AUSTIN, Texas - Do singer-songwriters have a place in today’s musical landscape? Certainly not like in their ‘70s heyday, but the answer is most definitely yes.

“How About A Little Fanfare” was a Thursday South by Southwest music panel focused on songwriting and the creative process. Headlined by legendary rock star Todd Rundgren, the panel additionally featured Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Matt Lowell of Lo Moon and songwriter Chris Price. Hits Magazine’s Karen Glauber moderated.

The reverence for Rundgren in the room was palpable and the ever-evolving musician recounted his early days, moving from the British-inspired Nazz to the Philadelphia soul-inflected pop that made him famous.

Speaking about his development as a performer and recording musician, Rundgren said it took him a few solo albums to truly learn how to sing. He also said it he very consciously moved away from the compositional formulas that led to him frequently being compared to Carole King.

In fact, Rundgren described his 1972 hit “Hello It’s Me” as a blessing and an albatross.

The panelists spent a great deal of time discussing “automatic” songs – those compositions that immediately come to the author seemingly by some unknown muse – versus “idea” songs – which develop from themes. The latter, the panelists agreed, can be a laborious process.

For his part, Rundgren said he composes all of the music first, records it and finds the lyrics later.

Also on the topic of idea songs, Rundgren said that after the 1972 success of his double “Something/Anything?” album, he very purposely removed the word “love” from his songs. Rundgren said that at some point in the ‘70s he had an epiphany that when songwriters say “love,” they actually mean “sex.” Subsequent songs - “Love Is the Answer,”  “Love of the Common Man” – deal with a more esoteric and universal concept of the emotion.

The songwriters agreed that they write for themselves with the anticipation that the right people will find the material and feel the same way. That said, the panelists agreed audiences will connect with material in their own ways.

Each panelist was sharply critical of what they labeled “songwriting by committee,” a process by which pop hits are created by a team of professional songwriters and producers.

Rundgren said that recently he’s been exploring songwriting as a collaborative process, citing his recent work with Joe Walsh and Trent Reznor.

Each songwriter performed, concluding with Rundgren performing “There Goes My Inspiration” with acoustic guitar accompaniment.

You can catch Rundgren on tour this spring with his reformed progressive rock group Utopia.