The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters

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Do you want a career as a songwriter?

Feel like you’re getting nowhere in music?

Want to start making money with your music?

If you answered yes to these questions, it is time to get some professional advice.

Let David show you the ropes and lead you to a place where good business sense and creativity meet.

Once you know what to do…and not to do, you’ll free up a lot of time and money for what does matter… writing great songs.

The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 1 of 14

The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters

By David Harper

Spending good money demo-ing bad or average songs.

Thinking their most recent songs are their best songs.

Over-producing their demos.

Singing their own demos.

Hiring second-rate players in the studio.

Thinking that “As Good As ____’s song” is good enough.

Not listening to the radio…RIGHT NOW! Writing styles of music that nobody buys.

Blowing the entire budget on the demo.

Spending too much on packaging.

Not co-writing with songwriters above them in ability.

Not taking advantage of great demo’s they own the rights to.

Quitting too early.

Failing to rewrite songs that are almost there.

Secretly wanting a career as a singer or musician and thinking that songwriting would be a way of being discovered—or, worse, thinking it’s a consolation prize.

Getting into debt.

Not writing daily.

Making a career of playing songwriters nights.

Not keeping a “titles list”.

Not taking music lessons and getting better on their instrument.

Being too aggressive when they meet a new contact.

Getting professional opinions Writing too personal.

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The Challenge Welcome songwriters. This is truly one of the hardest fields to make an impact in. I know it. I’ve been where you are. It’s mysterious. It’s lonely. But for the real songwriter…it simply has to be done.

I’ve spent the last year of my life in Nashville, home of most of America’s greatest songwriters. It was a long journey, and even though it has taken a very long time to land here, I am, for the first time, comfortable in my own skin. Living in a town where everybody speaks the language of music has a lot to do with that comfort level. It’s hard to describe, really—but once you arrive in town, you get it. Everyone knows music here. They know the difference between a hack and a pro. The musicianship is stellar. And because there are so many songwriters here, there are an equal or greater number of talented musicians to help you make your new songs come alive.

My writing has improved tenfold since my arrival. I was a good writer when I came to town, but by simply being here, it has only gotten better. The bar is higher. It is not unusual to hear songs that are too good to be on the radio in this town. Yeah, you read that right. Any night of the week you can see and hear songwriters playing songs on small stages too good to be recorded by your average star. These songwriters are often outstanding singers and players themselves. They can play and sing better than many of the artists that record their material. And much of what they play out for impromptu audiences is original music that has never seen a Billboard chart. This music is beyond excellent. It makes you cry, it makes you laugh, it give you chills, determination. And for aspiring songwriters in the audience, it lends hope.

Someday. Some day…

The focus of this writing is not about me. It’s about your career, your path as a songwriter—and what not to do, what roads not to go down. But before I explain these truths, I have to tell you a little bit about me, and how I have come upon this wisdom you’re seeking.

The Education I’ve spent my life as a musician, but I’ve taken some breaks. In the late 70s and 80s, I was a professional drummer. As I migrated away from being a full time support musician and became infatuated with writing songs, I landed a staff-writing gig in Los Angeles. The period was post-“Urban Cowboy”, and the music was absolutely terrible. I left the company after six months of pure torture, grinding out mostly bad songs, purely for the publisher’s taste or belief as to what they “might” be recording in Nashville.

The late 80s and early 90s, in particular, produced some truly awful music (from a song-man’s perspective). It came right on the heels of computers, samplers and sequencers. Indeed, there were several years where I simply vanished because I just didn’t care to play the game. But then, in the early 2000s, I felt music was getting better and more real, and I could hear the songs getting stronger. It may have been an indirect result of widespread use of MP3s, and the absolute need for great songs again, I’m not sure.

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However, one thing is for certain—music buyers have a lot to pick from these days. Now, more than ever, the song is King.

In the early 2000s, I re-entered the music business by providing songs and doing production for a series of children’s books. My job was to write theme songs, produce them, and to hire voice over help for “read alongs” (for children too young to read). I had experience with this type of production in the late 90s, writing mountains of original music for multimedia educational software. It burned me out. But I finally met an independent author with substance, and she motivated me to get involved. Doing this work required recording gear, which I slowly built up until I had a workable home studio. Once the children’s project came to a close, I joined Taxi. For those of you that don’t know about Taxi, it is an independent screening company that listens to music and passes it on (if they approve) to recording artists, producers, directors, managers, publishers etc. My real education began with this company.

Taxi would put out their listings, and I would go forth and try to nail a big hit song. Now, I’ve had cuts in the past. So I figured this would be a no-brainer. Not so. I had very few “forwards” (that is, songs that they liked for the listing) and had little success…at first. I was very serious about writing. I asked for critiques. I read them. And oddly, I took action on their advice. It took about six months and a “Road Rally” (their annual convention) to get up to speed with the 2000s market. From that point on, I was forwarded often, even got cuts. I also joined a division of Taxi that specializes in TV and film. That led to song placements in movies, which led to “songwriting” as a profession.

