Why Good Songs Don't Stand Out

[@SongTownUSA]

Making It In The Music Industry: Time Frame for Songwriters. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWiQiYiDl9mqkJY

[@ronnyskaar3737]

I thought I was brilliant so you set me straight. You said I was early so you had me wait. You showed me how to feel. Underneath your heel. 😮

[@sahnebad]

Cool to hear you guys Talk about chords and melody for a bit! Love those talks and your insights :)

[@SongTownUSA]

We'll do more in some upcoming episode. If you check out our Live playlist here on youtube, I do some melody specific sessions :)

[@lisalyricmusic]

The advice you give is encouraging as it is applicable to the independent, singer-songwriter, not just for writers trying to pitch their songs. You definitely help level up the noise we put out there.

[@SongTownUSA]

Apreciate that Lisa! Write on! ~CM

[@heartshinemusic]

I'm loving these conversations. It's inspiring and activating. I'm more in the pop/rock corner, but love some pop country, but I always write from a title. Almost always the title is a theme or concept. So the title has a specific meaning or perspective from the start, which helps a lot with being authentic. Keep the video's coming, cheers!

[@SongTownUSA]

Cool, A lot of our members are pop and rock. Write on! ~CM

[@HeatherDMorris]

Im putting this to use right now on my current song im working on . Whatever I think someone else would put in it i scratch through it and and keep going. Yall are the best 2 Ive listened to advice from. Good stuff here

[@SongTownUSA]

Glad to help. Write on! ~CM

[@dandtintennessee7675]

Invaluable real-world experience is always guaranteed with you guys. I really need to become a member. When j can get past 70 hour work weeks and get back to recording, I intend to.

[@SongTownUSA]

Write on! CM

[@mccloysong]

YES!! 1:23

[@samjrmusic]

Well the interesting thing he said about making songwriting an average. And looking for those who can write above or differently from that average, was very very inspirational. I hope that is the direction that songwriters can still follow to make success of their songwriting careers.

[@SongTownUSA]

Absolutely. Write on! CM

[@Scott__C]

Great, not good is definitely a mantra to live by. I remember Stevie Nicks saying she's written some 3000 songs over her life and maybe we've heard like 200. And her songs do have that "oh that's different" factor. Landslide and Edge of Seventeen come to mind.

[@BarrockoMusic]

You guys are awesome! Incredibly grateful 🙏

[@SongTownUSA]

Appreciate you watching. Write on! ~CM

[@hackwilson1467]

Chords and melody and vocals ❤

[@jcmacmusic]

Great conversation thanks guys.

[@SongTownUSA]

Appreciate you watching! CM

[@jimmystuckeysongs3859]

Amen brothers Clay & Marty...I've got a 1000 songs and 999.9 NO's...lol...!

[@SongTownUSA]

Write on!

[@aarongoodnow6170]

'Fred slacks' is a winner!

[@DavidPennybaker]

I can't figure out why some GREAT songs don't get cut (or take a LONG time to get discovered). I know of TWO right now that Gary Burr has written that nobody's cut, and they are some of the best I've ever heard. And quite a few like that by lesser-known writers. I always keep that in mind when people don't get excited about something I've written.

[@murielpalmer-rhea8250]

Follow-up to the preceeding comment: Am spending some time learning other rhythms like Reggae and Flamenco. Felt It could create additional interest..

[@SongTownUSA]

Write on! CM

[@texrcanna]

on the subject of Summer. One time somebody was talking about Summer Squash and I replied Summer Squash some are not and it got a laugh so I wouldn't make the whole song that but it could be a cool line to through in

[@WorkingOnThatSong]

Guys how important are genres and new genres? Meaning would you rather have a new artist making music that doesn’t fit nearly into a genre but makes amazing music or an artist make amazing music for an established genre? . Or is it just case dependent? . I ask because when I write I tend to not worry at all about where it’s going but rather do I like the sound. The maybe start eventually realizing it’s heading into a genre or good for a genre. Hope that makes sense. Thank you!

[@SongTownUSA]

An amazing artist can impact and alter the course of a genre. Because they tend to find an audience if they are truly great. Both of the options you mention work. But I love unique artists who find a way to change a genre. Those are definitely few and far between. But music history is full of examples. Write on! CM

[@jriccardi01]

If everyone wants that song that stands out or is fresh and different, why do we hear the same formulaic songs; same rhyming schemers, same subjects, same lines, autotune, same country singer impersonations for 99% of the songs?

