Songwriter Soup

Kevin, Laura and Tracy delve into the initial humility that it takes to learn the craft of commercial songwriting by unlearning how you did it before. Ouch! It takes a minute and it feels weird for a bit, but it gets better! After the craft settles in, your uniqueness returns to you and THAT is when the magic happens. The trio discuss the intricate art of communicating to a larger audience, the joy of being behind the scenes, and remaining a student as music evolves.

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Ashley Gorley has a literal bajillion hits. He’s also got a thriving publishing company in Tape Room Music. With so much success it’s easy to overlook the fact that it took Ashley eleven years to score his first hit. But thanks to his deep connection to the community and the key investment from mentors, Ashley was prepared to ride it out. It also helped that his early measures of success consisted of little more than writing “songwriter” on his tax forms and having working air conditioning.

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What is stealing anyway? In the songwriting world, there are a million ways it can happen. Sometimes (but rarely) it’s quite blatant, and sometimes it’s as innocent as forgetting you wrote the same concept in a different room two years ago. The fact is, it happens. There can be big consequences that can tank your reputation and your finances, but all of it is pretty much avoidable if handled right. This week, Laura lays down a few simple rules to keep you out of proverbial songwriter jail and maybe prevent or soften the blow of a costly lawsuit.

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Emily Weisband (“Thy Will” Hillary Scott, “Boy With Luv” BTS, “Can’t Break Up Now” Old Dominion & Megan Moroney) is one of those people who just billows talent. Even though she moved to Nashville to become a songwriter, it didn’t take any time at all before people started trying to convince her that she should do “the artist thing.” This episode covers a topic that plagues so many of us and Emily articulates beautifully how tricky it is to navigate. If you’re a songwriter out there wondering if being an artist is for you, take a listen.

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So, you just scored your first hit song! Time to buy a boat, a big house and that Rolex you’ve been eyeing, right? Not so fast. You can still have fun, but it might be a minute before the next big one comes around so let’s breathe and do some future planning. This week the gang breaks down what a “hit” actually means, how much it might be worth and how to manage the money it makes you properly.

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Joe Ragosta scored his first big hit (“Need A Favor” Jellyroll) just a few weeks before this episode was recorded. Joe brings big energy to the writing room and any other room he walks into. It’s that energy that has propelled Joe through years of slogging it out on the road with bands, commuting to Nashville from Long Island, and securing writes with one of the best bluffs we’ve ever heard. Strap in y'all, this is a fun one.

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Laura, Tracy and Kevin expand on the idea that even if you have a publishing deal, you're still very much the sole proprietor of your own business. Tracy gives a tutorial on how to divide up your income so that when tax day comes, you have all your bases covered. He also lays out some best practices for avoiding debt, systematic saving and maintaining a realistic viewpoint of your financial progress. Laura gives a play by play on how all this money stuff feels in real time from songwriter’s perspective, and how these financial choices can affect your creativity in the short and long run.

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Kelly Archer (“Sleep Without You” Brett Young, “Wild As Her” Corey Kent, “Somebody Else Will” Justin Moore) explains what it’s like to write songs in Nashville before and after becoming a U.S. Citizen. Tricky! Kelly's story is a wild one with high stakes and time limits, making her one of Nashville’s most steadfast and determined songwriters. This episode covers writing songs on work visas and how that intertwines with being signed to publishing deals. Kelly sets a shining example for songwriters to know their own worth, negotiate accordingly, while riding the ups and downs of this fickle career path.

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This episode highlights one of the easiest ways to ruin what could otherwise be a really fun and fulfilling career choice: expectations. The trio talk awards and the impact they can have on your career, finances and mental health.

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Jordan Schmidt ("wait in the truck" HARDY & Lainey Wilson, "God's Country" Blake Shelton, "What Ifs” Kane Brown) talks to Laura and Tracy about his journey from producing rock bands in Minnesota, to getting in on the ground floor of Florida Georgia Line’s publishing company, Tree Vibez Music, all the way to writing smashes for Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton and Kane Brown. This candid conversation covers a few particular challenges that a lot of professional songwriters deal with; i.e. being bad with money, struggling to break into the scene, and the pressure to repeat success once you find it.

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