Image courtesy of 'hillary the mammal'

You may well have heard about this guy – Jonathan Mann.

Most likely it’s for his song about the iPhone 4 antenna that’s had well over a million hits on YouTube.

He set out on January 1st 2009 to write a song a day and upload it to YouTube – and he’s stuck to it. His channel videos have over 5 million views and he’s getting on for 10,000 subscribers on YouTube.

The point of talking about him is not to reference the way that he has built a niche following – although I assume that it has been successful enough to give him a sustainable DIY musician income from the YouTube partner programme and the opportunities that it has created for him. And I applaud him for that.

And, it doesn’t matter whether you like his songs, his music, him or what he’s trying to achieve.

No, the point is simply to highlight that he must have learnt a lot about knocking out songs. The ‘how to’ of what works and what doesn’t. And, also to see what else he’s learned that any musician can apply to their efforts to succeed – whatever that means to you in your life as a musician.

10,000 hours

I believe that nothing is as important as putting in the hours to learn how to be good at something – Gladwell’s 10,000 hours that we’ve talked about before.

A large part of our message on this site is that as an aspiring musician you need to spend a lot of time learning how to create great material (as well as learning how to promote and market it).

This guy’s level of dedication to getting a song out the door EVERY day is going to have caused him to learn a huge amount about the craft. He’s well past 1,000 songs and he must be putting in a few hours a day. Combine that with the years he studied music as a child and he’s got to be past the 10,000 hour mark.

In the video below he talks about how he actually goes about writing a song a day. I thought it was great that the first thing he talks about is his fascination with learning how other great songwriters go about it.

So, he’s practising by doing it, but he’s also studying and learning from people whose talent and skill he admires – and then he can model their methods.

He also states that he tries out any approach that he can think of or hears about – and he concludes that the experimentation is all part of the process.

In the video he then looks at various of these songwriting methods that he uses – giving you some songwriting tips that you can apply immediately.

He concludes that there’s no right or wrong way to write a song – you’ll find what works for you through trial and effort.

But, the constant application of effort must improve your skill – that’s what Gladwell’s book is all about and study after study shows that ‘genius’ is built by practise rather than being an innate gift.

The more you practise and apply yourself to mastering the art, the better you’ll become. The more you slack off, the lesser your chance of success.

Take action and persevere

There are two other things that he displays that I think are also crucial to your success in music.

1. He took and continues to take MASSIVE action. It cannot be easy to live a normal-ish life and get this task completed every day. But, taking that kind of action will inevitably have results. You’re doing so much, and creating so much stuff that something must get noticed somewhere.

2. He’s committed and he perseveres. So, whilst he is improving his ability every day, he’s also not letting the prospect of failure raise its head because he just keeps going. And that feeds back into the massive action.

What’s the point I’m making?

You don’t have to copy Jonathan Mann. His path is his alone, but you can learn a lot from his commitment to his plan and you can give yourself the best chance of success with your music by working to improve your talent as hard and with as much dedication as you can.

When your music is undeniably great, then we can tell you how to get people’s attention with your promotion and marketing efforts.

Image by Ianr

This post on songwriting tips is from Ben Cooper. Ben is a professional songwriter living in Nashville, TN. Read more at The Songbird Project.

“Keep writing.” This is how I sign off every time I post something on my blog, The Songbird Project.

Why do I do this?

Well, because I know from experience that perpetual writing is the key to developing in the craft of songwriting. Every song is a stepping-stone on the path to the next.

When creating, we learn by doing, and we improve by repeating the process.

Write 200 more songs

A publisher once told me a story about a writer who showed potential but whose songs weren’t quite the right caliber to get cut. Instead of advising this young writer to go listen to a certain song or to specifically hone in on his rhyming or melodies, the publisher simply said, “Go write 200 more songs and then come back to me and we’ll talk.”

