Attention, songwriters! The deadline for the July/August 2013 Lyric Contest is tonight at Midnight! Enter now for your chance to win a . . . 2013 “Dream Co-Write” with hit songwriter and recording artist Lee Brice Professional Demo Session (1 song) at Omni Sound Studios Round-Trip Flight to Nashville (domestic only) Gibson J-35 Acoustic Guitar [...]

  Matthew Perryman Jones believes there’s magic in his Martin D-18. “When I make the first strum on a guitar, I can tell if there’s a song inside of it that needs to come out,” said the Nashville songwriter, who has released three albums since 2008 and scored numerous song placements on television for shows [...]

Martin’s GPCPA1 Plus Acoustic-Electric cutaway model guitar integrates “state-of-the art electronics with striking aesthetic features, well balanced tone and enhanced playability.” (click here to read our review). Want to own one? Simply click the button below and tell us the “ten albums you’d take to the other side,” and you’ll be entered to win a [...]

March/April 2013 “On My Deathbed” winner Nicholas Sumner reveals his prize picks. From Nickel Creek to Tom Waits, read Nick’s ruminations on the picks that helped him win the Martin D-35 Seth Avett Custom Signature Guitar. And enter the May/June “On My Deathbed” contest for your chance to win a Martin GPCPA1 Plus Guitar. Trouble [...]

(Photos: Alissa Anderson) This article appears in our March/April issue – subscribe here. In the great myth of Dawes, Tay Strathairn, Wylie Gelber, Taylor Goldsmith and his younger brother Griffin were born in a golden hippie orb, high up in Laurel Canyon; the Goldsmith siblings harmonizing even whilst emerging from the womb, having already memorized [...]

Singer-songwriter Elise Davis has won American Songwriter and Martin Guitar’s “The Pub Deal,” a year-long $20,000 publishing contract with HoriPro Entertainment Group, Inc. All the entries were carefully reviewed and discussed, with the help of judges Holly Williams, Dean Dillon, Martin Ambassador Mac Powell and Martin Ambassador Hunter Hayes. Davis, 24, has been releasing albums independently since her [...]

UPDATE:  Our editorial internship positions for the summer semester are currently filled.  We are still accepting marketing internship applications until April 10, 2013. How do I intern at American Songwriter?  American Songwriter seeks ambitious and energetic interns with a strong interest in “the craft of music.” Internships are unpaid, and require 15-30 hours per week [...]

(Kentucky’s Houndmouth) SXSW 2013, Tuesday: A Post-Buzz World Today is the second day of the music portion of South by Southwest. For the last three years I have walked the streets of downtown Austin for this aural feast, lost amid a sea of musicians, industry stiffs, hangers-on, and earnest music lovers. Every year, at several [...]

January/February 2013 “On My Deathbed” winner Wayne Norfleet reveals his prize picks. From Kris Kristofferson to Frank Zappa, read Wayne’s ruminations on the picks that helped him win the Martin D-Mahogany Guitar. And enter the next “On My Deathbed” contest for your chance to win a Martin D-35 Seth Avett Custom Signature Guitar. In the [...]

If you only listened to the Rolling Stones’ singles, you’d have a blueprint for rock and roll in all its glory. But for every “Miss You,” “Satisfaction” or “Sympathy For The Devil,” there are five album tracks that are equally worth your time. Here’s twenty of the best; may they gather no moss. (Check out [...]

As the end of 2012 approaches we look back at the music that defined our year. But it’s also a time to look ahead with anticipation for the music discoveries that await us. While it’s hard to say how 2013 will stack up to this year’s releases, it’s shaping up to be another great year [...]

  American Songwriter is pleased to co-present with The Stone Fox two of our favorite songwriters on Wednesday, January 23, 2013. John McCauley, of the “divine and messy” rock and roll band Deer Tick as well as the new project Diamond Rugs, has had a prolific songwriting career since the release of 2007’s excellent War [...]