10 Steps to Writing Great Songs To Get a Music Publishing Deal

If you want to go slow, write alone. If you want to go faster, write with professionals.

Join us for our 14th run of our Signature Songwriting Circle. In just 24 weeks you’ll walk away with a crystal clear artist persona and vision and an industry vetted catalog of songs.

1. Write a lot of songs.

The only way to become a great songwriter and to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be is to write a lot of songs. It is well known that songwriters write for a period 10 years before they are on the level of professional writers. Put yourself on a schedule. 1 song every week for a year. And then keep going.

2. Don’t write in a vacuum.

If you continue to write alone and in a vacuum, it will take you forever. Get songwriting feedback from professionals who know what they are doing in the industry. You’ll skip over years of the climb.

Come write with us: Signature Songwriting Circle.

3. Write a large catalog of songs.

Music publishers look for great songwriters. To be a great songwriter is to have written a lot of songs. This means a large catalog of songs that are finished and demoed well – and extremely well written.

We always recommend writing 3x the amount you need in order to pick the best ones.
To have a catalog of 20 well-written songs you’ll need to write (and finish) 60+ songs.

Always demo every song you finish. Get a good home studio and make great sounding demos. When an opportunity came my way, thank god I had demoed over 25 songs in my home studio. I got a record deal from them.

*And no, publishers are not interested in pitching your ONE song that you wrote for Adele to sing. They already have signed writers’ songs they are pitching to these kinds of artists.

4. Have music in the marketplace – a minimum of 1-7 song EP.

Every songwriter for the most part is an artist who writes their own songs as well. You need a minimum of a 7 song EP to be taken seriously as a career songwriter.

5. Work with professional songwriters.

You get to be a great songwriter by writing with great songwriters. Working with professionals will get you there SO much faster. There is a lot to learn.

6. Write songs with top songwriters.

I started a label services company several years ago to give artists the opportunity to write with top songwriters. Because it takes 10 years to be a great songwriter, I know artists don’t have that kind of time. So we use our high level skilled songwriters to help.

You have the opportunity to come write with them at any level of your career.

Come write with our professional writers. You’ll have their credits on your song. Signature Songwriting Circle.

7. Write songs with a lot of artists.

If you are really interested in a publishing deal it’s not enough to write your own songs, you also need the experience of writing with and for a lot of artists. Put yourself on a schedule. Write 1 song every week with another songwriter and/or artist for a year. And then keep going.

Even if you’re not totally convinced you want a publishing deal, you need to up your skills and this is not a step you’ll want to skip. But if you just want to be an artist who writes their own songs, then this step is not required but encouraged – because if you only write your own songs, you have less chance of making it as a songwriter.

8. Create a playlist of your songs that have been released.

Create a catalog of songs written with artists released in the marketplace. Create a Spotify Playlist of “Songs I’ve written” and make sure they are not yours! This playlist is only for songs you have written with other artists.

9. Make meetings with publishers.

Set up meetings with potential publishers you’d like to work with. Send them your top 3 best songs that have been released. Be sure to include a link to lyrics.

For your meeting – have your catalog all dialed out in a spreadsheet with links to lyrics and music. Make sure all songwriters, cowriters are notated on the lyric sheet.

If the meeting goes well you can ask the potential publisher if they’d like to see your catalog spreadsheet with your entire catalog.

10. Follow up for chrissake.

Seemingly so simple but you’d be surprised. Most people pitch and don’t follow up. Be different than most people.

I’ll say it again for emphasis! If you want to go slow, write alone. If you want to go faster, write with professionals.

Join us for our 14th run of our Signature Songwriting Circle. In just 24 weeks you’ll walk away with a crystal clear artist persona and vision and an industry vetted catalog of songs. 6 months. 6 songs. You will be transformed. We start on October 18!