Impact case study database

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Barber engages with the people and processes integral to Western popular songwriting. By contextualising and sharing his findings, his work has generated new knowledge that has changed practice for a global audience of songwriters and music fans. The beneficial outcomes of these interventions are evident for three groups in particular:

• Professional songwriters — including guests — have gained new perspectives on their practice.

• Aspiring songwriters have been provided with the tools and inspiration to enhance their techniques and to nurture their careers.

• Music audiences have been given access to new ways of understanding their favourite artists.

Professional songwriters: reflection on songwriting practice

Professional songwriters interviewed by Barber report experiencing the benefit of having the opportunity for self-reflection provided by the podcast. Ivor Novello and Brit Award-winning songwriter, KT Tunstall said, “ The interview took me back to earlier parts of my career and provided a way of considering how I’d developed my approach. When listening to the podcast, I’ve learned a lot from hearing how other writers go about their work. The opportunity to put exciting new techniques into practice in my work is inspiring and encouraging” (S04). In response to a survey designed to explore in detail the motivations of podcast listeners — developed in accordance with host institution research ethics guidelines — 70% of professional songwriters agreed that the podcast had significantly changed how they approached their work (S03). For respondents identifying as female professional songwriters, the podcast positively informed their professional development. 75% indicated that the podcast had significantly changed their approach to songwriting. As one female professional songwriter explained, “ Listening to Sodajerker shifts me out of creative ruts and inspires me” (S03). This is particularly impactful given that female songwriters and producers are often absent from discourses around songwriting, and chronically under-represented in industry statistics. 83% of survey respondents identifying as female professional songwriters agreed that listening to the podcast had made them more aware of the business of popular music as it related to songwriting (S03).

Aspiring songwriters: inspiration, encouragement and new techniques

95% of listener survey respondents who identified as aspiring songwriters indicated they gained an enhanced knowledge of songwriting processes as a result of the podcast (S03). 92% also agreed that they better understood the business of popular music as it related to songwriting (S03). As the founder and CEO of Song Academy — a leading UK organisation engaging young people in songwriting — stated, “ Sodajerker is leading the conversation on the craft of songwriting…Our international community of young songwriters find the podcasts inspirational and informative…Our students tell us they like listening because Sodajerker’s guests are afforded a chance to talk about their music in a way that doesn’t happen in other media venues. This opportunity to access in-depth dialogue about the creative process and to use that knowledge in their own work has helped to transform how our young people approach the songwriting process” (S05). Evidence of the podcast encouraging songwriters to try new techniques in the development of their own work was evident also for the 25.5% of survey respondents who identified as aspiring songwriters over the age of 50. One respondent said, “ I appreciate the kinds of questions asked of the songwriters…the kinds of things that a songwriter would want to know” (S03). This sentiment was also expressed by aspiring female songwriters responding to the survey, with 100% agreeing that Sodajerker had significantly improved their understanding of the songwriting process (S03). This was also evident amongst female attendees of the Songwriting Studies Research Network events, with a female songwriter stating the events provided a space to, “ think about exactly what you’re doing and how you’re doing it and what your thoughts are, and that’s really important to keep moving and evolving” (S06).

Music audiences: enhanced knowledge and new perspectives

The podcast intimately connects the listener to the songwriter and 97% of survey respondents identifying as non-musical fans stated that they often recommended the podcast to friends and other music fans (S03). Through their engagement with the podcast, listeners describe arriving at a greater understanding of the songwriter’s creative practice, and new perspectives on their favourite artists. A respondent identifying as a 26-30 year-old female music fan said, “ it's something different from the same 10 questions every artist is asked on every other podcast, interview, and media appearance. I always learn something new about the artist being interviewed and the songwriting process/industry” (S03). This was echoed by one of the 226 listeners who reviewed the podcast on the Apple store: “ you leave each podcast wanting to go back to your record collection and listen again to the songs you’ve just heard discussed” (S02). The Head of BBC Radio Current Affairs, who commissioned the 2016 Sodajerker BBC World Service radio documentary, The Secrets of Songwriting, said, “ What makes Sodajerker special is a) the team’s incredible depth of research into, and understanding of, music: and b) their single-minded focus on how songwriters create original music” (S07). In reaching a global audience of music fans, Sodajerker has been described by The New Statesman as “ particularly good at developing a good rapport with their guests...interviewees refer to exactly how a song is written…It’s such an obvious-seeming inquiry, yet it never fails to elicit a fascinating response” (S09), and by music journalist and former Esquire, Q and The Word editor, Andrew Harrison, as, “ The Frost/Nixon of tunesmithery” (S08). Harrison said, “ these masterclasses in the art of writing music are so fascinating that even the tone-deaf and unmusical will love them. As a non-musician myself, I can attest to the impact that these conversations have had on my understanding of the creative process” (S08). The podcast has been freely available on demand to a worldwide audience since 2011, leading to 3,254,361 downloads (S01), 226 4/5-star reviews from listeners in 6 countries (S02), and placings in the music podcast charts in 74 countries (S01).

Dr Barber’s work has — and continues to have — a beneficial impact on the understanding of songwriting for a variety of stakeholders. Following his appearance as a guest on the podcast and a subsequent live-on-stage interview with Sodajerker at the 2019 Meltdown Festival — which he curated at The Southbank Centre — Chairman of the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, Nile Rodgers, said: “ These are difficult times for songwriters, and to have a resource like the Sodajerker podcast, where knowledge is shared by world-leading professionals and given freely to people around the world, is extremely valuable for the creative development of songwriters. For this reason, we cherish working with Sodajerker. Many organisations have a duty and responsibility to advocate for songwriters, but they are among the very few who actually do that” (S010).