February 28, 2011

Is writing a great song enough?

Wouldn't it be nice if every great song got recorded, played on the radio, and the whole world sung along?  That's a nice thought but nowhere near reality. I was a staff writer in Nashville for over 15 years and I've got to tell you some of the best songs I ever heard never got heard, much less recorded. Just writing songs is great if you have a publisher who is beating the pavement and is really aggressive. However, that's the exception, not the rule. Most publishers that are successful have anywhere from 5 to 10 writers on staff. Each writer has a catalog and is writing new stuff continually. The old gets old the new gets lost and how songs finally get cut is a mystery to us all. Or is it?
Network network net work work work work! We will be talking in the upcoming webinar Evolution of a Song about ways of increasing your chances of getting your hit recorded. There is so much more to writing a song and doing a demo to complete the process than most know. I hope you can join us in our webinar.

February 21, 2011

Why should a song only be around 3 minutes?

Personally, I feel if a song is really happening, 4 to 4 1/2 minutes is OK.  Anything longer, you start to lose the listener. So why 3 minutes? Most writers I know are looking to get their songs on the radio. I have heard many reasons for the 3 minute rule. For me the most believable reason is advertisement. The more ads a station can sell, the more revenue. First of all if the songs are too long the listener is going to lose interest and change channels. When that happens enough, the station will lose its ad-buck rating and the price they can charge for ads will go down. Fewer songs = more ads which = more revenue for the stations. Contrary to popular myth, radio is driven by profit, not music. Have a question? We would love to answer it.

February 16, 2011

Talent Search

Amp is looking for a female singer to be part of the Evolution of a Song. We are beginning to build a model for the new digital age. You must have a wide range and a lot of motivation and a strong walk. This project is Jazz with a hint of R&B. The music is ready are you? Send two mp3s of your stuff to Gradyshuman @gmail.com ------check out myamp.org and airriamusic.com

growth of evolution

We are very excited, more and more professionals are beginning to Co- align with us. The list of instructors for the webinar is getting deep. Also we're beginning to see movement from sponsors. We now hope the webinar will be launched around the same time as the Dove awards. Pray for us.

February 9, 2011

Got a question about song-writing?

I have a widget on my page. You can ask a question, I will do my best to answer.

February 8, 2011

Tricks of the professional song writers

As we begin to plan the upcoming seminar for Evolution of a Song, I'm thinking of some of the most valuable tricks I learned from some of the legendary writers I had the opportunity to write with. For example, what do you do if you get stuck, what is a hook, how do you critique your own work, continuity and more. I was a staff writer for many years and was privileged to learn from the best. As a writer, publisher, and producer I would like to share with you what I learned and the truth of the business. Also we are going to have a long list of pros to answer any question you may have concerning the music business. Come join us!

February 5, 2011

Blogging interaction

Just began interacting, I can see where this is going to be a great tool!

Blogging Concept

As I begin to learn the blogging concept I hope to keep you updated on all the exciting happenings around AMP, AIRRIA Music, and  Misty Williamsons New Christian Jazz CD SPEAK TO ME - COMING OUT IN THE SPRING

Learning to blog!

Sometimes fear will keep you from doing things you need to try. I was afraid to even attempt to build a blog site. Much to my surprise I am actually enjoying it. I can see this as a launching pad to learn and even consider building a web site.

evolution of a song

AMP Association of music professionals is getting ready to do a 7 part series on the Evolution of a Song.  Stay tuned!!!!!