In my most recent book, The Billboard Guide To Writing and Producing Songs That Sell, I posed a question:
Given the ridiculously low odds of ever landing a Top Ten pop single, a feat which puts a songwriter in the top one percent of all the songwriters out there creating music, how is it that a quick glance at the Billboard Hot 100 reveals the same names again and again, with some writers having as many as two or three Top Ten singles in one year? Why can 99 percent of songwriters never reach the charts at all, and one percent can go there repeatedly?
Of course, there are several answers. Certainly, many people will argue that it’s simply a matter of talent, the same reason that thousands of kids can play basketball, but only a handful make it to the NBA. Naturally, there is some truth to that. But anyone who has spent anytime in music has met dozens, maybe hundreds of immensely talented people who never manage to quite crack the nut of success. The truth is, most of us in the industry can name dozens of writers who are equally talented, perhaps more so, than the writers populating the Top Ten. It’s not a simple question of talent.
Others will make the point that success in any aspect of show business is mostly about luck and timing– the proverbial “right place, right time”. Again, no one who has witnessed the vagaries of the entertainment business would entirely dispute it. Certainly, luck and timing might account for the success of one or two songs in the Top Forty on any given week. But it won’t get you seven or eight chart-topping hits in your career. Lightening does indeed strike– once in a while. It doesn’t hit the same person several times a year.
Probably the most realistic explanation of the phenomenon that allows a small number of writers to dominate the Billboard charts is the principle of “access”. Having one big hit will earn a writer/producer access to all of the superstar artists. He or she will then have an opportunity to work on all the biggest projects and co-write with other top writers. Established “hit” artists have greater access to radio playlists, bigger promotion budgets, and more label support. Naturally, those established writers and artists are more likely to repeat their early success.
Certainly, the power that comes with access is a major factor in determining future success. But it’s not as much of a factor as many writers and artists believe. The truth is, top artists like Rihanna, Pink, or Kelly Clarkson will work with dozens of different songwriters and production teams in the preparation of a new album; some of the production teams will be well-known, some less so. Such artists might be involved in cutting as many as fifty or sixty songs, from which the album tracks, and then the single will eventually be chosen. Access alone hardly guarantees that Dr. Luke or Stargate will get the single. In the same way, artists with a proven track record have no “free-pass” at radio for their next single. Ask Chris Brown. Ask Usher. Ask James Morrison.
Here’s the reality:
One of the main reasons that certain hit-makers are able to work their magic again and again is that they know what the target looks like and they aim for it. Most songwriters are shooting blind.
I never quite realized this when I was a songwriter, which I was for many years. Even having been fortunate enough to have written a few hits, I never really understood why one song had done better than another, nor did I have much of a plan for repeating the success. I had a certain amount of craftsmanship, but no real strategy.
It was only later, when I became a music publisher, that I began to see that there was a side of the songwriting business that I had been missing. I didn’t figure it out on my own. The revelation came from having the opportunity to work with a wide variety of the industry’s top songwriters, including Stargate, Max Martin, Jorgen Elofsson, Steve Diamond, Billy Mann, Rob Fusari, Don Black, Steve Robson, Wayne Hector, Andy Goldmark and so many others. All of these writers differ in style, genre, approach and temperament. But what they each have is a relentless focus– a determination not to simply write songs, but to write successful songs.
This is the idea behind a new one-day workshop, “The Hit Factory: Making Your Music Make Money”, which I’ll be leading at New York’s SongHall on Saturday, March 13. Check it out at:
http://www.songhall.org/news/entry/940
This six and a half hour seminar is aimed at helping aspiring songwriters understand their market and develop their brand, turn their songs into hits, and devise strategies for selling those hits to the people that need them. There will be plenty of time for interaction and group discussion– songs by those attending will be reviewed and we’ll discuss individual business strategies based on personal career goals. The registration price of $150 includes both of my books, Making Music Make Money and The Billboard Guide To Writing and Producing Songs That Sell.
http://www.amazon.com/Billboard-Guide-Writing-Producing-Songs/dp/0823099547
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Music-Make-Money-Publisher/dp/0876390076
For those that live in the New York area, this is a great opportunity to take advantage of just one of the many programs offered by the SongHall, the educational division of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. For those outside of New York, perhaps it’s worth the investment of a day-trip or weekend in the Big Apple to spend a day focusing your business and creative strategy. Best of all, it’s a chance to network with a group of other new songwriters– forging new connections and learning from others who are developing their own careers.
For my part, what I hope to offer is the perspective of an industry insider, who has lived on both sides of the desk. To young writers and artists, it often feels like the music business is focused on excluding new talent rather than discovering it. The reality is that everyone in the music business food chain, from club owners to booking agents to A&R executives to radio programmers, is searching constantly for the hot new hit artist or hit song. Our livelihoods depend on finding it. The problem of is one of mismatched supply and demand: what new artists and songwriters are supplying is often not what the industry actually needs. This is a chance to share some insight gleaned from working with dozens of established and developing writers and to help formulate some strategies for helping you to build a business around your music.
I’m looking forward to it! I hope you’ll try to join in…
