Monte Criswell is a songwriter. A big time, bad-a$$ songwriter. 200 of his songs have been recorded by Nashville artists and he's had several number 1 hits and a few Grammy nominations. His passion from a young age was to be in music. From the University of Alabama (and St Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile, Alabame before that) he declined a law school enrollment at Syracuse and went to Nashville where he hustled and slept in his car looking for a break. Today's he's a known name in the country music scene, having written for George Strait, Darius Rucker, Trace Adkins, Morgan Wallen, and many many more.
On this episode of What's Working we discuss the music business from the point of view of a songwriter.
Show Sponsors:
Find Cam Marston's book - What Works: The Ten Best Ideas from the First Two-Hundred Episodes on Amazon.com.
To get the Cam's "Here's What's Cool" list each week and a Free Chapter of What Works, sign up here.
Last - The best daily news newsletter I've found is Morning Brew. I've read it every morning for years. Good content written with a dash of snark. Find it here.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.