JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Industry Message Forum UK Songwriter Slams Nashville 'laziness'

I am seeing very well known pop and rock writers names on credits of country songs so it looks like the number of cuts in pop and rock are also shrinking. just an observation.

Marc...do you know HOW successful The Song HAVE A BEER WITH JESUS WAS by Thomas Rhett....just found that little ditty and vaguely remember it being on the radio. I see he wrote that by himself and I can understand WHY as it is a personal song. LOVE IT!

Got to tell you that I always loved BYE, BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE and fooling around with it. I have covered songs like FATHER AND SON....EVE OF DESTRUCTION, PIANO MAN and others. I love writing but it IS a lot of fun to record my own version of some of my favorites.

Don MacClean was a master story teller and I think wrote the words and music.

Marc....you should get OUT of Nashville and head up to the Motor City....Great Stuff and I think you are in the wrong town....lol
Enjoyed the listen....B

Marc, i didnt see your lin for the song, didnt mean to be rude overlooking it.

It's a pretty good song, strong hook, I wondered though with those gospel like harmonies, where this song fits in Nashville

We been talking about hit songs, and cuts, i think this would not be a home run in that arena, are your pitching it for a indie or a major cut?

Hello folks. Nice comments. Thanks for veiwing my stuff. I hope that by seeing some of what I do, you might get where I come from on the things I talk about.

Several interesting comments. I'll try to address each one, but first I'll talk to you Aaron. I just got back from a benefit show (we do that a lot around here) to raise money for health care for musicians and songwriters. WE are a pretty community minded group so anyone asking for artists, writers, celebrities, silent auction stuff, it comes out in droves as well as checks and cash from industry people.

Tonight was an interesting show called "The worst to First" and featured six enormously successful writers, all doing their first or worst songs. (APRIL FOOLS DAY). it was in a contest thing, with the audience participating in picking the most horrible song. Then they all did two rounds of number one songs. Was quite the night.

One of the writers Aaron, was my buddy Liz Rose. Aside from writing a lot of the early Taylor Swift stuff, she wrote that song you like so much, GIRL CRUSH,which she did tonight. There was no controversial stuff in that song at all and the crowd reaction was very good. So I think you have to discount some strange people from place to place. They are abberations. I think it is much ado about nothing, like most things are on the Internet. A manufactured crises. Wouldn't think too much about it.

On your comment on pop and rock writers and credits on country songs, that has been happening for about 15 years. We have had an influx from artists and writers. You can barely go anywhere without running into Brett Micheals from Poison, Peter Frampton, Kid Rock, justin Timberlake, Sheryl Crowe, Cracker, various rappers, who have homes and offices here, have offices, studios, Jack White is here, Jars of Clay,dozens of Christian groups,and you kind of name it, most of those people have influences here. There is quite a bit of rock, blues, soul, R&B, alternative, rap, hip hop, here. Much more than people think. As a matter of fact, tourists that come into the town are hard pressed to find "Country."

Now you have to remember that we really don't have segregated listeners anymore. We don't have "JUST COUNTRY" or RAP listeners. most people listen to a little bit of everything. People who have CD changers or songs on their I pods, are just as likely to have some GEorge Jones, and Johnny Cash, next to Ludicris, Alanis Morrisett, Nine Inch Nails,Foo Fighters, and every thing else under the sun.

So the cross over in music, comes very naturally. The neighborhood is much better than LA,and New York, the costs are cheaper, so they come here as much as they are in every other area. And of course, much has been made that Taylor Swift's record label, Big Machine, just signed Aerosmith's Steven Tyler to a deal.

Today, as I was in the recording studio, Steven Tyler actually came into the studio as I was doing a scratch vocal on the song we were recording. He is looking for studios to record in and Omni sound, where I was was one of those. He was intriqued by the song we were doing, and wants a copy when we are finished. I didn't get to meet him, because I was doing the vocal, and don't go into star gazing much. We have a lot of it around here so you don't really pay a lot of attention.

So the music business has become very homoganized. Nashville is a beneficiary of a lot of other cities (Detroit too, Barry. They are coming HERE. I don't have to go THERE!)

So Charlie, you have to understand that very few writers write JUST country. The song you saw in the video is more of a Country R&B song than straight country. It is actually a TEACHING LESSON, which is what most of my writing is. I don't write for trends, or nessasarily any one artist. This song was written to demonstrate to the co-writer Allen Shervelle, how to get SPACE into his lyrics to spread out his words.

The fact that I ran into Bob Babbitt, and we were doing it with a film crew was all just a random occurrance. As I said, we were actually demonstrating the recording process, as muvh as the song itself.

