Today we’d like to introduce you to Marty Dodson.
Hi Marty, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Nashville. I started playing guitar and writing songs when I was 11, but my family was not in the music business and I didn’t know how or if you could make a living writing songs. So, I went to college at Lipscomb University, got a degree in Psychology and worked for 10 years as a youth minister. In my early 30’s, I woke up one day realizing that I hadn’t really chosen that career path and I began searching for what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I read a book called “What Color Is Your Parachute” that helped me see that if I could have done anything, I would have been a songwriter. At that point, I did know one person who was a songwriter and artist – Gordon Payne from The Crickets. Gordon wrote a song with me and connected me with some other writers. One of those co-writers, Terry Vonderheide, got a publishing deal with Sony and hit writer Kim Williams. Kim loved what Terry and I were writing and he eventually signed me to my first publishing deal. That deal resulted in my first top ten hit, “While You Loved Me” by Rascal Flatts. I moved from Sony to Blacktop Music (Owned by Clint Black) where I had 3 #1 songs, “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” and “Let Me Down Easy” by Billy Currington and “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” by Kenny Chesney as well as many other cuts. That success led to other deals with Anthem Music and SNG Music and 9 more #1 songs in Bluegrass, Rock and K-Pop. In 2013, I had the K-Pop and Asian Song Of The Year with “Bounce” by Cho Yong Pil. I’m now my own publisher. In 2012, songwriter Clay Mills and I started SongTown, an online community that has helped 16 people get publishing deals and a number of people write #1 songs, including the global hit “ABCDEFU”. To date, more than 30,000 people have taken our songwriting classes.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it’s never been an easy road. Getting that first deal was tough and took several years of writing for free. It took 4 more years to get my first hit and more years for the first #1. It’s always a challenge and is very competitive, but that’s what makes it fun.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We specialize in community, connection and coaching for songwriters. We help them develop their craft, meet others to collaborate with and connect to industry sources that can help them get their songs recorded when they are ready. We are different from other companies because both Clay Mills and I have had sustained success in the music business. Most other organizations for writers are led by people with no success or limited success as writers. Clay and I know what it takes to write great songs and we know how to. teach it because we’ve done it ourselves for many years. We are most proud of helping so many songwriters improve their craft and that so many of our students have gone on to get publishing deals and write hit songs. We provide a team of industry people to help writers learn and a wonderful community of writers around the world.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
There are always technological challenges when new tech pops up. Currently, sorting out the AI issue is the big one for the industry. We encourage writers to lean on AI for inspiration and research, but NOT for creation.
Pricing:
- $30 Monthly
- $240 Yearly
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.songtown.com
- Instagram: @songtownusa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SongTownUSA