[@SongTownUSA]

We definitely can go through periods like that. Especially if you are relying on algorithms to suggest songs for you. But listen to the top 10 songs in country right now. You will find a good amount of variety now. There's more focus on good songs now that cut through the noise. And there are a lot of vocal styles from Jelly Roll, to Dan & Shay, to Morgan Wallen, to Chris Stapleton, to Lainey Wilson. If you are trying to cut through the noise, I wouldn't suggest putting out average songs that sound like someone else. None of these artitss, do :)

[@counterspellband]

Why aren't you making that?

[@JerryCalvert-x9u]

Good point about how songs fail because they dont stand out. Id say if you want them to stand out its very simple: 1) Make it personal to you. 2) Be completely honest.

[@SongTownUSA]

Write on! CM

[@bjarnyg]

12:25 i've been thinking the same. will ai ever be able to write a HIT?

[@murielpalmer-rhea8250]

My new Companion Book is: “The Poetics of Rock” by Albin Zak; University of California Press 2001. The Contents page: “Writig Records”, Tracks, Places and Tools, Engineers and Producers (my favorite chapter includes commentary by some of the great Producers like Wexler, Eno, Martin, Sam Phillips. Thanks for this in-depth Pod. Worth its weight in Gold cds!

[@rexchiquine6049]

,,, good afternoon every buddy,,,

[@SongTownUSA]

back at ya! ~CM

[@alanbruce7]

Thanks guys, I got a lot out of this episode.

[@SongTownUSA]

You’re welcome buddy!

[@musingsofrock]

All good points but I have to disagree with the main reason. If a great song does not have the impact, it is always on the singer. I hate to say it but no one really cares about the song as long as it is decent. What they care about is the singer and his voice. If the singer can't sell that song, the songwiting being great will not save the song. For example, people wrote songs for Elvis and if Elvis sung that song, the songwriters would now be put on the map. The songwriters could have sung the song themselves or found somebody else. The reason the song is a hit is because Elvis sang it. Likewise, Elvis could even make a turd of a song into a hit because as I said, the only thing people relate to is the voice of the singer and the singer himself. Obviously, the song helps but as I said, Elvis has had hits with songs that were not that good. They became hits simply because of Elvis's voice and not the song itself.

[@prschuster]

AI can never replace art of any kind, because all art is an expression of personal experience, and AI has no personal experience.

[@SongTownUSA]

Yes! CM

[@Dan-TylerMusic]

What ypur forgetting is that ppl write the same womg because many ppl go through the same thing and ppl like familiarity, easier to relate, its the reason all music sounds the same

[@SongTownUSA]

Absolutely. Songs must be relatable. But, you can write about the same things and do it in a way that hasn’t been done before. That’s what makes a great song. And a great songwriter. :) -CM

[@NoCoverCharge]

All you need is G D and C that’s it …

[@SongTownUSA]

I’d get very bored with that :) CM

[@smileyfdave]

And a capo

[@3ManCult]

You guys are full-time pro songwriters with serious qualifications and skins on the wall. Question... how often have you run across someone who literally writes a one-hit-wonder that charts and clicks all the boxes, then never heard from again? Not because of a financial windfall, but because the song was literally an absolute stroke of brilliance wrapped in pure luck, timing, etc. And I'm not speaking of stupid im-a-moneybag-booty-banger lyrics that literally mean/say nothing and will soon be entirely replaced by AI. I mean REAL songs, from real one-hit songwriters. Just curious ???

[@SongTownUSA]

At this point I've seen about everything..lol. I have one friend that was a one hit wonder. Kept writing for 20 years and then had a few more. A lot of hard work, timing, luck, etc. But as a writer, you have to keep writing and striving to write better and better. It's the love of the craft that keeps you inspired. Write on! CM

[@3ManCult]

@@SongTownUSA Thanks for taking time to read comments and reply - I realize this channel is just a microcosm of your total paid content, and it's really cool that you guys keep bringing forward well-informed, and well-qualified songwriting information on your YT channel - there's a lot of "songwriting" channels on YT touting the latest secret to success - I basically ignore them all (apart from the raw entertainment value of click-bait headlines, LOL!!!) Thanks for being a true voice of reality on the topics at hand. I've only written a few songs, but people who have absolutely no reason to like them really seem to like them - a little validation goes a long way in life...

[@SongTownUSA]

Appreciate it! We try to share what we do everyday in writing rooms, so there's no secrets..just craft and experience :) Write on! CM