What Makes Industry Leaders Pair Songwriters Together as Collaborators?

Posted in The Weekly on January 15, 2018

BMI’s Creative teams have watched songwriters progress from the start of their careers through their many successes. Now these industry leaders are sharing their experience in The Weekly to help even more writers navigate the industry. This week’s focus is:

What makes you pair songwriters together as collaborators?

Tracie Verlinde, Vice President, Creative, Los Angeles:

One of the best parts of my job is introducing great people to each other. Many times it is instinctual, I just intuitively have a sense that based on their personalities or styles or energy, this could be a good fit.

Sometimes it’s more practical if someone is looking for a specific talent or area of expertise and we know writers and producers that fit that need, we will make an introduction.

I always try to find out what each writer is looking for at that point in their career, what they need and hope to find in a collaboration.

We always say that co-writing is like dating…it may look like a match on paper, but once you’re together in the room you realize there is no chemistry. Or the opposite scenario when two unlikely writers get together and create magic!

There is no scientific formula or guaranteed answer when you are trying to pair songwriters together, but after doing this for many years, it becomes instinctual.

Kevin Benz, Senior Executive, Creative, Europe:

Being based in London, we are in constant contact with such a diverse group of songwriters and artists, ranging in styles and backgrounds. Cross-collaboration of styles has been key for recent trends in popular music and this has encouraged us to connect songwriters of different genres, providing fresh takes on traditional pop music. It is also important to listen to the creative needs of the songwriter to best determine who they might collaborate well with, yet also who might encourage them to venture outside of their creative comfort zone. It’s a pleasure to work with such an abundance of talented, diverse, and innovative international songwriters and support them throughout their careers.

So, remember to look for collaborators that will complement your songwriting skills and keep an eye out for more helpful info from BMI’s many thought leaders right here in The Weekly!

SOURCEThe Weekly TAGS Career Advice On the Record Creative