Co-writing May Be Your Ticket To Success!

Former Mission 515 singer Grant Anderson and songwriter Mary Jo Daly of Daly Bread Music Publishing co-writing the lyric for a Contemporary Christian song at Nashville Trax.

The majority of songs that make radio playlists are written by more than one songwriter. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see four or more names attached to a particular piece of work.

Some songwriters can “do it all” while others simply can’t, but even if you are a “can do” writer you may recognize you are weak in certain areas and would benefit greatly from co-writing.

But even if you feel you can do it all and do it all well, certain advantages inherent in the process may still make co-writing an attractive option:

1. Working with others can provide motivation; additional ideas; and, in general, keep your creative fires stoked and burning brightly. Some folks don’t have the discipline to work alone.

2. You’ll receive immediate feedback from co-writers on your contributions to a project.

3. Meeting and networking with new people, the lifeblood of both song marketing and marketing yourself as a songwriter, is inherent in the process.

4. You’ll “Get the scoop” from co-writers: on writer’s nights, who’s looking for songs, etc.

5. Your pitch opportunities will expand exponentially. Instead of just you marketing your material, as you co-write more you will begin to amass a small army of built-in “songpluggers,” each with excellent motivation to pitch songs you’ve co-written with them.

The disadvantages:

1. Working with others isn’t for everyone. Personality conflicts, power struggles and disagreements could arise.

2. You’ll write by appointment rather than when the mood strikes.

3. You will be splitting royalties with your co-writers.

Most songwriters find the advantages of co-writing outweigh the disadvantages. Not sure? Try it, you just might love it!