Best of ‘The Weekly’ 2019
Here are the year’s hottest tips to help you in your career. Enjoy, from The Weekly team!
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5 Tips for Strengthening Your Song’s Melodic Hooks
Melodic hooks can be the heartbeat of a song. These tasty bits of ear candy can make the difference between an “almost” – and a life-changing hit. They can be instrumental or sung and can occur in any section of a song – the intro, verse, chorus, pre-chorus, post-chorus, bridge, or outro. Read more...
How to Use the “List Technique” in Your Song
The list technique is a means of crafting a lyric by including a list of lines that relate to—and lead the listener to—the title. Sometimes referred to as the laundry list technique, it can be a powerful tool to help make our titles pay off and feel satisfying. Read more...
Simple Advice for Songwriters
Sometimes the best advice is the simplest. To that end, here are a few no-nonsense things to consider as you make your way in the songwriting world. Read more...
What’s Your Top Tip for Aspiring Songwriters to Become Successful?
I think it really comes down to: don’t copy others, don’t imitate. Look for your own voice, your own words, your own story, your own sound. It’s o.k. to have influences from admiring other songs, but so many songwriters want to be like one artist or another and they end up being just a copy of the original. Read more...
The Dos and Don’ts of Working With Producers
The way that I like to describe what a music producer does is that a music producer is to a recording as a director is to a movie. In other words, the producer is responsible for everything from the musical arrangement decisions all the way to working with the vocalist and session musicians to make sure they’re giving their best performances and providing the songwriting client with the sound and feel they’re looking for in their song. Read more...
What’s the Most Important Part of a Demo – the Vocal or the Production?
Just as genres are different, so are the musical elements that best support them on a demo. BMI’s Creative team listens to music all day every day. Here’s what they had to say about what makes them turn up the volume on a demo. Read more...
What’s a Common Mistake Songwriters Make and How Can It Be Avoided?
Trying to navigate the music industry can be tricky, and as in any job, there are pitfalls for songwriters. The good news is, mistakes can be avoided. Here to weigh in on how to do just that is BMI’s Creative team, from LA to London. Read more...
The Dos and Don’ts of Working With Session Musicians
One of my greatest joys as a producer and engineer over the years has been bearing witness to the musical genius that is the session musician. The same people you’ve been hearing on recordings your whole lives are the men and women who make their living coming into the studio and playing, not only on projects for household names, but for aspiring songwriters as well. That said, I thought I’d put down a few things to consider when you find yourself in the enviable position of being in the studio with these musical masters recording one of your songs. Read more...
What Do You Listen For When You Hear a Songwriter’s Music For The First Time?
Ever wonder what people in the industry are listening for when they hear your music? BMI’s Creative team weighs in on the answer to that question from their own experience of working with songwriters and composers every day. Read more...
5 Tips for Coping When Your Songs Are Rejected
I read a post on Facebook by a songwriter who had decided to give up pursuing his dream of writing a hit because he had not gotten a song recorded after three years of trying. He felt beaten down and no longer trusted his abilities. Read more...
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