If you want to increase your chances of having your songs cut by an artist, both sides of the brain - creative expression and commercial logic - need to be used to be successful in the industry.
In my last book, The Organized Songwriter (Link), I discussed a formula for getting songs cut. There are several elements of this, so I thought it might be worth spending a little time on this.
The whole point of the formula is to focus on the various things that can be done to move the craft forward rather than spending time on things that have nothing to do with the aim: of getting a commercial song cut. It looks like left-brained math stuff, but don’t let that scare you; it’s not really a formula since so many of the factors are so subjective. But the truth is, several things affect which song gets cut. This is just a formula based on my observations in the industry, not a guarantee, but it does hold true for most songs, I find.
Here is the formula:
J is the journey - This is how long it takes to get a cut. It can be in years or months, or hours (in hundreds, probably!), depending on the other side of the equation.
nS Is the number of songs written - This is straightforward. The more we write songs, the most quickly the journey would take to get a song cut.
A is how awesome each song is (on average) - Awesomeness is a subjective judgment of each song. If 100% of songs are all awesome, then there is more probability that these songs will get cut. Note, even when every song written is 100% awesome, some songs just don't cut because there are other influences on that actually taking place.
S is how sucky each song might be (on average) - Suckiness is a subjective judgment about every song. If all songs are sucky, then it is less likely that each individual song will be cut. To be brutally honest, there are some songs that are cut and out there that are sucky. This can be because other influences somehow make it recorded. Maybe it's because the artist has written it for a specific reason or a million other reasons it's been released.
R is randomness - Yes, randomness is part of the songwriter’s life and included in the formula because, no matter what we do as creative people, even the best song out there in your catalog might never get cut. There are other elements I’d also put in R, including other things like God’s hand on a specific song, relationships with people in the industry behind the flow of material onto a project (some things come in waves to push certain things on a beach) and the other three elements I always talk about in The Organized Songwriterbook: the three-legged table of Craft, Networks, and Technology (Link).
How the formula works
The factor you’ll have the most control over as a songwriter is the value of A (awesomeness) minus S (suckyness). The more on your journey, the more awesome your songs should be getting.
The more on your journey, the more awesome your songs should be getting.
The higher (A-S), the better the chance of cuts, and the more songs you write, the more likely they are to be awesome rather than sucky. Then add in some randomness, hard work, networking, and technology, plus God’s help, too.
This is how this worked for me in my songwriting career:
At first, my songs sucked. Yes, honestly, my songs were not good. My personal (A-S) was an A of 0 and an S of 100%. So, (A-S) = -100%. Yes, all were sucky.
As I put a lot of work into my craft, writing many songs along the way through the Funnel (Link), my personal (A-S) gradually got better and better, less negative, and more positive over time. Moving from negative to positive was a good moment. And moments like that are worth celebrating.
Finally, with a lot of help from courses, my co-writers, my publishers and encouragement from my family, a lot of work, and God’s help along the way, I got my first cut.
It took a long time and energy, but this is how I got my first cut. And what a particularly nice moment that felt.
How to influence the formula
So is there anything a new writer can do to cut down the time needed to get a song cut? The short answer is yes! Just three things:
1. Invest in your craft. – The idea is to make the A-S as close to 100% as possible. Yes, as close to awesome as possible. In other words, write as many songs as you can but only push out your absolute best work.
2. Develop the network – Here’s the reality: no one is going to pitch your songs as much as you can. Does that mean you need to bug people until you have your song on a project? No, because that will just make you look creepy. But the idea is to simply be out there so that when there is a need for a specific idea in a song, make sure your stuff will get heard. Somehow.
3. Use technology – Everyone uses technology in different ways, from recording, mixing, mastering (when doing your own work), communicating with your network, zooming, contact management, and a million other ways of using the technology. I’m not saying it’s necessary to invest a lot of money here in this day and age, but it does need certain technology to make the whole thing happen. And use it wisely.
So this is the formula: write more songs, make them as awesome as possible, develop the craft and pray for a little sparkle along the way, and, just when you weren’t expecting it, you might well find yourself celebrating your cut.
Questions
To maximize your odds of success in the songwriting industry, let me ask you a couple of questions:
How can you utilize certain elements to increase the chances that your next track gets cut?
Are there other factors outside of just honing your craft that could help propel you closer to achieving your goals as a songwriter?
What single step should be taken on this journey for an optimal outcome?
Hope this helps!
Simon.