Ever wonder why some songwriters get the deals while others, with incredible talent, style and know-how, never even get the slightest nod from industry professionals? As a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency, and as a session singer and writer myself with TV and radio credits, I am well aware of the difficulties and challenges that face many young writers today. As if talent and know-how weren't enough, today's writers are faced with the ever increasing challenge of partitioning their writing styles from the endless barrage of production makeovers of what would otherwise be mediocre songs at best.

Today, the onset of the computer, drum loops, samples and limited music abilities rule - Or do they? In one sense that last statement is true, and in another, it's not. Let's take a closer look.

Yes it's true that many mediocre writers are making it, will continue to make it, and in one sense it seems unfair, and in another, what does one expect. Music is written, deployed and embarked upon from a market driven perspective. While a volume of music is being created from a very shallow writing and production style, there is left a vacuum for songs and music that is yearned by a large segment of the population, particularly baby boomers, who miss the "days of the past" where style and passion ruled. Don't forget that, and in fact, if you will keep that in the back of your mind while you are writing, you will be one step closer to success.

Continue to write from within and from who you are, but don't be caught up in the music fads, what's hot at the moment and what "seems" to work - Stay in it for the long haul. If you continue to write with substance, style and your own creativity from who you are and where "life" has carried your writing style too, you'll be driven by the craft of the song and not the latest music industry craze.

Your next step in your zeal in becoming a great songwriter with artist deals and record cuts lies within your marketing. Today's music industry demands that you not only write the next "hit" song, but that you are able to sell and market your next big "hit" - Forget the song selling itself. Sadly enough, this is the case a lot of the time. But there are still A&R directors, production and artists who look at the strength and character of the song, yet they're becoming more and more obscure and extinct. If you write country music, you'll have an easier time finding individuals who will look at the strength of your song and not just pure marketing, while other genres are not as conducive to song viability, but marketing viability as the "rule of law".

Understanding your new role as marketing agent is crucial to your writing success. But just as crucial, as if there's not a myriad of things that aren't, is your production strength. Many great songs today don't make it, simply because the production didn't yield the emotional tone, upbeat or not, that the song implores. We all wish the day was back when a great song stood on its own, but many a song demo is actually the track used for the final artist record cut today. You can no longer get away with "fairly" good sounding tracks, they have to sound like a record cut. Now while I have just made that last statement emphatically, again one of the few genres that will allow a guitar/vocal, and I really don't recommend it unless requested, is the country music industry. But just as country music has gained in popularity the last decade and a half, so has the demand for quality and highly produced song demos as well.

So much more can be written on this topic, but for the sake of time and length restraints, I will end this by encouraging you. Stay focused, believe in your writing, but be honest at the same time and demand the highest in quality of your song demos and learn from others who have the "sell ability" factor in marketing their songs or products. This is a new day in the music industry, but you can succeed if you will hold to your writing values as key and not to the latest music whim.

This article was written by Tom Gauger. Please visit www.reelmusician.com for more information on this topic. Mr. Gauger is available for consultation, seminars, as well as song production and individual jingle demo reels and can be contacted at tgauger@reelmusician.com or 615-300-5030.