Greater Alexander
Greater Alexander shares his journey from traumatic music lessons in childhood to finding his voice and making a full-time living from music at 30.
Songwriting Prompt #30
Aren't we all wild horses?
Songwriting Prompt #29
People have been saying there's nothing left to discover for a while now. It's never been true, has it?
Songwriting Prompt #28
Chicken and eggs. Fire and smoke. Endless debates.
Songwriting Prompt #27
Watching nature be is an eternal source of inspiration.
Songwriting Prompt #26
Can robots express feelings in words?
Songwriting Prompt #25
Is attachment the root of all suffering?
Songwriting Prompt #24
Boobeedobadooba
Songwriting Prompt #23
Every instrument has a character of its own, a feel and a soul.
Songwriting Prompt #22
There's a music genre you want to explore? Start digging.
Songwriting Prompt #21
Parody and reality, sitting in a tree.
Songwriting Prompt #20
Life is definitely not like a movie but I know someone who speaks like Aaron Sorkin writes.
Songwriting Prompt #19
Phooey! S@**
Songwriting Prompt #18
Running away from yesterday.
Songwriting Prompt #17
A random blue orange made me think Snowy may have been onto something.
Songwriting Prompt #16
C - G - Am - F or G - Em - C - D or Am - F - C - G
Songwriting Prompt #15
The thorough liver imagines the threshold. Will his cross vet inform a direct pocket?
Songwriting Prompt #14
I'm not drunk, I just decided to write an entire song with a flask as the sole instrument.
Songwriting Prompt #13
Once upon a time, down a dirt road, something moved a few steaps ahead of me, but it wasn't a toad.
Songwriting Prompt #12
When you stop second-guessing your self and start doing, you have more time than you think.
Songwriting Prompt #11
My dog makes me laugh every single day. Not sure she knows why.
Songwriting Prompt #10
This is ridiculous, stop it. Or keep going? It's so silly it's pretty fun I guess.
Songwriting Prompt #9
Pick a song structure and start arranging it. Like you'd look at a house and buy furniture that looks good in it.
Songwriting Prompt #8
Is this an hommage or a satire? I can't tell.
Songwriting Prompt #7
Seneca said it. Then Shakespeare said it. Others have said it too. What does that say about us?
Songwriting Prompt #6
I think I know you and you think you know me but how wrong could we be?
Songwriting Prompt #5
Around the world, around the world. Daft Punk style?
Songwriting Prompt #4
You think you know what you like. But are you right?
Songwriting Prompt #3
Artists choose a canvas to paint on. Songwriters can choose an arrangement to write in.
Songwriting Prompt #2
Stare into the abyss of the absurd and share what you find.
Songwriting Prompt #1
Write and share your work. Then write more and share more work. It's as simple as that.
Procrastination Perfection
I don't know. I'm not sure. What will they think? What if they don't like it?
Going Direct: No Publisher, No Library
Can you license your music and skip the middleman entirely? Yes! Should you? Maybe not.
An Evening Routine That Makes Me Happy
This takes 5 minutes and is guaranteed to make you smile ?
MVP, Feedback and Music
Start sharing your work asap. There's no reason not to.
Music Scene = Silicon Valley
If you want to grow and improve as an artist, don't create in a vacuum. Show your work.
What’s the Best Performance Rights Organization?
Indie musicians tend to have a lot to do and a tight budget to do it with. With that in mind, the PRO I recommend is BMI.
Fast Forward to December 2020, You’ll Be Happy If….
Let's start with the end in mind and see if we can figure out how to get there.
My Favorite Books, The 2019 Edition
Sharing my favorite books of 2019. What are yours?
How Much Should You Charge? Should You Work for Free?
How much should you charge for music? Short answer: not nothing. Long answer inside.
Getting YouTubers to License Your Tracks Through a Music Library
Unlike music supervisors, YouTubers are amongst the most accessible people on the internet. It would be a shame to neglect this music licensing opportunity.
Practical Steps to Build an Audience Online
"I’ve tried it all to be honest with you: beats and songs on multiple platforms, hosting my own website, Instagram, email promotion, you name it." So what do you do next? How do you get tangible results?
Is There Ever a Right Time To Do Something?
What's the best strategy? Trying stuff that's a little bit above my level or wait until I'm ready? Considering how elusive that "I'm ready" feeling can be, I think I'll go with the "a little bit above my level" strategy...
November 2019 Q&A
How to email music supervisors, how to research music libraries, how I got rid of the perfectionist mindset, how you can organize your catalogue and track your music submissions.
