FLIPSIDE
  • Home
  • About
    • Marketing & PR
    • Music >
      • About Productions
      • Talent Development Program
    • Combat Sports
  • Music Store
  • Courses
  • Media & Blog
    • Blog
    • Podcast
  • Contact

WHERE IS THE BAR?

7/3/2020

0 Comments

 
How high is the bar for songwriters? When you mention the word “bar” to songwriters, most of them start craving a beer. But that’s not the bar I’m talking about here. I’m talking about the “How good does my song have to be to get it recorded by an artist?” kind of bar. Not every songwriter wants massive commercial success. But if that’s your goal, learning where that bar is may be the most important thing an aspiring commercial songwriter has to do. 

​
The biggest hurdle. The problem with many songwriters, when confronted with the height of the real bar, is that instead of taking steps to learn how to get over the bar, they start trying to find a lower bar that helps them feel better about their music. It’s the equivalent of an aspiring NBA basketball player trying out for the Celtics and not making the team on his first try. So, instead of getting more coaching and improving his game, he goes to the Y and signs up for a pick-up basketball league. He feels better. He finally “made the team”.
Picture
But the team he is on is not going to get him any closer to his goal of playing in the NBA. I know songwriters who moved to some countries with literally no music industry and when I ask them why they are living in that particular place as a songwriter, their answer usually is something like, “because there is no competition here. Here I can be the king”. But what is the point of being the king of your own room? A true king’s throne is worthy when it’s ruling a huge empire not just one empty writing room!
 
There is no shame in not making a team. Or in having your songs rejected. But what I hate to see, is people that get feedback saying that their music isn’t good enough yet who just start shopping around for someone who will tell them something different. Those people are plentiful. For $25, they will tell you that your song is amazing and that they are going to pitch it to Taylor Swift for you. They don’t mention that Taylor Swift doesn’t take outside songs. And they don’t tell you where your song really gets pitched – the trash can. But, because they tricked you into thinking the bar is low, you’ll pay them $25 again to repeat the cycle. You feel like you are getting somewhere, but you are playing pickup ball with a con artist.
 
Your best friend in the music business is the person who will tell you “These songs aren’t good enough yet.” The only way you will succeed is to listen to those people and to spend your time learning why your songs aren’t good enough so that the next song you write will be better instead of shopping around for a lower bar. Here’s the real truth. Top publishers have a bar that songs have to get over before they stake their reputation on pitching them. They are only interested in pitching songs that are going to WOW the artists. And guess what? That bar is even lower than the bar Tim McGraw, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood or any other major artist use when choosing the songs for their records. The real publishers will pitch songs that are in the ballpark. The artists are only going to cut outside songs that are home runs. So, if you want to play in the big boys’ league, don’t worry if you haven’t “made the team” yet. Nobody does on their first, or tenth try. But, don’t lose sight of the fact that the real bar isn’t going to change just because you shop around and find someone who tells you your song is amazing. If you’ve gotten feedback from several reliable people in the industry that your songs are not at “bar level” yet, don’t be discouraged. That’s part of the journey. But, don’t settle for a pickup game at the lower league and pretend that’s going to get you to professional level. Dig in and do the hard work. Just like the professionals who have gone before you.
 
It takes thousands of hours and hundreds of rejections before anyone succeeds in the music business. The ones who make it are the ones who take rejection as a sign they need to improve and prove somebody wrong. And they never give up learning or working toward their goal. There isn’t a way to lower the bar. It is where it is. And, with enough hard work, you can get over it.

Author

Hangi Tavakoli is our in-house established and professional music producer with more than 15 years of experience in songwriting, music production, mix and mastering. He has produced more than 1500 and written more than 3000 published songs to-date, including some major hits in international scale.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


      SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE WEEKLY UPDATES.
      We have one new FREE article on every Tuesday and Friday about music, music industry and the business aspect of it. Subscribe to our email squad to get notified on the updates.
    Subscribe

    Podcast


    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    October 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016

    Categories

    All
    Artist Interviews
    Music Industry
    Others
    Press Releases
    Songwriting


    RSS Feed


ABOUT FLIPSIDE

ABOUT PRODUCTIONS
​
ABOUT MARKETING
​
NEWS
BLOG
PODCAST

MUSIC STORE

FOR ARTISTS

OUR ARTISTS
ARTIST LOGIN
MUSIC RELEASES
TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
MUSIC COURSES

CONTACT

hangi@flipsidepm.com
​+65 8558 9773
​

Mon - Fri 9:00am - 8:00pm

SUBSCRIBE

    Receive news and updates in your inbox.

Subscribe to Newsletter


©2014-2022 Flipside Productions & Marketing Pte Ltd
All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • Marketing & PR
    • Music >
      • About Productions
      • Talent Development Program
    • Combat Sports
  • Music Store
  • Courses
  • Media & Blog
    • Blog
    • Podcast
  • Contact