The C.L.I.M.B. with Johnny Dwinell and Brent Baxter

Do you feel like the bigwigs in the business are against you? Do you feel like the industry is full of “insiders” who are keeping you out? Here are a bunch of reasons why publishing companies won’t meet with you. PS: If you feel like you’re ready to get a recommendation to meet and interact with a hit publisher, or if you’d like to see what it’s like when publishers critique other songwriter’s son...

How would you write this one? Have you ever wondered what happens during the first 15 minutes of a pro songwriting session? Brent & Johnny craft up 4-5 different plot twists to writing lyrics for the song title, “Tracks Through The Fog”. PS: If you’d like to work this song title challenge exercise privately with Brent, or if you’d like to repair or prepare your song lyrics, schedule a coaching ses...

Have you ever felt frustrated or ready to give up on your dream of making a living with your music? Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you work, you still can’t seem to get any momentum with your career? It’s because you’re caught in the music biz riptide. If you don’t do something about it quickly, you could drown. Find out why you’re so exhausted swimming against a massive current and le...

Are you one of those artists who avoids social media because you think it’s just about stroking your ego and warm fuzzy feelings? Having a healthy social media footprint with STRONG engagement will GET YOU PAID. In this mini-sode, Lexi and Johnny discuss 5 hacks that you can immediately implement to get your followers more active on your accounts. PS: I want you to win. If your music is competitiv...

What are the “rules of thumb” for creating compelling song titles? How can you craft a title so that you’re “winning before you’re spinning” with a publisher? How is it that the song titles “The House That Built Me” and “Truck Yeah”, which reside at vastly different ends of the artistically-compelling-gene-pool, are both #1 singles? In this episode, Brent and Johnny dig down deep to discuss some s...

How would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter by getting a glimpse of the first 15 minutes of a typical Nashville pro songwriting session. Brent and Johnny craft 4-5 different conceptual approaches to writing lyrics for the song title “No Maybes Baby” ***NOTE*** Brent has a new songwriting feedback service. If you’d like some feedback or a professional critique of your song...

The 2018 revenue numbers are in for all indie artists and they’re ASTOUNDING! Johnny & Brent break down two different articles that explain how the universe for indie artist revenue expanded by at least 35% last year. We discuss, in detail, how in 2019 it will be more feasible than ever to make a living as an artist. It still requires that you work hard and that you work intelligently. PS: Are you...

Are you intimidated about creating content? Does it take too long for you to create it? This is because you haven’t spent the small amount of time necessary to get past the learning curve on your design tool. In this episode, Lexi and Johnny do a quick dive into some killer features of the Pickmonkey graphic design tool. PS: I want you to win. If your music is competitive, there is an audience out...

Have you ever tried to cold-call an industry executive like a label exec, booking agent, manager, songwriter, or other respected musician? How’d it go? Brent discusses how the publishing company that gave him his first pub deal initially ignored him. The difference was a recommendation. Listen to this episode to get a couple tips and tactics for ensuring that your music and you get heard. Download...

How would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter. This one seemed like it was going to be a tougher task, but Brent & Johnny crafted up 4-5 different conceptual approaches to writing the lyrics for the song title, “Broken Smoke & Mirrors”. To share your song title with Brent and go through the song title challenge exercise privately OR to prepare a song or repair a song, Brent...

Wait, what?!?! We’ve spent 151 episodes trying to help singers, songwriters, and indie artists like you become smarter with regards to the music industry and now we’re telling you to be dumb? Believe it or not, sometimes it’s smart to be dumb or appear stupid when every bone in your body is telling you that you should be acting smart. We discuss the subtleties of this tactic in this episode. PS: W...

What EXACTLY is your brand? Why should you know how to articulate this seemingly simple question? Just about every indie artist is vague on how to describe their brand. Fans latch on to your brand as much, or in some cases, even more than your music. The artist’s music and their brand stand for something that consumers relate to. YOUR BRAND PROVIDES MANY DIFFERENT WAYS FOR CONSUMERS TO INSTINCTIVE...

