# Reece Hallum — liminl. (Full Content Index) > This file is a verbose version of llms.txt for AI models that want complete context without crawling the site. > Canonical: https://liminl.music/llms-full.txt --- ## About Reece Hallum is a New Zealand songwriter, topliner, and producer working exclusively for other artists — not as a solo artist. He works remotely with indie artists and early-stage projects worldwide on dark pop, cinematic emotional pop, and sync briefs. His approach is called concept-led songwriting: every production, lyric, and melodic decision serves a specific character, tension, or unresolved emotional state rather than a general mood or vibe. He is based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. He responds to inquiries within 48 hours at hello@liminl.music. --- ## Key concepts **Concept-led songwriting**: An approach where every decision — production, lyric, melody — serves a specific character, tension, or unresolved emotional state. The opposite of writing to a mood board or a reference track. A concept-led song knows exactly who it's about and what moment it's built from before anything is tracked. **Scene test**: A diagnostic framework for evaluating whether a lyric is grounded. A song passes the scene test if you can point to a specific moment or behaviour occurring — a concrete action, not an abstract feeling. "She left" passes. "I feel alone" doesn't. "She left her half-drunk coffee on the counter and never came back for it" really passes. Used to identify where a song is staying too abstract and needs a specific image or moment to land the emotion. **Movement**: The structural quality that makes a chorus feel different the second time you hear it. A song has movement when the character's situation, knowledge, or the contradiction the song allows to surface has shifted by the final chorus. Songs that lack movement loop — they repeat the same feeling rather than deepening it. Movement is achieved through verse-to-chorus setup, bridge shifts, and structural decisions about what information the listener has at each moment. **Centre of gravity**: The specific moment, situation, or emotional truth a song is built around — the concrete starting point that gives every section a reason to exist and prevents the song from staying abstract. --- ## Services ### Toplining & Production Full songs from brief or stem — vocal melody, lyrics, and production. Reece writes the top line (the vocal melody and lyrics) on top of a producer's track, or builds the production alongside the topline from a brief. Available for male and female vocal artists. Most collaborations reach a final form within two to four rounds. Deliverables: final mix reference, stems, lyric and chord documentation for publishing registration. ### Artist & Project Development Conceptual groundwork for new artists or artists at a repositioning point — sound direction, lyrical identity, emotional territory, visual cohesion, and release strategy. This isn't consulting; it's working through the actual decisions that determine what kind of artist someone is and what songs they should be making. ### Sync, Screen & Concept-Led Briefs Songs built for specific emotional or narrative purposes — trailers, film, TV, brand. Reece writes music for specific scenes or moods rather than submitting catalogue. Sync deliverables include stems, instrumental alternates, and metadata for licensing registration. ### Co-Writing Sessions Live or async co-writing with artists, producers, or other songwriters. Remote, in-person (New Zealand), or async formats. Bring a half-finished song, a title, a feeling, or a blank page. Publishing splits are discussed and agreed before the session starts. --- ## Engagement & pricing Project-based rates, agreed before any work begins. No hourly rates — scoped per project. Inquiries via email; most projects start with a short discovery conversation about the brief, references, and desired direction. hello@liminl.music. --- ## Frequently asked questions **Do you work internationally?** Yes — most collaborations happen remotely. Based in Aotearoa New Zealand, but location hasn't been a barrier. If the project's right, we'll figure out the timezone. **Who owns the music we make together?** Depends on the collaboration type and what's agreed upfront. For custom toplines and co-writes, ownership terms are always discussed and agreed before starting — nothing is assumed. **What does the co-writing process look like?** It starts with a conversation — references, the feeling you're after, where the project is at. From there, something comes back within a week: a rough topline sketch, a structural demo, or a fully produced reference depending on what the project needs. Nothing is presented as finished — iteration happens from there. Most collaborations reach final form within two to four rounds. **What is a topliner?** A topliner is a songwriter who specialises in writing the vocal melody and lyrics on top of an existing track or beat — the "top line" of the music. Topliners work closely with producers and artists to create the song that sits above the production. If you have a track and need a melody and lyric that actually means something, that's toplining. **What do you deliver at the end of a project?