httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5fuaYI-JUk
David Foster’s 10 tips for songwriters from his speech upon accepting the BMI Icon Award.
- Save your money. If you make a dollar, make it 50 cents because the other half belongs to the government.
- Don’t get married unless you really, really want to.
- If you’re a songwriter and don’t play an instrument, learn one.
- Don’t be too precious about your craft. We’re making music for the heart but we’re not curing heart disease. There’s only 26 letters and 12 notes, and Beethoven and Shakespeare said it better than we ever will.
- Try to be genuinely excited for someone else’s success. It’s good karma.
- Phone people back, and I mean everyone. Don’t let your people do everything for you. It will alienate you when you need those people the most.
- If your is going on it make sure you’ve given it every ounce you have.
- Be on time. Every single person’s time is as valuable as yours no matter what position they are in life or in business.
- Try to make every creative decision as if you have millions of dollars in the bank even if you have nothing in the bank.
- Save your money.
Reading this I am guilty of not following three of these suggestions. I’m going to work on improving that.