Songwriter Soup
Songwriter Soup is a frank discussion about how to make it in the music industry as a songwriter. It takes grit and a lot of patience, but also sound financial advice. Laura Veltz is a Four-time Grammy-nominated songwriter and is teaming up with Tracy Hackney, a seasoned financial advisor for musicians, to bring you the tips and tricks of the industry. Joined by host and producer, Kevin Sokolnicki, the trio has interviews with some of the most prominent and up-and-coming songwriters and artists in the music industry. Songwriter Soup airs every Monday where you get your podcasts.
Episodes
May 12, 2025 • 71 mins
You might recognize today’s Songwriter Soup guest’s name and voice—Rob Ragosta (“Need A Favor” & “Winning Streak” Jelly Roll) is the brother of previous SS guest, Joe Ragosta! On this episode the group talks about family, community and how important the maintenance of both can help keep your head on straight through the ups, downs, highs and lows of the songwriter grind. It also covers the delicate balance of ego and humility and t...
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This week on Songwriter Soup, the trio is joined by Nashville producer and songwriter, Trent Willmon. This episode covers a wealth of information about production, vocals, and why Trent is open (and even excited!) to record outside songs with his frequent collaborator, Cody Johnson. For those of you who don’t know, an outside song is a song that an artist cuts without being on the copyright. There are a thousand reasons why that is...
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April 28, 2025 • 68 mins
This week, the Songwriter Soup trio is joined by the incredible Connie Harrington (“I Drive Your Truck” Lee Brice, “Mine Would Be You” Blake Shelton, “No Caller ID” & “Bless Your Heart” Megan Moroney).
No shortage of wisdom, truth bombs and tears on this episode, y’all. Connie has seen it all and managed to stay, not just relevant, but bar-setting every damn time she gets one to stick to the wall.
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April 21, 2025 • 74 mins
The Songwriter Soup crew sits down with FBMM’s own, Erica Rosa, lovingly and accurately known as the “royalty guru", to explore how money flows through the music industry. While originally set to focus on publishing royalties (this is a songwriter podcast after all), things naturally veered right to the actual beginning.
How does music make money from the tippy top down? Erica offers a clear breakdown, from streaming and physical ...
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April 14, 2025 • 58 mins
Seth Ennis (“The Boys Back Home” Dylan Marlowe & Dylan Scott, “She Drives Away” Jon Pardi, “Hooked” Dylan Scott, “Tough To Tie Down” Jordan Davis) joins The Soup gang to discuss the challenges of going from an artist who writes great songs to a full time hit songwriter and the importance of friendship as you make your way up the ranks.
Seth and Laura clear up an adorable ten year old work snafu, and coo over how amazing this songwr...
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March 31, 2025 • 94 mins
To celebrate Kelly Archer’s recent two-week country number one, “I’m Gonna Love You” (Cody Johnson & Carrie Underwood), we thought we’d re-release our interview with our girl, Kelly! Enjoy one of our favorite episodes of Songwriter Soup.
Kelly Archer (“Sleep Without You” Brett Young, “Wild As Her” Corey Kent, “Somebody Else Will” Justin Moore) explains what it’s like to write songs in Nashville before and after becoming a U.S. Citi...
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March 24, 2025 • 80 mins
Steph Jones (“Espresso” & “Nonsense” Sabrina Carpenter, “hole in the bottle” Kelsea Ballerini, “People You Know” Selena Gomez) might actually be the songwriting community’s most easiest to love songwriter.
The Soup Crew learns all about Steph’s interest in scents and how it finds it’s way into her songwriting career, and the path she took through the praise and worship world that led her to a hits in pop and country.
Steph definite...
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March 17, 2025 • 65 mins
Replay, baby! Nashville's on Spring Break this week, so enjoy this oldie-but-goodie. It's full of great nuggets. We'll see you next week with a new episode!
Break-ups are never easy, especially when it comes to co-writing. This week, our hosts examine the reasons it may be necessary to say goodbye to a collaborator and how to do it with care.
The trio also talks about the virtues of Nashville’s even split policy, writing non-exclu...
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March 10, 2025 • 78 mins
Devin Dawson (“God’s Country” Blake Shelton, “The Difference” Tyler Rich, “All On Me” Devin Dawson) is our second songwriter artist guest on Songwriter Soup. Devin walks the crew through how cockiness (hmmm... confidence) helped him boldly switch lifestyles throughout his music career, jumping from garage death metal band to Belmont University student to country artist and hit songwriter.
He unpacks the challenge and beauty of his ...
