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Ronstadt was all about performance (and presentation)  I give her credit for what she did, but it wasn't as much as she often gets credit for! Her performance on 'Desperado' was memorable (even live) but she didn't write it.
Point of my original thought was that nobody seems to know who wrote what. I know people who still think The Four Seasons wrote I Got You Under My Skin because they had a hit with it. Springsteen with Fire and Because The Night, Smokey Robinson wrote My Girl, Leon Russell wrote This Masquerade though Benson had the hit, etc.... that kind of story goes on and on.
I mentioned Diane Warren because she doesn't really tour and perform. She just cashes royalty checks every time HBO runs Titanic or Armageddon. Or Con Air, or Mannequin, or Up Close and Personal, or The Last Dragon, or... LOL!!
Man, if I could write ONE song like that. Just one.... total "bucket list" thing....
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Joined: Jul 2007
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A great deal of sense already posted in this thread. to which I would add..if you want to write a successful song, base it on the legendary '4 chord' sequence discussed not so long ago here... http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=287826&an=0&page=28(scroll down to Noel's post - the 4th)
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Joined: May 2008
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Melody grabs you. Lyrics hold you. Vocal stirs you. Your emotions react. You want to hear it again. You feel good playing it for and recommending it to your friends. The process repeats with them. And enough people actually buy it. Beyond that, imo it is all business and promotion as previously discussed. Eddie, I'm also a huge DW fan. Great writer. Have you seen the clip of her singing and playing the piano at a writer's tribute in '88 with Gerry Goffin and Carole King singing backup? No autotune LOL. It's great. Here's the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knW0_HqoE7Y
Last edited by Sundance; 05/02/11 09:22 PM.
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It's interesting to me how many of us seem to have interpreted this question differently. The question has been variously interpreted as...
"what makes a song GOOD?" or
"what makes a song LUCRATIVE?" or
"what makes a song ENJOYABLE?" or
"what makes a song POPULAR?" or
"what makes a song INTERESTING?" etc
But the original question was specifically about commercial success. If you aren't making money, then music is a hobby not a business.
The question assumes the music is good, but then wonders why not all good music sells. This more of a business question than it is a music question.
Artists tend to be notoriously bad business people because they are too invested in their art to sell it objectively. For the same reason that you should let somebody else master your songs, most of us would be wise to let somebody else market our music.
The 1st question, then, is how to find a sponsor with enough influence to represent you effectively
The 2nd question is how to get noticed by that sponsor
My personal opinion is that sponsors look specifically for talented artists who are naive and easily persuaded to sign contracts that give most of the profit to the sponsor.
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While I admit that promotion has a great deal to do with it, especially in the short term, it isn't the entire story.
As I age myself, I play music for older people and I observe what old people react to.
I often wonder why some songs like "Old Time Rock And Roll" immediately fill the dance floor while other Bob Seger songs do not. Surely they were promoted as much.
Same goes for Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Roy Orbison, The Rascals, Wilson Pickett, and just about any artist or group out there. Why do some songs stand up to the test of time and others do not?
What is it about "In The Mood" that works on the Baby Boomer generation even though it was the music of their parents??? "Perdido" which is a better song at about the same feel and tempo doesn't work as well, and "Corner Pocket" which is even better gets minimal recognition.
As I said before, if anyone could definitely figure out what will make the public embrace a song, they could go into the consulting business and make tons of money. Every record company executive in the world would pay big money to know which songs will succeed and which ones will bomb.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
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Most good songs tell a story. Not a "ballad" story necessarily, but a story nonetheless.
They take you somewhere. They create dissonance or conflict or tension which may or may not be resolved, but is addressed and caressed and becomes meaningful, and usually personal to the listener.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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