Stop Writing Songs “To Make Money” and Start Creating Legacy Hits

Dear Songwriters,

I’m sending out this open letter to address something I’ve been observing and hearing a lot lately.

I’ve learned the importance of being direct and honest from one of my creative publishing mentors, Steve Lindsey. Additionally, one of my coaches Dan Sullivan says, “All progress starts with the truth.” So, you might not like what I have to say today… but you’ll love that I was upfront months or years from now when you’re cashing Billboard Hot 100 royalty checks with meaningful songs (including the ones that get you on the dance floor).

In my opinion, recently in the music publishing and professional songwriting community, I’ve been hearing far too many of what I call “transactional” songs. Simply put, a “transactional” song is one that’s clearly written just to make money.

It may or may not be counterintuitive – because you’re a “professional” songwriter after all, right? I mean we are here to ultimately have a career and make money. So why not write songs that are intentionally commercial?

As Diane Lane once said of The Fabulous Stains, “Do you want to be a professional?”

Sure. But we need to put the term “professional songwriter” in context. And here it is. To quote Quincy Jones: “God walks out of the room when you do music for money.”

“God walks out of the room when you do music for money.” – Quincy Jones

Now, surely when Quincy and Michael Jackson were making the Thriller album—they were probably hearing dollar signs knocking on their bank accounts. However, every song on that album was also what I would call “song art” and high-pop “songcraft.” These were songs that were written with a burning essentialism and love for pop music and the craft. Not just to make money.

I’ll put it another way: if you’re starting to write a song—or you’re in a session—and it’s coming from a place of “writing to make money,” especially if it sounds as though AI could have written it (e.g., Suno or Udio), please stop immediately and start over.

Make no mistake, these days it’s more important than ever to write a song that actually means something to you, whether it’s a “get-on-the-dance-floor” record or the most intimate song about your broken heart. In either case, a question you should ask yourself is: “Do I have a real connection to what I’m writing right now?” Or could you care less for your art and are really just looking to create something to cover the rent next month? And I get it—that is vitally important too.

However, getting the rent paid, or writing a song to buy your next piece of bling (whatever that is to you), is not the mindset of how the biggest artists and hit-makers historically made their biggest and most important songs.

This mindset is critical because soon, anyone—literally anyone—will be able to pump out what I call “transactional” songs using AI. In fact, that’s happening right now. Now, these are songs clearly written (or prompted) to make money. And while these tunes may sound catchy—ultimately, they’re soulless (for now).

I want to emphasize the seriousness of this. Looking ahead a few years, traditional “professional songwriting” jobs are already gone. In fact, I just canceled and pulled a publishing offer I was working on because the songs were just coming in from the writer as being too “transactional.”

You are going to shine and make seven figures a year by writing songs that AI can’t make (for now).

Yes, now, I know it’s possible that your publisher or manager can place and secure recordings for some of these “transactional” songs. However, even if these songs are released (and featured on a “New Music Something” playlist), it’s very likely that no one will care about them in 6 to 18 months.

In other words – most writers and artists are making songs for the proverbial DSP wasteland.

THIS IS THE SILENT CRISIS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

In fact, I’m just coming back from China, and the “TikTok” platform there, Douyin, has music artists whose “smash hits” (from what I’m told) really don’t even last more than a month!

Also, as a reminder, if you’re aiming for the US market (which you should), you need to please skew more toward culturally standing for something cool, alternative, and edgy—focusing on meaningful lyrics; hip-hop, R&B, Afrobeat, indie, or fringe, underground music; and new classics with a high level of song art. This includes songs that just sound different. Ideally, you can also create a new narrative for a key artist (even yourself) and make the A&R person look like a genius.

Also, how about this: aspire to write the kinds of songs that got you hooked on songwriting in the first place!

It’s crucial to remember, and this is a key takeaway of my open letter to you: There is NO LEGACY in writing “transactional” songs. Also, these songs generally will never become long-standing copyrights, which is the game we’re in.

So, stop it.

To clarify where I’m coming from: “Toxic” by Britney Spears is what I consider both song art and embraces high songcraft. It also happens to have earned a gazillion dollars of royalties because the song is just so damn good. In fact, there are probably 1,000+ solid covers of this song (despite “Toxic” apparently not even being considered for Britney’s album at one point).

In other words, it’s a modern copyright.

On the other hand—I have the same absolute admiration for a song like Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” I was there when Paul Simon got the award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame for a “Towering Song” achievement. It was awesome. Check it out here for yourself.

Or can you aspire to, instead of writing a song for money—write a song that’s worthy of being nominated for a Grammy?

Songs uploaded daily to the DSPs

On the other hand, anyone (and I mean anyone) these days can write a “transactional” song (there are literally thousands being pumped out every day by your colleagues).

Only you, if you choose to, can create the next piece of songcraft or song art—the perennial song, the lasting copyright.

Whatever that means to you.

I probably haven’t said this before—perhaps I just assumed it—so I’m saying it here now.

While I like royalties and recouping deals, I am not interested in “transactional” songs. I can’t have passive royalty income (nor can you) in 5, 10 and ideally 20 years+, based on “transactional” writing (or what our Grammy-nominated songwriting friend and client Jesse Thomas calls “fluff” songs).

To be clear, writing ‘transactional’ songs is not your job, and it also won’t work for you in the future.

Our collective interest is in creating song art and songcraft—songs that should consequently become hits, copyrights, masterpieces, legacies.

I need more songs written solely for the LOVE OF WRITING SONGS (or pop music, etc.) rather than for the LOVE OF MONEY or PAYING RENT (and I get it too – the rent is too damn high and it does need to get paid somehow).

But I want to be clear. There’s a huge deception at play when it comes to these types of songs i.e., the “let’s-write-a-song-so-I-can-pay-my-rent” type. I need to be crystal clear that these types of songs are NOT your targets. Why?

Because (a) they won’t be able to pay your rent in one to two years (especially with AI songs being pumped out), and (b) they probably won’t be worth much in five years. In other words “transactional” songs rarely stand the test of time.

We need more songs right now where the target is writing the Grammy Song of the Year—not something “transactional.”

Grammy Song of the Year winners – even though no one’s ever heard that Bonnie Raitt song. What?

So, even if you’re writing something and thinking of big artists that are selling huge and doing major streams but might be considered “transient,” the song still needs to have the highest level of songcraft, song art, and excitement possible.

Make it important to you (even if it’s a dance-floor banger) and consequently, it will become important to someone else. Hopefully, millions of people.

And look, this is not just about writing “important” songs. If you do write a one-hit wonder type of song (i.e. Six Mix Alot “Baby Got Back” as example) – make it a masterpiece!

Putting your love and songcraft into writing “non transactional” songs will ensure that the song will be important to someone!

In summary, please:

Target the highest song art and songcraft you can and tap into that vibrant, exciting part of you that got you into this business in the first place—whatever that is.

Realize there’s little to no future (now or in the coming years) in making “transactional” songs.

Lastly, here are some additional supportive articles to set you up for the right inspiration:

The world is your oyster when you do the opposite of what everyone else is doing or thinks has value.

Yours,

Benjamin

Photo credits:
Los Angeles Times, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons