Pitch #2374
Cody Johnson. Veteran music publisher with multiple current cuts on major artists is seeking songs for Warner Music Nashville recording artist Cody Johnson. Before pitching, please read the entire description (a few times;-). This is a competitive pitch. We're trying to thread a needle to find the best songs the artist wants to make their own.
What to submit:Focus on the type of songs he would sing. He is a family man. His audience is both young and old. The younger folks really get into his high-energy live shows, where he plays one uptempo song after another. So, submitting tempo songs works, BUT importantly, they should be fresh/interesting ideas. Do NOT pitch songs about drinking, bars, life in a bar, or meeting a new girl for the first time. Something positive, different, or cleverly written will be more on the mark.
He might do a poignant, third-person story song about real life that may even touch on difficult topics like Brad Paisley's "Whiskey Lullaby," BUT importantly, without the liquor as the main character. For slower songs, his songs "'Til You Can't" and "Human" are still the types of songs he would cut. Before pitching, please research his style and songs, particularly the "Human" album.
Finally, he would consider something very country, as long as the melody was different and not too dated. The artist Shawn Camp is a good example of that. Look up Shawn Camp for a direction of pure Country that's not dated sounding.
Demo quality: You can submit a high-quality guitar/vocal or full demo. They are cutting after the first of the year.
Here's a recent article about Cody in Music Row Magazine: https://musicrow.com/2024/10/cody-johnson-heralded-as-a-champion-for-songwriters-at-double-no-1-party/
In general, Here is what this pitch guest is seeking in every song that is pitched to them:
-- Fresh ideas and interesting titles; lead directly to the title in a strong way to make the title stand out.
-- Get your first verse set up much quicker to grab the listener within the first 30 seconds from when it starts. Most of the time, I don't even get to the second verse if the first verse does not draw me in. Your song may not need a pre-chorus. Try to get to the point and make it pay off quickly.
-- Before pitching, please do your research. Really listen to the artist and see what kind of songs they like to cut. Figure out what they like, how they sing, and what songs they lean toward.
-- Please read the description/brief and submit only what we request. For example, if we're looking for uptempo, only send uptempo. If we mention "no drinking songs", then please don't send a drinking song.
-- Read a lot for new ideas and stories. For Country songs, study the lyrics of great writers like Shane McAnally, Michael Hardy, Don Schlitz, Bobby Braddock, and Lori McKenna.
Pitch Follow-up: If this guest expresses interest in your song, they will pitch it with the understanding that you will be asked to sign a single song agreement with the publishing company if there is interest in the song.
Pitch #2375
Fun Contemporary Girl Pop For New TV Series. A Street Pitch guest is seeking songs for sync licensing. Please read the entire brief before submitting it, and pitch it appropriately.
This is for a new cable series. Seeking: Pop songs that today's elementary school-age girls and tweens would like. Something with FUN ENERGY that they would dance to. Must have clean lyric versions. References: "Shake It Off" Taylor Swift, "Flowers" Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, etc.
Songwriters, important: Songs submitted have to be cleared for sync licensing as per the following guidelines (no exceptions):
- You must own both your master (recordings) and 100% of your synchronization (publishing). If you do not...
- Then, all master owners, co-writer(s) or co-publisher(s), must sign our licensing agreement as well.
- Songs must be CLEARED: meaning if you have paid musicians and/or singers including background vocalists, you must have a signed 'work for hire' OR RELEASE form for each person involved in making your recording so that they have no further claim to the song. Please note that the producer who produced your recording should be able to help you acquire a work-for-hire agreement or release; however, in many cases, there may be a fee involved, particularly if the recording was purchased as a demo. No writers signed with major publishing companies with major administration deals.
- Submissions must be MASTER/BROADCAST QUALITY recordings. If we express interest, you will need to supply us with a mastered copy of both the song AND an instrumental track.
Pitch Follow-Up: If this guest expresses interest in your song you will be asked to sign an agreement for this project only (non-exclusive); with a 50%/50% split for both the master/sync licenses. Will not take publishing of the song so the publisher/writers will get all the performance income. If there is no upfront licensing fee, the 'guest' will take 50% of the publishing income for this placement only. The 'guest' will not take ownership of the copyright.