Today I’m on a plane from the west coast heading back home after having been a speaker at the 18th San Francisco Writers Conference & Writing for Hollywood Summit. At one point I was encouraging the attendees to write what they know, meaning, something that they’re passionate about. The comparison I made was to something that guests have mentioned on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, which is, to not “write for the radio.” Meaning, don’t just do what you think radio wants.
It takes a lot of elements falling into place for a song to really find the path to success.
I had a song submitted to me that jumped out right away as one that has a lot going for it that should pave the way for its creators to see the fruits of their labor.
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“The Floor is Lava” by Teddi Gold is a track that should by all means spend time on the charts. And the song’s success won’t be because of luck but because of putting itself in the best possible position to do well.
Already at nineteen seconds into the song you’ll hear a change that gets your attention, which, of course, is so important. Some artists get so carried away with the intro that decision makers in the industry won’t wait around to get the question answered of “where is this going.” As importantly, what you’ll hear at that point in “The Floor is Lava” is a natural to get the crowd going on the floor in the clubs. And that, of course, is good for business, meaning, a full dance floor means patrons getting thirsty and wanting to buy more drinks. This, of course, is after they’ve paid a nice cover charge to get in the door.
With the steady beat and the tempo, I can envision choreographers having a field day putting together some steps that could result in group participation on the dance floor or in a video. I’m tempted to make a comparison to the Michael Jackson “Thriller” video, but I don’t want to get too carried away.
Taking that one step further, though, I completely see this song being something that will influence lots of TikTok users to create videos for.
The fact that a song can create so many visuals for a listener, as you can tell I’ve had, is by all means a great sign.
Consider all that I’ve said so far and the fact that I’m only now adding in the great collaboration that Teddi Gold pulled off, getting none other than 90’s hip hop superstar Coolio to feature on the track.
Still need more proof of how catchy the tune is and versatile for placements? The song is going to be featured in the game NBA2K this month (and will be supported by billboards throughout Los Angeles).
Remember that old commercial that used to say, “But don’t just take our word on it”? Regardless of my opinion, the people have spoken. “The Floor is Lava” just came out on the first of this month and in the three-and-a-half weeks since it already has over 120 thousand streams on Spotify.
A fun song people can and will dance to. A notable collaboration. A very radio friendly running time. A track that TikTok users will love. Placement in a major video game. You see why Teddi Gold has a likely hit record on his hands here.
Are you a music artist who wants to submit their song for review? Do you instead just need one-on-one guidance for your indie career? For more than 18 years I’ve been working with artists from across the U.S., providing management, promotion, and booking services. Let’s get online together for a confidential video consultation to talk about your challenges. Our discussion is private and is aimed at keeping you moving forward. I look forward to connecting with you and hearing about all that you’re doing.