HitJerker Songwriting: Song Critique

A song critique is something that all songwriters will and should get sooner or later. Sometimes it can hurt (and it will hurt) to hear the truth about your precious songs.

Family and friends always say what you want to hear. And it's not because they don't want the best for your but because they don't want to offend you. They usually don't lie you about your songs. But since relatives are not professional songwriters, they are unable to give you an unbiased review. In addition, even if they think that your song stinks, they don't want to be the ones to break the news to you.

When should you get a critique?

A song critique is due when you finish a song. And not just a sketch. You should feel that it's as good as it can be. All the lines in the lyrics are strong and in the right place. The melody is dynamic. The vocals are catchy. The sound samples sound fresh.

However, you don't need to have a broadcast quality demo done at this stage. Just make your song as great and complete as you can. Then if you get some encouraging critique, you can go on to make a more professional sounding demo.

Who should you turn to for song critiques?

There are plenty of possibilities to get a song critique. Some are more professional than others.

If you want a professional, seasoned songwriter or industry pro to review your songs, you'll probably have to pay a little (or much) money for it. But in return, you'll get song critiques by real songwriters and music business professionals, who know what they are talking about. And because these experts don't know you, they can remain objective and review your song in a way that will be tremendous help for you now and in the long run. Some of the best professional online services (in my opinion) where you could have your songs reviewed are:

• TAXI: TAXI is an independent A&R company. They give you real opportunities to showcase your songs to publishers and music industry professionals who are actually looking for songs. The membership for the first year costs $299. If you renew your membership, it's "only" $199. Plus there is a fee of $5 dollars for each submitted song. TAXI screeners usually send you the review in about a month.

• SongU: SongU provides online songwriting courses, song feedback, coaching, etc. by professional songwriters. It costs $25.95 a month or $75 a quarter.

• John Braheny: John Braheny is the author of the incredible and huge :) songwriting book, The Craft and Business of Songwriting. So believe me, he knows what he is talking about. If you send him your songs, he offers you an assessment of your melody, lyric, structure, dynamics, style or answers any other questions regarding your song. His fee is $125 per hour or $25 per song.

Some people send their songs directly to publishers. It's not too wise because you never get your CD back and they won't review your songs. IF they listen to it at all, publishers will either contact you because they think your song is a work of genius (it doesn't happen very often) or your CD lands in the garbage can. That's why you should find a way to have someone review your songs. And only when they are as good as they can be, you should find a way to get it into a publisher's hands (it usually doesn't happen directly but through A&R people, managers, lawyers, etc).

Beware of song critique services where they tell you that they guarantee you'll get a publishing deal if you pay this or that amount. It never works that way. If only it was that easy. Getting a deal is more about learning, hard work, networking and luck together.

Once you get a review of your song, remember not to take it to heart. What one critic thinks about your song is not something you should take dead seriously. Even professionals can be wrong. But what you should do is accept constructive criticism but don't forget that it's just one person's opinion. Some people are just genetically not wired to review art. Even if they are right about it, they might not be able to put it in a way that could help the songwriter. So get as many people as you can to listen to your song.

Another thing you can do is attend songwriting conferences, workshops, etc. One of the most popular ones is the TAXI Road Rally, which is held once a year in Los Angeles. At these events, you can network, find co-writers, attend seminars and lectures, get song critiques and even pitch your songs to industry pros.

Finally, there are some songs that nobody seems to love except you. If you're the only one who thinks your song is great, and you really, truly believe in it, then listen to your gut instinct and keep pitching it. Hopefully you'll meet a publisher one day, who will see your song the way you do. But also remember that one of the most important rules of songwriting is: Don't fall in love with your songs. Songwriters who fall in love with their songs believe that their work is perfect the way it is, no change is necessary and religiously insist that everybody else like it. They are wrong 99% of the time. So if you fall in love with your songs, you won't be able to progress, change it if needed. And you probably won't be able to succeed in this business, where you have to be as flexible as possible.