Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website.
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For every singer/songwriter, there are two worlds. The first is that tight group of Die-Hard-Fans made up of family and friends. They love everything you do, and to you, their opinion counts for a lot. Then there is The Real World – made up of everyone else. You need to know: it’s not about the Die-Hards. The Real World is the only measuring stick that should matter to you.
The problem with the Die-Hards is that they are a very vocal group. They support you and your music because they love you. And that’s the problem. Their undying love can distort reality to the point where you don’t really know that your songs have problems. And sadly, because the Die-Hards can cloud your judgment so much, the Real World possibly doesn’t even know you or songs even exist.
I see it all the time, on Twitter, and Facebook, and other social media sites. Singer/songwriters begging their Die-Hards (yes, the “please, please PLEASE” -type of begging) to vote for their song on some radio station or contest. I’ve seen musicians beseeching followers to “vote a hundred times!! I’m almost at number 1!!!”
If you have to beg to that extent, your songs likely have problems. Good songs and good performances do not require much begging to get them noticed. Begging means your songs have flaws. Begging means that somewhere between the writing and the performing, there’s a problem. And in the final analysis, all begging means is “I want to be famous.” But the Real World is where fame happens. And songs with problems don’t make it to the Real World.
If you want to be famous, you need to get smart. You need to learn to be more objective about your songs. If, after years of writing, your Die-Hards are the only ones who know your music, you have problems to solve. Try this advice:
- Get some songwriting instruction. Seeing so many songwriters with flaws in their technique is why I wrote “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting”. It dissects music to show you how and why it works.
- Play your music for the Real World, not just your Die-hards. Get into cafés, songwriting circles, contests, and anywhere else that allows people who don’t know you to give an objective assessment of your music, and listen to their opinions.
- Get a good demo recording made of your best songs, and limit it to four or five songs at the most. If making the leap into the professional world really means anything to you, you’ll spend the time and money necessary to make that demo the highest quality possible.
And always remember: begging for fans means your songs probably have problems.
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Gary Ewer has written “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting”, and that set of e-books can help you fix your songs and open up the Real World to you. Download them today.