How do you achieve success in the songwriting business? I can tell you how I did it. I know what you’re thinking right now; “Mark Teeters? I never heard of you…you’re not successful!”. But I am, in fact, extremely successful. I’ll tell you why and then I’ll explain how you can get there too.

I just looked up the word success in the dictionary.

success

The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted

Now think about that a moment. If you want to write a song about your Great Aunt Gertrude’s trip to the market…and you DO….then you have achieved what you desired and planned. You are a succesful songwriter.

Go ahead! Have your little laugh. I realize that this seems very simple and even a little silly, but there is an unbelievably huge secret that lies at the heart of it.

Write for yourself and your own enjoyment

Let me say that again…read it out loud:

Write for yourself and your own enjoyment

In the song example above, obviously not many people are going to rush out to buy a song about your Great Aunt Gertrude’s trip to the market, but you are still successful because it’s what you wanted to write about.

I write some pop ballads; I’ve written some country music, bluegrass music, gospel music and even some classical pieces. But my current addiction is composing progressive rock. For a long time, I have labored over songs that are 10 minutes PLUS…in odd time signatures. I write what I feel and when I perform them live, it is very satisfying. I’ve had many people ask me why I write in this particular genre. It’s a given that they’re not going to get too much airplay.

I wonder if they told Yes the same thing. “You guys are playing odd time signatures. That won’t do! For God’s sake, your keyboard player is wearing a CAPE!”. I wonder if anyone asked Pink Floyd why they used all the weird sound effects in their songs? Or why KISS used makeup? You can certainly bet that they ALL were ridiculed and criticized. So what would have happened if they had just given up and played ‘normally’?

I am certainly not comparing myself to these great artists, but I challenge you. Think about all the really great artists out there. If you do some research, you’ll find that when they first started, they were different. They broke the rules. They followed their own path and stuck to it no matter what. The Beatles with their long hair; Elvis with his gyrating hips; Eddie Van Halen with his electric drill.

In a nutshell, be yourself. The very worse thing that can happen is that no one else will like your songs…but you’ll still be writing songs that YOU enjoy, so you’ll be happy and successful! Hopefully, other people will share your interests, or at the least, be attracted by your unique approach and buy your songs!

Good luck and keep writing!