Well,
As I see it doing demos in Nashville for the Nashville thing has two problems. One is the cost is pretty high and after a while everthing starts to sound the same.

I, for some time had what few demos I had done in different places to get a variety of contrast. And, it is the song/ melody that is the final determining factor if it gets placed or not.

My songs have gotten strong consideration with my Guitar Vocal.

Marc, I do think you are doing a dis service when you say outside songs have no chance in Nashville. True it is hard to get thru some of those doors but there are requests for outside songs every month listed in Tip Sheets as well as TAXI. And true you can't usually pitch to Major Listings but I have gotten permission to send material so it is possible.

All this knowing that Producers go thru one to three thousand songs for a good selection maybe for one or two outside songs on a Major Release.

And we know that Major Labels want the Artist to write his own songs so they don't have to pay full the full mechanical rate of which at present is 9.1 cents per CD. On a 10 song release the full mechanical cost is 91 cents per CD.

If the Label/Producer would consider outside writers they would most likely get a better selection of songs than the Artist could write. Very few Artists ever wrote more than a handful of hit songs.

But of course the songwriter has to be professional as well. They can't send a poor demo and expect to get any attention. If the submission looks like a rank amateur sent it it will likely be passed over.

Everybody has to do his homework. It is disgusting when I am professional and those on the other end are the amateurs. I have seen it.

Ray E. Strode