💡✍️ADN #061: Songs Hide In Plain Sight
Jan 21, 2024
Hey Friends -
Welcome to the Artist Development Newsletter.
Every Sunday, I send an email providing actionable tips for artists and industry on one area of the music business.
Last week, we talked about Music Business Management 101, which highlighted taxes.
You can re-read last week’s newsletter here if you want to refresh.
Today, something more on the creative side.
Let’s go — ->
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I’ve been reminded recently that there is truly inspiration hiding everywhere we look.
Songs, waiting to be written.
Here are 4 examples from the last 2 weeks:
- I saw a caption on an Instagram post written by a good friend of mine. It sounded like a song in my head, so I grabbed a guitar, wrote it, and sent it to him. Last night he sent me a demo back, and it sounds great. Check it out.
- At sunrise, I heard my faucet dripping in the kitchen, it sounded like a beat. I recorded it, sent it to a buddy. We text lyrics back and forth and he had a finished track with the drip in the final product by sunset.
- I saw a meme on the internet. It sounded like a song concept waiting to be written. Similar to the story above. I jotted down some lyrics, sent it to the same buddy and the next day we had a finished song.
- My daughters were in the bath the other night and my wife was reading them a kids book. As I walked down the hallway, I heard her say the title, and thought, “oh, that reminds me of this other title I’ve had in my phone, but now I know how to write it.” So I went downstairs, grabbed a guitar and had it done by bedtime.
When inspiration hits, you’ve gotta dive in.
Tom Petty had this to say about songwriting:
“It just comes out of the air. It’s kind of a dangerous business looking really deeply into the germ that creates songs. I don’t like too stare in that light for very long y’know, I get a little superstitious about it.”
“There’s some kind of actual magic going on there, and for some reason, I feel like I was born with some kind of conduit for this energy, force or whatever it is, and I can have that happen through me. At the funniest times, something can come into your head, and you think, that’s a good line or that’s a good couple of lines. Then it’s just trial and error.”
Keep your antenna tuned into what’s going on around you and when something catches your attention, give it attention back with your unique perspective.
Before you know it, you’ll have something new to share with the world.
See you next Sunday!
Neil Mason
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