According to the official American Idol Songwriting Competition site, the producers are finalizing their short list of 20 songs. After that, supposedly next Wednesday May 2nd, voting begins. Update: This is from 2007 Songwriting Competition. Newer info for 2008 is located here. You can have people sign up to vote by going here. Some songwriters [...]

Sophisticated music aficionados tend to dismiss mainstream music as all sugar and no substance, and a greater case for such an assumption could not be made than mid-70′s disco superstars KC and the Sunshine Band. Last month (March 2007) we had a songwriting interview with Mofro’s JJ Grey, and some of his quotes on writing [...]

Kenny Rogers recently came through town and spoke with our local newspaper. He had some interesting observations about what makes a good song, his thoughts on country radio (“they don’t owe me anything”), and the young performers coming up today. For the Blogging Muses readers looking for commercial songwriting advice, it doesn’t get any better [...]

Working as a producer for the last ten years, I’ve recorded with all kinds of artists from “fresh off the boat” newbies to artists whose experience in the world of music doubles or even triples my own. In every case, my role as a producer stays essentially the same.

Creative process. The A.V. Club interviews Colin Meloy of the Decemberists: AVC: Songwriters often start out writing a ton before slowing down later in life. Andy Partridge of XTC, for one, has said the creative process is finite. CM: Andy Partridge said that? He of the Fuzzy Warbles? I think the reason is practical—you just [...]

I can’t tell you how many letters I get full of complaints as to how “nobody cares” about writers, art, creativity; on and on. Most writers (artists, acts, musicians, singers, et. al.) feel they have great songs and talent, and just can’t get a break. I get hundreds of letters and CDs from people who [...]

I am not affiliated in any way with the American Idol Songwriting Contest. I am just saying because people are sending me their songs for the contest. It’s not me! I have just been covering the news and pointing where people can go! Go here for all the details on the American Idol Songwriting Contest.

Kate Walsh claims she is just an average girl that recorded an album in her friend’s spare bedroom and then topped the iTunes charts. According to this Evening Standard article: It was recorded at a cost of “a few hundred pounds” in the Brighton home of producer Tim Bidwell, who created a sound-insulated vocal booth [...]

Martin Sexton’s new album is called “Seeds”, and he takes a markedly different approach with his songwriting from past albums. Quite a change from the way most ‘singer-songwriters’ might approach writing songs. He tells The Ann Arbor News: “I just wanted them to be more about creating impressions,” said Sexton during a recent phone interview. [...]

Ryan Michael Galloway has released his songwriting book Hits and Heartbreakers – Songwriting Fundamentals for Love or Money. Clocking in at just under 70 pages, this book is billed as “a rapid-fire manual guaranteed to improve your songwriting”. In other words, the book dispenses with verbose niceties and gets down to the real reason you [...]