Six Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I recently had an opportunity to consult with a writer who explained to me that after more than twenty years of dabbling in songwriting as..." (more)
Key Phrases: pitching your songs, writing for specialty markets, many developing songwriters, Britney Spears, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In its First Edition, 6 Steps to Songwriting Success provided novices hoping to pitch their songs to artists other than themselves an easy to understand, step-by-step approach to mastering those elements consistently found in hit songs. Incorporating inspiring anecdotes from the author’s own success story and instructive quotes from music industry professionals, as well as 30 effective exercises for practicing, honing, and expanding one’s songwriting skills and helpful checklists for objectively accessing one’s strengths and weaknesses, the book offered a concise analysis of the six steps essential for songwriting success.

Updated, substantially revised, and expanded, the Second Edition increases the book’s relevance for performing songwriters writing primarily for themselves or their bands. The revision reflects industry changes since the First Edition, such as the advent of MP3s, the increase in music sampling, and the fact that CDs have replaced cassettes as the industry standard for presenting material. Fifteen new or significantly revised exercises are also included, as are new quotes from industry professionals. Finally, the Appendix has been completely updated to present the most comprehensive and up-to-date listing of songwriter resources available.

About the Author

Jason Blume is a staff writer for Zomba Music. He has written songs for the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, as well as John Berry’s Top 5 country single, “Change my Mind” and Steve Azar’s country hit “I Never Stopped Lovin’ You.” He also developed and teaches the BMI Nashville Songwriters Workshop. He lives in Nashville, TN.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 282 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books; Rev Exp edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823084124
• ISBN-13: 978-0823084128
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #468,913 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars He's part of the problem, February 12, 2005

By	P. Ramon (Ohio) - See all my reviews

In the world of songwriting, there are artists and craftsmen. The artist will produce for you a work of originality that no one else has ever done quite the same way before, that will touch you in some unique way and that will stay with you. The craftsman will give you a serviceable reproduction of something but it will lack anything special and will have the lifespan of a fruit fly. Jason Blume is a craftsman. He makes his living by studying "the market" and basically rewriting other people's songs. Ideas are difficult things. Not everyone has great ideas, so some take the road Jason Blume has taken. He's apparently feeding his family by being a craftsman, so there's nothing wrong with that. We need bricklayers as much as we need architects. I'm just letting you know what you're getting into here. If you want to learn how to design a beautiful building, you don't study with the bricklayer. This guy ain't no talented songwriter but he is living proof that you apparently don't have to have talent to make money in the music biz these days. I'm sure that gives hope to a lot of untalented people, which is probably why this book has gotten such good reviews. He's strictly a bubblegum pop writer, so if that's the direction you want to go in, maybe you'll get something out of this book. Just remember that bubblegum loses its flavor really fast. If you're really serious about this, if it's something that burns within you and you want a real career as a songwriter, you should shop around for a better book. This one will only make you feel that you're in the wrong business.
This book is littered with quotes from music biz insiders that are far more insightful than anything Jason Blume has to say. And the interesting thing is, they mostly contradict his thoughts about what make a great song and a great songwriter. For example, here's what one producer had to say:

"The great writers of this century are all originals. You will find that the vast majority of their work was not 'commercial' until after it was successful."

Contrast that with Jason Blume's advice: you'll get nowhere unless you learn to mimic what's already successful. Time and again, musicians, producers and execs are quoted in the book as saying you need to be yourself and be original. It's hard to understand what these quotes are doing in this book because Jason Blume has no idea what constitutes originality and probably doesn't want to know because he makes his living by writing sound-alike junk that is designed to appeal to the lowest common demoninator and to copy the other crap that's on the radio. I laughed out loud when I read this but here are some lyrics that Jason Blume, believe it or not, describes as "a completely new approach" and "truly novel":

It's getting hot in herre
So take off all your clothes

I'm not kidding! He thinks this is great, fresh, original songwriting! If this is your idea of brilliant lyrics, I feel sorry for you. He gives lip service to "originality" but then shows his hand with the examples of what he thinks constitutes the good stuff. In another example, he pats himself on the back for having the brilliant idea of writing a "dear diary" song for Britney Spears. He actually thinks that's an original idea that's never been done before! And he doesn't even pull it off well. It's typical junk pop lyrics that only a 13 year old with her first crush could possibly be moved by. Blume comes across as someone who would gladly jump on any musical bandwagon that comes along. He's never met a hit song he didn't like because if it's a hit, it must be good. He's the happy lap dog of a cynical system that is destroying the music business and making it hard for real talent to be heard. If that sounds ridiculous to you, you're either: a) not old enough to remember when the music/radio business was controlled by the demands of the audience to hear good music, not by greedy, shortsighted corporations who care more about their shareholders than their audience, b) you just have terrible taste in music and you LIKE what you hear on the radio, or c) you don't really care about music, just money. It's sad that there are people (just read these reviews) who think they can read a book like this and follow its advice all the way to fame and riches. Forget about it. In fact, I wonder how well Jason Blume is doing now that Britney and boy bands are over. That's probably why he's writing books and teaching classes now.
I gave this book two stars because there is some useful information about the way things work in the music business today. If you still want to get involved with it after reading this, good luck to you!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delivers what it promises!, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 6 Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs (Hardcover)

Although writing music is actually too ephemeral to break down scientifically, Jason Blume is generous in sharing what has worked and NOT worked for him - and he sets a good example for aspiring professional songwriters. I especially appreciated that HALF the book is about the BUSINESS of songwriting - what's necessary to get songs recorded and released - the networking and just plain LUCK that go into "the deal"! I remember Jason's early songs from his first years in LA, and he HAS come a long way and is living proof that his methods work!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complete A to Z guide!, December 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 6 Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs (Hardcover)

This book is THE most comprehensive book for anyone who writes or wants to understand how the music industry works. Blume fills the book with personal insights and strong examples from industry greats. A successful writer himself, this book is full of proven step by step approaches for you to follow concerning any aspect of a writer's career in the music industry.

Highly reccommended!