Stock Music vs Production Music, What’s the Difference?
Looking into the world of music libraries? You need to know understand the different types of music in there: stock, production, royalty-free, songs, custom audio, etc.
Music Libraries: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best music libraries for composers? Can you earn 6-figures by placing songs in royalty-free libraries? How long do tracks need to be for sync?
October 2019 Q&A
What’s a stinger? How should you structure songs for licensing? How much should you charge for a license in a music library? Which application form do you need to fill out to register songs with the US Copyright Office?
Stumbling into Music Licensing, Ending Up in True Blood
Signing an exclusive deal is scary. Kelly explains how he vetted the library, got over that fear and starting placing his music on TV. We also talk about songwriting, day jobs and creativity.
September 2019 Q&A
How can you legally release a cover song and license it? Does Spotify help or hurt your chances of licensing music? Do you need ISRC codes to license your music?
What is Royalty-Free Music?
What is royalty-free music? It's music that a customer can license for a one time fee. It's not free of charge and it's certainly not copyright-free either!
Music Distribution Companies, How They Work and How to Choose the Best One for You
There are dozens of music distribution companies out there. Understand what they do and don't do. Pick the one that's the right fit for you.
August 2019 Q&A
In today's live session, we talked about best practices to get your music on popular TV shows, how to prepare stem files, which songs to choose when you submit music and how having your music on Spotify can impact your licensing opportunities.
Music Split Sheets and Music Producer Agreements (Templates Included)
Everything you need to know to stay out of trouble when you're co-writing or co-producing songs. Music producer agreement and music split sheet template included.
Pricing Your Songs, Negotiating Sync Fees
Someone's interested in licensing one of your songs... How much should you charge? What kind of contract should you sign? How do you negotiate a fair deal?
Would You Rather Earn 102k Working In An Office Or 36k Playing Music?
Rebecca quit her 6-figure engineering job for a lower paying job making music. Five years later, she was earning 6-figures again, recording music and playing live gigs.
Music Royalties (Who Gets Paid, Why, When and How)
Collect all your music royalties in four steps. Performance AND mechanical royalties. Related to sound recordings AND underlying compositions.
Getting Music into a Production Music Library
The content manager at Beatsuite.com answers questions asked by Creative & Productive readers. Packed with helpful insights to help you get music into production music libraries.
Recommendation of the Day: the Choiceology Podcast
Want to make better decisions in and outside the music studio? Choiceology explores the psychological traps that prevent us from making great decisions.
Make Stuff and Show it to People
It's that simple. As a songwriter/music producer, it's all you should be focusing on to grow your audience: finishing songs and promoting songs.
Good Decision Making (an Easy, Foolproof Process)
How to make good decisions? Start by asking yourself good questions. Follow this no-nonsense decision-making flowchart to cut your to-do list in half.
Make a Stunning Album Cover Design Fast and Cheap (or Free)
How to make stunning album cover designs in less than 30 minutes. Presenting 4 affordable DIY and professional options available online.
How Time Flies While We Wait….
The fire in Notre Dame Cathedral reminded me of 3 precious songwriting lessons.
Make Money Making Music In Only 6 Weeks
To make money making music, focus on one revenue stream (for now). Identify what made others successful that was not down to luck. Do that over and over again.
“Just Show Up” Is Terrible Advice
"Just show up" is terrible advice because it actually doesn't help anyone. Just makes us feel guilty when we can't pull it off. So what do we do instead?
Get Things Done, 16 Tricks That Work For Me
Get things done and move on! Learn how to hold yourself accountable and keep things fresh. Discover how you can focus on what's important without being too hard on yourself.
30 Songwriting Prompts I Drew With My Little Hands And Lots Of Love
Fancy a 30 day songwriting challenge? Here's 24 visuals and 6 trigger words that'll get your creative juices flowing. Print them, share them, let them inspire you and others.
What I Learned From Writing 200+ Songs In 3 Years
The good, the bad, and the ugly. What worked, what didn't, and what I intend to try next.
I Want To Be A Producer, A Case Study
I want to be a music producer. The ambition is clear but how do you get there? SHRAi shares his story, from no experience and no network to a full-time income in six years.
Active Listening, How To Listen To Music
Active listening is one of the fastest and most efficient way you can improve your songwriting and music production skills. The first step to understand (and make!) music you love.
Learning From The Best: Patti Smith
I read Just Kids by Patti Smith. What struck me the most about her? How much she trusts the creative process and patiently lets her projects mature.
