Q: How many songwriters does it take to write a hit? A: A lot.
May 27th, 2019 | by Alan Cross
If you take a scroll through the Wikipedia pages for any album released by today’s top pop and hip-hop artists,
Browsing the "Songwriting" Tag
Geeks and Beats podcast, episode 220: Pop Song Shrinkage
March 6th, 2019 | by Alan Cross
Once upon a time, the belief was that pop songs should be short, catchy, inoffensive and lighthearted. That time has
Jack White wins a songwriting credit as the result of an unfortunate sonic coincidence
February 7th, 2019 | by Alan Cross
Last May, I was in a London hotel room watching the finals of the Eurovision song contest. When Netta Barziai
A good question: Is Spotify making songs shorter?
January 18th, 2019 | by Alan Cross
I had a conversation the other day with studio owner in which he lamented the fact that technology is going
In order to have a streaming hit in the US, you apparently need 9.1 songwriters
January 7th, 2019 | by Alan Cross
Anyone who’s ever looked at the songwriting credits of a typical contemporary pop song knows that we’ve come a long
Random music news for Thursday, December 13, 2018
December 13th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
One day, we’ll turn on the news and hear nothing about Brexit. One day… Meanwhile, this is music news for
Another illustration of how streaming is changing how songs are written
December 12th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
With more music available than ever before, how can an artist ever hope to rise above all the noise? Even
Here’s a new EP with melodies and lyrics written by artificial intelligence
October 23rd, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Can artificial intelligence be harnessed to make proper art? A startup called WaveAI has an app called Alysia that anyone
How you can use AI to create a personalized soundtrack of your life
September 15th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Artificial Intelligence is already a big deal and music–and it’s getting bigger. I’m not just talking about the machine learning
The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 826: Real stories behind famous songs
September 14th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Streaming is a very cool way to access tens of millions of songs with just a few pokes on your
Because who doesn’t want to watch Paul McCartney deconstruct a dozen Beatles songs?
September 14th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Macca has been very visible in the media (and in public!) as of late. That charming accessibility continues with this
What makes these artists and their songs great? Let’s break it down.
September 12th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Most of know a great song when we hear it. But what, exactly, do those songs possess that make them
Random music news for Wednesday, August 15, 2018
August 15th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
On this day in 1965, the Beatles played to 60,000 people at Shea Stadium in New York. This is considered
Why Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” shouldn’t work as a song–yet does
August 10th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
I love tutorials like this. This video (via Laughing Squid) explains why “Sweet Child O’ Mine” from Guns N’ Roses
All those musicians behind the songs are coming for their fair share of the credit
August 8th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Back in the day, all it took for someone to write a hip song was someone like Paul McCartney or
Has every song already been written? Maybe.
August 8th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Not a week goes by without an email that goes something like this: “Don’t you think that [insert name of
A great video series: “What Makes This Song Great?”
July 19th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
I love it when someone deconstructs a song in a way that explains why it stands above others. This is
It’s not your imagination: Hit songs are become less diverse
May 30th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
It happens suddenly. After a lifetime of being a massive music fan, everything starts to sound the same. “What’s wrong
U2’s guitar tech offers insight on how the band writes songs
May 10th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Dallas Schoo has been working as U2’s guitar tech for longer than he can remember (more than 30 years!) so
Are streaming music services destroying songwriting? Maybe. Read this.
May 7th, 2018 | by Alan Cross
The changes came slowly at first but once certain secrets were discovered, the changes began to accelerate. Songwriters, artists and
Want to a major pop hit? Start with seven songwriters
April 23rd, 2018 | by Alan Cross
How many people does it take to write a pop song today? If you look at the songwriting credits of
Are you a songwriter in need of an AI songwriting assistant? Say hello Amadeus Code
April 3rd, 2018 | by Alan Cross
Artificial intelligence (AI) is big and getting bigger, including with the arts community. Amadeus Code is a new songwriting helper
EntertainmentTO
EntertainmentTO is the best way to expand your knowledge and network within Toronto’s Entertainment Tech community. Our mission is to inspire and empower those interested in shaping the future of Entertainment, including music, video, sports, and gaming.
EntertainmentTO is led by Alan Cross, best known nationally and internationally as host of the syndicated radio series The Ongoing History of New Music, The Edge, Q107, and more.
Join us as we bridge the gap between technology, innovation, and entertainment.