As crazy as it sounds, I think this publisher’s advice holds water. Over the past few years (during which I’ve written those 200 songs myself), I can see immense growth in my own craft that can only be attributed to the practice of writing one song after another.

When it comes to growth in the craft of songwriting, it’s important to first focus on the writer rather than picking apart the specific songs. Think of each song from a songwriter as a piece of fruit from a tree: If the output could be improved, it’s better to look to the tree and its roots rather than to the fruit itself.

I used to think every broken song could be fixed, as if it were a car that just needed a tune-up. But sometimes it’s best to just call the song “totaled,” walk away and begin the next.

Instead of over-analyzing each and every song I write, I’ve learned to figure out what I could do better in the process. Sometimes a song deserves to be re-written, but honestly, sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s OK.

I had a good friend in college who was intent on perfecting his songs. Rather than allowing a song to be “finished” and moving on, he believed it was worth dedicating copious amounts of his creative energy to each individual song. As a result, he spent years focused entirely on the same eight tunes.

He has since admitted to me that he wished he’d just moved on and trusted that better songs would come.

For my parents, the hardest aspect of what I do is the reality that the public will never hear most of the songs I write. It’s true that this can be a difficult piece of my job because each song any writer creates has a value worth pointing to and is in some way unique.

In the same way we all have unmatched fingerprints, we each carry a unique perspective on what it means to create. If we are true to that individual creativity, those fingerprints will play melodies and write lyrics that reflect our diversity.

And while individuality is key, it’s also imperative to understand the value of community when it comes to this craft. Take the ancient proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

We need one another as songwriters, as artists, as creators, and we all have something to offer—the ability to see the world as no one else has ever seen it before or will ever see it again.

What does it look like when a song communicates your perspective? Creating an original song that answers this question means setting out into uncharted territory.

Write what you believe in

Image by AndyRob

A large part of this process is figuring out what does and doesn’t work through trial and error. In my journey, I’ve found that I often come upon forks in the road at which I will either:

a) Write what I believe in, or,
b) Write what I think someone else expects me to write.

I’ve found that writing based on what I believe results in original art, whereas writing what I think someone else expects me to write results in replicated art.

Taking on the challenge of writing 200 songs grants freedom to take these chances without regret. This mindset also leaves ample room for mistakes to be made, which in turn spurs on growth.

Don’t ever be afraid of trial and error.

We often learn more from our supposed errors than we ever do from our successes. What may seem like a failure or a missed opportunity in the moment may be exactly what was necessary to reach the next success.

Sometimes you just have to finish one song so you can get to the next. And over time, I think you’ll be surprised to see just how far you’ve come, just as I have been in my own journey.

When it comes to this craft, there is no conventional path to becoming a professional (I know plenty of signed writers who never went to college, and plenty of unsigned writers who have a degree).

In songwriting, every writer earns his or her diploma through experience.

Keep writing,

Ben
thesongbirdproject.com

I wanted to stick up a very quick post to bring hope to aspiring artists, yet also hammer home once again our core argument.

Maybe we’re finally getting to the time where a few artists really can break ‘big time’ without the record company machine, thanks to their own online efforts. Maybe.

Adam Young – he is Owl City – is an inspiration to the DIY musician using MySpace (still….) as their primary marketing tool. The story goes that Adam started recording in his basement and posting material to his MySpace profile with no real plan to speak of. (I’d heard the buzz and then Bob Lefsetz mentioned him today – and I got to thinking!)

Soon enough, people began to take notice and word spread – in the viral and natural way that online music discovery has long promised and only occasionally delivered. Two self-released albums and mammoth MySpace attention led to the moment of truth, and Adam, understandably, went for the old-school record deal with Universal.

Did he need to?

I think we’re still at the point in time that an international Major record company can push an artist with a groundswell of support far more successfully than they can on their own. Whilst the internet was fundamental to his early success and awareness, the world remains a big place in which to ship physical stock (and more than half the people still want CD’s!) and to drive radio and TV exposure. Sure, a lot of kids find new music on the web, but many don’t and all sorts of people still rely on the mainstream media to push things at them rather than discovering for themselves. Add to that, ‘offline buzz’ and personal recommendation, both of which can be amplified by the cash injection and expertise offered by those dinosaur record companies.

My view – they still have a lot to offer.

On the other hand, what he was doing to get noticed by those companies is exactly the same stuff that needs to be done to build the online buzz about your band and build a real fanbase – so do it anyway.

What can we learn from his experience?

1. He’s very talented and his material is great – you know we bang on about this a lot, but all the web promotion and Social Networking in the world is pointless if your material is crap. Study your craft, hone your skills and then present to the world.

2. He’s very prolific – Owl City was the third or fourth project that he had worked on. And he didn’t just sit there and do it half-heartedly. He finished songs, finished recordings, put them on the web. All the time perfecting his art and learning skills to promote himself – through experience.

3. He engaged with the feedback that he got – honestly and openly. If you’re seeking to build a following these days, you need to be available to your fans in a way that old school stars never were. It’s a mutually beneficial journey now – not you and the fan divided by awe. Look at how Imogen Heap talks to her artists and revels in their intense feedback.

4. Now that he is signed to Universal, they have amplified his web-presence with a light but skilled touch. Have a good look around his official site and see what they now offer – loads of information, his personal blog, streamed music, buy links, radio request telephone numbers, links to all his Social Networks, Street Team sign-up, mailing list, a forum, wallpapers and banners…… The site is a lesson in how to do it right. Not too flash, just nicely designed and stuffed with content that shouts out his appreciation of his fans. The only thing I’d add is a dedicated YouTube channel and Flickr page.

So, look & learn – be great at your art, push it out there, communicate and climb higher. If you do and the Major record label A&R guy comes calling, it might be the right thing to do, or, maybe, just maybe, you’ll decide to keep going it alone – and soon that really will be an option.

Read about Adam Young and Owl City below:

Owl City Official Site

Owl City Wiki

Star Tribune – article on Owl City success

A Guest Post by Fraser Smith

What makes a great song? It’s a big question, and one that has been written about endlessly in an attempt to unravel the “formula” for creating a world dominating smash hit record. Sure, there are some basic rules and if you were to examine a handful of the most successful or popular songs of the last four decades, they do have certain things in common. Intro, verse, bridge, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, middle 8, chorus, chorus etc springs to mind!

We can examine things like structure, melody and production very easily but for a greater understanding of the “smash”, we need to look at concepts. Have you ever wondered why some songs seem to “connect” with people and others don’t? When asked why people like a song, they will usually say something along the lines of “I like the tune” or “it’s got a great beat”. Very rarely will the average music consumer tell you they love a song because of the clever way it’s been written, or because the music sounds like it was really hard to play. People simply aren’t interested in that stuff. They’re interested in the elusive combination of a great melody and a lyric that they can relate to, and preferably sing along to.

Of course this isn’t true of all genres of music, but for the purposes of this piece I’m referring mainly to pop music, as this is the domain of the hit single! Yes, there are lots of brilliant, intelligent musicians and songwriters out there whose music isn’t even near the radio and probably never will be. Whilst the music industry is partly responsible for this, it doesn’t change the fact that (generally speaking) if you want to have a big song, you have to be able to connect with lots of people. And that means delivering a message that is clear, simple, catchy and easy to relate to.

This means thinking very carefully about what you’re song is actually about. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in the details of the music itself, such as which chords to use? How the melody should go?  How should the snare drum sound? Sometimes the central concept of the song can often end up as an afterthought.

As a producer and songwriter, I get to hear lot of demos from new artists, some of whom are quick to tell me very confidently which of their songs are the singles, or “radio friendly”. More often than not, the song they point out is the one they’ve laboured over the most, or the song with the lyrics about their ex girlfriend / boyfriend. Sometimes this can mean their lyrics are so personal to them that they’re in danger of not meaning anything to anyone else! So it helps a lot if you are able to step back from your work and ask yourself – if I had never heard this song, what would I think about it? Do I know what it’s about? More importantly, do I care what it’s about?

