Song Genre

Writers have a duty to their intended audience.  There are genres of songs, just like there are book and movie genres.  Decide your genre before you write a song.  Does it contain adult content or swearing?  Then don’t gear it to a young audience.  Is it about green cats?  It’s probably for kiddies. 

This is a very important aspect of songwriting that most writers don’t think about.  While the public is lax these days with letting children listen to music not necessarily appropriate for them, as a songwriter you have a liability to target your work to the right audience.

If, for instance, you send a song to a publisher who records pre-teen music, you might get away with some adult behavior if it’s alluded to and not blatant.  But you probably won’t be able to include swearing and sex.  You’ll get a rejection letter saying it’s not appropriate for their targeted age group.

For a while in the seventies and eighties there were a lot of songs written about drinking.  In the nineties that changed and song publishers were turning down (especially from women writers) songs about bar hopping, etc.  Now that rule has reverted once again and all topics seem to be acceptable.  Do your research before you write and submit.

There’s a fine line between writing good music and fad music.  While the one will last forever, the second is definitely short-term.  Decide which kind of writer you want to be.

Pick a subject, a genre, and pen your words.  Re-write over and over until the words and music move you and create the feeling you want.  Have people in your target zone listen to the song before you try shopping it around.  See what kind of feedback you get.  Ask for the truth – false reviews will bring you nothing.

Songwriting can be a full-time job or a hobby.  You owe it to your listeners to write the best words and music, you can.  It will definitely be the difference between a poorly written and a good song.  It may be the difference between a bottom-out and a number one hit! 

The choice is yours – choose wisely.  It’s a lot of hard work and research, but the person who will gain the most in the end will be you.  What kind of music do you want your name attached to?  Think about it!