Songwriting Tips, Ideas, Help and More

Kate Voegele Talks About Songwriting

Kate Voegele won first prize in the Pop category of the USA Songwriting Competition in 2005 and became the youngest winner at that time at just 18 years old as a teen phenom.

She went on to perform at USA Songwriting Competition showcase at SXSW (see picture below) and was signed to Interscope Records shortly after. Her winning song "Only Fooling Myself" went on to hit top 40 on the Billboard charts that year. Her 2nd album hit the Billboard 200 Album charts at #10. She has appeared on major TV shows such as "The Tonight Show", acted in "One Tree Hill" and toured with American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. 

Songwriting Advice: The Missing Structure of the Music Industry

The music industry is an interesting one. 20 percent of the music industry record labels owned by Sony, Universal, EMI and Warner owns 80 percent of the music industry. This Pareto's Principle like "80-20" rule is hard to acknowledge but true. 

Success in the music industry is in the eye of the beholder. Less than one out of a hundred artists (music artists such as singer-songwriters) will have a song or album on the record charts such as Billboard or make 1 million in sales. That's less than 1%. This superstar 1% level control 80% of all music sales, songs you hear on the radio, downloads, concerts, etc. Singer-songwriters such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Kate Voegele, Darrell Scott have sustaining careers, playing large venues hitting the Billboard Charts or making 1 million in sales.

The remaining 99% of the rest of the industry struggle to get signed, let alone hitting the charts, remaining in perpetual captivity. Most independent artists print 1,000 copies of their CDs and struggle to even sell half (500). They would make $80,000 or less per year in revenues or concert tickets per year. With no direction 99% remain in this captivity as they struggle through each day. The top 1% are using a system that 99% aren't.  

However, there is a solution, it is called The Hit Songwriter Process™ , this is a proven method used by major record labels would release 99% of the music industry. The music artists break through out of that captivity and shatter the ceiling of complexity. This missing structure is what missing in the music industry. The general public thinks American Idol and America's Got Talent are means to an end. The missing structure is a tough 8 step method to make a music artist breakthrough. 

The Hit Songwriter Process™ , is the missing structure where talent and ambitious music artists can achieve the $1 million in sales and above. It is the only way to do it in a strategic manner 

TEEN PHENOM WINS USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION, NEW COMPETITION BEGINS

Teen phenom Sarah Lonsert won the Overall Grand Prize of the 14th Annual USA Songwriting Competition along with co-writer Jonathan George. Her winning song "Dancing Through Life" will be on the USA Songwriting Competition's compilation CD next year. Sarah Lonsert, only 17 years old, not only broke the first prize record of being the youngest winner but also the overall grand prize winner of being the youngest winner ever. The previous youngest first prize winner was Kate Voegele, who won in 2005 at 18 years old. Adrianne Gonzalez was the youngest overall grand prize winner at 22 years old when she won in 1999. Sarah also won first prize in the Dance/Electronica category, making her the first from that category to ever win the overall grand prize. Sarah Lonsert will be releasing a full length CD earlier next year. Although Sarah suffers from autism, she is a budding singer-songwriter and has also won the L.A. Music Awards last month.

Eric Colville (from Ipswich, MA) won the overall second prize and Anne Simoni (from Brazil) won the overall third prize.

This year also marks the first time that USA Songwriting Competition had two winners from Spain. Ariel Queupumil from Guadalajara, Spain won the first prize in the Latin Category while Eduardo de la Iglesia Nieto from Madrid, Spain won the First Prize in the instrumental category.

Celeste Scalone, an American Idol semi-finalist and "Making The Band" reality tv show finalist won 1st prize in the R&B category. 

