#5: Hall of Fame Legendary Songwriter Roger Cook Part 2
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Legendary songwriter Roger Cook joins host Terrance Sawchuk on Sold for a Song to share untold stories behind hit records, the realities of Nashville’s music machine, and the future of music ownership. From Bono bar stories to Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill sessions, this episode is packed with songwriting wisdom, industry laughs, and lessons every creative needs to hear.
Full Show Notes
Episode Summary
In this powerful episode of Sold for a Song, Terrance Sawchuk sits down with Hall of Fame songwriter Roger Cook (You Got Your Troubles, I Just Want to Dance with You) for an unfiltered conversation about:
The highs and lows of songwriting success
Crazy stories with Bono, The Beatles, and Roy Orbison
Alanis Morissette’s intellectual intercourse lyric inspiration
The Nashville writing grind vs. creative freedom abroad
Music industry greed, market share royalties, and blockchain’s future
Why the simplest songs often hit the hardest
This episode isn’t just music history—it’s a roadmap for songwriters, artists, and anyone navigating creative ownership in today’s industry.
Key Takeaways
“Write one for the radio, one for yourself.” Roger’s simple but powerful philosophy on staying authentic.
Market share vs. fairness: Why songwriters often lose money despite millions of streams—and how Web3 could fix it.
Creative freedom matters: Why some of the best songs come from outside the pressure cooker of Nashville.
The hit songs that changed everything: From You Got Your Troubles to I Just Want to Dance with You.
Lessons from legends: Stories involving Bono, The Beatles, John Prine, and Alanis Morissette.
Quotes from the Episode
“The easiest thing you’ll ever do in this business is sign a record deal. The hardest thing? Keeping it.” – Roger Cook
“At some point, you might as well fail being you.” – Terrance Sawchuk
“Write for love first. Let the hits take care of themselves.” – Roger Cook
Resources & Links
Join the Sold for a Song community: TerranceSawchuk.com
Follow Terrance on Instagram: @terrancesawchuk
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your podcasts
Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction
01:03 – Nashville beginnings & signing record deals
05:07 – Stories about Bono, The Beatles, Roy Orbison
08:45 – Songwriting with Alanis Morissette
12:30 – Nashville co-writing culture & royalty frustrations
16:20 – Writing hits vs. personal songs
19:30 – Chances Are and the power of simplicity
24:30 – You Got Your Troubles: Roger plays his biggest hit
28:00 – Nashville then vs. now: 1970s to the streaming era
34:18 – Market share, streaming, and blockchain’s promise
36:50 – Publishing splits, admin deals & music business lessons
40:00 – Closing thoughts & future conversations
Call to Action
Join the movement: TerranceSawchuk.com
Subscribe, rate, and review $old 4 a $ong to help more creators reclaim their worth.
Want to go deeper? Watch for the $old 4 a $ong Academy + 1:1 mentoring inside the private portal.
Credits
Host: Terrance Sawchuk
Guest: Roger Cook
Production: $old 4 a $ong / Terrance Sawchuk
Music/Editing: Terrance Sawchuk
Location: Nashville, TN
SEO Keywords (paste in Podbean “Tags”)
songwriting, music business, publishing splits, masters vs publishing, Nashville, George Martin, The Beatles, Roger Cook, Terrance Sawchuk, ASCAP, royalties, country songwriting, catalog sales, investor catalogs, 1000 true fans, ukulele, John Prine
👉 Subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
👉 Join the movement at TerranceSawchuk.com.
Take the free Artist Worth Quiz, join the $old 4 a $ong Journal, and join the waitlist for the $4$ Artist Accelerator™ course all at www.sold4asong.com
Legendary songwriter Roger Cook joins host Terrance Sawchuk on Sold for a Song to share untold stories behind hit records, the realities of Nashville’s music machine, and the future of music ownership. From Bono bar stories to Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill sessions, this episode is packed with songwriting wisdom, industry laughs, and lessons every creative needs to hear.
Full Show Notes
Episode Summary
In this powerful episode of Sold for a Song, Terrance Sawchuk sits down with Hall of Fame songwriter Roger Cook (You Got Your Troubles, I Just Want to Dance with You) for an unfiltered conversation about:
The highs and lows of songwriting success
Crazy stories with Bono, The Beatles, and Roy Orbison
Alanis Morissette’s intellectual intercourse lyric inspiration
The Nashville writing grind vs. creative freedom abroad
Music industry greed, market share royalties, and blockchain’s future
Why the simplest songs often hit the hardest
This episode isn’t just music history—it’s a roadmap for songwriters, artists, and anyone navigating creative ownership in today’s industry.
Key Takeaways
“Write one for the radio, one for yourself.” Roger’s simple but powerful philosophy on staying authentic.
Market share vs. fairness: Why songwriters often lose money despite millions of streams—and how Web3 could fix it.
Creative freedom matters: Why some of the best songs come from outside the pressure cooker of Nashville.
The hit songs that changed everything: From You Got Your Troubles to I Just Want to Dance with You.
Lessons from legends: Stories involving Bono, The Beatles, John Prine, and Alanis Morissette.
Quotes from the Episode
“The easiest thing you’ll ever do in this business is sign a record deal. The hardest thing? Keeping it.” – Roger Cook
“At some point, you might as well fail being you.” – Terrance Sawchuk
“Write for love first. Let the hits take care of themselves.” – Roger Cook
Resources & Links
Join the Sold for a Song community: TerranceSawchuk.com
Follow Terrance on Instagram: @terrancesawchuk
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your podcasts
Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction
01:03 – Nashville beginnings & signing record deals
05:07 – Stories about Bono, The Beatles, Roy Orbison
08:45 – Songwriting with Alanis Morissette
12:30 – Nashville co-writing culture & royalty frustrations
16:20 – Writing hits vs. personal songs
19:30 – Chances Are and the power of simplicity
24:30 – You Got Your Troubles: Roger plays his biggest hit
28:00 – Nashville then vs. now: 1970s to the streaming era
34:18 – Market share, streaming, and blockchain’s promise
36:50 – Publishing splits, admin deals & music business lessons
40:00 – Closing thoughts & future conversations
Call to Action
Join the movement: TerranceSawchuk.com
Subscribe, rate, and review $old 4 a $ong to help more creators reclaim their worth.
Want to go deeper? Watch for the $old 4 a $ong Academy + 1:1 mentoring inside the private portal.
Credits
Host: Terrance Sawchuk
Guest: Roger Cook
Production: $old 4 a $ong / Terrance Sawchuk
Music/Editing: Terrance Sawchuk
Location: Nashville, TN
SEO Keywords (paste in Podbean “Tags”)
songwriting, music business, publishing splits, masters vs publishing, Nashville, George Martin, The Beatles, Roger Cook, Terrance Sawchuk, ASCAP, royalties, country songwriting, catalog sales, investor catalogs, 1000 true fans, ukulele, John Prine
👉 Subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
👉 Join the movement at TerranceSawchuk.com.
