that Give You an Edge for Success
“ASCAP aims to provide members with a multifaceted toolchest to augment their craft and their careers. Hit Songs Deconstructed is a cutting-edge service that can support our members’ creative process with in-depth data and analysis of current songwriting techniques.”
ASCAP Chief Strategy & Digital Officer
“Amazing workshop. Spot on with the analysis and relevant to any music theory, composer, songwriter, or producer in the game now. Bravo!”
Producer, Young M.A., Chris Brown, Lil Wayne
“This was one of the most thorough, well-presented and thought out master classes on pop writing I have ever experienced. ”
Grammy nominated musician, film composer, producer and arranger, Prince, Elvis Costello, Miley Cyrus, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Akon, Wu Tang Clan, DJ Premiere, Guru
“Very thorough, fun and insightful. Kind of a moneyball for songwriting, which is an interesting and original way of analyzing the creative process. As a pro I recommend this workshop to songwriters of any level.”
Grammy nominated songwriter and artist
“For those of you concerned about producing and writing hits songs while staying current, this masterclass is for you. Wonderful insight into what makes these current hit songs appeal so well to the artists audience.”
Professor/Artist
“Even though I’ve been writing professionally for over ten years, I’ve found several nuggets of gold that have improved my writing already.”
Hit Songwriter, Producer, Artist One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, Scouting for Girls
“It’s amazing ! The depth of your analysis, the techniques you covered, the practical tools you provided us with, and the level of professionalism of each masterclass. I’m really honored and profoundly grateful for all I learned from you.”
Healer Composer, Tony Allen, Oxmo Puccino, Damon Albarn, Ghetto Blaster
“Hit Songs Deconstructed does the research that 99.9% of songwriters would not even think of doing. What I learn from these workshops and the Hit Songs Deconstructed website in one month would take me years to figure out on my own, and by then, it wouldn’t even apply to the current music scene. These are not just songwriting tips and tricks; these workshops are a masterclass in hit songwriting, as is the website. If you’re truly serious about being a professional in this business, Hit Songs Deconstructed will put you on that path.”
Educator/Songwriter
“What a class! Even as an avid student (and teacher) of theory and musical analysis, I had never seen the granular and global view to a song that Hit Songs Deconstructed presents. Highly recommended!!!”
Singer/songwriter, music instructor
“The amount of in-depth analysis is staggering. It’s really opened my eyes to the tricks and techniques needed to craft current hits.”
“I am honestly blown away by the amount of information you provide on each of these songs, practically like a thesis deserving of a degree. From a songwriting standpoint, so much of this information is so helpful, and the time-saving benefits are enormous.”
Grammy winning producer/songwriter/recording artist Carlos Santana, Ricky Martin, Ozomatli, Boyz II Men, Selena
“My entire thought process as a producer, an engineer, a musician, and a songwriter are fleshed out in the pages of the HSD reports.”
Grammy winning, multi-platinum music producer, mixing engineer and professor at Berklee College of Music
“As a teacher AND a songwriter, an important part of my job is to analyze what works in successful songs. HSD does the research for me. It’s an amazing tool–and one I highly recommend to my students and collaborators throughout the world.
Songwriter w/50 million album sales | Top-selling author, Billboard Books
What People Are Saying About Hit Songs Deconstructed
“Amazing workshop. Spot on with the analysis and relevant to any music theory, composer, songwriter, or producer in the game now. Bravo!”
Producer, Young M.A., Chris Brown, Lil Wayne
“This was one of the most thorough, well-presented and thought out master classes on pop writing I have ever experienced. ”
Grammy nominated musician, film composer, producer and arranger, Prince, Elvis Costello, Miley Cyrus, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Akon, Wu Tang Clan, DJ Premiere, Guru
“The amount of in-depth analysis is staggering. It’s really opened my eyes to the tricks and techniques needed to craft current hits.”
