THE CRAFT AND BUSINESS OF SONGWRITING > Third Edition by John Braheny

It’s hard to conceive of a how-to book for songwriters covering more territory-and doing it more effectively-than The Craft and Business of Songwriting. Braheny’s tome is now in its third edition, no doubt owing to its accessibility, thoroughness and practicality-not to mention all of the updates needed to explain new digital technologies and the music industry’s constant shape-shifting. As suggested by its title, the book addresses both the craft of songwriting itself and the goal of getting paid for doing it.Label: WRITER’S DIGEST
[Rating: 4.5]

It’s hard to conceive of a how-to book for songwriters covering more territory-and doing it more effectively-than The Craft and Business of Songwriting. Braheny’s tome is now in its third edition, no doubt owing to its accessibility, thoroughness and practicality-not to mention all of the updates needed to explain new digital technologies and the music industry’s constant shape-shifting. As suggested by its title, the book addresses both the craft of songwriting itself and the goal of getting paid for doing it. But breadth-in this case-doesn’t mean lack of depth. Craft and Business doesn’t just stick to the more obvious topics. The first half offers advice and exercises geared toward helping songwriters glean ideas from all manner of sources, find their natural speech patterns, come up with better titles, beat writer’s block and collaborate successfully.  The second half details everything from copyright law to getting past “no unsolicited material” policies. The book may not be able to guarantee a string of high-profile cuts, but it does provide a detailed and reliable road map for the journey.