The Top

23
Critical Songwriter Mistakes

… and how to manage your songwriting career better

By David Harper
Staff Writer & Head of A&R for:
Artist Development Network
118 16th Ave. South - Nashville TN 37013
www.ArtistDevelopmentNetwork.com
david@ArtistDevelopmentNetwork.com
(615) 713-2389
The Top 23 Critical Songwriter Mistakes
By David Harper, Staff-Writer and Head of A&R, ADN - Nashville, TN

www.ArtistDevelopmentNetwork.com

1. Spending good money demo-ing bad or average songs.

2. Thinking their most recent songs are their best songs.
3. Over-producing their demos.
4. Singing their own demos.
5. Hiring second-rate players in the studio.
6. Thinking that “As Good As ____’s song” is good enough.
7. Not listening to the radio…RIGHT NOW!
8. Writing styles of music that nobody buys.
9. Blowing the entire budget on the demo.
10. Spending too much on packaging.
11. Not co-writing with songwriters above them in ability.
12. Not taking advantage of great demo’s they own the rights to.
13. Quitting too early.
14. Failing to rewrite songs that are almost there.
15. Secretly wanting a career as a singer or musician.
16. Getting into debt.
17. Not writing daily.
18. Making a career of playing songwriters nights.
19. Not keeping a “titles list”.
20. Not taking music lessons and getting better on their instrument.
21. Being too aggressive when they meet a new contact.
22. Getting professional opinions
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’s 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 to get here. And even though it took 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
it only got better by being here. The bar is higher in this town. It is not unusual to hear songs
that are simply 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 that are simply 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. But before I explain these truths, I have to tell you a little bit about me, and how
I’ve come upon this wisdom you’re seeking.

The Education
I’ve spent my life as a musician. I’ve taken breaks, too. 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). And 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, more real and I could hear the songs
getting stronger. It may have been an indirect result of MP3s, and the absolute need for great
songs again, I’m not sure. But one thing is for certain—music buyers have a lot to pick from
these days, and now more than ever: The Song Is King.

In the early 2000s, I re-entered the music business providing songs and production for a series of
children’s books. My job was to write the theme songs, produce them and to hire voice over help
for “read a-longs” (for children too young to read yet). I had experience with this type of
production in the late 90s, writing mountains of original music for CCC, a multimedia
educational software company. The work was so plentiful and demanding that it ultimately
burned me out. But I finally met an independent author with substance, and she motivated me to
get involved again. 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 got little attention…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
songwriter 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, and that
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 specialty
work and larger productions. I lived with my family in a very small town, far away from a music
center. It was difficult to find top caliber musicians, a jazz harmonica player, or a great guitarist
or whatever instrumentalist I might need living so remotely. But, as fate would have it, a friend
of mine had moved to Nashville in 2004 and asked me to come out and join her on drums for a
tour in 2005. Once the Nashville bug bit me, there was no turning back. My wife and I decided to
make Music City our permanent home in 2008.

So we moved to Nashville to have access to the wonderful studios and musicians this town can
offer. I had read all about Nashville 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 most of these books didn’t prepare me well for what I was about to encounter.

The Wisdom
Almost as fast as I got here, I landed a job co-writing with Artist Development Network 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 our team of 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 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 them to the labels and the online
community. 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 won’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. Competition within my own team is fierce. 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. I honestly love the work, even on the bad days. Finding the right voices and the
real songwriters in the rough requires hours upon hours of critical listening. I’ve said this before,
and I still stand by this statement: Writers are not born; they’re nurtured and developed. It takes
many years of practice 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 the reference chart at the back page of this
document). 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 dead-end 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, songwriter workshops, 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.

Mistake 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 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 your song 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.

Mistake 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 over zealous professional songwriters burst into their publisher’s offices only to have
the “newest hit song” land as flat as a fart in church. Oh, the agony of defeat. Denied! 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? I’ll bet it can. Yeah, put some time and space between
your songs.

Mistake 3: Overproducing Demos. I can’t say this enough. 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,forethought 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’s 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 six-piece section can record it in a few takes, I know I have a song that will
translate into success on stage.

Mistake 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 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.

Mistake 5: Hiring 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 unique 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 very 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 will do both. Get the real studio musicians. It
will be done in a couple hours, and you’ll love it.