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March 3, 2025 • 66 mins
Insurance is about the most boring topic on the planet. But! It’s also crucial that small business owners understand how it works, and how to make it work for you as you barrel into the future.
In this episode, Tracy finishes out his financial planning strategy by putting a solid floor under those buckets with various types of insurance.
The crew also discusses Music Health Alliance, an incredible resource for music people, and so...
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February 24, 2025 • 69 mins
Driver Williams (“Smoke A Little Smoke” Eric Church, “Days That End In Why” Morgan Wallen, “Back 40 Back” Luke Combs), son of publisher & former head of BMI, Jody Williams, has always known exactly what a songwriter is.
This week on Songwriter Soup, the trio talks to Driver about what it was like to grow up in the thick of the Nashville songwriter scene, leaving it to follow his love of heavy metal, how that love somehow led him to...
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February 17, 2025 • 78 mins
This episode is undoubtedly one of the pillars of Songwriter Soup so, please do not miss it. Tracy takes the wheel this week as he explains the system through which he organizes, manages and grows other people’s wealth.
The trio discusses Tracy’s famous buckets (short, mid and long term savings), as well as conventional wisdom most people use that, turns out, might be a less effective strategy for growing wealth.
This episode also ...
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February 10, 2025 • 55 mins
Trio de Songwriter Soup delve into art/business relationships and more on today’s episode. When it comes to a songwriter’s relationship with an artist, what is loyalty exactly? Is it a good thing? Is it a bad thing?
Man, it sure can get tricky as people come and go (and come and go again). Holding too tightly and/or getting one’s feelings hurt can do damage, internally and externally. Let’s talk about it! But wait, are we even talk...
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January 20, 2025 • 72 mins
Songwriter and producer, Andrew DeRoberts (“Somebody To Love” One Republic, “All Night” Brothers Osborne, “The Weekend” Brantley Gilbert) joins the trio to share his signature brand of calm with us all.
This episode deep dives into staying comfortable in the uncomfortable moments in a writing room, which everyday parts of this weird job are actually the most fulfilling, how delayed gratification serves you, and when not to sell a c...
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November 25, 2024 • 73 mins
The Soup Trio has a special guest on today - Dr. Death himself, and one of Nashville’s most esteemed estate planning gurus, Jeff Mobley. Why so morbid, you ask? Well, people with intellectual property (songwriters and art makers) should have a particular interest in making sure all of your creations, and the income they generate or could generate one day, ends up in the right hands. Nobody wants to talk about this stuff. To Jeff's ...
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November 11, 2024 • 81 mins
Josh Osborne (“Sand In My Boots” Morgan Wallen, “Body Like A Back Road” Sam Hunt, “Merry Go Round” Kacey Musgraves) joins the Songwriter Soup crew this week reminding us all of how to keep it stellar as a writer and keep it simple as a human. This episode was recorded the day and maybe even the moment he was nominated for yet another Grammy for “The Architect” by Kacey Musgraves. He walks us through the many failed publishing deals...
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November 4, 2024 • 65 mins
Tom Douglas is back! The trio is thrilled to have Tom on Songwriter Soup for a second time. As if the world’s problems weren’t solved on part 1, the crew manages to cover some new concepts that with undoubtedly assist the new and established songwriter in their journey through this privileged world of songwriting. What does the mountain top look like from both sides? Did the team get you there or what is just you? How do you keep y...
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October 28, 2024 • 62 mins
Tracy is absent today, but Laura and Kevin are soupin’ it, chatting with hit songwriter Trannie Anderson (“Heart Like A Truck”, “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” & “Whirlwind” Lainey Wilson, “3 Feet Tall” Cole Swindell). The three talk first publishing deals, the importance of mentors, and balancing hobbies with work. They also delve into some insights into the dynamics and challenges for female songwriters in country music, and how we...
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October 21, 2024 • 63 mins
The trio delves into a few songwriting practices that can help you feel your feelings and unlock your creativity. Tracy also helps unpack why he doesn’t get investment antsy during big shifts like elections, and how you too can stay chill about your investments no matter what is going on in the world.
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September 16, 2024 • 80 mins
Tom Douglas (“The House That Built Me” Miranda Lambert, “Meanwhile Back At Mamas” Tim McGraw, “I Run To You” Lady A) does what he does best on Songwriter Soup. With his signature eloquence and vulnerability, the patriarch of music row explains what held him back from pursuing his natural calling until his forties. We talk about the powerful effect of our parents voices in our heads, the role of pain as a songwriter’s most effective...
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