I spent 2003-2008 writing for film and television. Forwards from Taxi led to direct contacts with music supervisors, directors, etc. I had songs cut, placed in movies, used for multi-media and every other venue I could think of. But the big problem I had was finding talent to do larger productions. I lived with my family in a very small town, far away from a music hub. Since I lived so remotely, it was difficult to find specialty musicians, a jazz harmonica player, or a great guitarist or whatever instrumentalist I might need.

But, as fate would have it, a friend of mine had moved to Nashville and asked me to come out and join her on drums for a tour. Once the Nashville bug bit me, there was no turning back. My wife and I decided to make Music City our permanent home.

So we moved to Nashville, and suddenly had access to the state-of-the-art studios and professional musicians this town can offer. I had read all about this town prior to moving here—seriously, I spent a small fortune buying every single book I could find on Nashville, the history, what to expect, common mistakes, etc. But none of these books prepared me very well for what I was about to encounter.

The Wisdom Almost as fast as I got here, I landed a job co-writing with an artist development group in town. For those of you unfamiliar with artist development companies, they function like this: we audition singer/songwriters for talent. If they show real talent we enlist expert staff co-writers to help them bring their songs up to speed. Then we find a strong producer for them and get them into a studio that will work with their budget. We also call in experts in to work on image, dress, hair, stage presence, voice coaching, etc. and get them as marketable as possible. Once the photographs and the recordings are done, we market The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 4 of 15

them to the labels. Labels are much more apt to open our mail, as we’ve weeded out the no-talents. We know the business, what music executives are looking for, and don’t waste their valuable time.

Being included in one of Nashville’s best songwriting teams has been directly responsible for the tremendous growth I’ve experienced here. Co-writing with the talented young people we bring on board here has demanded every skill I have. It has taxed me to the point of tears at times. It takes hard work and a monster songwriting ethic to produce songs that will rise above the noise in this town. But we do it. And we do it often.

Along with writing, I have also become very much involved in the listening process, the A&R at my company. Finding the right voices and the real songwriters in the rough requires hours upon hours of listening. I’ve said this before, and I still stand by this statement: Writers are not born; they’re nurtured and developed. It takes years to write consistently excellent songs. A young writer might get lucky and nail a song or two, but doing it day in and day out takes experience. The only way to get that elusive experience is to write a lot of bad, then good, then average, then excellent songs. We’re talking thousands of songs here, folks. It takes a lot of work. Yes, you’ll write some great ones along the way. But the craft itself demands that you put the time in. And when and if you reach the point where you’re co-writing for a living, you’ll understand why all that time was well spent.

Every day, young singer-songwriters depend on me to help them craft a radio-ready hit. This means a song that will survive many auditions (see chart “The 12 Critical Points of Auditioning a Song”). Their careers are literally in my hands. They have spent considerable money for a multi-platinum producer, the best musicians, and the best studios. The songs we write together must be clear to the studio musicians, sing well, make you feel something, be original, and must be adoptable to every-day folks.

So allow me to pass on some experience to you. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen everything done right and wrong over and over again. I see the wrong way outnumbering the right way, and see a lot of heartache.

Every day I see hopeless folks wandering about town, all ages, all ethnic backgrounds, all levels of musicality. At some point in their lives they had their chances. I want to make sure that you have spent your money wisely and will offer up everything I can to make sure you don’t travel down the same deadend roads. And it is a pleasure to relay that knowledge.

The Journey Okay, let’s talk about how to get to “someday”. For many of you, I know you’re doing everything you can. And there’s a lot. There are songwriter networks, iTunes, the Web, MySpace, open mic nights, auditions for national television shows like American Idol and Nashville Star, local gigs, recording sessions, the whole enchilada. But since you’re feeling the need to learn, I’m feeling the desire to help you. So pour yourself a cup of coffee, and I’ll talk at you for a bit.

Rule 1: Spending good money demo-ing bad or average songs. This recurring event might be due to hungry recording studios wanting new business, or, it might be over-anxious, newbie songwriters not knowing any better, but here’s the deal on this one: If you can’t play the song on a piano or a guitar—all The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 5 of 15

by your little songwriter self—and make it sound good, it ain’t that good. Hits are hard to destroy. They just have a certain something, a momentum, and they keep flowing. Miss a chord? No problem. Sing a note out of tune—so what? Hit songs just sail like a boat on smooth waters. And it’s better to take your time and keep rewriting until the magic comes. Reschedule that recording session into next month.

Really, if the song doesn’t move you in its rawest, stripped-down form, don’t expect it to move you after you get past the initial rush of having good musicians playing it. I know you’re anxious to hear how beautiful it’s going to sound, but don’t fool yourself into thinking something will magically take place in the studio. It won’t. In fact, I’ve found that the more time I spend thinking about musical hooks, lead lines, interludes, intros and outros, the better. Depending on the studio musicians for a miracle is a risky proposition. If you can’t at least sing them some ideas, you’re inviting failure in the studio. The song will probably go to tape (or hard disc) and do very little for your sensibilities in the long run. And you’ll regret it until you can scratch up enough cash to re-record it again properly. So take your time. And every day that goes by, you’ll have another chance to listen again and reevaluate. A little more time and thought never hurt a song.