Licensing Your Music Without Making A Costly Mistake
9 tips to avoid costly mistakes when you start licensing your music. Navigate the licensing world with confidence and purpose.
How to Copyright a Song (full albums, copyright fees vs free options)
Understand why music copyright is important. Make the difference between copyright ownership and copyright registration. Learn how to copyright music in a fast, affordable and efficient way.
Who Cares What I Think?!
Seeking approval is only human. But it can kill your music if you don't watch out. Especially if you ask the wrong questions to the wrong people.
F**k Social Media, Your Music Career Doesn’t Need It
Successful musicians all have one thing in common. And it's got nothing to do with a fancy website or an elaborate social media strategy.
Self-Publishing Music: The Pros, The Cons and How To Get Started
Self-publishing music can mean more money, more control and more freedom. But it requires more time spent on administrative work, networking and sales.
A Guide To Music Distribution, Including a Video Walkthrough Of My Favorite Music Distribution Service
Sneak-peek inside my favorite music distribution service. Learn how to get your music on Spotify, verify your artist page and start building a following in no time.
Learning From The Best: Miles Davis
Kind of Blue. What musicians and songwriters can learn from the making of Miles Davis' most popular album. Whether they're into jazz or not.
Keep Calm and Create
Toolbox to help artists get out of a rut and keep a creative mindset. How to stay creative and productive, even when life gets rough and inspiration dries up.
Selling Art Under A Pseudonym
Selling art under a pseudonym gives you the freedom to experiment and explore a multitude of creative projects without compromising your reputation.
Music Production Tips: 5 Things You Should Start Doing RIGHT NOW
Music production tips for beginners that are free and easy to implement. Will improve your mixes overnight, even if you're working in a home studio.
Songwriters Block: Creative Tricks To Beat the Blank Page
Creative techniques to overcome songwriters block. Borrow from different art forms and cultures to trigger your imagination and build your creative muscle.
Music Conferences for Sync Licensing
Top music conferences for sync licensing. How to prepare for music industry events. How to stand out once you get there.
Submit Music For TV Placement Without Having To Rely On A Publisher
Learn how to skip the middlemen and submit music for TV placement. Work directly with music supervisors and filmmakers to keep 100% of your licensing revenues.
Music Production Workflow To Finish What You Start
Music production workflow ideas to help songwriters. Come up with song ideas. Keep momentum in the music studio. Finish what you start.
ISWC vs ISRC, What You Need To Know
ISWC and ISRC numbers help songwriters and music producers get paid. Learn how to get the ISWC and ISRC codes you need and embed them in your audio files.
Networking in the Music Industry For The Shy And Busy
It's hard to stand out and get noticed when you're networking in the music industry. It's even harder if you make these 3 common mistakes....
Recording Studio Equipment List for Beginners and Procrastinators
The essential recording studio equipment list to help you write, record and produce radio quality music in your home studio. This post is for songwriters who want to start producing their own music and music producers who love their gear but struggle to finish tracks.
How To Choose The Right Music Licensing Companies For Your Songs
7 questions to help you determine what music licensing companies are a good fit for you.
Music Licensing Companies for Indie Producers
List of top music libraries that are looking for new music and will get your music in front of top licensing opportunities.
Can Licensing Hurt Indie Musicians?
Music licensing can be a great career accelerator for indie musicians. It can also be a career killer if you don't know what you're doing.
Composition vs Sound Recording
The difference between a composition and a sound recording is key for songwriters and recording artists. It determines how, how much and when they get paid.
How To Prepare Audio Files For Licensing
What audio file formats do you need for licensing? How many music cues and alternative versions should you produce? What are stem music files?
The Strange Case of Dr. Tags and Mister Metadata
No more confusion around metadata. Find out how to tag your audio files and select the right keywords to ensure your music is heard and you get paid.
What Kind Of Music Do You Need To Get On TV?
You’re already writing music for film and TV. Even if you’re writing in an incredibly weird and niche sub-genre, there's room for your music on our screens.
12 FREE Online Music Courses to Master Your Craft
Online music courses are great to get out of a creative rut. Here's a selection of free online courses that will help you become a better songwriter.
Justin Tessier On What It Takes To Make A Living As An Indie Musician
Justin Tessier tells us how The Blue Stones gigged their way to a record deal and huge placements on TV shows like Suits and Monday Night Football.
How Do You Know Your Music Is Ready For Licensing?
You don't! BAM! That's it for today! Thank you very much..... No seriously, there's one simple way you'll know for sure if your music is ready to license.
Is Your Day Job Getting in the Way of Your Music Career?
