Kathy, you know when you summon the MABBSTER, you will get more than you ask for.

Cindy, in everything I do, I go above and beyond when it comes to giving information. And I didn't want to seem like dogging you down for some comments, that was really no problem, it is just how you phrase things you have to be careful of. Just like how we write songs.We spend most of our time trying "not to offend." and in a town like Nashville and a business like music EVERYONE knows EVERYONE, so you have to be careful about how you approach it.


Saying that "you don't like some of the songs on the radio or don't care for a specific song or artist",is one thing. But when you go into that broad brush "Everything sucks" kind of deal, you get into some really murky territory. And I kind of deal with it a bunch here and on other sites. We have a few of us here that are heavily involved in the industry, and then some people, mostly newcomers, that we call "Nashbashers" that hate all things Nashville and country music specifically. So there is a bit of a sheild up for that because you would be surprised how many people come to Nashville and to people like me with that exact attitude. It is kind of like "HEY HELP ME, I DON'T HAVE ANYONE ELSE TO TURN TO AND BY THE WAY, DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU, YOUR FRIENDS AND ALL YOU STAND FOR REALLY SUCKS?" That kind of thing.

Writing great songs and other things are really not found in books. They are done by actually doing it. the more you write with other people, particularly face to face, the more you learn about yourself and how things affect others. I would strongly suggest joining NSAI, Nashville Songwriters Association International, that have 110 chapter workshops in every state (about 4 in Missouri) and attending their meetings and doing regional workshops. Then making a trip to a music center, particularly (in my opinion) Nashville, which has one of the most open, easy to access musical communities there is.

You are seeing the depth of writers here on these sites. There are others, NSAI's site, Songramp, and you should bookmark them all and regularly attend them, post and ask questions. That is the only way to learn. We are always around to help you if you ask. My role is to kind of "flip the desk" and show how the music industry views things. That way you can open up your perspective to the larger picture.

I will leave you with another funny story about being careful what you say and how you say it.

A friend of mine is a hit writer and is very prolific and VERY successful. At one point he had a hit on one of his "throwaway songs" (probably one of those you can't figure out why is on the radio) called "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." It was a pretty goofy song and he was always puzzled how that one got cut instead of some of his other songs which are quite brilliant.

But if you ask most hit writers, even some of the legendary Hall of Famers, you will find that some of the songs that got cut and became huge songs were NEVER the ones they thought would be cut. And some of the most amazing songs just never get cut. You look at extrodinary songs like "I've Had Moments" that was 8 years from writing it to having it recorded and it was turned down by everyone along the way.

So my buddy, Mark, was out on a golf course with a friend of his who was the producer of that song. Golf is THE hobby for music people, and a lot of us are only doing music to support our Golf Habits. But most golf courses won't let just two people play so they pair up foresomes.

So Mark and the producer, (who's name escapes me at the time)are paired up with these two young guys who they don't know and they are playing hole after hole. The two young guys were pretty loud and very verbose, talking about how "they were new to town and going to take over, their music was so good and everything on the radio was so bad." with each successive hole, they got louder and more attitude filled. Mark and his buddy never said a word.

About the sixth or seventh hole,the conversation turned to this "piece of crap song out on the radio called "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." It got worse and worse as they condemmed the singer, the lines, the production, etc. It was just an example of how bad everything had come, and how "THEY were going to change all that." My friend still didn't say a word.

When they got to the last hole, the putts were sunk and they were shaking hands and walking away, one of the young guys suddenly asked "Hey, we didn't ask what you guys do?"
My friends said "We're in the music business." "Oh really",said the young guy, "have you written anything we might have heard?"

"Yeah," said Mark,grabbing his bag and turning away, "She thinks my Tractor's Sexy."

Open mouth, insert gun. Pull trigger.

90% of writer's and artists wounds are totally self inflicted. Nobody has to "conspire" to keep anyone out of the business. They usually do it to themselves. Most of the time without even knowing it. Just consider that you got a little lesson here instead of doing it when it could have done some real damage.

Good luck and keep writing.

MAB