When a producer or publisher reviews song material for a major label act, they are looking for "commercial songs" that will play on Top-40 Billboard Stations, written so well, that the song is an instantaneous hit record. What questions does a publisher ask regarding a "hit" song selection for the artist? Let's examine those questions here.

1. Format The first thing you look over is the category of the song. Is the song a "positive" or "negative" song. Is there anything in this song that might be received in a negative way by the fans of the artist or make the artist look bad to the public? What type of radio station are you going to get this song played on? Adult Contemporary, Classical, Country, Pop, Rock, Metal, R & B, Contemporary Christian, Southern Gospel, Inspirational, Jazz, and Easy Listening are all radio formats. Will your song even fit one of the more popular formats of radio? Have you done enough research to know what the average time is, in minutes and seconds, of songs getting played in this format? Are you aware that in Country music, everything you write past 3.5 minutes hurts your chances of ever getting the song recorded commercially? Are you aware that the thing publishers criticize the most about new writers is that their writing is too long, too much, and too little? A song has to be "just right!"

2. Form Next, a publisher is going to examine the type of tempo, the melody and the song arrangement to see if they fit the commercial format of radio and television. Is the structure of the song internally correct musically? From a technical standpoint, do all the verses have the same number of bars of music, does the melody of the chorus differ from the melody of the verses, and if the song is "musically correct," will it stand on its own structurally? What about the additions? The bridge, the channels, the turn-a-rounds, the intros, and the tags of the song are as important as the lyrics. Do you have a "musical hook" that's as good as the lyrical hook? And, if you write long enough, most of your songs will start sounding a whole lot better if you co-write with other writers and especially melody writers. What does a great melody writer cost me in Nashville or at one of the big music houses? The average demo will cost you about $900.00 for an extremely simple piano vocal arrangement, but an arranger will cost you $600.00 to arrange one song. Writing is an expensive business for those who write well. The cost of building a beautiful, fine home that you can live in for the rest of your life, is much higher than the price of a one night stay in a motel. Most of the songs that are written poorly wouldn't get to spend the entire night at the cheapest motels in Nashville.

3. Field How well written are the lyrics? Is this a theme or a subject that has already been written about so many times that no one will consider recording the subject again? Can this song be commercially successful in the "field?" Can this song be successful in national radio markets, retail markets, and who is going to buy the song if it does get released? Is the melody of the song so close to another song that the artist and label might have a copyright infringment suit? Will there be claims against the writers, the melody or other aspects of the song after the song gets out? From a technical point, the song must be already copyrighted, with a demo, and a statement by the songwriters as to the authorship of the lyrics and melody and what percentages each writer was responsible for. One of the more unique experiences that I've had as a publisher was a guy that sent me just a couple of lines of type on an entire page of paper. He then called and asked me if I had reviewed his material. I said, "What material?" He said, "Mr. Metzgar, I get inspired to write what I call popcorn songs." I said, "What are popcorn songs?" He said, it's about two lines long and the song kinda jumps out at yah on the page!"

4. Feel Is the song a "danceable" hit if it's played "live" in a dance club or other entertainment venues. Is the duration of the song such that it would be commercially acceptable to radio or to the networks. Many songs fall into the category of just being "too long," from a time standpoint. That makes them album cuts, but they are not ever going to be a commercial single record. Can the song be arranged for video or film? Is it camera friendly in its storyline, and cost effective for shooting the song on 16mm, 35mm, or 70mm film for a video? How strong is the "hook line," of the song? Is the hook line written into the song so convincingly that the public is going to remember it?

5. Friendly Is this song a gut-busting, retail friendly up tempo single record that will get played by radio? Is the song a ballad? If it's a ballad, then does it fit the criteria for real success as a ballad in today's marketplace? Every song should be a "one-idea, complete answer" to the six questions in a hit single. Those questions are who, what, when, where, how, and why? Does this song have a strong melody that can be brought off in the studio with the players? Is it a legitimate reflection of the artist's talent, taking into account all of the facts known about the artist and his/her raw vocal ability? Where's the money? Some songs you write with your heart, but commercial songs are written for your pocketbook.

6. Female Will a woman fall in love with this song? If a woman doesn't like your song, you might as well shred it. Women buy statistically about 94% of the music product bought. And if you see a man in a record store that represents that other 6% of the buying public, well he's in there because his wife or girlfriend sent him in there to buy the music she likes. Our entire market is driven by a female demographic. If you forget this as a songwriter, you haven't got the first commercial song for radio or retail. Ask yourself, "Does my song paint women in a negative or positive light? Does my song build relationships or tear them down? Is this a universal message that appeals to the masses?

7. Fun Are there any other reasons why the artist might feel reluctant to record the song? Are there any groups of people who will be offended by the song? Does the lyric lash out at a minority group, kids, adults, and is it so regional in scope that it won't get off the ground nationally? What is the content of the song that makes it special and different from the hundreds of thousands of other songs? When I hear this song, does it make me cry, laugh, feel good, feel bad, and can I have fun with this song? Music is a form of escape for people. They want to escape their problems, (technically referred to as "escapism") in a song, not reinterate the ones they have all the time.

Finally, if the songs that you are writing are not lining up with the questions on this page, then you need to review your writing and start over. Every producer, artist, and publisher will ask these questions as they are examining songs. If you want a big cut in the industry, then you will have to write a commercially viable song for the bigger, national and international marketplace with a universal theme that is so well written that it could be a hit on any artist. Now you're ready for a professional review of your songs!

If you want a "professional review" of your song in writing by a team of songwriting experts, then you can participate in the Pro-Review Songwriter's Contest for the year 2012/2013. You may also enter a total of three songs at a time in the contest each quarter throughout the year for consideration of publishing by our ASCAP or BMI Publishing companies. Send your entry on a compact disc, dat tape, or cassette after you have completed your Pro-Review payment process to:

Only one songwriter or songwriting team per entry please. Each songwriter or songwriting team may enter a total of three songs to be considered each quarter. Every three months, winners will be announced via our songwriter's exclusive mailing list. If you haven't joined our songwriter's list yet, please do so now. This is the only method of staying informed about the process. Your song will be reviewed in writing and a review will be mailed to you by priority mail. And, your song will be entered in our © Millenium 2012/2013 Song Contest. Winner's will receive special certificates and recognition as songwriter's in the forthcoming issues of our mailings and posted on our web site as part of our on-going efforts to get new writer's the recognition they deserve.

All winning songs will be published in an ASCAP or BMI publishing company and sent to our songplugger's list of producers, managers, and artists to receive consideration for release by a major artist. There are only four major categories of songs to be considered, and those are bluegrass, country, pop, and gospel. For further information, simply e-mail us at:

Yes, I want to enter the
Pro-Review
Millennium 2012/2013 Song-Contest!