Songwriter Theory

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If you’re trying to do anything worthwhile, you’re going to fail. Probably a lot. In this episode, I get unusually vulnerable about something I’m discouraged about right now, and why it reminded me of just how much of my journey in music has been built through failure. I talk about failing at songwriting, recording, production, mixing, mastering, and now promotion, and why those failures did not mean I was incapable. They showed me what I needed to learn next. We also talk about the difference between failing and being a failure, why failure by itself does not automatically lead to growth, and why the willingness to honestly learn from what went wrong matters so much. Because there are really two kinds of failure: The loud kind, where you go for something and everybody can see that it didn’t work. And the quiet kind, where you protect yourself so carefully that you never find out what could have happened. You cannot control every outcome. But you can keep learning, keep improving your inputs, and keep improving the odds. And if you’re discouraged with your music right now, I hope this episode helps you get back up and keep going.

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Ever hired a producer, spent real money on your music, and still gotten the final song back thinking… “It’s good. But it’s still not quite right.” The problem may not be your producer. In this episode, I break down why serious artists need enough production capability to actually lead their music, even if they still hire producers, musicians, arrangers, mixing engineers, and other collaborators. We’ll talk about the difference between outsourcing from dependence vs. outsourcing from capability, why knowing something is wrong isn’t the same as knowing how to fix it, and what it actually means to lead the creative vision of your music. The goal isn’t to do everything yourself. The goal is to get to the end of the process, hear the finished recording, and be able to say: “Yes. That’s my music.”

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HowToCreateWorldClassMusic.com

🎓 Serious about taking your music to a professional level? Apply to work with me:
https://www.songwritertheory.com/apply

🎵 Join me for the FREE How To Create World-Class Music Masterclass: HowToCreateWorldClassMusic.com

If you're a serious singer-songwriter or independent artist who wants to create music that can genuinely stand alongside the artists you admire, this is for you.

🗺️ Download the free Definitive Record Roadmap: https://www.songwritertheory.com/definitive-record-roadmap

Discover the repeatable process for taking a song from idea to a professionally finished record you’re proud to release.

🎧 Want personal help with your music? Book a free private Artist Clarity Call: https://www.songwritertheory.com/artist-clarity-call

Send me your music before the call and I’ll listen ahead of time. Then we’ll use the 15 minutes to identify what’s most likely holding your music back, what you should focus on first, and the strongest next step from where you are now. 

I only reserve 5 Artist Clarity Calls each week, so grab a time while one is available.

🎓 Join The World-Class Music Gap free masterclass: https://worldclassmusicgap.com

🎯 Want my help figuring out what’s holding your music back? Apply for a free 1-on-1 Artist Clarity Call: https://www.songwritertheory.com/artist-clarity-call-application

🗺️ Get The Definitive Record Roadmap free PDF guide: https://recordroadmap.com

Most songs are not terrible.

They are simply forgettable.

They work. They sound like songs. Nothing is offensively wrong with them. But there is also no reason anyone should remember them.

In this episode, Joseph explains why talent is usually not the real reason a song fails to stand out. The more common problem is that the songwriter stopped when the song became “good enough.”

The 80/20 rule may be useful when efficiency is the goal. But applying it to songwriting can produce an endless stream of competent, average songs.

Craftsmanship requires caring about the details most people decide no longer matter.

In this episode:

• Why average is crowded by definition
• Why “good enough” is where great music goes to die
• The difference between pursuing quality and endlessly tinkering
• Why songwriters must care about musical foundations, melody, lyrics, and the complete song journey
• The Cottage, Colonial, and Castle approach to musical complexity
• Why lyrics deserve more than words that merely sound good
• How the cringe test exposes weak parts of a song
• Why the final 20% can require most of the work
• Why greatness is not a destination, but a direction

No song will ever be perfect.

The point is to remain oriented toward becoming better and to take each song as far as you are currently capable of taking it.

RESOURCES

🎓 Join The World-Class Music Gap free masterclass:
https://worldclassmusicgap.com

🎯 Want my help figuring out what’s holding your music back? Apply for a free 1-on-1 Artist Clarity Call:
https://www.songwritertheory.com/artist-clarity-call-application

🗺️ Get The Definitive Record Roadmap free PDF guide:
https://recordroadmap.com

🗺️ Download the free Definitive Record Roadmap: https://www.songwritertheory.com/definitive-record-roadmap

Discover the repeatable process for taking a song from idea to a professionally finished record you’re proud to release.

🎧 Want personal help with your music? Apply for a private Artist Clarity Call: https://www.songwritertheory.com/artist-clarity-call-application

Tell me about your music, goals, and where you’re stuck. If it looks like I may genuinely be able to help, I’ll invite you to a one-on-one call.

🎵 FREE LIVE MASTERCLASS: READY TO BE HEARD, TONIGHT! Sign up here: https://www.songwritertheory.com/ready-to-be-heard

🎵 FREE LIVE MASTERCLASS: READY TO BE HEARD: https://www.songwritertheory.com/ready-to-be-heard 🎓

Want my highest-level help? Apply to work with me here: https://www.songwritertheory.com/apply

🎵Take The Finish A Song Challenge https://www.songwritertheory.com/song-challenge 🎓 Want my highest-level help? Apply to work with me here: https://www.songwritertheory.com/apply