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” –Michael Jordan “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” –Phil Jackson Why would Brent REGRET sharing a song idea that his co-writer’s loved? What can you do in co-write to be a good teammate, ensure a creative vibe, and maximize the chances of writing a killer song? Sometime...

How would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter. Brent and Johnny craft up 4-5 different conceptual approaches to writing the song title, “Ring Of Truth”. Comment if you have an idea that we didn’t cover. PS: If you have a killer title and you’d rather work on the conceptual approaches privately, OR if you’d like prepare your song or repair you song with Brent, schedule a coa...

They say “patience is a virtue” but what the heck does that even mean? When I was an artist I was accused of a lot of things but I was NEVER accused of being patient! So, what is patience? How do we get it? How do we avoid sounding unprofessional to people we want to work with? All these questions are answered and more in this episode. PS: We absolutely LOVE helping artists, it’s why we exist. We...

Here are four apps will change your Instagram feed for the better! PS: Imagine seeing daily growth in a real social media audience because you know exactly what to do and exactly how to do it. Brands will pay you money once your audience is large enough, so it’s worth the effort. Schedule a consultation today by emailing info@daredevilproduction.com and put CONSULTATION in the subject line. Learn...

How did small town girl, Jenn Schott, make it from Pittsburg, KS to Nashville to getting a publishing deal to cuts by Eli Young Band, Gloriana, Lucy Hale, Pam Tillis, Lonestar, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Micky Guyton, to getting the title track on Tim McGraw’s Two Lanes of Freedom Record? Find out in this episode where we interview hit songwriter, Jenn Schott. Download Brent’s free ebook, Think Like A P...

Hey, how would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter as Brent and Johnny cook up 4-5 different conceptual approaches to writing the song title “International 19 Minutes”. PS: If you’d like to work privately on your song title with Brent or have him prepare your song or repair your song, schedule a coaching session today. Go to Songwritingpro.com/coaching and pick a time. Lear...

Are you getting in front of NEW eyeballs as an artist? Posting on social media only puts your project in front of people who are already aware of you. If you have released music before and nobody heard it, or it seemed nobody cared, then maybe it’s time to start focusing more on growing your audience. A new project that is better than the last one still won’t make a difference in your career if no...

If you’re an artist looking to grow your audience fast, then IGTV can do that quickly if you take the time now to get your foothold. IGTV has gotten of to a shaky start when you compare to just about every other Instagram feature, but in this minisode we’ll talk about how it could seriously blow you up. PS: Imagine how big your audience would grow if you were as effective and efficient as us on yo...

How did this writer go from being a plumber, to working at Starbucks, to attending Belmont University, to being an American Idol contestant, to becoming a commercial banker AND maintaining a publishing deal at the same time? Find out in this episode as we interview David DeVaul. PS: Download Brent’s free ebook Think Like A Pro Songwriter at GiftFromBrent.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

How would you write this one? Get inside the mind of a hit songwriter. Brent and Johnny craft up 4-5 different approaches to writing the lyrics for the song title, “Let Me Have This One”. If you have a song title that you’d like to run through the song title challenge privately or if you’d like to learn how to raise the bar on your song by intentionally preparing your song or repairing your song,...

How did Jacob Cade, an unknown 19-year old rock artist get 400 people to show up to a gig in a town where he’s NEVER played, sell $200 in merch, AND he was opening for the opener at 8:00pm? The short answer is the club owner and the management of the headliner couldn’t believe it either and were blown away. Johnny breaks down the strategy that created this traffic which resulted in some pretty ama...

Up your expertise on social media with this episode. Lexi and Johnny cover some different ways an artist could utilize FB stories and Instagram stories. If you’re concentrated on growing your audience, then you’ll definitely have to be a ninja at social media. Your future is on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter but do you know how to leverage these platforms into growth? We know how. Schedule a con...

We’re always talking about how you must keep writing. But sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor. Here are five reasons you should actually quit writing with an artist because it will end up waiting your precious time. Get Brent’s free eBook Think Like A Pro Songwriter by clicking on GiftFromBrent.com and telling him where to send it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...