Songwriters are musical poets who can give life to music by adding lyrics to it. Becoming a successful songwriter is not an easy task and it yet requires ample dedication to become a master at the craft. If you have already written one or two songs, you might have a bit of an idea of it. If you feel like taking it to the next level and becoming a professional in the industry; it will require dedication, determination, and consistency to become a successful songwriter. Here is a complete guide for beginners who are looking forward to considering songwriting as their full-time career.
How does a songwriter make money?
When you are considering songwriting as a career choice, it is not only about writing tracks but also about making money. So, you have to understand the ways you can make money. It will definitely take much time to gain popularity and become renowned in the industry but the effort starts from Day 1 only. There are several ways to make money as a songwriter. Let’s take a better look.
How to become a Professional Songwriter in the Music Industry?
In order to become a good songwriter, you must have good ears and a great sense of original music. Songwriters must know how a song is made and how will it sound differently with different chords and harmonies. They must understand the importance of elements that help to craft an attractive song. Try to listen to more music with diversified tastes to make sure you can have a broader sense of music based on different genres. Songwriters must know how to write songs for all kinds of music genres. While the lingual barrier can be an obstacle sometimes; the music styles and genres should never be a problem. Focus on chord progression and the notes which can help you find the right flow and rhythm for the lyrical approach. The more you listen and experiment, the better you can get at writing songs.
Try to write songs daily. While it may sound very obvious and clichéd, the idea here is to get familiar with the process of writing. You might not feel the creative flow of writing songs all the time, but you can still write something that can inspire you later. Instead of songs, write anything that comes to your mind. You can also pick a theme to work on such as heartbreak, resilience, slice of life, and others. You can write in small portions, in words, or even in phrases. Later on, you can join these small portions into a full-fledged track. There is no shortcut to it but hard work, pure hard work.
Once you have written several good tracks that are studio-ready, you need to find a good recording company that can help to record the tracks you have written. It can be a single project, an EP, or an album based on the number of tracks you are trying to get recorded and released. However, be sure of the fact that recording companies can charge you a lot. For a cheaper alternative, you can start working with a digital audio workstation (DAW) for the initial work and ask your friends to help produce it.
You cannot just stay in one place after writing a couple of good songs. You need to constantly brush up your skills to make sure you always become a better songwriter than before. Learning music theory is a good idea to improve your skills which is essential for your blooming ideas and their proper execution. You can co-write songs with other songwriters which improves the process as you get to jam your songwriting skills with others with a sense of community. Learn to create Demos to showcase your writing skills. Learning the steps of music promotion can also help. Do not just stick to one genre or style and keep experimenting.
Only a songwriter alone cannot make a song because you will require a singer, an instrumentalist, and a producer to craft the project. So, unless you can do all the parts of your own; it is important to strengthen your bond with other fellow music artists in the industry. Collaborate with them to craft more exquisite projects. The collaboration is helpful for all parties as it is a shared creative process where everyone has to contribute something to the execution of the project.
How would people know about your songs unless you share them over the internet and offer access to listeners? While you might skeptical at the beginning, it is absolutely a necessary step for all kinds of music artists who are trying to become professionals in the industry. Utilize online music platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, etc to share your music with the listeners. With gradual exposure, you can establish yourself as a professional songwriter with a huge follower base.
Let’s be honest! There are thousands of emerging songwriters just like you who are desperately trying to gain more projects and popularity in the industry. Therefore, the competitive digital landscape could be an obstacle to growth. It is quite normal to get rejected even after several approaches. However, do not be disheartened and try again. Learn to handle rejection and focus on your craft. With consistent approaches and musical works, you can cut through the clutter.
No matter what kind of creative journey you are on, it is highly important to have people by your side who can help you support you for growth. You do not have to do it all alone. When you are truly passionate about something, you will find people who want to support your dream. This help can come from the music industry or from your friends and family and each of them counts. For a wider audience approach make sure to improve your networking with people like music producers, A&R (artists and repertoire) people, magazines, radio stations, bloggers, and whoever can help to share your talent with the world.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a professional songwriter is not a complex process and any professional can give you guidance on the process. However, it is you who need to be madly passionate about your craft or else you would not be able to stand a chance in this evolving and competitive industry.
