Writing Sessions + The Release Cycle

"Writing is a creative process that involves a lot of trial and error, even if you’re a well-seasoned professional"

May 05, 2023

Today we welcome Esthy and Keely Bremner back on our pages - we’ll dive one last time into songwriting sessions, to then switch over to planning a release cycle.

Writing Session Tips from Esthy

A panellist at this year’s NAMM Show in Los Angeles, Esthy is an established producer, songwriter and overall creative peep. She guides us into some more writing session tips - make sure to take notes!

I am a music producer, songwriter, and artist in Los Angeles. I’ve been working in the music industry for quite a few years now, and these are the tips that I wish someone had shared with me about writing sessions before I stepped into the scene:

The most important thing to clarify first is what the goal of the writing session is. Is it to write a song that is suitable for sync placements on TV, for a bigger artist/label, or for you or the person you’re writing with? Whatever it might be, make sure to talk about it before you get started.

Once you have that down, you all know that now you are moving towards a common goal. This is important to establish for many reasons, but here’s a common example: A writing session often has more than one topliner, so it's crucial to clarify who the song is for in advance, as it gets really awkward very quickly if you’d both like to keep the song for yourself.

If you’re just starting out, it’s essential to keep in mind that everybody is human and that writing is a creative process that involves a lot of trial and error, even if you’re a well-seasoned professional. Don’t be afraid to throw out ideas, loops, lyrics, and melodies once you establish the goal and the mood/theme of the song. In my writing sessions, we often go through 5-6 ideas before settling on the one we're going to work on. Even then, don't be afraid to express your opinion. If after 30 minutes, you feel that the basic melody/hook is dull, there’s a big chance your writing partner feels the same way. Don’t be afraid to speak up and consider changing directions at any point in the writing session.

Another crucial thing is to understand your role in this session. A writing session typically consists of a music producer, a songwriter, and a topliner/artist. In most cases, people have multiple skills, so it's essential to define roles and make it clear what your contribution to the song will likely be, leaving room for others to do their parts as well. Of course, feel free to speak your mind on any matter, but make sure that everyone feels heard, and it is a collaboration.

Lastly, write and sign a split sheet! At the end of each session, write up the master and publishing percentages that you guys decided to have on the song. Make sure to include your PRO info, for instance, your IPI number in the US or PRS number in the UK (as well as additional sub-publishers or administering publishers you might have).

Make sure EVERYONE in the room signs the split sheet and that you all have a copy of the paperwork, even if it's just a 20-second jingle for a friend. You never know when a huge opportunity will land for a song, and if the bag is big, you need to make sure everyone remembers their share correctly.

One more tip: Register the song on the PRO system, even if it’s not released yet or never will be released. This will come in handy if you happen to land a sync placement.

If you don’t know about master and publishing rights, and PRO registration, make sure to dive into it (a Google search does wonders) before you move forward with your music career. It’s essential to understand your rights and contribution shares, and to see how you can get paid for your musical works.

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Getting Ready for a Release Cycle

A PR and Media specialist, Keely Bremner sheds some light on how to approach an upcoming release.

Hello friends & welcome back, I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of Spring!

Spring is “a time or season of growth or development” and after a long Winter of hibernation and careful cultivation for the next year ahead, it is the perfect time to re-emerge from our long Winter's nap. Hopefully, full of energy and ready to burst into gear alongside the varying forms of new life we are blessed to be surrounded with at this time of year.

For me, the year really Springs into action around March and as one who often feels the immense societal pressures of January's New Year's resolutions and all the expectations they encompass, it’s a refreshing and comforting thought that even in Nature itself, it’s not until Spring that life begins to stir above the surface again. So blow away any thoughts of doubt, especially if the year isn’t quite going how you expected so far and take the pressure off. It’s not too late for a sensational 2023 and perhaps we could all take a leaf out of Nature's book and tune into the seasons and cycles more.

Spring also makes for a fabulous time to enter into a release cycle, to start sharing singles in preparation for an upcoming EP in Summer, or for a longer-term album release in Autumn.

When planning releases, it’s always best to give yourself a little more time than originally intended. This allows for any delays, particularly if you are still awaiting final mixes, artwork, videos and press photos to be completed. If possible, make sure you have all these assets ready and collated before committing to a release date.

As a rule of thumb anywhere between 4-6 weeks pre-release for a Single/Music video (longer for an EP or album) is a good period of time to aim for, to have everything ready for pitching and promotional activities. If you’re doing a DIY campaign you’ll need time to gather assets, create a press release, pitch to Radio, Spotify editorial via Spotify for Artists, Amazon Music, promote on socials and pitch to press outlets. To help prepare for any upcoming projects I’ve created a little assets/pre-release checklist to help make things easier. Top tip: Google Drive makes for an excellent, easy and free resource to collate and share all your assets.

Pre- Release & Pre-Pitch Checklist:

4-5 new press photos, single artwork (+ photographer credits).
Private Soundcloud/Disco link.
Unlisted Youtube link (for music videos).
Final MP3/WAV.
Up-to-date artist Bio.
Short paragraph from the artist. (This can be dissecting the songwriting process, what the track means etc)
Up-to-date social links.
Any other visual assets, Spotify canvas video, Social Media clips etc.
Pre-save link.
Press release + press folder to hold all these assets.

Next time we’ll dive more into the world of PR in order to help support any upcoming releases. In the meantime, best of luck with any planning.

Follow Keely on Instagram

Got any suggestions for The Mesmerised Stream? Want to share something with us? Contact us on Twitter at @itsmesmerized or Instagram at @mesmerized.io. Follow our music discovery activities at www.mesmerized.io

Do you have an exciting and inspiring story about your personal experience in the industry and want to share it with us? we are all ears.