Rule 2: Thinking Your Most Recent Song Is Your Best Song Yet. It’s a curse, I swear. I’ve fallen prey to this nasty little reality slap many times. Write another tune. The song in between will give you a little perspective. Your last song is rarely your best, even though you may think so at the time. I’ve seen seasoned songwriters make this error too! You’re not alone. I’ve seen professional songwriters burst into their publisher’s offices and have the “newest hit song” land as flat as a fart in church. Oh, the agony of defeat. Take your time. We’re all human. Granted, we all get tired of listening to our old songs. And a new song will really light up our skies, but use that fire to write another one, and quickly! Then in your creative hours, look again. Are your lyrics clear? Is everything as it should be? How about a better melody? What can be improved? Yeah, give it some time.

Rule 3: Don’t Overproduce Demos. I can’t say this enough—and MIDI guys, this is even more important for you! In the old days, we songwriters used to walk into our publisher’s offices and sing a new song. That was probably the smart way to do things! But somebody definitely changed the rules when we weren’t looking. Yeah. Everything got expensive and complicated in the 80s. Here’s why you don’t want to follow the crowd and get into this bad habit: songs are all about timing. Selling a song—or more accurately, landing a song with a major or minor act—requires excellent timing and a great song that works for that act, at that moment. If it’s overproduced, it may not work for a lot of singers and bands that hear it. They may have a simple little trio that they play with in town, or a six-piece out on the road. If it has 12 guitars, keyboards, huge harmonies, etc.— prospective artists might hear it and be taken aback.

You don’t want this to happen. You want to produce it only to the point where the song will move the listener, then stop. Anything beyond what is necessary to make it soar is a waste of time and money. For myself, I never, ever, ever produce a song beyond six pieces. I like real musicians on the demos. If a sixpiece section can record it in a few takes, I know I have a song that will translate into success on stage.

Rule 4: Singing the Demos Yourself. Listen to me here, and listen well—this is a big one. Don’t sing your songs unless other songwriters regularly hire you to sing their demos, too. You don’t put moldy icing on a fresh-baked cake, right? Well, why would you want to put a poor vocalist on a great song? This is an area you should never, ever cut corners on. The vocal is sacred. That’s the single most important part of the song. Successful demo singers do a couple of things that you can’t afford to miss out on. For The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 6 of 15

starters, they sing in tune, phrase and enunciate words well. They also work fast! A professional demo singer can nail your song in about one hour. And when it’s done, it’s going to sound very solid. Also, and not so obvious, a demo singer will not over-sing or do anything that causes prospective artists/buyers to say, “Oh man, I can’t sing that good…next song please.” Professional studio singers walk that line brilliantly. They’re worth every penny. This same rule applies for instruments. If you play a little guitar, it isn’t worth the savings to skimp on the professional guitar player that can light your song up with intricate little details and brilliant playing. It’s worth the extra bucks to hire a great one.

Rule 5: Don’t hire bar bands to play in the studio. If you have a local studio in town, they’ll know the great studio musicians, and they’ll easily arrange for them to be there. They’ll have the experience to call the appropriate players for your song, too. Use those guys. Live music and studio music are two very different specialties. It’s a whole different world when the recording light is on. Kicking ass at a concert is a whole different deal than taking a raw clump of clay (and an unrecorded song) and making something great out of it. In Nashville, the two rarely meet. We have the road guys. We have the studio guys. Some do both, but it’s very rare. In your town, it is even less likely that musicians do both. Get the real studio musicians. It will be done in a couple hours, and you’ll love it.

Rule 6: Thinking that “As Good As ____’s song” is good enough. Oooh, this is a bad trap to fall into.

I’ve seen a few succeed and many fail in this town. The unsuccessful writers tend to gather together and bitch about what crappy shape the recording industry is in. You can easily spot them, introducing songs at songwriter nights by prefacing them something like this: “Here’s one that will never get cut.” Everybody laughs, of course—but it isn’t funny to me. It’s tragic. And hearing a disgruntled songwriter fire off a comment like “this is every bit as good as Trace Atkin’s ‘Honky Tonk Badonkadonk’’” is commonplace.

Well, guess what? No, it ain’t. It probably is nowhere near as good as Trace Atkin’s song. And if the song was stupid, cute, contrived or whatever, it doesn’t matter. It became a smash hit. The public loved it; they bought it. Trace’s album Songs About Me sold nearly two million copies. The songwriter that wrote that song isn’t working a day gig anymore. His bills are paid.

And I’ve got another little reality check for you, too (stay with me because this is important): I have a friend who’s an insurance agent. When he started his business, he had to get into peoples’ houses with appointments. If he had sat down with his prospects and said, “You’re with Allstate now, and you’re paying $1000 per year. I could sell you a new policy for, um… about $1000.” What chance do you think he would have had? Zero, that’s his probability of success. He will have to beat the competition to get that customer. And you have to as well. You have to write a better song than the best songwriters in town do.

Gulp. That’s a tall order, but it’s not impossible. And shoot for that. Write better songs. You never want to have to say my song is as good as the next. You want people to know on the first listen that your songs are better. That will land you the gig every single time.

Rule 7: Not listening to the radio…RIGHT NOW! I sit and listen to songs every day that come into our artist development company. Less than 10% of these songs sound current. How are we ever going to place your songs if they don’t sound like they belong on the radio now? Yes, I realize that there are a lot of baby boomers like myself that are re-entering the market as songwriters. But for the sake of us all, listen to the radio. Don’t write music that sounds like it belongs in 1970 and expect to land a song in today’s market. It will never happen. Time doesn’t stand still. If listeners feel a hankering for old school, they’ll The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 7 of 15

pull the real deal from their CD collections and play it. I’ll talk a bit more about this because there are places for old style music, but don’t send these Patsy Cline-style songs to a publisher who’s interested in landing a Martina McBride cut. Learn your market. Write to it. Make certain your song sounds like it deserves a turn at bat in the big leagues of today.

Rule 8: Writing Styles Of Music That Nobody Buys. Again, do your homework. If you write Peter Gabriel songs, realize first that he doesn’t cut songs from outside writers. Sting doesn’t, either. Same goes for country writers like Alan Jackson. Know your market. County is a logical market for any good songwriter. Great singers also use songwriters. People like Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey all actively look for powerful songs that make use of their range and their incredible voices. If you write pop, find out who records songwriter’s music and write for that. Meaning…if you write country, don’t write for Alan Jackson. Write for George Strait, or for the guys who don’t write their own material.

Rule 9: Don’t Blow Your Entire Budget On A Demo. There’s a lot to do still once that CD is printed.

Primarily, you have to have some money left over to shop it. Marketing songs costs real money.

Ultimately, marketing will probably cost much more than the demo did. It might range in price to hire a song-plugger, but man, is it worth the cost! Great song-pluggers charge a lot to go out and sell your song.

They know the artists, they know the managers and producers. They know who is looking and what they’re looking for. This is, by the way, the way the larger publishing houses get songs cut. They have song-pluggers on staff full time. For us independents, we have to hire them out of our own pocket. Ask around. You’ll find there are good ones and bad ones. In general, the rule is: you get what you pay for.

Don’t worry too much about a song plugger taking you to the cleaners. They won’t take your songs if they don’t believe they have a shot. A reputable, professional song-plugger knows that if he plays shit sandwich songs for clients that he’ll never be asked back. You can trust him or her to tell you the truth about your music. Use these individuals. This is the way the game it played.

Rule 10 Don’t Spend Too Much On Packaging. No one really cares if you have a four-color, six page insert. They want a clean, well-printed lyric sheet. Include your name, telephone number, email address and song title clearly. That’s all that matters. Don’t write long letters. Don’t include a bio. Don’t do anything, other than let the music speak for itself. Believe me, you can’t hype industry people. They make hype for a living and can spot it in a heartbeat. Also, you don’t want typos; spell correctly and label clearly. Consult your local bookworm to proof it. You really don’t want to start off a fortunate audition looking like an illiterate.

Rule 11: Co-writing and why it’s important! This is the single most direct way to learn how to write better songs. As a young man, walking the streets of LA, looking for my first publishing contract, I had a lot of people suggest this to me. And honestly, I was insulted by the suggestion. How dare they think I need improvement! Oh, how green I was in my 20s! I was terribly short-sighted. Perhaps if they had made that suggestion with a specific songwriter in mind that I respected, I would have been more apt to welcome the hint. However, such was not the case. I spent years writing contrived, over-used lyrics and chord changes, simply because I thought I sounded cool singing them. This is no way to think in the real world. In fact, after being in Nashville now for almost a year, I have yet to write a song by myself.

THINK! Can you learn to play tennis with a bad partner? I’m talking about the instructional aspects of collaboration here. But the other, more important and often overlooked perk of co-writing is this: songs The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 8 of 15

need legs to succeed. The more songwriters there are on a song, the more the song gets played and heard within the musical community. If your co-writers have publishing deals, all the better! Those publishers will now have your song in their popular catalog of songs. It will be considered every time a singer searches down one of your co-writers. This is not rocket science, folks. It’s just common sense. The bigger the circle you write with the more your songs will be heard. I’ve heard every excuse for not cowriting. These excuses usually come from out-of-town songwriter hopefuls that are busy doing things the hard way. Your co-writers will keep you focused, they’ll introduce new thoughts, new chords, question your lyrics when they’re fuzzy. Overall, you’ll win taking this approach. Granted, there are some songs that need precision focus from one mind. These are usually not commercial songs though. Commercial songs are all about masses getting the message and relating to it. Save the serious wood-shedding for the album filler songs that have many layers, greater depth. But co-write the hits. It’s just good business sense.

