome and fuzzy. Very good with a few fixes. Add some tongue in cheek wit”

“ I like the hook and idea. The lyrics were good, I would work on making them more youthful. Keep it simple so the listener can enjoy the song without having to think too much”

Song Camps and Workshops – A fellow songwriter friend of mine had the opportunity to get a one-on-one session with Pat Pattison and Jason Blume based on the way a particular workshop was set up. There were large group lectures that broke-out into small sessions where she got to work with other hit writers. She told me this experience changed her life and how she approached music, writing and her career.

Pitch to Publisher Events – ASCAP, and BMI come to mind as organizations that help you get in front of a publisher with your music. As an example, ASCAP has an event called Song Source every Wednesday afternoon in Nashville that allows each participant an opportunity to play their most commercial song to a music publisher and get direct feedback.

Proven Professional Songwriters – Ok, I’ve saved my favorite for last. There are numerous hit songwriters that are genuinely interested in sharing their knowledge to help you pen the best songs possible. They help you dig deep inside of yourself to bring out what unique experiences only you bring to the world of music. They can help you turn mediocre songs into great songs by offering specific, relevant hands on advice. These critiques are usually not generic, but rather focus on tools like, point of view, rhyme scheme, structure, power positions and originality.

There are certainly other places to seek opinions about your music, but whatever path you choose, I encourage you to let you songs see the light of day and play them to anyone who wants to give you an opinion. I personally have gained golden insight into how professionals in the industry look at music, what resonates with listeners, and tips to improve my writing. I have also disagreed with comments I have received so I caution you to try a variety of song evaluation sources and stick with the ones that are helpful to you. Take away from these critiques only what you want to take and throw out the rest. I was recently told that I had to “dumb down” my lyrics for a certain genre. My take away from that was not that I had to change my style of writing, but that my song just wasn’t right for that artist. I often remind myself of the many stories of songs that were rejected for years before they became hits.

Thanks to Joy for setting aside time to share her experience with us -

Andrea Stolpe

This is a question I often receive from writers and artists searching for ways to exploit their music. As a judge for several songwriting contests, I have the pleasure of listening to dozens of songs each year that deserve applause and spotlight. As a former member of TAXI, I have had the experience of exploiting my own song material. Both of these opportunities have their benefits, but both have their drawbacks as well. I’ll try in all fairness to outline both.

Songwriting contests can be a wonderful way to quickly and easily gain attention for your career. Some contests offer prizes such as recording time, money, a notable title, a chance to be on a compilation, advertising and promotion, and other great benefits. The cost is somewhat affordable at $25-45 dollars, and the process is simple with filling out the registration form and mailing in a CD. Some songwriting contests, such as We Are Listening, offer feedback at certain levels along with your entry. This feedback can be extremely helpful in assessing your skill level and your marketability in the commercial scene.

Some of the drawbacks of songwriting contests is that there are thousands of entries, all divided into separate categories predetermined by the contest guidelines. There are typically a few rungs of judges, the first being general screeners who weed out the obviously sub-par material. The remaining material gets tossed into boxes that get sent along to the next rung of listeners.

After a few rounds, the songs that are left get sent to a roster of notable industry personnel to choose the winning songs. Let me explain what I find difficult about the job of judging songs at this rung from my own personal experience. Of the 12 entries or so that I receive, all are produced by highly capable musicians, songwriters, and artists. I may be trying to judge a pop tune next to a punk tune, a latin tune next to an adult contemporary tune, trying determine which in my opinion is most deserving of the reward. The trouble here is that at this level, I may not be the most qualified punk judge, rock judge, or latin judge. I may also be swayed by my own preferences and my own skills, such as the quality of the vocalist, production, or lyric. I may hear the skill within one song, but appreciate the marketability in another. So in the end, my opinions are based on many elements that may or may not be important to the fans of those artists and songwriters whose songs I am reviewing. What every record label knows is that if bad music sells, it’s good music. All that matters is what the fans of that artist believe. Everything else is only relevant to educated musicians.

TAXI can be a valuable asset to those with no connections in the industry, who don’t perform their own songs, and no intention of moving to a major music mecca. The cost is a minimal $300 dollars for the first year, with only a small fee of about $5 per song when you send it in. TAXI finds the opportunities for you, providing a kind of ‘pitch list’ that you can use to match your songs to their appropriate placements.

I’ll be completely honest and admit that I have been in the music industry for a long time, and I have never met anyone who has had significant success this way. I have, however, met several writers who have felt the feedback received on their song was worth the investment. The issue here is the same as with songwriting contests, with various steps of the process where things can go awry. First, you are trusting that those who request a particular style or sound on the pitch list actually know what they need before they hear it. You are trusting that their description of what they need is accurate, and that your interpretation of that description matches your own musical sound. Finally, you are trusting in the ability of the screener to hear your song in the context for which you sent it in. The danger here is to assume that your music or your songs are not salable if you have no success with a program like this.

The real value of these opportunities is that they can be wonderful additions to what you’re already doing to promote your music. If you rely on contests and song-pitching programs to get your music out there, you’re missing the most vital element of making a career in music – relationships. Without relationships, the potential of prospects growing into real opportunities becomes thin. Whenever I analyze whether an opportunity for myself seems viable, I always go back to that simple truth. The more connections I make, the more opportunities I generate for myself. Without the connections, each opportunity is hit or miss.

If you have recently won a contest or had some success with TAXI, I encourage you to reply to this blog with some of the ways it’s benefited your career or advice you’d give to others looking for the same success.

Andrea Stolpe