Let’s look at a couple of recent example of the smash hit song. Love him or hate him, James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” was undeniably one of the big pop songs of 2005, launching a multi-million selling worldwide career for the artist. Cynics will point out that there was a major label and some powerful marketing behind him, which is also true, but they were marketing something that was already going to be relatively easy to sell, because of the simplicity of the concept, the music and the lyrics. I don’t think it’s too unreasonable to suggest that without this song, the level of his success wouldn’t have been as great, and it certainly wouldn’t have happened as quickly.

The sentiment behind Blunt’s song is extremely simple. Perhaps this is why people connected with it? It’s essentially a “grass is greener” song, where the main character is imagining a relationship with a stranger he’s just encountered. It’s also very memorable, even from a first listen. You may not know all the words to the verses straight away, but the chorus is instant. There is never a moment where you’re not sure what the lyrics are because “you can’t hear them properly”.

Now imagine the same music, but with cryptic, clever lyrics that only you understand. Does the song still have the same ability to connect with a large audience? Or just to you? (This can lead us into a whole other area – who are you writing music for, but that’s another topic in itself!) Now try it the other way around; take the lyrics and sing them with a new melody over some complex chords in a clever time signature – is it still a hit? it’s very unlikely!

In 2007, Rihanna’s “Umbrella” had a similar impact on the world of pop. The song is built on an infectious beat and very few chords, and again there is a strong concept behind this song. If you look at the lyrics it’s more than just another “I love you baby” type thing, but it also has a very simple main hook, which hits you the first time you get to what I call the “pay off”,  the “ella – ella – ella – eh – eh – eh” bit, an infuriatingly catchy modern pop moment!

Would the song stand up without this hook / gimmick? Yes I think it would, because the gimmick sounds like an addition to the concept, not the concept itself. In other words “Umbrella” is already strong without it, but as a pop record this hook puts into a whole other league. 

What I’m getting at here is the importance of considering exactly what it is you’re saying in your songs. It’s not usually enough just to have a great beat or a great riff, try and think of these things as the starting point!

It’s also important not to confuse “simple” ideas with “dumb” ideas.  Writing complicated pop lyrics is relatively easy compared with writing good simple pop lyrics, and great lyricists will write on several levels providing you with deeper meanings if you want to look for them. This is a skill that is harder than it sounds and can take a long time to develop.

Early Motown records are a good example of this sort of thing, where the writers provided a catchy “surface” meaning that sounded like great pop music, but underneath there was often another motivation (sometimes with social or political overtones). Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye were among those who dabbled with this sort of writing, and were responsible for creating some staple pop hits that were accessible to everyone, but often had a second “layer” of meaning.

So you don’t have to “dumb down” your masterpiece to get your message across, just try disguising it a bit, and you’ll be adding depth to your work and you’ll be in good company!

Of course the most important part in focusing on the concept of your song is having a concept to begin with. What do people want to hear about? Themes of love and loss are the most popular; anecdotes about feeding your cat will not grab people’s attention the same way. If you spend a bit of time considering what you’re actually saying, and how people will interpret your “message”, you should be able give your work a better chance of connecting with your audience.

Instead of spending three hours on the snare drum, spend three hours on making your central idea something people can relate to, as generally people don’t listen to songs because of how the drums sound! And you never know, you may even be giving yourself a greater chance at that world dominating chart-topping success in the process…..

Fraser Smith
Fraser Smith is a record producer, songwriter and musician. Currently signed to Notting Hill Music, he has written, produced and mixed records for many artists worldwide, as well as enjoying top 40 success with his previous band Shed Seven. 

A version of this article has previously appeared on IXL

What is the number one thing that you need to know in order to make it in the music industry?