Rule 12: Not Taking Advantage Of Demos You Own. We’re going to switch gears here and lead into an area that is completely foreign to a lot of you. The law of averages clearly states that very few of your songs will wind up on the Top 40 charts. Face this fact now, and save yourself a lot of heartache. It takes hundreds of recorded songs to produce an album cut. And the numbers slim down even further for a chart bound hit single. Them’s the facts. With this in mind, think about the pile of demos you’ve already recorded. You may really dislike some of those old songs. Some you may love and wonder to this day why they were never picked up. Single out the songs that you believe have commercial appeal. There are places to shop these songs even today. They may be dated. That’s OK. Film and television are viable markets for these well-recorded old demos. When a screenwriter tackles a dated story, let’s say dated back into the 1990s for instance, the music supervisor is going to go looking for music that sounds authentic from that time period. It may be a featured song in the movie, but even more likely is that it’ll wind up being played as background music supposedly coming from a car radio or in a restaurant scene. There are hundreds of these song libraries. Why not submit these old dusty demos to the libraries that music supervisors go to? You won’t make tons of money, perhaps $500 to $1000 for such a song, but it sure beats nothing. And if the movie is a big hit, you’ll get royalties from BMI or ASCAP too, for years!

Researching libraries is actually a daunting task. I have a running start on you guys if you’re not doing this already. I’ll listen to your old demos (as time allows), and for a small fee I’ll direct you to libraries that would be appropriate. I will not get involved in the deals you cut. I will simply point you in the right direction, and save you valuable time and effort. There are many inactive libraries that look promising.

What you need is the right active libraries for the right songs. I can help you with this.

Rule 13: Quitting Too Early Is Not An Option! For most of my adult life, I’ve been a successful business guy. I don’t wear fancy suits or lease expensive offices anymore. I’m on a whole new bend, and it’s pure music these days. But I know from my history that there are certain common attributes among all successful people. To begin with, they usually research what they’re getting into. For those of you that have not gone to college, I’m going to tell you a secret about college graduates. The reason why employers ask for a diploma is because they want to see that you’ve completed something. True. We all know that college graduates are not prepped well enough to handle a career. Heck, graduating from college will not necessarily make you better in your chosen field. Graduation day is just the beginning of learning. But (and there’s always a big “but”)—college graduates have one thing in common: they know The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 9 of 15

their strengths and weaknesses better than non-college graduates. Getting through four years of college means you are now a professional juggler. You have to figure out a way to get the rent paid, the car running, the classes attended, the grades met, the kids in day care if you’re a returning student, schedules and timeframes must be met, etc. It’s a huge life-strain. And if nothing else, you learn what you can’t do in college. For me, personally, my weakness is foreign language. I have absolutely no aptitude for it. So I know what to never volunteer for. I know something about myself and I won’t go blindly into a team of people and offer up something that I will surely fail at.

Songwriting requires 1) knowing what you’re getting into, 2) taking action, 3) thick skin, and 4) plenty of time to see the fruits of your labors. It can take years to see a song cut. I wrote a song in 1981 that was my first major label cut, in 1993! It was recorded by several people when it was written, but it took the right time, the right place, the right singer, the right song, the right producer and label to make all the pieces come together. Don’t quit. Never quit. Only losers quit, bless their hearts!

Rule 14: Songs can only get better! Rewrite often. This is something we’ve touched on briefly in the lessons above. I have never seen a song hurt, nor watered down by re-writing. They only get better and clearer over time. I don’t know about you, but I can totally “get” a song lyric on a Thursday, and then find it dreadfully unclear the following Saturday. Also, if you’re a night owl, you may learn that songs that feel good to you at 1AM don’t feel so inspiring to you at 8AM. It’s all about radio, folks. It’s all about entertaining folks that are driving to and from places. That’s where your song will pass or fail. Songs that seem meaningful, in the wee hours of the morning don’t always work during peak driving times. We want a little relief at that hour, not to go deep and face the hard truths. So re-write at alternative hours. It’s amazing how different your perspective will be. Of course, I have a love for deep lyrics and 1AM songs.

Don’t destroy a great 1AM song by making it entertaining to the masses if it wasn’t meant to be. But always know what you’ve got, why and when it’s going to make an impact. Don’t submit 1AM songs for commercial ears. And when someone you respect says, “I’m a little unclear on this lyric” thank them, and then rewrite it. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Rinse and repeat.

