Do artists really write their own songs? | Think Like A Musician
A professional songwriter explains that most popular music is collaborative, with two main approaches: writing directly with artists in the room or creating 'pitch songs' to sell to artists later. The process varies greatly depending on whether the artist prioritizes commercial success or artistic expression.
Summary
The video explores the reality of songwriting in the music industry, dispelling the common assumption that artists write all their own music. A professional songwriter explains that while some artists do write everything themselves, most popular music is collaborative, involving multiple writers, producers, and the artist working together. There are two primary methods for creating songs: collaborative sessions where writers work directly with the artist in the studio, and 'pitch songs' where writers create songs independently and then shop them to artists and labels. When writing with artists directly, the process begins with understanding their current state and goals, as the approach differs significantly depending on whether they're aiming for commercial Billboard success or making an artistic statement. Commercial hits require catchy, relatable content with familiar chord progressions, while artistic statements allow for more experimental approaches. The songwriter describes how the creative process can start with either melody or lyrics, noting regional differences - in their early career, sessions typically began with musical tracks and freestyle melodies, while Nashville songwriting culture prioritizes starting with lyrical concepts and titles. Success in songwriting requires extensive listening and studying of music structure, collaborative skills, and leaving ego aside to serve the art. The speaker emphasizes that songwriting is like a muscle that requires constant exercise and that persistence is key to developing the craft.
About this episode
Professional songwriters share their writing process, how they collaborate with other artists, and what it takes to be a songwriter. -- "Think Like A Musician" connects you with working musicians who want to help the music-curious and music-passionate hone and share the gift of music with the world. Part interview, part animated course, our second season "Think Like A Songwriter" features artists sharing their insight on the ins and outs of fine-tuning your songwriting and crafting timeless, memorable music. Each episode features free supplemental learning materials developed by Education Through Music (https://etmonline.org) — a nonprofit with over 30 years of experience developing classroom-adaptable curriculum for music educators. Directed by Kozmonot Animation Studio. A special thanks to the musicians who provided their insights and expertise for this video. You can check out their pages here: https://www.youtube.com/@bonniemckeeofficial https://www.youtube.com/@TaylaParx https://www.youtube.com/@Breland Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram ---------------------------------------------- Keep Learning ---------------------------------------------- View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/do-artists-really-write-their-own-songs-think-like-a-musician Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/do-artists-really-write-their-own-songs-think-like-a-musician/digdeeper ---------------------------------------------- Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Iryna Panasiuk, Aaron Torres, Eric Braun, Sonja Worzewski, Michael Clement, Adam Berry, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, isolwi, Kate Sem, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, and Brian A. Dunn.
Key Insights
- The songwriter explains there are two distinct ways songs get placed in pop music: either collaborating directly with an artist in the studio or writing 'pitch songs' independently that get shopped to artists later
- The approach to songwriting differs dramatically based on artist goals, with Billboard Hot 100 success requiring catchy, relatable content while artistic statements allow for more experimental 'weird' approaches like jazz or punk artists use
- The songwriter describes a regional difference in songwriting culture, where early industry experiences involved starting with musical tracks and freestyling melodies, while Nashville prioritizes beginning with lyrical concepts and titles
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] I don’t think you have to have any kind of formal training at all to be a songwriter. Again, I work with people, brilliant people with huge hits all the time that don't play an instrument. So don't let that dissuade you. Hey, you! Yes, you. Is there music inside of you? We’ve recruited working musicians from throughout the industry to help you hear it, hold it, and share it with this wild and wonderful world. I think growing up, I assumed, like many people, [0:31] that the artists that I loved and listened to wrote all of their own music. I didn't realize that there were other people behind the scenes, and that it really takes a village…
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