Ideally commercial ones but definitely we won’t do “the homework”. You used the expression “write to himself”, so i’d say that. What would you suggest for songwriters who write to themselves? He writes pop, love songs, ballad, contemporary, soul/r&b, upbeat, soft rock, upllifting, country, romantic songs
This is going to sound harsh but my suggestion for people who want to write songs "for themselves" should have zero expectation that the songs will be commercially viable - could it happen?, yes - is it likely?, No
If he wants to write songs for himself to release his own album - or for his own posterity - then that is fine
If he wants to improve his chances of getting a song picked up by a publisher it really needs to tick the "guaranteed hit" box
Publishers are not looking for "album tracks" - the artist (or a friend of the artist, producer, manager etc. can supply these from within the camp - which is why networking is so important so that your songs could be considered in this process)
BUT - for an unknown artist to land a proper "cut" (ie have a song placed with a publisher and then picked up and released by an artist) the song needs to sound like a guaranteed hit - which means writing in a certain (modern/commercial) way so that it sounds like what is being played on the radio RIGHT NOW (or ideally what will be played on the radio in 3 months time!)
If you are not willing to conform to writing in this way then commercial songwriting is simply not for you - which is absolutely fine
To continue my painting analogy...
If you love painting portraits you can paint portraits in your spare time - but to earn money doing something related to something you love you may need to compromise by doing graphic design, illustrations, or even painting houses!!!!
In the music BUSINESS decisions are often made by finance people - rather than music lovers (which is very sad but true) - so they are looking for "good investments" rather than "good songs"
This is less harsh for those that want to be the writer AND the performer as it is often the "whole package" that is considered - but to be an annonymous writing wanting others to perform their songs then you need to play by certain rules
Do you think people can get good stuff out there and no need for Berkelees?
I absolutely do!
If you have not done so already you need to get the following books:
Six Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Steps-Songwriting-Success-Comprehensive/dp/0823084779/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521048785&sr=8-1&keywords=blume+jasonThis book is a little old now but it will definitely get you in the right mind set. It also contains info about pitching, contracts, royalties etc.
Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shortcuts-Hit-Songwriting-Techniques-Writing/dp/0982004001/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521048888&sr=1-2&keywords=shortcuts+to+hit+songwritingAgain this is a little old but givs some of the key "rules" for commercial writing
Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV: 114 Tips for Writing, Recording, & Pitching in Today's Hottest Market
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shortcuts-Songwriting-Film-TV-Recording/dp/0982004028/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521049250&sr=1-1&keywords=shortcuts+to+songwriting+tvThis is focused on writing for TV & Film, which is a good (but highly competitive) market that needs a specific set of skills
Buying and studying just these 3 books will give you all of the knowledge you need to tailor your songwriting to commercial oportunities
If you then invested in some professional critiques (as well as getting feedback on songs from this forum) I think you could get everything you need to have a good crack at commercial songwriting
But you need to get your head around writing "commercially" and not for yourself first