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Tips & Resources by Brent Baxter, Team SWPro on January 20, 2020
Butch Baker, Senior VP of Mojo Music & Media, runs Mojo's Nashville office. He's published a string of hit songs and hit songwriters, and he was a recent guest on SongwritingPro.com's "Know The Pro" series.
Normally, Know The Pro meetings are exclusively for SWPro subscribers... but Butch dropped SO MUCH valuable knowledge on us, that I had to share at least part of it with you.
You can hear Butch discuss demos, pitch meetings, and why he signed Mojo's newest songwriter (a "track guy") on Episode #205 of The C.L.I.M.B. Show. You can listen to the full episode right here.
And just in case you're in a hurry... here are a few of the key takeaways:
THE VALUE OF A "TRACK GUY":
If the ear of the A&R person is becoming an ear for tracks, you'd better be in that game. For some people, your demo needs to sound like the radio. That’s not true for everyone, but it’s true for some. If it’s a modern, pop country sound, it’s probably doing to be driven by a track. Plus, a track guy could end up becoming a record producer, and that can certainly lead to cuts.
LOOKING FOR NEW WRITERS:
I believe everyone here tonight, if they work hard at it, has the ability to write a hit song. You never know where the next Harlan Howard is going to come from. I have to believe he’s out there, or I should quit.
A song that one publisher may not “get”… another one might love. You have to keep at it.
One of the first things a publisher will do if they're interested in a new writer is to put him/her with one of their songwriters. Then they'll see what their writer thinks of them. Did they show up prepared? Did they pull their weight?
PITCH MEETINGS:
A pitch meeting may just end with an open door, even if they don’t love anything. And that should be considered a successful meeting. Be considerate of how many songs you play in a pitch meeting. Respect the person’s time. I never want to waste anyone’s time in a pitch meeting.
It’s okay to pitch just a work tape. You can get your point across with that, if it’s the right song and the right listener.
Part of this business is “casting” your song for the artist. You have to be sure you can "hear" that artist on that song. Don't bring in songs that don't fit that artist.
Those are just some of the great bits of insight from Butch Baker, Senior VP of Mojo Music & Media.
What’d you think of Butch’s advice? What would YOU like to ask a hit music publisher? Well… here’s your chance!
On February 11, 7pm-8pm Central, I’m hosting an online Know The Pro event with Stacey. This will be YOUR chance to get literal face time with a music industry professional. You get to ask YOUR questions... and get answers! And it’s all online, so you can join us from anywhere in the world. And this event is FREE for Songwriting Pro members. Can't make it to the live event? No problem- SWPro members have unlimited access to ALL of our previous Know The Pro events in the SWPro Member Area.
CLICK HERE TO GET DETAILS AND JOIN THE EVENT.
God bless,
Brent
PS- Thanks for stopping by Songwriting Pro! I appreciate it. As a matter of fact, I want to give you a special little something just for your visit. It's my FREE ebook "Think Like A Pro Songwriter," and it reveals valuable I-learned-it-the-hard-way-so-you-don't-have-to tips to help you succeed at the art, craft and business of songwriting. You can download it at www.GiftFromBrent.com.