Nicole Morier and Fabien Waltman from Los Angeles won the first prize in the Pop category. Nicole has written songs for Britney Spears and is also an artist. Helle Hansen (from Denmark) tied with Ariel Queupumil for having the most songs in the finals, at 5 songs each. Here is the list of winners:

OVERALL GRAND PRIZE WINNER:
Sarah Lonsert
Dancing Through Life - Sarah Lonsert & Jonathan George; Mission Viejo, CA

OVERALL 2nd PRIZE:
End of War - Eric Colville; Ipswich, MA

OVERALL 3rd PRIZE:
Papagaio - Anne Simoni; BRAZIL

 

FIRST PRIZES IN EACH CATEGORY:
1st Prize - LATIN
Fruto Prohibido - Ariel Queupumil; Guadalajara, SPAIN

1st Prize - LYRICS
End of War - Eric Colville; Ipswich, MA

1st Prize - R&B
Red Light - Celeste Scalone & Enpho; Sherman Oaks, CA

1st Prize - DANCE/ELECTRONICA
Dancing Through Life - Sarah Lonsert and Jonathan George; Mission Viejo, CA

1st Prize - FOLK
Bullets To Bite - Melissa Greener; Austin, TX

1st Prize - COUNTRY
You and I - Kyler England; Los Angeles, CA

1st Prize - ROCK/ALTERNATIVE
I'm Not - Carla Cappa; Blue Bell, PA

1st Prize - POP
Good Boy - Nicole Morier & Fabien Waltman; Los Angeles, CA

1st Prize - HIP-HOP/RAP
Strange Kinda Love - Ashley J. Llorens, Monique Harcum, Steven Boel & SoulStice; Columbia, MD

1st Prize - WORLD
Papagaio - Anne Simoni; BRAZIL

1st Prize - INSTRUMENTAL
The Pursuit - Eduardo de la Iglesia Nieto; Madrid, SPAIN

1st Prize - JAZZ
Your Eyes - Vanessa Moodley; Durban, SOUTH AFRICA

1st Prize - GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL
Every Time - Tom Poulter; NSW, AUSTRALIA

1st Prize - NOVELTY/COMEDY
The Starbucks of County Down - Greg Trafidlo, Neal Phillips & John Seay; Salem, VA

1st Prize - CHILDREN
Tallest Tree - Jeremy and Rebecca; Visalia, CA

 

Honorable Mention Awards
1. Vamo Ya - Peter Torsiello & Liliana de Leon; Mesa, AZ
2. Beautiful Life - Claire Ulanoff, Will Hopkins; Nashville, TN
3. Anyway U Want - Nichole C. Minor aka Alias; Washington D.C.
4. This is My Life - Andrea Benham; Bloomfield, NJ
5. The Peddler - Maria Dunn; Edmonton, CANADA
6. Hurricane - (Mandee Radford) Alathea; Unicoi, TN
7. The Runner - Jesse Terry/Fred Wilhelm; Nashville, TN
8. Bait Shack - (Whitelaw, Lewis & Lewis ) Jimi Whitelaw; Gallatin, TN
9. Hard To Smile - ORBO & The Longshots; Os, NORWAY
10. Waiting - Jonathan Ferreri & Chris Upton; Nashvile, TN
11. Guitar - Carsten Lindberg, Joachim Svare, J. Belle & Jayden; Loa Angeles, CA
12. Eye for an Eye - Rebecca Wolfers & Dirtywings; Queensland, AUSTRALIA
13. Vai-e-Vem - Luiz Simas; New York, NY
14. Reason For Me To Smile - Helle Hansen & Ole Kibsgaard; Copenhagen, DENMARK
15. Where There Are Dreams - Jen Waters & Bob Farrell; Toluca Lake, CA
16. What I Do With Your Time - (Anadara Arnold and Stephanie Lewis) Anadara; Nashville, TN
17. I've Done It - Brent Lillie & Paul Harris; Queensland, AUSTRALIA
18. Jubilation - Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer; Kensington, MD
19. Woman In The Dark - Dewi Puspita; Bali, INDONESIA
20. Hypnotized - Beezy; Commerce City, CO

