If you’ve been writing songs for a long time, you’ve probably felt this tension:

You know songwriting matters.

But the world keeps acting like it doesn’t.

The industry got louder, faster, and more algorithmic. The gatekeepers got harder to reach. Attention spans got shorter. And a lot of incredible writers started asking a painful question:

“Do songs even matter anymore?”

Here’s my answer:

Yes.

Songwriting still wins.

What changed wasn’t the value of songs.

What changed was the path from songwriter → artist → audience.

And for the first time in decades, that path is getting rebuilt in a way that actually favors the songwriter.

The Old Reality: Great Songs Didn’t Equal Great Outcomes

Most traditional songwriters weren’t short on talent.

They were short on:

• Access
• Distribution
• Feedback
• Proof

You could write a masterpiece… and still have no idea if it landed.

Because the old system had a silent failure mode:

Nothing happens. No response. No data. Just waiting.

That silence doesn’t mean your song wasn’t good.

It just means the system didn’t route it to the right voice at the right time.

The New Reality: Proof Is the New Currency

Today, proof travels faster than permission.

If an artist performs a hook and it connects, the proof is public:

• Views
• Saves
• Comments
• Shares
• Remakes

That proof does something powerful:

It turns a “belief” into an “asset.”

Instead of saying, “I think this song is a hit,” you can point to the reaction and say:

“People are already responding to this.”

That changes everything.

Hooks Are Not a Shortcut. They’re a Doorway.

A hook is the emotional entry point of a song.

It’s the part people remember.

It’s what they quote.

It’s what makes them replay.

And in a short-form world, hooks aren’t replacing songs — they’re introducing them.

Think of a hook as:

• A movie trailer for your song
• An audition for the marketplace
• The moment that earns the full listen

When you upload a hook, you’re not “giving away your song.”

You’re placing the strongest 30 seconds on a shelf where artists can actually find it.

The Hook Marketplace: A New Distribution Channel for Songwriters

BuyDemoTracks is building a two-sided marketplace:

• Songwriters upload hooks
• Featured Artists browse, choose, and perform them
• Audiences react in real time

This creates a feedback loop songwriters have almost never had:

You can see what’s landing while the song is still fresh.

And because artists are part of the loop, it’s not just audience feedback.

It’s market feedback.

The exact people who can bring a hook to life are telling you with their actions what they want.

Why This Is Especially Powerful for “Jamie” Songwriters

If you’ve got 200 songs in a drawer, your biggest problem isn’t productivity.

It’s selection.

Which songs deserve the next investment?

Which hooks deserve the next push?

Which ideas should you write more of?

The marketplace answers those questions.

Not with opinions.

With proof.

What This Means for the Future

Here’s the shift I’m most excited about:

In the old world, the songwriter needed the industry to validate them.

In the new world, the market can validate the song first.

That’s a healthier system.

It rewards:

• Strong hooks
• Emotional clarity
• Honest lyrics
• Memorable melodies

In other words:

It rewards songwriting.

A Simple Plan (So You’re Not Overthinking It)

If you’re sitting on a catalog, here’s the play:

1) Pick 3 hooks you can’t stop humming

2) Upload them (keep it simple — guitar/vocal is fine)

3) Watch what gets saved and covered

4) Double down on what’s working

That’s it.

No gatekeepers.

No waiting for permission.

Just the market proving what you already believed.

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If you’ve got songs sitting in a drawer, let’s get them into the world.

[List Your First Hook →]