“What a class! Even as an avid student (and teacher) of theory and musical analysis, I had never seen the granular and global view to a song that Hit Songs Deconstructed presents. Highly recommended!!!”
Singer/songwriter, music instructor
“Hit Songs Deconstructed does the research that 99.9% of songwriters would not even think of doing. What I learn from these workshops and the Hit Songs Deconstructed website in one month would take me years to figure out on my own, and by then, it wouldn’t even apply to the current music scene. These are not just songwriting tips and tricks; these workshops are a masterclass in hit songwriting, as is the website. If you’re truly serious about being a professional in this business, Hit Songs Deconstructed will put you on that path.”
Educator/Songwriter
“It’s amazing ! The depth of your analysis, the techniques you covered, the practical tools you provided us with, and the level of professionalism of each masterclass. I’m really honored and profoundly grateful for all I learned from you.”
Healer Composer, Tony Allen, Oxmo Puccino, Damon Albarn, Ghetto Blaster
“Even though I’ve been writing professionally for over ten years, I’ve found several nuggets of gold that have improved my writing already.”
Hit Songwriter, Producer, Artist One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, Scouting for Girls
“For those of you concerned about producing and writing hits songs while staying current, this masterclass is for you. Wonderful insight into what makes these current hit songs appeal so well to the artists audience.”
Professor/Artist
“Very thorough, fun and insightful. Kind of a moneyball for songwriting, which is an interesting and original way of analyzing the creative process. As a pro I recommend this workshop to songwriters of any level.”
Grammy nominated songwriter and artist
“My entire thought process as a producer, an engineer, a musician, and a songwriter are fleshed out in the pages of the HSD reports.”
Grammy winning, multi-platinum music producer, mixing engineer and professor at Berklee College of Music
“ASCAP aims to provide members with a multifaceted toolchest to augment their craft and their careers. Hit Songs Deconstructed is a cutting-edge service that can support our members’ creative process with in-depth data and analysis of current songwriting techniques.”
ASCAP Chief Strategy & Digital Officer
“I am honestly blown away by the amount of information you provide on each of these songs, practically like a thesis deserving of a degree. From a songwriting standpoint, so much of this information is so helpful, and the time-saving benefits are enormous.”
Grammy winning producer/songwriter/recording artist Carlos Santana, Ricky Martin, Ozomatli, Boyz II Men, Selena
“As a teacher AND a songwriter, an important part of my job is to analyze what works in successful songs. HSD does the research for me. It’s an amazing tool–and one I highly recommend to my students and collaborators throughout the world.
Songwriter w/50 million album sales | Top-selling author, Billboard Books
Intelligence
Make strategic songwriting, production and business decisions
armed with hit song analytics.
The Immersion Database
Immersion provides you with valuable, real-time intelligence on the compositional characteristics of the songs that land in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
This fully interactive database offers hundreds of different searches that keep you in tune with what’s driving the Hot 100 Top 10 at the compositional level. Trends are visualized with bar graphs, line graphs and tables. Every data point links to its corresponding song set, which, in turn, link to dedicated pages housing each song’s key compositional characteristics.
Search for trends pertaining to:
- Primary Genres
- Sub-Genres/Influences
- Instruments
- Lead Vocals (gender, vocal delivery, etc.)
- Lyrics (lyrical theme, title placement and appearances, etc.)
- Song Structure (key, tempo, song length, song form, etc.)
- Song Sections (intro characteristics, first chorus occurrence, post-chorus types, etc)
- And much more
Artist, Writer, Producer & Label Database
This database will keep you in tune with the artists, writers, producers, and labels behind today’s hits, who they are collaborating with, which of their songs are charting in the Top 10 and the trends behind them.
Each have their own personal profile detailing which artists, songwriters, producers and labels they’ve collaborated with, their compositional profile, charting information and a link to their twitter and Instagram pages.
Trend searches include number of songs in the Top 10, weeks in the Top 10, trends for gender, featured artist, genre breakdown, team size, and more. Searches can be filtered in a multitude of ways including by date range, primary genre, peak chart position, among others. All search results include links to the corresponding songs and profile pages.
