#7: In Fred We Trust. Hits, Heartbreak and the Art of Producing Legends with Fred Mollin
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$old 4 a $ong™ isn’t just a podcast — it’s a revolution for undervalued creatives. Hosted by Terrance Sawchuk, Billboard #1 writer & multi-platinum producer, each episode helps you rewrite your story from undervalued to unstoppable.
Take the free Artist Worth Quiz, join the $old 4 a $ong Journal, and join the waitlist for the $4$ Artist Accelerator™ course all at www.sold4asong.com
Fred Mollin Unplugged: Hits, Heartbreak, and the Art of Producing Legends
with host Terrance “Terry” Sawchuk — terrancesawchuk.com
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
👉 Subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
👉 Join the movement at TerranceSawchuk.com.
Take the free Artist Worth Quiz, join the $old 4 a $ong Journal, and join the waitlist for the $4$ Artist Accelerator™ course all at www.sold4asong.com
Fred Mollin Unplugged: Hits, Heartbreak, and the Art of Producing Legends
with host Terrance “Terry” Sawchuk — terrancesawchuk.com
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
👉 Subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
👉 Join the movement at TerranceSawchuk.com.
