Erin Alden on Saying Yes and Building a Songwriting Career (Episode 144)

Everything you do is an audition.

Erin Alden calls herself a dot connector. The LA singer-songwriter, session singer, former manager of AfterMaster studios and host of The Real Me podcast for Teen Cancer America has had songs placed in shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Real World, and has written with players and producers whose credits run from Pink and Madonna to Morrissey and Bob Dylan.

In Episode 144 of The Career Musician, she tells Nomad how she built that career by saying yes, showing up prepared, and using social media to connect instead of compare. If you want practical songwriting career advice, this one is full of it.

Be a dot connector

Erin's first story shows how one friendly note can grow into a whole network. Her son was an actor on Roadies, and she found a podcast recapping the show. She wrote the host a simple thank-you note. That led to her son appearing, then other cast members, then Erin co-hosting, and eventually to her introducing those podcasters to friends who helped build the network that TCM is part of. Years later, it all came full circle to Nomad's mic.

"Without having people around you that you can reach out to, refer to, work with, we really don't have anything."

Erin Alden, 3:28

Say yes, even when it is uncomfortable

Erin grew up in a music-filled, bohemian household, with a grandmother who played a snare drum in the living room to Queen and The Beatles. She trained classically as a singer, moved to LA to act, and drifted away from music into TV production. Then a friend took her to a songwriter cabaret, the host asked for female singer-songwriters, and she volunteered on the spot. She and a guitarist friend put together a set of jazz standards, and it led to gig after gig.

"You have to be willing to say yes, even when it's uncomfortable."

Erin Alden, 13:51

She said yes to session work in every style, from classical to rock to jazz. That comfort in front of the mic led her to try songwriting, which became a career of its own. Nomad's version: the answer is yes. What's the question? Work begets work.

Use social media to connect, not compare

Early on, Erin used Facebook to see who she was connected to through mutual friends, like Rusty Anderson, longtime guitarist for Paul McCartney, whom she knew from that cabaret scene. She would send a friend request with a short note: we have great mutual friends, I'd love to connect. She never asked for anything. Her work was right there on her profile if they wanted to look, and many did.

Nomad loves the flip. Social media can breed envy, or it can be a way to say, "Hey, I'm out here doing stuff. Let's do stuff together." The platform doesn't matter. The mindset does. That is Humility and Savvy from the ETHOS code working together.

Walk in with three songs ready

When Erin was invited into writing groups with big names, she was nervous, and sometimes still is. Her fix is preparation. In a co-write, someone always says "what do you want to do?" and nobody has an answer. She always brings three ideas ready to work on.

"I always come with three songs ready to work on in case nobody has anything. Bam."

Erin Alden, 21:06

Nomad shares his own lesson. In a writing session with Babyface for Jewel, Face kept his back turned for three and a half hours, no matter what Nomad played. It was awkward and he second-guessed himself, but he didn't give up, and at the end he asked when they were writing again. Erin's take: you can't need someone's approval too much. Go in with the goods and know you are good enough. Everything you do is an audition.

Build a catalog before anyone asks

Big tours aren't how most musicians sustain a career anymore, Erin says, so look to placements. Some of hers came from people who found her music online and asked to submit her for TV projects. She keeps a catalog ready and writes ahead, and writing in many styles means she can say yes to a kids' show, a teen drama or a film.

She also writes just to write. For a couple of years she has written weekly over video with an artist named Cito, a former boy band singer, simply because they share a love of dark, moody new wave, and that work became singles and an EP. Nomad remembers freezing when a Nashville writer asked him who they were writing for. Erin's answer: don't get stuck on that. Just write. A song from ten years ago might be the one an artist needs today. And when you can't place something yourself, recommend a friend who can.

The smallest steps are achievements

Erin admits she has no tidy system. Notes everywhere, a whiteboard, a calendar on the fridge, and a request to her collaborators: please bug me. Nomad is the opposite, so structured he can stall in the outline. They meet in the middle: pick one item, turn off your notifications, and do it.

Then Erin coins a line on the spot: the smallest of steps are achievements. For her, success right now is breathing. The pandemic shut her down creatively for a while, and she learned not to beat herself up. That reset gave her the wings she has now.

The takeaway

Connect people, say yes, show up ready, and keep writing whether or not anyone has asked. Erin is also looking for volunteer musicians, singers and engineers to help teen patients finish their songs through Teen Cancer America. To start building your own toolbox, grab the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

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