Articles:

• Way Download Upon The Swapping River - Danny discusses file sharing and how it endangers intellectual property rights while giving us a very valuable history lesson about the origins of our modern copyright law. Originally, songwriters did not get paid for their work. Then Stephen Foster came along and began to change everything. Irving Berlin and others took songwriters to a place of profitability. With the latest computer technology we have almost come full cirlcle. Soon songwriters may again not get paid.
• Piano Is My Forte - Danny talks about switching instruments to get inspired to write new songs with new sounds.
• Contests Rule - Danny wonders whether or not all these songwriting contests that are soliciting entries are worth it.
• Money Honey - Danny takes a rare serious look at the current form of radio payola, especially as practiced by Clear Channel Communications, which owns about 1200 radio stations in the United States. Senator Russell Feingold (D-Wisconsin) says it is illegal and is introducing legislation to eliminate it; however, the power of money still rules.
• Boy!! Bands!! - Danny discusses the dreaded recording industry practice known as "unrecouped".
• She'll Be "Coming Down From The Mountain" When She Comes - Danny has seen lots of live music this summer and whether it's Will Smith or Ralph Stanley the lesson is the same- -It's the SONG that makes the difference.
• Tacit Approval - Danny talks about the need to leave a few spaces between the notes. Only write/play/sing the good ones and leave the others out!! There's no need to fill every beat of every measure, says Danny. And now here's the "REST"- - -!!
• Key To Success - Sometimes it's time to move away from your favorite keys to see what other textures have to offer. Danny has a few key suggestions.
• It's About Time - Danny talks about time signatures and a little baseball.
• Write Out Loud - Just like the title says. How to go about writing a song so it sounds good out loud, which is (duh!) the way most of us hear or perform music- -unless you're Beethoven- -in which case skip this and go on to something else- -like a wig fitting.
• Mule On Luge - Scoring with a movie musical!! Maybe you could write the words AND the lyrics!! And the music too!!
• Jose Can You See? - Danny salutes the patriotic song. Or is that refutes the patriotic song?
• Middle Sea - Christopher Columbus thought of himself as a failure, and many of his contemporaries agreed. He had not found the middle sea passage around the world that he was looking for. If he had been a songwriter instead of a sailor that would have meant he would never have had a hit in his lifetime, and only later be discovered as someone whose tunes should have been listened to more closely. Chris had a good press agent, so we still remember him. ...
• Sing A Song Of Sixth Sense - Danny examines the two pop song cultures--The manufactured hits and those songs born of an individual writer's passion. Which style suits you best? Humor and history included!!
• Knit Pickers - in which Danny attends a gathering put together by CD Baby.
• Evans To Heaven - A tribute to Dale Evans, "Queen of the West".
• Old Yolks At Home - Ever wondered what Just Plain Folks is all about? Have a read through Danny's assessment. Cynical? Been there, done that? This community of musicians will surprise you.
• Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire - Just in time for the holidays, Danny talks about the history of making a Holiday Hit. (Hmm... I wonder if the next article will mention squirrels... ;-))
• Napster Hamster NAMMster Dance - Will copyrights survive the Napster/RIAA lawsuit? Danny talks about how he thinks things will shape up - and why.
• Hopelessly Demoted U2 - A humorous article dealing with how to make a great demo tape.
• A Ticket To Write - Some tips on how to get fresh ideas if you're running low...
• Muse Me While I Kiss This Guy - Collaboration as a social art form? Why not?
• A Muse Ment - A slightly comical inner discussion about attending workshops entitled "The Art & Craft of Songwriting".
• A Muse Zing - From the May issue of The Muse's News, about... well... writer's block. Sort of.