Rule 15: Secretly wanting a career as a singer or musician and thinking that songwriting would be a way of being discovered, or, worse, envisioning it as a consolation prize. Truth is, stars are signed in their early 20s. Yes, there are a few embryos out there. But, by the numbers, this is the deal. If you think you’ll get a recording deal at 35, think again. So this is decision time. Do you want to be a writer? If so, you’ll need to be a real writer. This means writing songs for others to sing. You write for the styles and voices of the stars that sing other people’s music. If you sing like Mark Knopfler, or have a one-octave range, you’ll kill your writing career designing songs around your limited vocal range. I get demos like this on my desk everyday, and they make me sad. If I call one of these writers back, I’ll ask them point blank: “Do you want a career as a singer /songwriter, or do you want to make something of yourself as a writer?” This is a big question folks. There’s a big difference. Recording stars don’t have much of a life for a long time. They work their tails off for years. It’s a seven-day-a-week job. You shouldn’t even think that you have the extra time to be a star if you’ve got a life, a family and you’re in your mid-30s or older.

It also takes a long time to see money from these efforts. I know guys in town here that have been signed for years. They’re still driving around crappy cars and trying to make rent. All the money goes back into the tours, the sound systems, the band, the clothes, travel, etc. You have to sell a hell of a lot of CDs to break even with the expense it took to get you known. That’s a fact. So if you’re young, go for it. If The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 10 of 15

you’ve got mouths to feed at home, write for others. Yes, you’ll have time to write for you as well. Do that. But don’t confuse a commercial submission with a song written for your voice. Stars have amazing voices. They want to sing songs that utilize that wonderful range and take full advantage of their Godgiven voices. And they are God-given. Write for those voices. If you’re a baritone you also need to realize that most singers out there sing higher than you. Tenors also tend to migrate upwards in their song melodies. They like songs to soar upwards. Same is true for sopranos, like Alison Krauss. You don’t want to write a song for your alto voice if you expect Alison to consider it. Her voice goes straight up, and we like to hear her sing that way. Think about this before you start. If you’re going to be a writer, listen to current songs on the radio and write songs like that, for singers like that. Hopefully you’re getting this.

This decision is not one to make lightly. And if you still decide to be an adult singer/songwriter, go for it.

You’ve been formally warned of the dangers, might just as well get divorced and say goodbye to those kids now.

Rule 16: Don’t Get Into Debt. This one will kill you. And this is actually across the board common sense. If you want to break in as a songwriter, you don’t need a new car to make seven years of payments on. That car will become your own personal ball and chain. You don’t want credit cards, or anything “interest” related. If you fall for these traps, you’ll wind up making important decisions based around the fear of failing to meet your obligations. And ultimately you’ll be busy making payments while career opportunities are flying right past you. We used to call this path “The American Dream”. I call it “The American Nightmare”. If you can’t afford to pay for something outright today, it only makes sense that you can’t afford it with interest. Nuff said? Live simply. Focus. Find flexible employers, where you can be available for weekday sessions when needed. Figure out what you want, and don’t get sidetracked. If you do it the smart way, you’ll be able to buy that car for cash years later. And nobody really cares what kind of car you drive, anyway. Truth is: people are much too concerned with themselves to notice what you do or don’t have.

Rule 17: Write on a schedule. This is a business, not a hobby. The professional songwriters that you will compete with write daily. This doesn’t always mean that they’re on a diligent schedule, but they write daily. You should, too. Discover when your most creative hours are, and use that time wisely. I am a night owl, and it would figure that I should write songs late at night. But nighttime is, in fact, not my best time to write. If I write with my morning coffee, I’ll always come up with better ideas. It might be tied to dreams, who knows? I do it best in the morning. I save the evening for playing music, recording, producing and singing. I sing better in the evening than I do in the early hours. We’re all different. But find those fruitful hours and use them to write every day. You’ll be amazed at the volume and quality of your songs when you do this. Utilize this time, even if you don’t feel like writing. You can always pull one out of the shoebox songs and add a verse to an incomplete song. It’s amazing how a routine can benefit your productivity.

Rule 18: Don’t make a career out of songwriter nights. I’m going to put in a little disclaimer here.

This is my personal belief. I’ll bet there are writers that have benefited from playing songwriter nights for years. But I’ve never met one. I know that you’ll be told to do this over and over again. But it makes as little sense to me as asking doctors to stay up for 24 hours at a time during residency. It’s just a practice that’s been done for years. How will your career benefit from this? It’s just a tradition that stays alive because there are so many of us, and we’re bored and want to drink with our friends. I say it’s BS. You’re The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 11 of 15

just playing to other songwriters. They clap for you because you clap for them. And they listen as deeply as you listen to their songs. Every so often I find my self briefly “talking” with someone that isn’t even listening to me. I can tell that they’re not listening; they’re just formulating what they’re going to say next. I honestly view the activity that goes on at songwriter nights akin to this: I think people are mostly just waiting for their turn at the microphone. There will probably be exceptions to this rule, and keep your eyes open for them. I’m not saying don’t do it. I’m just saying, don’t make a career of it.

