Songwriting Reference Material

The below, though by no means exhaustive, is a listing of songwriting related resources I hope is of help to you. This listing is not a formal endorsement, but many have proven to be very helpful to me personally, as well recommended by other industry professionals and artistic writers alike. If you are reading this off a disk, you may find a periodically updated version at: Songwriting Stuf. If you happen across an obsolete or non-working link, or if you know of one not listed that is helpful... please Email Me so I can maintain its usefulness to others. Thank you.

National Organizations

  • Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
  • International Bluegrass Music Association
  • North American Folk Music and Dance Association
  • Songwriter's Guild of America
  • TAXI
  • Independent Singer-Songwriter Association ISSA
  • Gospel Music Association
  • Christian Songwriter's Organization
  • Just Plain Folks
  • Dallas Songwriter's Association
  • National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS)

    • Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) And Other Related Organizations

  • American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
  • Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI)
  • Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC)
  • Sound Exchange
  • National Music Publishers Association/Harry Fox Agency
  • Nielsen Soundscan
  • Gracenote
  • US Copyright Office

    • Minnesota-Wisconsin Resources

  • Acoustic Showcase
  • Minnesoata Association of Songwriters
  • Diverse Emerging Music Organization
  • Springboard For The Arts
  • Women In Music Minnesota
  • Minnesota Association of Christian Songwriters
  • Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association
  • Minnesota Music Academy
  • Folk Alliance Regional Midwest (FARM)
  • Madison Folk Society
  • Songwriters Of Wisconsin International
  • TC Music.Net

    • Publications

  • Nashville Muse
  • Country Insider (Email Publication)
  • Songwriter's Connection Email Song Tips
  • Nashville Demo Studio Newsletter
  • American Songwriter Magazine
  • Songwriter Universe
  • The Inside Connection Magazine
  • The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money
  • Performing Biz
  • Music Row Directory
  • Muses Muse Newsletter
  • Indie Music
  • the Indie Bible
  • Your First Cut (web forum)
  • Independent Songwriter Magazine (On-line)

    • Education

  • SongU.com
  • McNally-Smith College of Music
  • Berkley School of Music (Songwriting)
  • Marc-alan Barnette Coaching
  • Harriet Schock School Of Songwriting

    • Software

  • Lyricist
  • Master Writer
  • Rhyme Genie
  • Word Menu (Software>

    • General Resources

  • Song Wellspring
  • Acoustic Music Scene
  • Write Songs - Pete and Pat LuBoff
  • Measure For Measure New York Times Songwriting Blog
  • Dave Isaacs' Blog
  • 21 Songwriting Tips
  • SongFacts.com's Interviews
  • Artist House Music
  • I Write The Songs Radio Show with Mary Dawson
  • Irene Jackson's Songwriting Tips
  • Songwriting Education Resource
  • Songwriting With Jason Blume
  • Craig Bickhardt Blog
  • The Songwriter's Connection
  • Mac Jams
  • Music Gorilla
  • Craig Bickhardt's A Songwriter's Journal
  • ReverbNation

    • On-line Writing Reference Tools

  • Phrase A Week: Idiom-Phrase meanings
  • On-Line Idiom Search
  • Urban Dictionary
  • Roget's On-line Thesaurus Text Version
  • Rhyme Zone Dictionary
  • WikiRhymer
  • Your Dictionary and Thesaurus
  • Web Slang and Acronyms
  • Slang Dictionary On-line
  • Commonly-Used American Slang
  • PEAK English™—Slang
  • Ref Seek
  • Idiom Dictionary Plus
  • Dictionary-Thesaurus
  • Acronym Dictionary
  • Crazy Fads

    • Audio Streaming Resources

  • Jim Parker's Songwriter Showcase
  • Audio Nashville
  • Jim Parker Music
  • Story Behind The Songs
  • The Music Row Podcasts

    • Web Hosting And Promoting Resources

  • HostBaby
  • ReverbNation
  • Sound Click
  • SongRamp
  • Muzlink

    • Books

    1. 12 Steps To Building Better Songs: By Pete and Pat LuBoff
    2. 101 Songwriting Wrongs And How To Right Them: By Pete and Pat LuBoff
    3. Songs That Matter, Songs That Sell: By Andrea Stolpe
    4. Bird By Bird: By Anne Lamott
    5. Successful Lyric Writing: By Sheila Davis
    6. The Craft Of Lyric Writing: By Sheila Davis
    7. The Artist’s Way: By Julia Cameron
    8. The Complete Handbook Of Songwriting: By Mark and Cathy Liggett
    9. The Craft And Business Of Songwriting: By John Braheny
    10. The Songwriter’s Idea Book: By Sheila Davis
    11. This Business of Music: By William Krasilovsky and Sidney Shemel
    12. Writing Better Lyrics: By Pat Pattison
    13. Your First Cut: By Jerry Vandiver, Gracie Hollombe
    14. The New Songwriter's Guide to MUSIC PUBLISHING: By Randy Poe
    15. The Songwriter’s Market:
    16. 1000 Songwriting Ideas: By Lisa Aschmann
    17. 6 Steps To Songwriting Success: By Jason Blume
    18. Dictionary of American Idioms: By Adam Makkai, M.T. Boatner, and J.E. Gates
    19. Dictionary of Clichés: By James Rogers
    20. Dictionary Of Everyday American English Expressions: By Richard A. Spears, Betty Birner, and Steven Kleinedler
    21. If You Want To Write: A Book About Art, Independence And Spirit: By Brenda Euland
    22. If You've Got A Dream, I've Got A Plan To Get Your Songs Heard by Music Industry Professionals: By Kelley Lovelace
    23. Inside Songwriting: By Jason Blume
    24. Makin' Stuff Up: By Rand Bishop
    25. Music Row Magazine: Artist Roster Report
    26. Music Row Magazine: In Charge
    27. Music Row Magazine: Publisher Special
    28. Roget's International Thesaurus, 6th Edition: By Harper Collins (publisher)
    29. Secrets Of Songwriting: By Susan Tucker
    30. Songplugger: The Cuts and The Bruises: By Penny Dionne & Troy McConnell
    31. Songwriters On Songwriting: By Paul Zollo
    32. Songwriting: Essential Guide To Lyric Form And Structure: By Pat Pattison
    33. Songwriting: Essential Guide To Rhyming: By Pat Pattison
    34. The Craft Of Writing Hit Songs: By Odie Blackmon
    35. The Do's & Don'ts of Music Row Or…How after 5 long years I finally landed a writing deal!: By Liz Hengber
    36. The Nashville Number System – Book and CD: By Chas Williams
    37. The New Comprehensive American Rhyming Dictionary: By Sue Young
    38. The Songwriter's & Musician's Guide To Nashville: By Sherry Bond
    39. The Successful Songwriter Audio Program: By Penny Dionne And Troy McConnell
    40. This Business of Songwriting: By Jason Blume
    41. This Is Your Brain On Music: The Science of a Human Obsession: By Daniel J. Levitin
    42. Tunesmith: Inside The Art Of Songwriting: By Jimmy Webb
    43. Word Menu: By Stephen Glazier
    44. Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within: By Natalie Goldberg
    45. Writing Music For Hit Songs: By Jai Josefs
    46. Lyrics: By Oscar Hammerstein II
    47. The Billboard Guide to Writing and Producing Hit Songs: By Eric Beall
    48. The Secrets of Songwriting: By Susan Tucker
    49. They're Playing Our Song- Conversations With America's Classic Songwriters: By Max Wilk
    50. Shortcut To Hit Songwriting By Robin Frederick's
    51. The Art of writing great lyrics By Pamela Phillips Oland