Four tips to make more music when you have a full-time job and life gets in the way. It's how I wrote 56 tracks in 6 months while still traveling for work.
How To Be Insanely Productive In The Studio
A fool-proof system to make music when you have a full-time job. The Music Productivity Roadmap helped me write over 200 songs in 3 years.
Debunking Big Music Licensing MYTHS with Chuck Hughes
Chuck explains how he makes money licensing his music. In the process, he challenges pretty much every single pseudo-truth you’ve heard about music licensing.
Finding The Best Music Library FOR YOU
Which production music libraries are a good fit for your music? How do you find licensing opportunities in your niche? What's the best music library to get started?
Keyword The S**T Out Of Your Music!
Get your tunes to the top of search results in music libraries. Build a list of relevant, impactful keywords to catch music supervisors' attention.
One Simple Trick To Improve Your Music Writing Skills…
Whether you’re a complete beginner or seasoned music composer, there is ONE, unbeatable trick that will ALWAYS improve your music writing skills…
The 7 Day Challenge to Kickstart Your Career in Music Licensing
Have you been hearing a lot about music licensing but don't know where to start because you don't have much free time and don't know anyone in the industry?
Exclusive vs Non Exclusive: Understanding Music Licensing Deals
Learn about the pros and cons of exclusive and non-exclusive music licensing deals. Find out what's the best option for your music career.
The Big (Not So) Bad Re-Titling Deal
Music licensing re-titling deals sometimes get bad press. But, from a songwriter's perspective, don't re-titling deals make our lives easier?
Booohooo…. I’m not famous or rich yet…
Do you know what's the best way to freak out? Comparing yourself to others! And what's the best way to keep your sanity? Take it step by step, little by little, Celebrate your accomplishments and never EVER forget: YOU'RE ONLY HUMAN! It's fine if you binge on TV shows once in a while. You SHOULD be spending quality time with friends and family. Life is NOT about working or hustling all the time. At least not for me. Now go ahead and download your FREE Weekly Planning Tool. It's help you remember to celebrate your accomplishments and hopefully avoid overwhelm.
Mozart and David Bowie Are Not That Great…
Or are they? ? STOP comparing yourself to others in the public eye! While there are some genius exceptions and some not so genius exceptions (hello reality-TV)… QUALITY COMES WITH QUANTITY, wait for it…. OVER TIME! 99.9% of the time. In other words, practise, practise, practise, create, create, create and ENJOY the journey while you’re at it. Before you know it, you’ll have created TONS of quality music! You may never reach the heights of Mozart or Bowie but you sure can try and get as close as you possibly can! Pep Talk Key Takeaways But guess what? They also wrote some pretty crappy tunes! Mozart wrote between 41 and 68 symphonies depending on who you ask. Beethoven's best known compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 concertos for piano, 32 piano sonatas and 16 string quartets. The Beatles recorded 237 original songs (on top of 70 cover songs!). What's the point otherwise? Life is a journey made of ups and downs. The life of a musicians tends to have higher highs and lower lows. Try to enjoy the journey. Ready To Make More Music? Check out the exact method I used to write exactly 100 tunes in the space of 12 months. At the time, I was traveling as part of my full-time office job.
You’re not a morning person (yet)
Here's how you can write bucket loads of music even, if not especially (!), if you have a 9 to 5 job to contend with. I didn't think I'd ever be able to wake up regularly at 5 or 6AM to work on music before heading to the office but it turns out I am and believe me, if I'm able to do it, so are you!!!
The Truth About Time? You have plenty of it!
Think you don't have enough time to do anything? Think again 😉 Every week is made up of 168 hours. Here are a few assumptions: 8 hours in the office 5 days a week 8 hours of sleep every night 1.5 hours to get ready in the morning 1 hour commute twice a day 5 days a week 1 hour lunch and 1 hour dinner 5 hours a week to buy groceries, keep the house clean and do laundry That leaves 32.5 hours a week for your family, your creative projects and, not to be neglected, YOU! Your schedule could look something like this: Now I'm not suggesting you follow this schedule exactly, nor any schedule for that matter. But I AM suggesting you take the time to sit down and map out what your non-negotiable commitments are and where you can gain some wiggle room. For example, some of you may be able to negotiate working from home a couple of days a week to save time on commuting. Perhaps you can afford to delegate some of the house stuff like cleaning and laundry or you can start ordering online and having your groceries delivered at home during the week to avoid spending endless hours shopping for food on Saturdays. If you have kids and spend your weekends driving them from one place to another, maybe it's time to take a minute and ask yourself if they need to be participating in every single social event or if they might enjoy spending more [...]