Rule 19: Make and maintain a titles list. When you’re an active writer, you’re going to be co-writing often. You’ll be playing for singers that might want to write with you, too. The trick to a successful off the cuff collaboration is to have ideas ready to go. Never get caught unprepared. I keep a titles list on my computer, print it out often and keep it in my car. I don’t like to have papers in my pocket, but my car is always close enough. It’s smart to keep a recorder around too. I use a Zoom H2, but there’s a gazillion small recording devices. I like the Zoom because it sounds great, records in stereo, and it’s small. Keep a “titles” list. A good title can spur a song on and literally save the day sometimes.

20: Keep growing. Take music lessons. Writing great songs requires a degree of competency. You should know how to pick, strum, play good time, and re-voice boring old chords. You don’t need to become a virtuoso; you simply need to know your stuff. If you live in a music capitol you will have hundreds of teachers available to you. But even in a small town, you can find someone that can outplay you. Seek the help of teachers you connect with. Your songs will sound so much better if you expand your musicianship while your writing craft is developing. The goal is not to impress people with how much you know. The goal is to make the songs as powerful as they should be.

21: Songwriter Manners and Professional Etiquette. We all have ways of orchestrating successful outcomes in life. Obviously you want to be true to your own personality when it comes time to make an impression. But, you should never be rude. Do not corner a successful artist, producer, record executive or publisher when you see one taking a coffee break at Starbucks, or at a restaurant trying to enjoy a meal.

This is not the time to intrude. And do not pawn off CDs to people that haven’t asked for them. This cheapens the value of your music. And besides that, people rarely appreciate belongings they don’t pay for or desire. Just because you’re offering up your CD no charge for evaluation, doesn’t mean it has any value to the beholder. Successful selling is actually a simple process. It’s all about timing. The following elements have to be present for a successful sales presentation: First of all, you have to have good timing.

Secondly, never ever pitch a song to someone that isn’t looking for a song. And lastly, know the artist you are pitching for. If your song tells about a one-night stand, you would never want to pitch the song to a family man or a Christian artist. You have to have lyrics and music that match the whole and complete artist you’re pitching to. And by the way, you should shy away from sound-alikes. Really, no one wants a “new” song that sounds like their last hit. Familiar, maybe—but no carbon copies are going to do it.

Real selling is about relationships and needs. The reason why people will take a sales pitch from a friend is because they know their friend knows them, their needs and wants. Make relationships. When you do finally get that sit down with a music publisher, keep your intros short, avoid instrumentals, and never present more than three songs, unless asked. There will be another day. For your first meeting, you’d be much better off if you spent less time playing your songs and more time listening to the publisher discuss what he or she is doing, where they are going as a company. Make a real business friend. Don’t get too The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 12 of 15

personal, but leave the office with a relationship in mind. If the publisher likes what he is hearing, you’d be wise to leave with an open door policy. Ask if he would like to hear more in the future. If he says “yes”, that’s a successful appointment. Know what people need and provide it. Go home and write what you know your new contact needs.

22: Getting Outside, Professional Critiques. Not playing a song (in its stripped down form) for the ears of an unbiased, professional music person before you go into the studio is a Titanic mistake. The hard truth is, writers are not the best judges of their own material, regardless of their skill level. Your song will be auditioned over and over again once the demo or master is made (see chart “The 12 Critical Points of Auditioning a Song” below). You might as well start here, and save yourself a lot of time and money.

One of the great advantages of living in a music center and being “plugged in” to the professional music scene is that you have easy access to those that know enough to tell you the truth about commercial music. I could write volumes on this one particular tip, but here are the condensed reasons for soliciting professional critique: 1) Your song might be too similar to an existing song; and, if you can’t do it, your collective group may spot the similarities in melody and chords, 2) Your mom will tell you she loves everything you do, even it sucks. 3) You’re looking to record only the best songs, remember? Key watchwords are “good”, “okay”—or the very word that makes me cringe: “NICE”. Ugh, the “N” word!

You really don’t want to hear any of these words come from a formal or informal critique. Hit songs leave undeniably big impressions; they’re rarely ever “nice” songs. You either love ‘em or hate em’, but you do remember them, and they penetrate and twist like a bayonet.

At Artist Development Network in Nashville, the songwriting teams consist of about 12-15 hit songwriters. When a singer/songwriter hires us to help them jumpstart their career, the first step is cowriting with our outstanding team. Usually about 10-12 songs will be written using various different writers from within. We only expect to record the best three. The producer and Cathy Lemmon make the final decision as to which three get recorded. This system works well, and to the artist’s benefit. And for those of you living in bubbles, or marooned on islands far away from the action—please send your songs away for evaluation before you book studio time. It takes time for reviewers to listen carefully and articulate helpful suggestions. Expect to pay about $20+ for a good critique—I do them often for songwriters I barely know, and associates, if I have time. It’s not about money; it’s about helping. Taxi is also an excellent resource for this service.

23: Writing too personal. I’m going to leave you with this very important point. I want you younger songwriters to chew on this. Our teenage years are, for most of us, a time when we really discover music.