Entries are currently being accepted for the 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. Winning songs of the 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition will receive airplay on a nationally syndicated radio program "Acoustic Café" as well as Sirius XM Satellite Radio. This is the first Songwriting Competition that gives airplay to the winning songs, giving deserving bands, songwriters the recognition and exposure they deserve. Entrants stand to win a grand prize of over US$50,000 in cash and music gear from sponsors such as Sony, D'Addario Strings, Ibanez Guitars, Audio-Technica, IK Multimedia, and more, making this the largest prize package for any annual songwriting competition. For more information on the 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition, visit:
http://www.songwriting.net

 

Jordan Zevon Performing At USA Songwriting Competition showcase during SXSW 2009

Muscle Music Marketing For Your Songwriting

Muscle Music Marketing For Your Songwriting
By Molly-Ann Leikin

Most creative people are terrible at business. We're all very, very sensitive and take it personally when someone is abrupt or rude as we nervously try to promote our uncertain selves.

The guy who makes one more phone call, one more time, gets the meeting. The most persistent musicians are the ones with the deals.

We hate hearing that because we're all looking for fairy godmothers to rescue and discover us, but Toto, there is no fairy godmother. No matter how much we want or need one, it's on each of us to switch gears and become the cool-headed champions of our own art.

Nobody will ever love our work more than we do. Not our mothers, dads, wives, husbands, ex-husbands, ex-husbands twice removed, significant or insignificant others.

The good news is that in my book, "How To Be A Hit Songwriter", there are three whole chapters devoted to the creative marketing your music and lyrics. And in the Fifth Edition of "How To Write A Hit Song", just published, there are two.

One of the best recommendations I can make is to call, speak to and/or meet one new music person every day. Not just when you feel like it. Every day. Keep a list with phone numbers and email addresses. At the end of the year, you'll have 365 contacts. Sure, it's easier staying home under the bed, hoping hoping hoping to just mail it in, unsolicited, but you have to leave the comfort of your creative space and get out into the world where the people are you need to meet. The chances are good that the next Sony CEO won't knock on your door desperate to go potty, hoping for a diet Coke, with shaved Bavarian ice, in the bargain.

Don't you owe it to your music to learn to be as good at business as you are at writing, singing and performing? When you are, you'll have the whole package. Then nobody can stop you.

© 2009 Molly-Ann Leikin

Molly-Ann Leikin (rhymes with bacon) is a songwriting consultant in L.A. with a house full of gold and platinum records plus an Emmy nomination. She is also a Eurovision finalist (American Idol in Europe). Three of her clients have Grammy nominations, another won an Emmy and so far, 5041 others have placed their work, with Molly's help, in movies, TV, on CD's and in commercials.
The author of "How To Write A Hit Song" and "How To Be A Hit Songwriter", Molly's website is www.songmd.com and her toll-free number for the USA and Canada is 800-851-6588. You can also reach her at songmd@songmd.com

How Songwriters Can Write Hit Song Melodies, Part 3

HOW TO WRITE HIT MELODIES, Part 3, by Molly-Ann Leikin

When I write a song, I always write the melody first, one note at a time. While I have limited chops as a keyboard player, I do hear melodies in my head. I keep a recording device of some kind with me all the time - in my car, in my purse, next to the bed, even in the shower - so that whenever I get an idea for something, I just record it, la la la'ing. Sometimes I even call my voicemail, and sing to myself. I constantly revise the notes, going over and over and over them. You may work differently, but just remember that songwriting is a process, and what comes out in the first draft is just that - a first draft - and usually needs several more to reach the finish line. I'm lucky because I feel a little click in my gut when I know something I've written is finished. But I don't have anything to do with chords or programming until much later.

