SONGWRITING
SHARE YOUR WORSHIP SONGS WITH THE WORLD | John Chisum
The #1 thing all songwriters want to know is,
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“How do I get my songs out there?” It’s a great
question and one that should be asked by all
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who aspire to become successful songwriters.
Frankly, I’d be concerned if you weren’t
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400 hours of video are uploaded to “I” that anyone can sing along with. Think of
YouTube every minute! “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” or “I-I-I-
Almost 5 billion videos are watched on I-I I’m desperate for You” kinds of inclusive
YouTube every single day. phrases instead of just about your pain, your
Approximately 20% of the people who brokenness, your trials, and whatever else is
asking that question as a worship songwriter start your video will leave after the first strictly about you personally.
because it’s only natural that you’d want to be 10 seconds. leading as many people as possible into the WRITE WITH THE CONGREGATION IN MIND.
amazing experience of worship that you’ve had Okay, yes… that’s not a new concept. But are
You’ll have to you really doing it? Are you listening in your
You were born to be heard. write better the lyrics and the melodic intervals? Are you
I believe there’s never been a better time to be songs than
yourself, right?
a songwriter. I mean, you have an entire digital
studio in your hand that was unimaginable just
20 years ago. Today any kid with a smartphone
can write, record, and upload a new song on
YouTube in the next 30 minutes, sharing it out
to his or her friends for likes and shares and
funny comments almost instantaneously.
It’s a whole new ballgame when it comes to
mind’s ear for their voices as you compose
thinking about what’s important for them to
sing or just what you want to say? Have you
anyone else in truly stepped out of your own emotions to bring
order to stand messages that lift them into that holy place of
out from the
millions of
important Biblical and spiritual themes and
authentic worship?
GET SOME HELP.
I read recently that coaching increases results
people doing it.
500 - 800%. That’s a lot. Olympic athletes get
coaches. NBA players have multiple coaches.
publishing these days and you don’t have to Actors and dancers and singers and anyone
miss out on it. You can leverage technology to wanting to be truly great get coaching. Why
your advantage and for the good of the Church THAT’S A LOT OF YOUTUBE. do Christian songwriters think God’s going to
worldwide right alongside everyone else. Of course it’s filled with a lot more than just magically drop songs out of the sky on them?
songs, but there are millions of songs floating
“out there…” Millions and millions of mediocre Does God drop songs on people that the
to bad songs that no one cares about. We’re world winds up singing? Sometimes yes, but
You’ll have to write better songs than anyone awash in a veritable sea of mediocrity… are you most times no. I read in Matthew 25 where
else in order to stand out from the millions going to just add to it or do something about it? we are supposed to use our talents by, well,
But here’s how you’ll have to do it.
of people doing it. You’ll have to be thinking
using them. Find out how to actually use your
far above average in order to compete with TAKING YOUR SONGS FROM AVERAGE TO AMAZING songwriting “gift” by developing the craft side
the massive volume of content released on There are a few simple things you can begin of it and you’ll get much further down the road
YouTube alone, much less all the other digital to think about in order to take your songs from and God will be glorified.
outlets combined. average up to amazing. Just do this much and
you’ll begin to stand out from the masses.
Some recent YouTube stats I accessed the
other day state that:
thing to write songs that the world needs to be
STOP WRITING INTROSPECTIVELY.
singing. Selah.
Aspiring worship writers write far too often
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54
It’s super easy to post songs. It’s a whole other
The total number of people who use from a self-focused viewpoint. It’s fine to use
YouTube – 1,300,000,000. “I” in the song, but it needs to be the inclusive
July 2018
John Chisum
Managing Partner of Nashville Christian Songwriters,
a coaching and resource company for Christian
songwriters at...
www.NashvilleChristianSongwriters.com
WorshipMusician.com