This is a time when our hormones are going completely crazy, no one understands us, and we find ourselves in the music we listen to. Music is huge for teens because, through music, they discover they are not alone on this planet. Our perception of a good song is one that relates to us. And, for that reason, the single largest mistake a young songwriter makes is to write songs that are all about them, their life, and their world. So repeat this after me: IT IS NOT ABOUT ME. It is about us. The songwriters that wrote the music that you related to as a teen were very aware that the song should be about you, and everyone like you, which is many people, which is us. Now, that translates to “about them” when it’s your turn to write a song. The trick is to find common struggles, hardships and situations that EVERYONE will relate to.

You want to write those up from a new, fresh perspective, and in a unique way. No one wants a The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 13 of 15

regurgitated “I Hope You Dance”, so you’ll need to find a brand new way of saying it that feels and sings in a fresh new way. Find one.

Go forth. Stick to your guns, and make things happen. You can do it. Remember, writers are not born.

They’re developed. Make some great music for all of us to enjoy. And I hope to meet you one day in Nashville

David Harper

Critical Resources: TAXI www.taxi.com - This is a great place to go when you’re getting up to speed. Yes, they’ve launched careers and have referred a lot of music successfully, but that’s not the reason for the service. It’s a great place to learn and get feedback. They have a sizeable staff of experts in all styles of music. There’s plenty of media written about this company, pros and cons alike. I have found them to be worth the investment, totally professional. And I myself am living proof that Taxi works.

Michael Anderson’s “Little Black Book Of Songwriting” - I like this guy. I like the way he discusses the elements of songs. His clarity is the key. I don’t want to run through exercises or take tests in lyric writing. He is absolutely to the point, in all categories. If I were allowed to read only one book over and over again on the subject, his would be it. He’s also a hell of a songwriter. You can find Michael’s book at all the usual online places such as Amazon. Or you can go the e-book route, too: http://www.buymyebook.com/buy/authorinfo.asp?EbookId=1080 Outlandos Music www.outlandosmusic.com - Kate Bradley heads up this very dynamic new company.

Think along the lines of “guided DIY artist consulting”, an insider’s approach to the how-to’s of the music industry, with an emphasis on the artist as entrepreneur. From social nets to radio, fundraising to Internet content management, as well as applicable business tools and tips, Outlandos focuses on creative online strategies and off-line tactics aimed at empowering and engaging your all-powerful core of true fans.

Artist Development Network www.artistdevelopmentnetwork.com - Cathy Lemmon heads this quality company where I both write and participate in A&R duties. Cathy is candidly one of my closest friends in Nashville. If you need help launching as a singer/songwriter or a singing career in music, she has every tool you could need at her disposal, and, she is connected. Go to the website and learn more.

The Songwriter’s Survival Audio Kit by Azalea Music Group. This is a comprehensive 4 part MP3 download that you might enjoy. www.craftofsongwriting.com For those of you doing demos at home, The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 14 of 15

there is also an audio mastering offering. Fett and Nancy Moran are two people I count as close friends in this crazy town. They are smart, run a well-established recording studio, perform often, and generally have a lot to share with folks regarding the industry. Nancy is also one of the amazing 4 Bitchin’ Babes, www.fourbitchinbabes.com, a hilarious group of girls that know how to make women laugh all night long.

12 CRITICAL POINTS OF AUDITIONING A SONG 1) Songwriter or Co-Writers have to agree that the song is commercial enough to include song in their catalog 2) Their publisher or publishers must audition and agree 3) The session musicians & studio crew must find it worthy of their best efforts to give it that added special attention needed to spin the song into a stunning demo 4) A song plugger must find the song to be worthy of his/her time. The plugger has to both love it and be paid well to make your song a priority.

5) A recording artist must hear the magic in the song and want to cover it, single it out of the pile and take a career chance with it. It must impact them personally and professionally.

6) The artist’s producer must agree that the song works well with the overall musical project 7) The artist’s label must love the song enough for it to survive the final cut. Artists usually record 15-20 songs for a CD, sometimes more. Only the best 10-12 make the final cut.

8) The promotional staff at the label must love the song enough to call it a hit, get behind it and promote it 24/7.

9) Radio Station play-list managers must be knocked out by it and agree to push it hard 10) The public will have to love the song enough to listen, not switch radio stations, talk it up, request it and make it known they can’t get enough of it.

11) Wholesale music buyers (retail and virtual) must love it enough to promote and stock it 12) The prospective owner of the CD or MP3 will have to love it enough to put down their credit card to own it. Note: in times like these (2009) they’ll have to really love it! They’ll have to recognize the song instantly (by title) and if a CD is what they’re thinking about buying, there’d better be more than one single they recognize.

Copyright © 2009 “The Most Critical Mistakes by Songwriters” by David Harper. All rights reserved. www.musicbydavid.com. For press/media, contact Yellow Tulip Media, www.yellowtulipmedia.com The Most Critical Mistakes Made By Songwriters by David Harper - Page 15 of 15