Monthly Archives: July 2013

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    Mad Sun’s Laura Whitmore Moderates Panel with Hit Songwriters

Mad Sun’s Laura Whitmore Moderates Panel with Hit Songwriters

Mad Sun Marketing’s Laura B. Whitmore hosted a panel at Summer NAMM 2013 featuring top figures in the Nashville songwriting scene.The panel, consisting of John Ozier of ole’ Music Publishing, hit songwriters Marty Dodson and Liz Hengber, and Dean Burner of the band Edens Edge, covered tops from song form to collaboration. Panelists shared insights and anecdotes that kept the capacity audience enthralled.

The panel was sponsored by NewBay Media, publishers of Guitar World, Guitar Player, Bass Player, Electronic Musician, Keyboard Magazine and more. Whitmore also conducted a workshop on Marketing and PR for Musicians. Notes from that presentation can be downloaded here: http://www.slideshare.net/madsun/marketing-and-pr-checklist-for-musicians

Notes from the panel are below.

SONGWRITING TIPS FROM TOP NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS
JULY 13, 2013

Presented by:
Laura B Whitmore – www.mad-sun.com

Panel
John Ozier – ole’ Music Publishing, www.weareindie.com
Liz Hengber – find out more about her book at www.musicrowbook.com
Marty Dodson – check out his new organization at Facebook.com/songtownUSA
Dean Burner – Edens Edge, www.edensedge.com

Notes:

Ideas and hooks:
Keep you ideas in a tickler file – on your phone, in a book, etc.
Writing from the hook helps you know where you are going before you start
Marty uses the Bento database – it helps sync ideas
Grab somebody in the first line
Watch movies and TV to find great hooks
Find a great author that says things in interesting ways
Quotes can be a resource for hooks

Collaborating:
Try not to be stubborn and be supportive when collaborating
There needs to be an equality in the room
Check your ego at the door
Go out of your element so you are not in any one person’s domain

A good song:
It’s not a science – it’s a feeling
If it gets me from the first line then it works
Odds are better to get a song picked up that is up tempo
Does it need to […]

Casio Partners with Lightining100 for Summer NAMM Events

Popular Nashville Independent Radio Station And Casio Gear Up For A Week Of Promotion, Live Music And Giveaways

Casio America, Inc. and radio station Lightning100 announce a partnership promotion taking place during the Summer NAMM show in Nashville, TN, which is the week of July 8-13, 2013.

Throughout this week, Casio and Lightning100 will facilitate a giveaway and other on-air promotions, culminating with a live broadcast from Casio’s booth (#910) on Friday, July 12 from 11am – 1pm at the Nashville Music City Center. Listeners can tune in to Lightning100 at 100.1FM in Nashville or worldwide at lightning100.com. The broadcast will include a live, in-booth performance by songwriter/pianist Brooke Waggoner.

Later that evening, Casio and Lightning100 will sponsor a live music event at Nashville venue Soulshine Pizza (1907 Division Street) from 7pm – 10pm. Open to the public and free, this event is on a first come, first serve basis. Showcasing some of Nashville’s best talent, the event will feature Brooke Waggoner, Vinyl Thief and VITEK, and will spotlight the new Casio Privia Pro PX-5S keyboard.

Songwriter and composer Brooke Waggoner has appeared on camera with Jack White during the 2013 Grammy Awards live broadcast, and have toured with White throughout 2012 and 2013. Waggoner also recently released a new album, Originator, and is currently touring as direct support for Jars of Clay.

Fronted by singer/keyboardist Grayson Proctor, electro-rockers Vinyl Thief are performing select shows this summer with The Joy Formidable. The group released its latest EP Rebel Hill last year, and has subsequently won over audiences and critics throughout the Southeast.

A 5-piece band consisting of some of Nashville’s most forward-thinking musicians, VITEK is fronted by singer/pianist Gabrahm Vitek. With the recent debut of their single “Sunbird,” VITEK are […]

  • Dean Berner with Eden's Edge
    Permalink Dean Berner of Edens Edge will join the panel of top songwriters moderated by Laura B. Whitmore at Summer NAMM 2013 in Nashville on July 13. Photo by Big Machine Records Jeremy Cowart.Gallery

    Mad Sun’s Laura B. Whitmore hosts hit songwriter panel at Summer NAMM 2013

Mad Sun’s Laura B. Whitmore hosts hit songwriter panel at Summer NAMM 2013

If you’re in the Nashville area July 11-13, 2013, then check out Summer NAMM at the brand spanking new Nashville convention center. Saturday, July 13, NAMM will be opening the doors to the public for its “Music Industry Day.”

Taking part in the selection of workshops, panels and events that day is Mad Sun’s own Laura B. Whitmore, author of the Guitar World Guitar Girl’d blog. She’ll be participating in a series of workshops presented by NewBay Media, publisher of Guitar World, Guitar Player, Bass Player and more. First up she’ll be presenting a workshop on marketing and PR for musicians at 11am. And at 1pm she’ll moderate a roundtable discussion with some of Nashville’s top songwriters. Both sessions will take place in Convention Center room 205B

The panel, titled, “Top Nashville Songwriters Share Tips for Success,” includes John Ozier, general manager of creative in Nashville for ole Music Publishing; songwriter and guitarist Dean Berner of the band Edens Edge; and hit songwriters Liz Hengber and Marty Dodson.

Here’s more info on the panelists, and find out more about what’s going on during “Music Industry Day” at NAMM at http://www.namm.org/summer/2013/musicindustryday

John Ozier, General Manager, Creative, Nashville
Ole’ Music Publishing
John Ozier is General Manager, Creative in Nashville for ole’ Music Publishing. Prior to this role he was at Curb Records, where his track record includes placing songs recorded by Tim McGraw, Rodney Atkins, Clay Walker, Lee Brice, Ronnie Dunn, Jo Dee Messina, LeAnn Rimes and many more. In 2010, Ozier was responsible for four songs in the Top 15 on the Billboard country charts, including the longest-ever running single, Brice’s “Love Like Crazy,” at 56 weeks. More recently, he was responsible for No. 1s by Rodney Atkins (“Take A Back Road”) and Brice (“A […]