After writing the single notes of the chorus, I work backwards to write the individual notes of the verse, again, one note at a time. When I am finally happy with both the verse and the chorus, I go looking for the chords to put around them. That way, I'm not inhibited by my lack of musicianship or intimidated by the technical aspects of programming. I just write the song. Once the melody's down pat and the lyric I write to the melody clicks and I have the chords that go around the notes, then I start thinking about "how do I hear this produced, what instruments do I feel, what record on the radio sounds like what I'm going for." But it all starts with the individual notes of the melody. I know from working with so many talented, developing writers that they start with too much ambition and too much technology and not enough bare simple note-by-note creativity. So if you find your melodies aren't as strong as you would like them to be, or that the marketplace requires, then I suggest you try some version of my way of writing songs and adapt it to your personality. When you change the process, you can change the result.
© 2009 Songwriting Consultants, Ltd.

~Molly-Ann Leikin (rhymes with bacon) is a song marketing consultant in California, who, for a modest professional fee, works one-on-one to help you find the right writing partner and then helps you market your finished work to all the right people. A Eurovision finalist (American Idol in Europe), Molly is the author of "How to Write A Hit Song, Fifth edition", (June, 2008) from which this article is excerpted, and "How to Be a Hit Songwriter", both published by Hal Leonard. She has a house full of gold and platinum records plus an Emmy nomination, has written themes and songs for over four dozen TV shows and movies, including "Eight is Enough" and "Violet" that won an Oscar. From the USA and Canada, you can reach Molly, toll-free, at 800-851-6588, or from anywhere in the world, at www.songmd.com. Please note: Molly does not accept unsolicited material. © 2009 Songwriting Consultants, Ltd.

How Songwriters Can Write Hit Song Melodies, Part 2

HOW TO WRITE HIT MELODIES, Part 2, by Molly-Ann Leikin

In writing a melody, it's critical to keep your audience surprised.  Since we speak English in iambic pentameter, it's natural to assume we can write in the same meter.  Unfortunately, it's deadly boring.  So I suggest you deliberately vary the lengths of your lines, and the number of notes in each, along with the number of lines or bars per section, to avoid your song sounding predictable.  After all, it's your job as an artist to tell your audience something they aren't expecting.    

The range of most contemporary singers is an octave and three - the interval from middle C, for example, to the E an octave above it.  If you write a tune with a range greater than that, you'll be hard-pressed to find a singer with the chops to handle it.  My song, "An American Hymn", which I wrote with Lee Holdridge, was only recorded once in twenty years until Lee figured out how to revise the bridge melody, reducing our octave and five to an octave and three.  Now the song is recorded at least once a month.    

Most hit "power" ballads, such as Daughtry's "Home," end their verses on notes lower than the ones on which the choruses start.  To create tension and drama in their melodies, I urge my clients, and you, to go up into the chorus, not sideways or down.  Doing the latter is like letting air out of a tire.  So go up and stay up.  And although some contemporary songs break the rising-into-the chorus rule, you can bet their rhythmic hooks at the beginning of and throughout the choruses are strong enough to overcome the melody's drop, and keep us listening.  

~Molly-Ann Leikin (rhymes with bacon) is a song marketing consultant in California, who, for a modest professional fee, works one-on-one to help you find the right writing partner and then helps you market your finished work to all the right people.  A Eurovision finalist (American Idol in Europe), Molly is the author of "How to Write A Hit Song, Fifth edition", (June, 2008) from which this article is excerpted, and "How to Be a Hit Songwriter", both published by Hal Leonard.  She has a house full of gold and platinum records plus an Emmy nomination, has written themes and songs for over four dozen TV shows and movies, including "Eight is Enough" and "Violet" that won an Oscar. From the USA and Canada, you can reach Molly, toll-free, at 800-851-6588, or from anywhere in the world, at www.songmd.com.  Please note:  Molly does not accept unsolicited material. © 2009 Songwriting Consultants, Ltd.

How Songwriters Can Write Hit Melodies, Part 1

HOW SONGWRITERS CAN WRITE HIT MELODIES, Part 1, by Molly-Ann Leikin

After the title, the tune is the most important part of the song. The way our brains are wired, the melody is the first thing we hear. If we like it, we'll stay tuned and listen for the words. If the tune doesn't get to us, it's over.

Melodies need hooks. Without them, nobody will ever hear your work, no matter how brilliant the lyric. I know lyricists won't be happy to hear this, but it's true and knowledge is power.

In constructing a melody, there are several guidelines to follow. I recommend to all my clients, no matter where in the world they are writing, to get to the hook/chorus, within twenty-five or thirty seconds. I advise them, and you, to keep their introductions short. The intro is usually instrumental, and the song doesn't officially start until the verse begins. So keep the intro to eight bars or less. Often writers who are in love with their software wail on and on for sixteen or thirty-two bars before beginning the actual song. Don't. Eight bars are plenty. The audience will only give you a few seconds of ear time and then move on to something more accessible. You worked hard to get ‘em. Don't let ‘em get away.

If we like a melody, it usually isn't until we've heard it several times that we finally hear the words. You can write a brilliant lyric, but if it has a weak melody, nobody will ever hear any of it because the tune hasn't done its job. The function of the melody is to grab us in an unguarded, primitive, totally emotional state and hold our attention long enough for the more civilized and intellectual lyric to take hold and give us some words to sing. Leikin's Law is give them what they want. Express yourself as only you can, absolutely. You have a fingerprint as a writer that nobody else has. But don't expect a lyric to do the melody's job.

~Molly-Ann Leikin (rhymes with bacon) is a song marketing consultant in California, who, for a modest professional fee, works one-on-one to help you find the right writing partner and then helps you market your finished work to all the right people. A Eurovision finalist (American Idol in Europe), Molly is the author of "How to Write A Hit Song, Fifth edition", (June, 2008) from which this article is excerpted, and "How to Be a Hit Songwriter", both published by Hal Leonard. She has a house full of gold and platinum records plus an Emmy nomination, has written themes and songs for over four dozen TV shows and movies, including "Eight is Enough" and "Violet" that won an Oscar. From the USA and Canada, you can reach Molly, toll-free, at 800-851-6588, or from anywhere in the world, at www.songmd.com. Please note: Molly does not accept unsolicited material. © 2009 Songwriting Consultants, Ltd.

How To Find the Right Songwriting Partner

Written By Molly-Ann Leikin

Here's what I look for in a musical collaboration:

l. A great idea, one I have NEVER heard before.

2. A co-writer who is as committed as I am to making great music. This isn't a hobby. It's a life.

3. What can a potential co-writer bring to the table that I can't? If I write music, how are his lyrics? Just okay? Or do they tell me something new, something I've never heard before. How are his tunes, his production chops? Passable? Or cutting edge and original? How's his voice? Will his vocal fingerprint turn heads? Y'gotta turn heads, no matter what you contribute to the project.

4. Is this potential co-writer reliable, respectful of my time and talent? And does he/she really have a magical gift to enrich the literature of music, rather than just filling up letterhead and mp3's by recycling what other people have already said/sung?

Bottom line: don't settle too easily. Honor your work. Respect what you do and never stop looking for the best people, the very best, not just the closest or the most available, on your creative team. They are out there looking for you, too.

5. Where do I find them?

Fifty times a day, every day, I hear from bands, lyricists and composers passionately looking for the missing pieces of their songs. Once I've heard what you do, in a consultation, I've been extremely lucky hooking up writing teams. When you're ready to set up a consultation, I can help you, too.

© 2009 Molly-Ann Leikin

Molly-Ann Leikin (rhymes with bacon) is a songwriting consultant in L.A. with a house full of gold and platinum records plus an Emmy nomination. She is also a Eurovision finalist (American Idol in Europe). Three of her clients have Grammy nominations, another won an Emmy and so far, 5041 others have placed their work, with Molly's help, in movies, TV, on CD's and in commercials.The author of "How To Write A Hit Song" and "How To Be A Hit Songwriter", Molly's website is www.songmd.com and her toll-free number for the USA and Canada is 800-851-6588. You can also reach her at songmd@songmd.com.