Mistake 6: Thinking That “As Good As ____’s Song” Is Good Enough. Oooh, this is a bad
trap to fall into. I’ve seen thousands of songs 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’s
probably 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 had to
beat the competition to get his new customers. 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 your 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.
Mistake 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 5% of these songs sound current. How
are we ever going to place your songs if they don’t sound like they belong on today’s radio? 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 before you submit to professional ears.
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 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 school songs, 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.

Mistake 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 pop 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. Do some homework. Find out who records
songwriter’s music and write for those singers. 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.

Mistake 9: Blowing The Entire Budget On The 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 to the
right ears costs real money. Ultimately, marketing will probably cost much more than the demo
did, maybe more. Great song-pluggers charge a lot to go out and sell your song. Songwriters
employ these professionals for their knowledge. They know the artists; they know the managers
and producers. They also know up-to-the-minute information regarding which artists are
recording 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. If you think a song-plugger could be an asset for your business, 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
to tell you the truth about your music. Use these individuals. This is the way the game it played.

Mistake 10: Spending Too Much On Packaging. No one really cares if you have a four-color,
six page insert. Publishers, managers and artists want a clean, well-printed lyric sheet. Include
your name, telephone number, email address and song title clearly on both the CD and the lyric
sheet. 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. And 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.

Mistake 11: Not Co-Writing And Why You Should! This is the single most direct way to
learn how to write better songs quickly. As a young man, walking the streets of LA, looking for
my first publishing contract, I had a lot of people suggest co-writing to me. And honestly, I was
insulted by their suggestions. 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 need legs to succeed. The more songwriters there are on a song, the more
the song gets played and heard within the professional 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 co-writing. These excuses usually
come from out-of-town songwriter-hopefuls that are busy doing things the hard way. Try it. Your
co-writers will keep you focused; they’ll introduce new thoughts, new chords, question your
lyrics when they’re fuzzy, and 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.

Mistake 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 old songs, even
today. They may sound 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 will
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, domestic and foreign. 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.

Mistake 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 main reason why employers ask for a diploma is because
they want to see that you’ve completed something. It’s true. We all know that college graduates
are not prepped well enough to handle a career yet. 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 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, thanks to college, 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 between 81-
93, 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!

Mistake 14: Failing To Rewrite Often. Songs can only get better. 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.

Mistake 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 must 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 to label deals 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. But
if 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 their wonderful range and take
full advantage of their God-given 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.

Mistake 16: Geting 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 career 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… tomorrow! Nuff said? Live simply. Focus. Find flexible employers, where you can be
available for weekday writing 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.

Mistake 17: Failing To 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.

Mistake 18: Making A Career 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 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.

Mistake 19: Failing To 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, and I 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.

Mistake 20: Not 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.

Mistake 21: Songwriter Manners and Professional Etiquette Blunders. 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 at a restaurant
enjoying 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 very 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 a real opportunity. 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 is about a one night stand, you would never ever 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 the deed.
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 their 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 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.

Mistake 22: Not Getting Outside, Professional Song Critiques. Not playing a song (in
stripped down form) for the ears of an unbiased and 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). You might as well start here and save 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 easy access to others 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 your collective group may spot the similarities in melody & chords if you can’t 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, OK, 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 big impressions. They’re hardly ever “nice”
songs. You love em’ or you hate em’, but you remember them and they penetrate like a bayonet,
and twist.
Do you recall that I told you that I work within a team of writers? At Artist Development
Network in Nashville there are about 12-15 hit-song writers on the team at any given time.
When a singer/songwriter hires us to help them jumpstart their career, the first step is co-writing
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 3 songs. The producer and Cathy
Lemmon make the final decision as to which 3 songs will get recorded. This system works well
for the artist’s benefit. And for those of you living in bubbles or marooned on islands far away
from the action… send your songs away for evaluation before you book studio time. For
reviewers, listening carefully and articulating helpful suggestions takes time. Expect to pay
about $20+ for a good critique. I do these often for songwriters I barely know & associates, if I
have time. It’s not about money. It’s about helping.
Mistake 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 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

Here’s to the dream,

David Harper
(615) 713-2389
 THE 12 CRITICAL AUDITIONS OF 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 Top 23 Critical Songwriters Mistakes” by David Harper. Licensed to A.D.N. Inc. by
permission. www.musicbydavid.com. For press/media, contact Yellow Tulip Media, www.yellowtulipmedia.com