Benchmark Tool
The powerful Benchmark Tool gives you the ability to compare and contrast any of the compositional characteristics in the Immersion Database across songs, artists, songwriters, producers and labels.
This tool can help you:
- Gain insight into a specific body of work of a particular artist, songwriter, producer or label
- Understand what compositional characteristics a select group of songs have in common
- Discover how songs stand out from the pack by going against the grain
Make targeted pitches by researching what creates the signature sound of a particular artist, producer, or songwriter
Tools for Writing and Producing
Hit Song Techniques Library
This curated library provides you with some of the most effective tools and techniques that today’s hitmakers use to send their songs to the top of the charts. If there is an aspect of your song that needs work, this is the place to go. Techniques are updated bi-monthly as new songs enter the Hot 100 Top 10.
Technique analysis categories include:
- Hook Techniques
- Intro Techniques
- Outro Techniques
- Duet/Groupj Lead Vocal Structure Techniques
- Audience Participation Moment Techniques
- Energy Techniques
- Section Impact Accentuator Techniques
- Sub-Genre Fusion Techniques
- Chorus Vocal Structure Techniques
- Departure Section Techniques
- Prosody Techniques
- Rhyme Techniques
Power Search
- This highly customizable search allows you to mix and match over 200 compositional characteristics and techniques to find songs that meet specific, targeted criteria.This tool can help you:
- See how your original song stacks up against proven hits with similar compositional characteristics
- Understand the space you are looking to compete in by finding current songs with similar qualities
- Get insight for ways to take your song to the next level and/or give it a unique spin
- Find reference tracks to take into the studio
- Bring tracks to co-write sessions for idea generation
- Find reference tracks for Film/TV/Advertising projects
- Get inspired
All songs in search results link to a page dedicated to their key compositional characteristics which also includes charting information, lyrics links, official video, and more.
Downloadable Logic Projects for Today's Hits
The Hit Songs Deconstructed Logic projects give you an “under the hood” look at how today’s biggest hits are crafted. These projects provide you with a visual roadmap for understanding how they were written, produced and arranged and highlight many of the techniques that make them so effective along the way. By viewing the arrangements as you listen, you will gain valuable insight into the strategic decisions made by today’s hitmakers to help prime their songs for maximum impact, and come away with new tools, techniques, and ideas to and ideas to help take your original songs to the next level.
Through easy-to-follow labels and color-coded regions, each project details key aspects of the song including:
- Structure (Form): View a visual representation of the song’s sections and stanzas.
- Energy Flow: See how energy fluctuates both within and across sections. Compare vocals, instruments and arrangement to identify what is affecting energy and WHY it’s being done.
- Harmony: Gain an understanding of how the song’s harmony was constructed. Both chords and roman numerals are provided.
- Vocal Melody: See how melodic parts are structured within and across sections to attain the perfect balance of memorability and engagement.
- Vocal Production: View how the effective use of doubling, multi-pitch layering, adlibs, notable effects and duet structure heighten a song’s impact.
- Instruments: Learn what carries over from section to section to maintain continuity, and what changes to maintain interest and heighten engagement. All of the song’s primary instruments are detailed.
- Techniques: Select techniques such as hooks techniques, S.I.A. techniques (section impact accentuators), “D” (departure) section techniques, and much more are included in each song arrangement as well. View the notepad to learn the what, how and why behind these techniques, and add them to your own technique toolbox.
In-Depth Analysis
Unparalleled insight
into the craft behind today’s hits
By distilling hit songs down to their foundational building blocks,
it becomes apparent what techniques are most effective.
The best way to understand WHY today’s hits are so successful is to identify what makes them work. By distilling hit songs down to their foundational building blocks, it becomes apparent what techniques are most effective – despite the genre or artist delivering them.
