Write THIS Music-Song Rewrite Assistance and Consulting

The rewrite consult is a form of song coaching. Traditionally, song coaching is about providing general guidance that helps writers improve their writing craft overall. Some think of song coaching as song writing lessons using the students songs as the media for learning. The song coach isn't emotionally invested in the songs themselves but is invested in the writer as a student of the craft. The coach isn't typically listed as a co-author and receives none of the publishing or writing credit.

The rewrite consult takes it a step further. The consultant is actually involved in the rewrite process and may actually contribute materially to the song. In so doing the consultant becomes every bit as invested in the song as the writer. The advantage here is that every song attains market potential which is the reason rewrite consults aren't offered on every song. Not only do we have to believe that a song has the potential to become a true contender, but we also have to have in mind a specific strategy for making that happen before we offer a rewrite consult.

Song coaching, on the other hand, can only assure that a song will reach it's full potential as is. A song may become a better song following song coaching, but it may still lack what it takes to compete on Music Row.

The rewrite consult is specifically designed to help the serious writer get a song to a place where it really does have a shot, even if that means altering the framework, slant, or direction of the song. For that reason the writer must be open minded.

We've found that writers learn a tremendous amount about the real world of competitive song writing through the rewrite consult...usually more so than if the writer was only being offered the usual tried and tested principles that apply to all songs by someone who's not truly invested in the song itself. The perfect candidate for a rewrite consult is the writer who has a song that he/she truly believes in, despite the fact that the song keeps getting turned down.

Why? Because in Nashville, songs often get rejected for reasons other than the intro being too long or taking too long to get to the hook. A song that's great by traditional textbook standards might still get rejected simply because of current trends in the industry. The industry is a moving target and the rules are constantly changing. Being on the inside track we hear about subtle shifts that occur, sometimes on a daily basis, and thus can react appropriately. This type of information is well beyond the scope of what is offered on a standard tip sheet and is usually communicated by word of mouth.

We make every possible effort to head off any and all issues that could restrict a song's pitch potential, or in industry terms, issues that could make the song a 'narrow pitch'.

There's simply no better, faster, or cheaper way to 1) learn what you have to know to get a song cut in Nashville, and 2) get a song in shape for pitching on Music Row, than the rewrite consult.

How does a Rewrite Consult work?

The first thing we'll do is evaluate your song through a standard song critique. The cost for a song critique is $10/song. Click HERE if you'd like to order a song critique. We'll tell you your song is a candidate for a rewrite consult if we believe your song has market potential. About 1 or 2 in every 15 songs we receive are songs we believe we know how to turn into contenders. If we recommend a consult and you accept...

1.    We'll identify specific issues that we believe need to be addressed to make your song a contender.

2.    We'll provide you with specific recommendations and suggestions to help you resolve the issues we've identified, and we will help you implement them..

3.    A single song contract will be offered for any song completed under a rewrite consult. Songs recommended for rewrite consults are songs that we believe in and that we're invested in so we naturally want them in our catalog. However, you are under no obligation to accept our offer. We are actively engaged in song plugging on Music Row and if your song is a contender we'll pitch your song to the same artists to whom we pitch the rest of our catalog.

You can work on implementing our suggestions on your own in more of a coaching paradigm, or we will can actually co-rewrite your song with you. That's up to you. Some writers do most of actual rewriting themselves using our song coaching to guide them and some choose a little of both. We'll only be as involved as you want us to be.

In a case where we contribute to the writing of the song itself, we will ask for co-writing credit, but only for artistic reasons, not for financial gain. Thus we only ask for 1% of the writers share when the writer registers the song with his/her PRO. Therefore, following a rewrite consult, the writer will own 100% of the publishing share and 100% of the writing share, unless we contribute materially in which case the writer will own 100% and 99%, respectively. In some rewrite consults all that's needed is coaching. On others we are very involved. It depends on the song and how much the writer wants to involve us.

How much does a Rewrite Consult cost?

The cost is $89/hour. This usually covers 3 - 4 rounds of us offering suggestions and ideas and you responding by resubmitting drafts. A one hour consult is usually enough to get a song most of the way there. Some songs take less than an hour, some take more.

Before and After Examples

These are examples of songs before and after undergoing rewrite consults. The 'Before' columns represent the lyrics and demos just the way we received them, and the 'After' columns represent the lyric and demos following rewrite consults.

(Click below to read lyrics and/or listen to demos.)

                         LYRICS                     DEMO
Example 1:    Before    After            Before    After

Example 2:    Before    After            Before    After

Example 3:    Before    After            Before    After

Example 4:    Before    After            Before    After

Example 5:    Before    After            Before    After