Hey there lazy, this one’s for you!
You know that feeling you get when you start thinking about all the things you have to do? It's the same feeling you often get when you compare where you are to where you want to be. You've been busting your ass off and can't seem to make any progress, you feel like you're no closer to reaching your goal or living your dream. You start beating yourself up, telling yourself you're lazy and not good enough, that you should probably just accept your fate and stop even trying. Well... it doesn't have to be that way! First of all, EVERYBODY is "lazy"! At least everybody I enjoy spending time with. I'm not interested in robots who act like they have it all figured out. I LOVE my "lazy" friends who have time to hang out with me. I LOVE being "lazy" and watching a good movie with my family. Not choosing to work 80 hours a week is not being lazy, it's living a life that's actually worth living! Having said that, if you work a 40 hour a week office job and are looking to spend more time on music or other creative projects, I explain how you can work 80 hours a week and have a great time doing it (well... at least for the 40 hours outside of the office if you don't enjoy that part at all) right over here. So... getting back to the sense of overwhelm and how to avoid it, here's my technique: get [...]
The Muse Strikes by 9 A.M.
Building a morning routine that includes a 30 minute music session has been the single most impactful decision in my life when it comes to composing. Before that, I used to wait for inspiration to strike. For periods of time, the muse showed up fairly often and then it stopped, for months at a time, as I got distracted by life. Between 2003 and 2006, I must have written and composed 10 songs per year, maybe a little bit less, probably not a little bit more. Lyrics, melodies and arrangements came pretty easily and I was happy. Then I lost a loved one and got writer's block for the first time. Between 2006 and 2011, I probably wrote 10 new tunes, maybe 15. Then in 2012, feeling lonely in a big city (London if you ask), I went to music school and started learning about sound engineering, sound design, orchestration, mixing, jingle writing and all sorts of fun and exciting stuff. By the time I got back to Paris in 2014, I had another 15-20 tunes ready. Didn't do much in 2015 as tragedy struck again. What I'm showing here is that between 2003, when I started writing my own songs, and 2015, my musical output was a slave to my emotions. The first period as an enthusiastic 20 something was pretty fruitful until I started doubting myself and asking too many questions. Then another productive spell came as I found myself isolated and sought comfort in music until life through poop in my [...]
Can a creative be productive?
Mmmmm... let me think... Many many years ago, a pompous math student argued that artists don’t produce anything of value. I looked at him, just as confused as he looked at me. We simply didn’t get each other. Since then, I’ve thought a lot about what artists in general and musicians in particular bring to the world. I’ve narrowed it down to a simple idea: art brings excitement to our lives. Whether we love or loathe a piece of art, art makes us feel alive. Excitement is what keeps us going. Love, friendship, sky-diving, music, horror movies, adventure books, board games, spirituality, all these occupations give us a sense of purpose. Without any of these, there’s not much left. On the other side of excitement comes boredom, when we struggle to connect our existence with a deeper meaning. An area of my life that has left me feeling dull and unexcited in the past few years is work. * * * In the corporate world, productivity is everything. The employee trades their time for money as companies seek to maximise the return on that particular investment. Depending on the company and employee, the pressure to deliver is more or less humane, often times comparable to caged animals in a zoo. Similar to casinos, it seems, the house always win. Think about it. Let’s say you work full-time in an office for 4,000$/month. That’s about 1,000$/ week which comes down to 200$/working day. That’s what most would consider a good monthly salary, 200$ for about 8 hours of your time. Yet, [...]
10 steps to get started
Hi there, This is a post for composers who don't know where to start, beginners or seasoned musicians who are in a rut and want to get going (again). Step 1: block out the next 30 minutes, set your timer and commit to no distractions until it goes off Step 2: open your DAW Step 3: import a song you like and find inspiring Step 4: change the tempo of your DAW project to the song imported (tip: download a BPM counter on your smartphone and start tap tap-ing) Step 5: listen to the song while writing down the arrangement in your DAW (e.g. intro, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, bridge, chorus, instrumental, chorus, chorus, outro) Step 6: listen to the song again, and over and over as you create one new instrument track for each new element of the song you hear (e.g. drums, bass, rhythmic guitar, lead guitar, vocals, violins, ear candy, riser) Step 7: keep listening to the song as you add empty blocks where each instrument is active Step 8: delete the song you imported earlier from your DAW Step 9: save your project (it's an important one that one, don't forget to save your project!) Step 10: get going! Choose the instruments you're going to use (analog or otherwise) and fill in those blocks!