( 5 reviews )
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 30 2006
I have been a hobby songwriter for many years. I decided to try to take it up a level. Realizing I knew very little about the craft or the business, I knew I needed to buy some books. I chose Jason Blume's "6 Steps to Songwriting Success" because it had some good professional endorsements. I was also looking for an author who was a teacher because, let's face it, there are many authors who may know their subject but cannot communicate to those of us on lower levels. I was not dissapointed with my choice. I was so happy with the book that I also bought Jason's "This Business of Songwriting". "6 Steps to Songwriting Success" is very organized, easy to read, and full of good information. There are many quotes by famous people in the industry in this book. If you are a newby and wanting to learn good tips about how to write and about how the business works then I highly recommend this book. There was nothing in this book that I was disappointed in.
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( 2 of 12 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 20 2006
I received the book within 7 days. The book was in very good condition and costs about one third what a new one would have cost. I am very satisfied with the experiences I have had with Amazon and will continue to buy items as I need them.
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( 6 of 6 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 11 2005
It's simple, really. Make your song stand out and be better than all the competition, while still adhering to a long list of unwritten (until now) rules about what constitutes a commercial cut, plus avoiding an even more byzantine array of artistic and business taboos that could send your creation straight to the trash. Admittedly, it's tempting to dismiss the un-comforting advice Blume gives, especially when you learn that he is the co-author of such how-does-that-go-again? filler as Britney Spears' "Dear Diary" or the Backstreet Boys' "Back to My Heart" (not to be confused with "Shape of My Heart"). But regardless of whether you respect his work or not, the guy knows how the system works and how the game is played. And he doesn't sugarcoat things, which is good, because he knows the nuances and subtleties of what artists, labels, and producers are looking for. He reminds readers to practice and rewrite incessantly, give themselves time to develop their craft, get unbiased feedback, and start small - with local, no-name artists (hopefully) on the rise. It's also tempting to recoil at his advice for how to write lyrics and melodies - is he trying to codify a formula? Not really. Blume makes it clear that artistic merit is subjective, but if you don't want to conform at least somewhat, you're better off forming your own alternative band than pitching your ahead-of-their-time creations to platinum recording artists. However, he leaves out an important point that Donald Passman makes in his "All You Need to Know About the Music Business" - businesspeople have many ways of getting around the federally set royalty rates. As the legendary guitarist Carlos Alomar puts it when he talks to indie acts, it's up to the artist to determine whether they're willing to get cheated a little in return for exposure. (Alomar's take is that it's usually worth it.) Blume does offer one morsel of spectacularly wrong advice - p. 21: "Similarly, if you are writing for an artist who is known for his or her instrumental ability (for example, Carlos Santana or Bonnie Raitt), it might be a good idea to include an instrumental solo." In fact, Raitt has publicly stated that including a slide-guitar solo in your demo is a good way to get on her bad side - it's presumptuous, because it smacks of trying to tell Bonnie Raitt how to be Bonnie Raitt. Overall, though, this book is a fine reference, and in addition to Blume's articulate advice, includes dozens of truly insightful comments from a broad spectrum of industry pros.