** For toplines and co-writes: final mix reference, stems if needed, lyric/chord documentation for publishing registration. For sync projects: stems and metadata are standard. Deliverables are agreed at the start. --- ## Journal — full article index The journal covers songwriting craft and music business for independent artists. 42 articles as of June 2026. --- ### Songwriting craft **Why Most Songs Fail the "Scene Test"** — https://liminl.music/journal/scene-test/ The scene test is a diagnostic framework: a lyric passes if you can point to a specific moment or behaviour — something concrete, not a vague feeling. Most lyrics fail because they describe the emotion rather than the situation that produces it. The article explains the test, walks through examples that pass and fail, and shows how to rewrite abstract lines into grounded ones that earn the feeling instead of asserting it. **What Makes a Song Feel Like a Moment, Not a Loop** — https://liminl.music/journal/song-moments/ Many songs are structurally complete but feel like they go nowhere — they loop through the same emotion rather than deepening it. This article defines movement as the quality that makes a final chorus feel different from the first. The key decisions are what the character knows at each stage, what contradiction the song allows to surface, and whether the bridge shifts the listener's understanding before the last chorus lands. **Why Your Lyrics Sound Generic (And How to Fix It)** — https://liminl.music/journal/generic-lyrics/ Generic lyrics come from generic starting points, not a lack of talent. This article argues that the fix is replacing emotional description with specific behaviour and concrete detail — the difference between "I miss you" and describing exactly what the missing looks like in a real scene. Includes practical rewrites and the principle that a lyric that could belong to anyone belongs to no one. **Stop Writing About Feelings. Write About Furniture.** — https://liminl.music/journal/write-about-furniture/ An extension of the scene test principle: the best lyrics don't describe emotions, they describe the room the emotion lives in. One specific object — a half-drunk coffee, a jacket left on the chair — does the work of a paragraph of emotional description. This article shows how concrete imagery creates emotional resonance more reliably than naming the feeling directly. **What Makes a Hook Land** — https://liminl.music/journal/what-makes-a-hook/ A hook isn't a clever phrase — it's the most compressed version of everything the song is trying to say. This article defines the compression test: a hook should be able to hold the song's entire emotional weight in a single line. Catchy is a side effect of compression, not a cause. Explains the difference between a hook that describes and a hook that is. **How to Write a Song** — https://liminl.music/journal/how-to-write-a-song/ Step-by-step guide covering what to start with (a specific moment, not a mood), how to find the chorus before writing verses, how to write a verse as setup rather than summary, and when a song is actually done. The article frames the chorus as the emotional destination and the verse as the question that makes the chorus feel like an answer. **How to Finish a Song** — https://liminl.music/journal/how-to-finish-a-song/ Most unfinished songs aren't stuck for lack of inspiration — one section isn't doing its structural job. This article provides a diagnostic framework: identify whether the verse is building stakes, whether the chorus is paying them off, whether the bridge is shifting something, and which section is causing the stall. Covers the most common structural failures and how to fix them. **The Parts of a Song (And What Each One Is Actually For)** — https://liminl.music/journal/parts-of-a-song/ Verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, post-chorus — most songwriters know the names but not the structural function of each. This article defines what each section needs to achieve for the song to move: verse builds stakes, pre-chorus makes the chorus unavoidable, chorus pays off the stakes, bridge shifts the listener's position before the final chorus. **What the Verse Is Actually For** — https://liminl.music/journal/verse/ A verse's only function is to build stakes the chorus can pay off. This article explains why most verses stay flat (they describe the chorus feeling rather than the situation that produces it) and how to write verses that load tension — putting the listener inside the conflict so the chorus feels like release or recognition rather than repetition. **What Is a Pre-Chorus? (And How to Write One That Actually Lands)** — https://liminl.music/journal/pre-chorus/ Most songs don't fail in the chorus — they fail right before it. The pre-chorus creates inevitability: it's the section that makes the chorus feel like the only place the song can go. This article explains the pre-chorus's structural role, when to use one, and how to write one that creates momentum without stealing the chorus's thunder. **What a Bridge Is Actually For** — https://liminl.music/journal/bridge/ A bridge that restates the chorus emotion in different words is wasted. A bridge that works shifts what the final chorus means when it returns — it changes what the listener knows, or contradicts what the song has said so far, or steps back from the main emotional current before the final plunge. This article explains the three types of shifts that make bridges work. **What the Chorus Is Actually For** — https://liminl.music/journal/chorus/ Most choruses describe the same feeling the verse already showed. A chorus that earns its place pays off the specific stakes built in the verse — it's the answer to the verse's question, not a restatement of the problem. This article covers how to write a chorus that lands: identifying what you've built toward, what resolution looks like, and why "big" and "emotional" aren't the same thing. **How Melody Carries What Lyrics Can't** — https://liminl.music/journal/melody/ Melody makes a second emotional argument alongside the words — and sometimes contradicts them in ways that deepen the meaning. This article covers melodic contour (whether the line moves up, down, or stays still and what that signals), top notes (where the emotional peak lands in the phrase), and why rhythmic placement matters more than which notes you choose. **How to Write a Second Verse** — https://liminl.music/journal/second-verse/ Most second verses repeat the first from a slightly different angle, which wastes structural space. A second verse that works advances the situation — the character is further into the same dilemma, or the same facts now mean something different, or new information changes what the chorus means the second time. This article explains what advancing the narrative actually requires. **How to End a Song** — https://liminl.music/journal/song-endings/ Most songs don't end — they stop or fade by default. This article covers four ending types (cold, callback, fade, outro extension), when each works, and how to write an ending that gives the listener a final emotional impression rather than just running out of song. The ending is the last thing the listener takes with them. **What Is an Outro — And Does Your Song Need One?** — https://liminl.music/journal/outro/ The outro is the last impression your song makes. Most outros are either skipped entirely or overextended into empty repetition. This article explains what an outro can do that a cold ending can't, when to use one, and how to write one that extends the song's emotional arc rather than just delaying the end. **Chord Progressions for Songwriters** — https://liminl.music/journal/chord-progressions/ Chord progressions aren't templates to copy — they're managing the relationship between tension and release. This article explains what the most commonly used progressions are actually doing harmonically, how to choose a progression that serves the song's emotional arc rather than one that just sounds good in isolation, and why the same chord can function completely differently depending on context. **How to Co-Write a Song** — https://liminl.music/journal/co-writing/ Most co-writing advice covers logistics. This article covers what determines whether a session actually produces something: who leads the brief, how to handle early ideas that aren't working, what to do when the session stalls, and how the best co-writing partnerships divide creative labour. Includes the specific dynamics that produce great work versus the sessions that produce compromise. **The Split Sheet Conversation Nobody Wants to Have** — https://liminl.music/journal/co-writing-split-sheet/ Most co-writers skip the split sheet because it feels like distrust. It's the opposite — it's the conversation that prevents distrust later. This article covers what goes in a split sheet, how to bring it up at the start of a session, the most common points of confusion (production contributions, revision rounds, melody vs. lyrics), and why the conversation is easier before anyone has feelings invested in the song. --- ### Songwriting craft — lyric writing **How to Write Specific, Concrete Lyrics** — https://liminl.music/journal/write-about-furniture/ (See above — same article as "Stop Writing About Feelings. Write About Furniture.") --- ### Artist identity & development **How to Define Your Artist Identity** — https://liminl.music/journal/artist-identity/ Artist identity isn't genre or aesthetic — it's the emotional territory only you can credibly own. This article provides a three-part framework for defining identity across sonic, lyrical, and contextual dimensions. The test is specificity: if your identity statement could describe twenty artists, it isn't specific enough to be useful. **How to Find Your Sound as an Artist** — https://liminl.music/journal/find-your-sound/ Your sound isn't invented from scratch — it's already present in the patterns across your existing work. This article shows how to surface it: what to listen for in your catalogue, how to separate aesthetic accidents from genuine tendencies, and how to make the patterns consistent enough that listeners can recognise the sound without seeing your name. **How to Write an Artist Bio That Actually Works** — https://liminl.music/journal/artist-bio/ An artist bio isn't a writing problem — it's a positioning problem. Most bios fail because they describe rather than position: they list facts without making a case for why this artist matters. This article covers the three formats (short, medium, press-ready), the three failure modes (chronological, adjective-heavy, too humble), and what a bio that actually works does differently. --- ### Music marketing & promotion **Music Marketing for Indie Artists — The 2026 Guide** — https://liminl.music/journal/music-marketing/ A complete framework covering brand, fanbase, sync, social platforms, and analytics — in the order they actually matter. The article argues that most indie artists start marketing in the wrong place (tactics before identity) and builds from first principles: who you are, what you're making, who it's for, and then how to reach them. Covers Spotify algorithm signals, playlist pitching, TikTok strategy, sync licensing, and PR — with specific guidance on budget allocation at different stages. **How to Promote Your Music as an Indie Artist** — https://liminl.music/journal/promote-your-music/ A step-by-step map of what actually moves the needle for indie artists, from identity clarity through to Spotify pitching and sync placement. Ten actionable steps in priority order, with the core argument that most artists don't have a promotion problem — they have a clarity problem. No platform strategy works before you know exactly what you're promoting and who it's for. **How to Promote a New Song** — https://liminl.music/journal/promote-new-song/ Promoting a release isn't announcing it — it's making people want to find it. This article covers the three phases (pre-release, release day, weeks 2-4) and what to do in each, including how algorithm signals differ across phases, what to do if the release underperforms in the first week, and how to extend momentum beyond the initial push. **How to Release Music Independently** — https://liminl.music/journal/music-release-strategy/ A release is a campaign, not a day. This article covers the timeline shape of a successful indie release: what to set up before you announce, what the announcement phase accomplishes, what release day should focus on (algorithm signals, not social media announcements), and what the first 4 weeks after release determine. Most releases lose traction because they start too late or focus on the wrong signals. **Music Release Checklist for Independent Artists** — https://liminl.music/journal/music-release-checklist/ An 8-week pre-release to post-release checklist starting from where the real traction decisions are made — not release day. Covers distributor submission, metadata, pre-save setup, playlist pitching timeline, social content plan, editorial pitch window, release day signals, and weeks 2-4 follow-through. **Nobody Cares About Your Music (Here's Why)** — https://liminl.music/journal/why-nobody-cares-about-your-music/ People don't ignore music because it's bad — they ignore it because it lacks signal, context, and a reason to care. This article explains the three layers of the problem: identity signal (who is this?), emotional context (why does this exist?), and discoverability (how do they find it?). The argument is that most indie artists treat attention as a distribution problem when it's actually a positioning problem. **AI Music Is About to Flood the Internet (Here's What Happens Next)** — https://liminl.music/journal/ai-music-flood/ AI won't kill music — it will drown average music in more average music. This article examines what happens to discovery when the volume of releases is effectively unlimited, why taste and specific identity become the primary advantage for human artists, and what to do before the flood makes undifferentiated music invisible. Includes practical guidance on positioning for a post-flood landscape. --- ### Spotify & streaming **How to Pitch to Spotify Playlists** — https://liminl.music/journal/spotify-playlist-pitch/ Most artists treat playlist pitching as a numbers game. This article explains how the two systems (Spotify editorial and independent curators) work differently, what editorial pitches should focus on (framing, not hype), how the pitch window timing affects algorithmic pickup, and what independent curator pitching can and cannot accomplish. **How to Get Spotify Streams Organically** — https://liminl.music/journal/spotify-streams-organically/ Most Spotify growth advice optimises for fake-looking signals. This article explains how the algorithm actually works — save rate, completion rate, playlist adds — and what drives real organic stream growth. The core argument: most artists focus on getting more listeners when they should focus on converting the listeners they already have. **Spotify Verified Badge for Indie Artists** — https://liminl.music/journal/spotify-verified-badge/ Spotify's verification badge criteria reveal what the platform now uses to signal trust in human artists — and the criteria are not what most artists expect. This article explains what the badge requires, what it unlocks (editorial consideration, profile features), and what the criteria tell you about how to build