#7: In Fred We Trust. Hits, Heartbreak, and the Art of Producing Legends with Fred Mollin.

What does it take to produce the greatest songwriters on earth—and still love the work decades later? Grammy-nominated, Juno Award-winning producer Fred Mollin joins Terrance Sawchuk to talk about building trust with legends (Jimmy Webb, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Mathis, Billy Joel, James Taylor), surviving label bankruptcies, composing for film/TV, and why great producers are often great reducers. You’ll hear the true story behind “Sometimes When We Touch,” how a label collapse wiped out life-changing royalties, why U.S. theatrical runs don’t pay performance royalties to composers (but Europe does), and the making of Jimmy Webb’s intimate classic Ten Easy Pieces—including the version of “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” that Bob Dylan singled out in his book The Philosophy of Modern Song. Fred also shares an email that nearly led to producing Dylan himself. If you care about songs, studios, and the humans who make them, this one’s a masterclass. Highlights Trust, taste, and the producer as “reducer” The crash course: label bankruptcy and lost producer royalties TV/film back-end vs. U.S. theatrical: what pays and what doesn’t How Ten Easy Pieces was really recorded (and why it feels live) Calling in favors: building a Rolodex that gets legends to say “yes” Modern albums, mega-tracklists, and the algorithm era Trauma, truth, and why autobiographical songs hit harder Timestamps 00:49 Intro: Why Sold for a Song exists 02:00 Who is Fred Mollin? 06:45 Dan Hill, Matt McCauley & producing a global hit 10:50 When the label goes bankrupt (and your check vanishes) 12:30 Film/TV royalties 101 (U.S. vs. Europe) 13:30 The Clive Davis “yes-sir” moment 17:45 Becoming the “duets” guy & calling legends 21:20 Making Jimmy Webb’s Ten Easy Pieces 25:30 Standing on the shoulders of great players 26:50 The Bob Dylan email (and what might have been) 29:10 Working with Lamont Dozier & the Motown wellspring 32:30 The algorithm era vs. live, charted studio magic 34:15 Creativity, trauma, and writing what hurts 37:50 Fred’s book, tour, and new Jimmy Webb project Resources & Links Fred’s book (signed): FredMollinUnplugged.com Fred’s site: FredMollin.com Host: Terrance Sawchuk — TerranceSawchuk.com www.fredmollin.com   Sold 4 a Song™ Podcast hosted by Terrance Sawchuk, Billboard #1 multi-platinum songwriter, producer, artist, mixer, & entrepreneur. Sold 4 a Song™ is a living exploration of creative worth, ownership, and the true value of music — inside the systems that monetize it. If this episode resonates, you can follow the work at sold4asong.com.