Every quarter we select one specific hit and take a deep dive into the songwriting and production techniques used to craft the song. The insight you gain from these super in-depth reports will take your craft to the next level and get you competing at the very highest levels.
Each report is published in six segments, including:
- Structure, Genres & Sub-Genre Fusion
- Instruments and Arrangement
- Vocal Melody and Vocal Production
- Energy and Dynamics
- Rhymes & Lyrics
- Hooks, Prosody and Standout Factors.
Powerful Tools for Today's Music Industry Professional
The quarterly State of the Hot 100 Top 10 Report gets you in tune with how today’s most successful songs, and the players behind them, are evolving.
This 100+ page report delivers an easy-to-digest snapshot of the trends driving each quarter’s most successful songs – and the players behind them – and gets you in tune with today’s rapidly evolving hit song landscape.
The report includes:
- Key industry players, their compositional profiles and who they are collaborating with
- Trend data for artists, songwriters, producers and labels
- Notable compositional shifts for 2019 when compared to 2018
- What compositional characteristics songs with staying power have in common (songs that charted in the Top 10 for ten or more weeks)
- A deep dive into what 2019’s #1 hits have in common at the compositional level
- An in-depth look at trends for all the compositional categories we track, including primary genres, sub-genres, lead vocals, lyrical themes, instruments, key, tempo, song length, song structure, and much more.
- Compositional trends for the overall Top 10, as well as Hip Hop and non-Hip Hop genres individually.
Analysis
Hit Song Deconstructed Reports
(In-depth song analysis)
The State of the Hot 100 Top 10
(Quarterly trend reports)
Tools for Writing & Producing
Hit Song Techniques Library
(Songwriting and production techniques)
Power Search
(Search for songs using 200 compositional filters)
Downloadable Logic Projects
(A visual roadmap of how a hit was written, produced and arranged)
Research & Intelligence
Artist, Writer, Producer & Label Database
(The players behind today’s hits)
The Immersion Database
(Compositional Analytics)
Benchmark Tool
(Benchmark songs, artists, songwriters, producers and labels)
Workshops
Inside the Hit Song Matrix
Where Creativity and Science Meet
Optimizing Your Song
for Commercial Success
Writing and Producing
with a Hit Song Mentality
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Empower Yourself with Cutting-Edge Tools that Keep You in Tune with the Craft and Trends Driving Today’s Hits
Hit Songs Deconstructed offers a trove of cutting-edge interactive tools, data and analysis that keep you in tune with the songwriting and production techniques driving today’s hits.
Hit Songs Deconstructed In the News
Our mission is to provide you with tools to help you give you an edge for success in today's rapidly evolving musical landscape.
Go beyond a listen, go beyond a deconstruction
- immerse yourself in the hits.
Songwriters, composers, engineers, and producers are utilizing Hit Songs Deconstructed to:
- Hone their craft by studying proven current hits.
- Continually update their toolbox with the latest writing and production techniques being used in today’s hits as they become available.
- Understand WHY today’s hits connect with such a wide audience.
- Gain insight into how to successfully channel unique creativity into commercially viable songs.
- Develop an instinctual approach to writing songs for mainstream success.
- Make more targeted pitches to music libraries and production houses who are looking for current sounding music and/or sound-alike’s for spots.
- Give themselves an edge in a very competitive music industry.
Music industry professionals, such as publishers, labels, music libraries, production houses are using Hit Songs Deconstructed to:
- Make informed decisions in a fast-paced musical landscape.
- Stay ahead of the curve by spotting current, evolving, and waning trends.
- Supplement sales, streaming, engagement, and radio airplay data with insight into the compositional trends behind those numbers.
- Gain insight into what current hit songs have in common – and what is setting them apart.
- Identify the key ingredients that are making current chart-topping songs “tick.”
- Improve communication between creative executives / A&R’s and writers.
- Quantify gut feelings for hit songwriting trends with factual data.
- Benchmark new songs and artists against those with a proven track record.