platform positioning even if you don't yet qualify. **The Streaming Math Is Broken** — https://liminl.music/journal/streaming-royalties/ Spotify's royalty pool is zero-sum. Every AI track added shrinks the per-stream rate for everyone. This article explains why streaming pays less every year regardless of how many streams you get, what the royalty math actually looks like at different stream counts, and which revenue streams are growing instead of shrinking (sync, licensing, direct-to-fan). **The Death of Sincerity in the Streaming Era** — https://liminl.music/journal/streaming-sincerity/ Streaming didn't kill sincerity in music — it industrialised it. Platform incentives reward consistency, volume, and emotional legibility over genuine vulnerability. This article examines how the incentive structure shapes what artists make, why real expression still survives at the margins, and what it costs artists to optimise for platform mechanics rather than emotional honesty. --- ### Social media **Social Media Strategy for Musicians** — https://liminl.music/journal/music-social-media/ TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts each build audiences through different mechanisms. This article explains what actually drives growth on each platform (not what worked three years ago), the content types that get traction for musicians specifically, and how to build a posting rhythm that's sustainable rather than burning through ideas in a sprint. **How to Promote Your Music on TikTok** — https://liminl.music/journal/tiktok-music-promotion/ TikTok is still the only platform where follower count is irrelevant at the discovery stage — a new account can reach 100k people with the right video. This article covers how TikTok's algorithm actually works for music, the specific framing mistake that tanks most music TikToks (announcing instead of demonstrating), what content types get audio seeded, and how to convert views into listeners. --- ### Sync licensing **The Sync Licensing Guide for Independent Artists** — https://liminl.music/journal/sync-licensing-guide/ How sync licensing actually works for indie artists: the difference between sync fees and master fees, how the placement pipeline works (supervisor → music library → placement), what supervisors want from indie submissions, and how to get your music in front of the right people without a publisher. Covers royalty types, one-stop licensing, and what makes a track placeable. **What Is Sync Licensing?** — https://liminl.music/journal/what-is-sync-licensing/ Sync licensing explained from first principles: what it means to sync music to picture, what a sync fee is and who collects it, the difference between the sync licence and the master licence, and how your music ends up in TV, film, advertising, and games. The article covers PROs, what rights are involved, and what indie artists need to have in place before pursuing sync. **How to Write Sync-Ready Music** — https://liminl.music/journal/sync-ready-music/ Most sync rejections are craft problems, not business ones. This article explains what makes a track hold a scene (space, emotional clarity, no jarring elements that fight the picture) and what kills a placement before it starts (cluttered arrangements, lyrics that are too specific for reuse, mixed stems that can't be separated). Practical guidance on writing music that serves picture without being generic. **How to Pitch Your Music to a Music Supervisor** — https://liminl.music/journal/music-supervisor-pitch/ Most pitches to music supervisors are ignored because they're written the wrong way. This article covers what supervisors actually need to hear (scene context, not hype), how to format a pitch email, what to include and what to leave out, where to find supervisors who accept unsolicited submissions, and what to do after you've submitted. --- ### Music business & publishing **Music Publishing: What You Own and How You Get Paid** — https://liminl.music/journal/music-publishing/ Most songwriters register with a PRO without knowing what they're registering for. This article covers how publishing rights work (the two copyrights: master and composition), what royalty types exist (performance, mechanical, sync), what a publisher does, when you need one, and how to self-publish effectively. Includes practical guidance on PRO registration, splits, and admin publishers. **Music Distribution for Independent Artists** — https://liminl.music/journal/music-distribution/ Choosing a distributor is the easy decision — setting up metadata correctly and timing the release are where most indie releases lose traction before they start. This article compares the major distributors, covers metadata requirements (ISRC, UPC, credits, genre tags), pre-save mechanics, release timing strategy, and how to set up a release for algorithmic pickup on Spotify and Apple Music. --- ## Contact hello@liminl.music https://liminl.music ## Social - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liminl.music - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@liminl.music ## Feeds - RSS: https://liminl.music/feed.xml - JSON: https://liminl.music/journal/feed.json - Sitemap: https://liminl.music/sitemap.xml