It’s the thing that the greatest artists all know and it’s the one thing that all record company A&R guys and managers are actually really looking for – no matter what other bullshit they might feed you.

Imagine what you can do for your career when you actually face up to this fact and this challenge.

And it’s simple. You must learn how to write a great song and also learn how to identify it when you’ve done it. Simple, but I’m afraid it’s not easy.

This is an edited version of one of the 10 Key Steps that we talk about in the guide that you can get from us by signing up over there on the sidebar at the right.

I decided to cut it down and use it as our second post as it is the most essential piece of advice you will ever get about how to make it as a recording and performing artist. Period!

This is the golden rule. Make no bones about it – without this you may as well pack it in now and go and do something much more sensible.

I’m really just handing on two of the greatest pieces of advice that I was ever given in this industry about songs:

(i) All the greatest songs are either basically ‘I Love You’ or ‘I Hate You / Don’t Need You / Am Better Off Without You’ etc; and

(ii) There are very, very, very few great songs and most bands / acts / artists only have one, or a handful, and that can sustain them for a career.

These are two pretty strong but simple, perhaps even obvious, statements but they need clarification and a pinch of salt for all their brilliance.

On the first point, if you look at your national music chart I guarantee that more than half the Top 40 or 20 or Hot 100 or whatever you have where you live, will be essentially conforming to that ‘I love you / I hate you’ paradigm. If you include general self-empowerment, I’ll bet its more like two-thirds. Not all of them will have an obvious title containing ‘love’ or ‘hate’ words but the basic lyrical theme will be on that topic.

In most cases, great songs are about raw human emotion.

On the second point, look at a career band once they have made four or five albums, and you are likely going to see something around 50 to 75 songs that they have recorded and released. How many of them are poor, how many are average, how many are good, how many are very good and how many are truly great? The answer is, not many, a handful.

It’s such a hard thing to define, but being truly great must mean that it’s a song that emotionally connects, moves you on a basic level and is so hooky that it’s in your head all day long. You know when you hear one, but they are hard to capture, hard to define, and crucially, really bloody hard to write!

But you know from your own experience that it really can take just one great song to break a band or act, and one per album from then on is enough to sustain the career momentum. If that is backed up with a bunch of very good songs, then even better. We all know of bands that seemed to go on and on for years with mediocre material after one huge smash.

Don’t set out at the start of your musical journey trying to write a hit song. You need to do some practice and it’s going to take time. What people forget is that songwriting is a craft.

Like any craft, experience and learning are key. You should study hit songs and try to take them apart and see why they emotionally touch you and why they work. You should try and identify the tricks of the trade. And then, later, you should set the toolkit that you have built to work at writing great songs.

I’m afraid I can’t teach you how to do it though! Sorry, I’ve been behind the scenes in the Music Industry, not out there being creative. There is good advice out there, but what I would hope you’d take in from this post is that you need to learn and perfect the skill.

I do know that for most songwriters I have worked with, they let the melody come first and let it dictate the flow of the lyrics. A melody isn’t good enough if you can’t easily remember it. Simplicity is a key part of their toolkit too. All too often a great talent fails because they over complicate a song and ruining it. K.I.S.S – Keep It Simple Stupid!

One last thing. Don’t think that a song has to be the way you first came up with it – there is always room for improvement. Smokey Robinson, not content with having written ‘My Guy’ for Mary Wells (fulfilling the golden rule above – unconditional love from a female perspective), then went a year later and wrote the flip version of that for the Temptations – ‘My Girl’. But, so the story goes, he and Ronald White knocked the song out in an hour or two and played it to Berry Gordy at Motown convinced that it was a hit.

He wasn’t impressed and they had to go away, rewrite and re-pitch it at least three more times, spending 50 hours plus on it before he agreed. They changed notes around, moved lines from the bridge to the intro, honed lyrics etc. Maybe it’s a myth, maybe it’s all true, but the lesson is clear. Keep honing a song until you know it’s a smash.