7 Essential Songwriting Podcasts That Reveal How Hits Actually Get Made

Songwriting has always been the backbone of music, but today’s streaming economy has made it brutally difficult for writers to earn a living. Fractional royalty rates and algorithmic playlisting have fundamentally changed the game. Yet the craft persists, fueled by talented creators who refuse to quit.

The explosion of podcasts about song creation speaks volumes. These shows have become essential listening for anyone curious about how melodies, lyrics, and arrangements come to life. Some feature household names, but many spotlight the invisible architects behind the scenes. What ties them together is an unflinching honesty about the work involved: it’s grinding, unglamorous, and absolutely worth it when a song finally connects.

The Classics: Where Songwriting Podcasts Began

Sodajerker on Songwriting has been running for 15 years, hosted by Liverpool-based duo Simon Barber and Brian O’Connor. Their guest list reads like a Hall of Fame roster: Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Jimmy Webb, Todd Rundgren, Chaka Khan, and Phil Collins. They dig deep into specific landmark songs while exploring each guest’s current work. The podcast earned enough cultural credibility to spawn a BBC World Service documentary and have its interview archive housed at the British Library. That’s the kind of staying power most creators dream about.

Hrishikesh Hirway’s Song Exploder launched in 2014 and has become many people’s entry point into entertainment podcasting. Hirway, an accomplished musician who battled writer’s block, turned to podcasting as a creative outlet. Each episode dissects a single song in under 30 minutes. The show spiraled into something bigger: it became his full-time job and landed a Netflix series. Recent guests include Elvis Costello, Olivia Rodrigo, and Charli XCX.

Understanding the Mechanics

Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding’s Switched On Pop takes a forensic approach to Top 40 hits. A musicology professor and songwriter respectively, they examine why songs become hits and what listeners respond to emotionally. Episodes alternate between featuring artists like Carly Rae Jepsen and Tove Lo, and deep analytical dives into production techniques and melodic structures. Their 2019 book expanded on the podcast’s popularity, and Netflix picked up the series.

Ross Golan’s And the Writer Is… has become a badge of honor in songwriting circles. Golan himself penned hits for Selena Gomez, Jason Derulo, and Celine Dion. Over 250 episodes, he’s interviewed Finneas, Bebe Rexha, Ryan Tedder, and Ziggy Marley. These hour-long conversations balance the triumphs with the struggles, offering real insight into what it takes to sustain momentum in this industry.

Beyond the Songs

Ben Opipari’s Songwriters on Process stands out because he’s not a songwriter himself. A PhD in English language and literature, Opipari focuses on the writing process rather than just the finished product. He’s interviewed everyone from Julia Jacklin to Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard. His outsider perspective brings intellectual rigor to conversations that might otherwise stay surface-level.

Laura Veltz’s Songwriter Soup functions as an audio handbook for aspiring and established writers navigating this difficult space. Veltz, a Grammy nominee, brings industry experts to discuss best practices and survival tactics. Recently becoming an official nonprofit, the show has expanded beyond interviews to provide practical resources for protecting songwriters’ interests.

Justin Tranter’s Unfamous, the newest entry, pairs celebrities with the collaborators who helped build their careers. Tranter, who wrote Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!,” brings his A-game to conversations with Katy Perry, Melanie Martinez, and Troye Sivan. The format highlights that success is rarely a solo act.

These podcasts prove that songwriting remains captivating to audiences, even as the industry transforms around creators. Maybe the real question isn’t whether songwriting will survive the streaming era, but whether listeners will ever stop wanting to know how their favorite songs came to be.

Source: Rolling Stone