#8: He's A Maniac On The Floor. Oscar Nominated, Grammy Award Winning Songwriter Producer Dennis Matkosky

Oscar-nominated, Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Dennis Matkosky (Diana Ross, Flashdance, Al Jarreau, Boz Scaggs, Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes) sits down with host Terrance Sawchuk to drop a masterclass on creative longevity and business ownership. From writing “Maniac” in 15 minutes and tailoring it for Flashdance with Phil Ramone, to the long road behind Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me,” to discovering and championing HARDY, Dennis shares hard-won lessons on belief, persistence, and treating yourself like the CEO of your art. We get into LA vs. Nashville, film/TV cuts, admin vs. ownership, AI and streamlining, and the new “blue ocean” model where artists own code, data, and distribution. If you’re a songwriter, artist, or producer who’s ready to stop waiting for permission and start running your career like a business, this one’s a gem. What You’ll Learn The real story behind “Maniac” and how lyrics were reshaped for Flashdance Why great songs are timeless—but cuts are all about timing Admin deals vs. publishing ownership (and when each makes sense) How Dennis evaluates and develops talent (and why HARDY bends genres) The mindset shift: artists as CEOs—and how to build leverage How AI can streamline the boring stuff so you can create more Blue-ocean strategies for an artist-owned future (own your portal, data, and distribution) Guest Dennis Matkosky — Oscar-nominated, Grammy-winning songwriter/producer. Credits include Diana Ross (“Mirror, Mirror”), Michael Sembello (“Maniac”), Al Jarreau, Boz Scaggs (“Heart of Mine”), LeAnn Rimes (“I Need You”), Keith Urban (“You’ll Think of Me”), Chicago, and more. Co-founder at Relative Music Group. Follow Dennis: https://www.relativemusicgroup.com/ https://www.facebook.com/dmatkosky https://www.instagram.com/dennis_matkosky/   Links & Resources Relative Music Group: relativemusicgroup.com Pull Quotes “You’re the CEO of your company. Don’t hand away the 2% you can control.” — Dennis “Great songs are timeless; getting them cut is all timing.” — Terrance “Own the code. Own the data. Own the distribution.” — Terrance Chapter Guide (optional) 00:00 Opening riff — Artists as CEOs 02:55 Dennis’s early years (Philly roots, Sembello, jazz) 05:50 “Maniac” genesis → Flashdance with Phil Ramone 12:10 Grammy/Oscar season and stiff competition 13:00 Writing/producing for Boz Scaggs, Al Jarreau, Chicago 18:45 LA sessions → film/TV → Nashville move 20:20 “I Need You” (LeAnn Rimes) and pitching strategy 23:40 “You’ll Think of Me” (Keith Urban) — the long game 26:05 Spotting HARDY and bending the genre 30:35 Ownership, leverage, and the artist-as-CEO mindset 37:20 Algorithms, radio, and the new release reality 39:40 Blue-ocean playbook for artist-owned futures 44:20 AI for streamlining creative businesses 45:55 Dennis’s upcoming book & parting wisdom Tags Songwriting, Music Business, Ownership, Publishing, Sync, Nashville, Flashdance, HARDY, Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes, Creativity, AI for Creators, Independent Artists, Relative Music Group, Terrance Sawchuk 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.