Ep.235: David Foster | What It Takes to Last in the Music Business

Today’s guest isn’t just a living legend.

He’s one of the architects of modern music.

As a songwriter and producer, he’s discovered artists, shaped careers, and defined entire eras.

This one is required listening.

A once-in-a-generation legendary hybrid of songwriting and production,

And The Writer Is... David Foster!

In this episode, David breaks down what actually makes music last, the cost of greatness, and what it really takes to survive and stay relevant in the music business over decades, not moments.

Not to mention his best advice for people in the business right now...

We talk songwriting vs. production, discovering artists like Céline Dion and Michael Bublé, working with legends like Whitney Houston and Paul McCartney, the mistakes artists make chasing hits, and why longevity matters more than hype.

Oh, and the only artist who could pull him out of retirement...

A special thank you to our sponsors…

Our lead Sponsor, NMPA— the National Music Publishing Association.

Your support means the world to us.

And @splice — the best sample library on the market. Period.

Chapters:

00:00 Mount Rushmore of Producers

02:00 Canadians

03:42 David Foster’s Parents

05:23 Discovering Perfect Pitch

07:03 Musical Roots and Learning Jazz

07:40 Jazz Voicings Explained

10:24 “Leave Songwriters Alone” – Publishing Talk

11:20 Writing His First Songs

12:21 Advice He’d Give His Younger Self

17:00 David Foster’s Trick for Reading People

17:58 Surviving a Plane Crash

20:22 The Start of His Early Career

22:00 Is “Africa” by Toto a Perfect Song?

27:20 The Greatest Songwriters Ever

30:25 Kanye West’s “Through the Wire” Sample Story

32:27 Songwriting vs Sampling (Blurred Lines Case)

34:21 His Documentary, Workflow, and Band Relationships

38:53 How David Foster Writes Songs

42:42 How Seven People Write One Song

43:39 Presented by NMPA & Splice

48:19 The Critical Mistake in “Uptown Funk”

49:49 “Unforgettable” with Nat King Cole

51:08 Paul McCartney

55:17 Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”

57:10 Top Five Singers He’s Worked With

59:06 Discovering Céline Dion

59:56 How David Foster Sees His Life

1:05:13 What Makes a Song Great?

1:09:40 The “Nashville No”

1:11:51 The Arc: A Holistic Approach to Songwriting

1:12:42 Discovering Michael Bublé

1:15:29 Star vs Superstar

1:16:39 Andrea Bocelli & Josh Groban

1:19:04 The Cost of Greatness

1:19:46 How to Make It in the Music Business

1:24:11 Family Life (Katharine McPhee & Kids)

1:25:50 “I Told Céline the Titanic Song Would Ruin Her Career”

1:31:01 Songs He Wishes He Wrote

1:31:39 Artists He Passed On

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Post production by Pratik Karki

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.