Songwriting as a profession has always had a great deal to with trying to write hits. Hits are not everything, but they earn the songwriter lots of money and end up meaning a great deal to a large number of people. Songs become hits because, in some way, they touch people. They communicate a feeling or idea, and that sort of communication is what drives the songwriter to write. Clearly art and commerce don’t have to fight it out every time.

The ongoing explosion of the music industry, and the immediacy of the Internet has changed (and is changing) things drastically. The vast numbers of songwriters hawking their wares, and the immense number of sites offering downloads of the latest and greatest tunes, makes writing a hit both more important and more difficult.

One reason hits are more important in today’s music business (from the songwriter’s perspective, of course) is because there is no longer a market for album cuts. Album cuts are those decent, but unremarkable songs that often filled up albums that had one or two hits on them. For every hit there was a need for a number of good songs that bands could perform in concert and use on the album. As a result, once upon a time, you could make a nice living writing those. But today’s demand for singles is even fiercer than it was back in the days of 45 rpm records—mp3s don’t even have a B side. And only a hit is going to cut through and be heard.

One reason that writing hits is more difficult is that new niches develop constantly, new trends become old, and the song that might have captured the attention of fans last week is now done and overdone. The immediacy of communication is translating into an acceleration of changing tastes. Look at a slow motion example to see why this is important. If you listen to what soul and R&B music was when it came out, you can begin to get the idea. An old style R&B hit song would be retro today, at best. (Great to have in your song catalog for movies, through). And with so much music out there, what are you going to track so that you are current?

Some of the change comes from the constant demand for new, and different music, and part from the proliferation of bands, each with their own take on the music scene. As a songwriter, you face the triple challenge of finding someone who likes the sort of thing you write, can do it well, and then promotes it. But being close to, and working with, artists who are developing a fresh sound is a lot easier than trying to keep up with the tastes of the millions of music consumers. So there, at least, is a place to focus.

In all this change, one thing remains constant. Ultimately a hit is an indefinable combination of musical hooks, memorable music, and lyrics that somehow strike a chord in a huge cross section of listeners. So if you focus on just that goal—writing a tune that touches your audience musically and lyrically—then you are doing all you can, at least in the writing phase.

“Writing phase?” That’s right. This is just one phase of the things you need to master to be successful. As we will discuss in future blogs, writing that great song is just the beginning, and in practice might not even come first. Confused? You won’t be when we cover the next steps in your songwriting business.

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Once you have written a great song, the business of songwriting kicks in—you need to get it ready to pitch. Pitching is your presentation of the song; the demo recording is a key element in making an effective pitch. The song must be heard.

A good recording simply isn’t enough. Your recordings have to cut through immense amounts of competitive clutter. Your demo is your main advertising and marketing tool, and it has to work. For your audience, the demo is the song.

For film and television placements, your recording is the final product. A music supervisor won’t ask you to change the vocal or fix a bad note because they like the song. If it isn’t right, they pass. When they listen, they imagine your particular recording, not just the song, in the scene.

You’d think that pitching to singers would be less demanding, but despite the quality of your lyrics or melody, it is the music, the hooky riffs, the cool sound, that listeners respond to first. Because your pitch is a sales presentation (and it’s all about getting attention) your arrangement and recording must grab them.  It should smell like a hit.

Remember that the music supervisor or producer won’t be listening to just your song—they get hundreds. The CDs and mp3s will be stacked to the virtual ceiling and each gets only a brief listen. Yours must instantly stand out and refresh those tired ears.

This bumps you from your comfy songwriter chair to that of producer and arranger. If you have a home studio, as I do, you might be the band as well. If you have those skills, this can be very cost effective. But even skillful songwriters and performers can trip over their egos in producing their own demos. It can be hard for me to identify weaknesses or give the song the polish that it needs to land the gig. That’s why hot producers are in demand.

An important point: In pitching songs to artists, the singer is the critical element in the demo. He or she has to have the right pipes and the ability to make the song sound the way it should. Most singers are good at one style of music, but less effective with others. Unless you write only one kind of song, for one kind of voice, you will outside singers, at least.

Many top songwriters turn to professional demo studios because they provide professional musicians using pro gear to get the right sound. You can send them a rough recording of your song (to indicate the tempo and feel), and notes about how although you sing like early Bob Dylan the song should have a female vocalist who sounds like the flavor of the moment. And the good ones come through.

One difficulty in working with a demo studio is that they have to interpret what you tell them, and their interpretation might sound wrong to you. The best thing is to set it aside for bit and listen as if it was someone else’s song that you had never heard before. They might have added some good ideas. It is easy to get invested in your own interpretation. One friend of mine who uses demo studios finds that he often hates the song when he first gets it back, but later loves it.

So a top notch recording is as much a key element of your business as it is for a performing/recording artist. Unfortunately, no matter how you do it, good work will cost a bit, however, because even studio musicians like to eat semi regularly.

Whether you DIY, hire a studio and musicians, or use a demo studio, the costs and time must be factored into your business plan.

And even a songwriter needs a business plan. If you haven’t done yours yet, check out How To Write Your Music Business Plan  and get started on one now.

Later we will discuss other essential parts of your songwriting business strategy, but this one ensures that your product—the song—is properly packaged and ready to take to market.