Songwriter Soup
Songwriter Soup is a frank discussion about how to make it in the music industry as a songwriter. It takes grit and a lot of patience, but also sound financial advice.
Laura Veltz is a Four-time Grammy-nominated songwriter and is teaming up with Tracy Hackney, a seasoned financial advisor for musicians, to bring you the tips and tricks of the industry. Joined by host and producer, Kevin Sokolnicki, the trio has interviews with some of the most prominent and up-and-coming songwriters and artists in the music industry.
Songwriter Soup airs every Monday where you get your podcasts.
26
Liz Rose: Starting Late, Stamina & Nurturing Ta...
One of Music City’s matriarchs, Liz Rose (“You Belong With Me” Taylor Swift, “Girl Crush” Little Big Town, “Burn It Down” Parker McCullum)...
63 min
27
Chris DeStefano: Berklee, Blackjack and the Art...
Chris DeStefano brings a rare set of skills to the writer's room. Trained in film scoring at Berklee...
62 min
28
Catalog Sales: Part 3
Are you still with us? If you've made it this far into our Catalog Sale deep dive, congratulations, you're a superstar.
50 min
29
Jonathan Singleton: Persistence, Adaptation & M...
92 min
30
Catalog Sales: Part 2 with Mike Molinar
The catalog sale saga continues! This week we're joined by Mike Molinar (Big Machine Music president and Laura's publisher) to give a publisher's perspective on catalog sales in 2024.
64 min
31
Daniel Tashian: Music Catching Up To You
Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer, Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves Albums Golden Hour, Star Crossed & Deeper Well) took the long way around to massive success. Like many of us, his musicality was simply way ahead of its time.
69 min
32
Catalog Sales: Part 1
Strap in, y'all. We're diving into the intricate world of the Catalog Sale. While it's tempting to dream about cashing out and buying an island at 27, it's really important to know how these agreements happen, how much they're worth and when you may *actually* be ready for one in the first place.
52 min
33
Jaren Johnston: Commercial Songwriter, But Keep...
Songwriter & lead singer of The Cadillac Three, Jaren Johnston ("5 Foot 9" Tyler Hubbard, "Raise Em Up" Keith Urban feat. Eric Church, "Meanwhile Back At Mama's" Tim McGraw) knows how to pull a heartstring but can not help but put his southern rock energy into his songs.
75 min
34
REPLAY: You Don’t Suck, It Just Takes A Minute
Big Machine Music general manager (and Laura’s publisher) Mike Molinar joins the podcast to talk about his philosophy on songwriter-publisher relationships. Mike shares his advice to young songwriters, the nitty-gritty of publishing deals, and how understanding the structure of those deals is the vital to your success.
68 min
35
Mike Elizondo: What Hospitality, Humility & Cur...
Songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Mike Elizondo ("In da Club" 50 Cent, "The Real Slim Shady" Eminem, "Cowboy Casanova" Carrie Underwood, The Encanto Soundtrack with Lin-Manuel Miranda) is simply synonymous with modern music.
83 min
36
(Song)writer's Block, Suffering for Your Art & ...
What’s blocking you? This week, the trio discusses this ironic possibility: it might be that you’re taking this dream job a little too seriously. We all do it! At all stages, in fact. Take breaks, change the subject, nerd out on other people’s hits, or do songwriter exercises— Laura discussed many of her favorite ways to shake her brain loose.
68 min
37
Jessie Jo Dillon: Fomo, Envy & The Joy of Writi...
On this week’s episode, Laura, Tracy & Kevin sit down with one of Laura’s best friends, critically acclaimed hit songwriter, Jessie Jo Dillon (“10,000 Hours” Dan & Shay, Justin Beiber, “Halfway To Hell” Jelly Roll, “Lies, Lies, Lies” Morgan Wallen).
69 min
38
Millions Of Ways A Perfect Song Can Die (That H...
Songwriters always blame themselves (or the song) when something stops the process of it becoming a hit. But does it have anything to do with the song? Most of the time, IT DOES NOT.
78 min
39
Allison Veltz Cruz: Sisters, Dusty Prayers & Wh...
Laura’s sister and fellow hit songwriter, Allison Veltz Cruz (“Prayed For You”Matt Stell, “Somebody Like That” Tenille Arts, “Let Your Boys Be Country” Jason Aldean) joins the trio for a candid conversation about the sisters’ unique childhood and what lead them to songwriting after their family band broke up.
69 min
40
Season Three-ever begins! Let's Talk Commercial...
Kevin, Laura and Tracy delve into the initial humility that it takes to learn the craft of commercial songwriting by unlearning how you did it before. Ouch! It takes a minute and it feels weird for a bit, but it gets better!
61 min
41
Ashley Gorley: In A League Of His Own
Ashley Gorley has a literal bajillion hits. He’s also got a thriving publishing company in Tape Room Music.
71 min
42
STEALING! How To Fix A Small Problem Before It ...
What is stealing anyway? In the songwriting world, there are a million ways it can happen.
64 min
43
Emily Weisband: Breaking Up With Your Soul Suck...
Emily Weisband (“Thy Will” Hillary Scott, “Boy With Luv” BTS, “Can’t Break Up Now” Old Dominion & Megan Moroney) is one of those people who just billows talent.
89 min
44
The Money Episode: To Spend Or Not To Spend (Mo...
So, you just scored your first hit song! Time to buy a boat, a big house and that Rolex you’ve been eyeing, right? Not so fast.
55 min
45
Joe Ragosta: You Know, Elvis Didn’t Write That
Joe Ragosta scored his first big hit (“Need A Favor” Jellyroll) just a few weeks before this episode was recorded.
70 min
46
Habits Scale Up! The Basics of Managing Money A...
Laura, Tracy and Kevin expand on the idea that even if you have a publishing deal, you're still very much the sole proprietor of your own business.
54 min
47
Kelly Archer: Canadian Nice With An Excellent B...
Kelly Archer (“Sleep Without You” Brett Young, “Wild As Her” Corey Kent, “Somebody Else Will” Justin Moore) explains what it’s like to write songs in Nashville before and after becoming a U.S. Citizen. Tricky!
92 min
48
Award Show Ashmord Shmow… Let's Talk About Exp...
This episode highlights one of the easiest ways to ruin what could otherwise be a really fun and fulfilling career choice: expectations.
63 min
49
Jordan Schmidt: From Salad Boy to Nashville Hea...
Jordan Schmidt ("wait in the truck" HARDY & Lainey Wilson, "God's Country" Blake Shelton, "What Ifs” Kane Brown) talks to Laura and Tracy about his journey from producing rock bands in Minnesota, to getting in on the ground floor of Florida Georgia Line’s publishing company, Tree Vibez Music, all the way to writing smashes for Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton and Kane Brown
60 min
50
We're Back! Let's Get Into Publishing Deals
Laura, Tracy and Kevin kick off Season 2 by diving head first where we left off in season one: publishing deals.
53 min