Whenever an aspiring songwriter finds out that I've written songs for everybody from the Beach Boys to Indigo Girls to Tim McGraw, I hear the same question: "How do I get my songs heard?"

My rhetorical response is "Heard by whom? AND what do you expect to happen after "whomever" hears your songs?"

Do you want a publisher to hear them, then sign one or two and start pitching them? Is that your goal? Having your songs pitched is not a bad thing. But, it's not really your goal, is it?

Maybe "How do I get my songs CUT?" is a more appropriate question. For any song to get recorded requires a whole bunch of miraculous serendipity (much of which is completely random). But, you DO have some control over the factors that have to fall into place in order for one or more of your brilliant compositions to find its way into the studio and onto the charts with an established hitmaker.

There are five absolute essentials that you should be doing to create and sustain a successful career as a professional songwriter. "Getting your songs heard" (or "getting your songs pitched," for that matter) I'm afraid is NOT one of those five essentials.

Becoming a successful, professional songwriter is a longterm commitment that starts with improving your craft. Improving your craft requires getting objective, constructive feedback from people who know a thing or two.

While you're working on refining your skills and discovering your unique, individual voice, you should be building relationships — relationships with your peer writers, with bubbling-under recording-artists, with up-and-coming music-biz producers and junior execs.

I remember an interview with Mark D. Sanders back the mid-'90s — when he was just arriving as one of Nashville's top tunesmiths. Sanders didn't claim that his songs were any better. He said his success came for the most part because his friends had graduated into decision-making positions.

The friends you make now may be the hit-writers, the stars, the hit-producers and the music execs of the future. If they like you, trust you and are comfortable with you, you'll very likely benefit from those relationships. At that point, you won't have to worry about how to get your songs heard.

I've had about 230 songs cut over a nearly 40-year career. Very few of those cuts came from a pitch by a publisher or a plugger. The vast majority (at least 90%) came because somebody connected to the project had something to gain by preferring my song over the dozens of other top contenders for each spot on the album.

If you've refined your craft and are writing at a consistent, professional level, cultivating relationships will get you far greater results than finding somebody to pitch your songs.

Don't be too proud to co-write. When you pool your resources with another writer, two magical things can happen: on a business level, the network exposed to the song grows logo-rhythmically; creatively, the song becomes a more universal one (if two or more people agree that every decision in the writing process is the right one, it stands to reason that a greater number of people will respond positively to it). Of course, co-writing can water a song down to a fraction of its potential — but that's the risk you take.

Lastly, learn how to make great demos. Become a producer. Hang out in studios and learn the lingo. Ask questions (discreetly, and at appropriate times). Invest in a home recording facility. Barter your services with other talented, ambitious folks.

I produced and recorded the demo for "My List," a song I co-wrote with Tim James, in the musty attic of a rented Nashville house. That demo didn't cost a single cent out of pocket. Toby Keith's rendition of that song has made over two million bucks. Had I waited around for some publisher to sign the song, demo it and pitch it, it would probably still be gathering dust.

"My List" became the most-played song on country radio in 2002 — not just because it was a quality composition with a poignant message that appealed directly to the post-9/11 national consciousness. It was cut because Tim James got signed to Toby Keith's new publishing venture, Paddock Music. Once again, somebody (in this case Toby Keith) had something to gain from preferring my song over every other song pitched for the project.

You don't just want to "get your songs heard." You want to get cuts and have hits. Start by becoming the best songwriter you can be. Visit my song-craft coaching website at htt://www.makinstuffup.net. Read my book, Makin' Stuff Up (secrets of song-craft and survival in the music-biz). Get honest, professional, constructive feedback on your works-in-progress. Know that your song concepts are clearly communicating the desired emotional impact.

I want you to know what it's like to get a phone call telling you that your song just hit number one. I want you to collect six-figure royalty checks from your mailbox. I want you to know what it's like to stand in the middle of 20,000 fans, all of whom are singing along with every word of your song.

That's when getting your songs heard is really meaningful.

Rand Bishop
Nashville, TN

Rand Bishop
Songwriter/producer/author