Most writers are like that. We have our own projects, our own songs, and we pitch songs and write with artists that are very much out of the mainstream country. Actually if you got percentages, country is probably about 35% of what we write. And country is a very big tent.From pop country of Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, Alternative of Kacey Musgraves, Group country of Little Big Town and Lady Antibellum, Country rock of Jason Aldeen, Bro Country of fla.Ga Line,chick country of Pistol Annies, or major pop rock country of Taylor Swift, there are a lot of people in our wheelhouse. Ain't your grandpa's country.

So those would be my answers to your questions. We have a very vibrant, caring community and there is always a lot going on. That is why I keep talking about relationships,far more than any one song, writer or artist.

MAB

You just kept on singing huh, Steven Tyler who....? LOLLLL

One thing I cant picture is Steven doing Country. The man is one of the great rock singers and frontmen of all time, but Im not visualizing that one, but he is really really talented, so who knows.

I only saw him as he was walking out, and they were talking about it in the control room. My co-writer was in the tracking room, the musicians were playing in the live room. So we were all busy recording the song.She was all beside herself when he was asking who we were, who I was and what we were doing. He is friends with Jim Peterek, who is the other co-writer of the song, but was not there.
But the main reason he was there was because he is checking out the different studios in town to see where he wants to record his first "BIG MACHINE' project. Omni is one of the most famous in town and is used by a lot of the major artists.

We were cutting a new song we have written called "VINYL REVIVAL" which is about Vinyl records, that are making a comeback. So he was interested in the subject, and the groove was very edgy, so he was intriqued by that. He is just starting to hang around Nashville (about a half dozen "Steven Tyler' sightings were in the paper and on the Internet yesterday as he was walking downtown, around the Row and eating in one of the resturants.

The Paparazzi have gotten here now too, so expect the videos, pictures, etc. on TMZ, National Enquirer, etc.

Studio "drop ins" are pretty common. Unless they are "closed sessions", like the majors, it is not unusual to have huge stars, their enterages, label people, press people, all wandering around. I have left several recording sessions to walk right into some major celebrity doing a press interview for Entertainment tonight, Network news, or local programming. have even found myself pulled into a couple. Teaches you to dress decently and always be able to get a few words in that are intelligable. Never know where it is going to end up.

The other thing you learn is never to expect too much from them. It is not like you are PITCHING a song to them. Most of the time they are just being nice. You follow up, but don't get too caught up in it. Just another day here. I don't know what Steven is going to be recording, no body does. I am sure he is writing songs with various people, that is what usually happens, all the top writers come out of the woodwork to write songs with these people. Have seen it happen with Frampton, Neil Diamond, Carol King,Barry Gibb, Kid Rock, a bunch of Hollywood Actors and actresses. Everyone wants to be in with the cool people.

But most of them are like BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS. You hear about them, but never quite get too clear a shot. Another day.

MAB

Songs like that red cup and yes we have no bananas are actually an example of songs that, for whatever reason captured the imagination of people.

On another note, the guy who invented the Pet Rock died recently...whoodathunkit?

Does remind me of what H L Mencken said.

“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”

That is correct John. I can tell you one thing about all those novelties, from Sheb Wooley in years past, Ray Stevens, others who actually did quite well from these oddities, the people who were MOST SURPRISED were the people behind those songs.

Things like "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road", Mama Told Me Not to Come", "Boy Named Sue", Marcarena" were not intended to actually turn into anything. Usually they are some kind of joke that just seems to get out. The public likes all kinds of weird things and sometimes they just happen. The Pet rock is a really good example.

Many, many years ago, I wrote a very tasteless comedy song. I won't tell you the name of it, but let's just say I hope it goes far away and I never hear from it again. But at that time, when I was doing some stand up comedy, it worked for what I was doing. It was a JOKE.

I would play it at private parties, and places where I knew everyone. It kind of took on a life of it's own. So someone offers me some money to actually record it. He was a professional football player and wanted to play it in the locker room for his team. So I did and recorded this 'serious" Reggee version of the song, with a full band, Raja accent and the whole works. About a three thousand dollar joke. Since I never played it that much, I gave it to him and kind of forgot about it.

I moved to Nashville a few years later and ended up having lunch with a friend of mine who was a DJ on a radio station in Birmingham and had moved to Nashville to work for a station here. He told me he had been trying to find me because he had this great story for me. He knew that song, so he knew about it's realtion to me.

He said he had been in Los Angeles for a bunch of industry stuff, including a huge Hollywood party for Geffin Records. It was one of those Los Angeles functions with all the beautiful people around, hot women actors, rock stars, etc. held in this huge rooftop hotel suite. If you've ever seen the movie 'THIS IS SPINAL TAP" it is where the rooftop party is held in that movie. The Hiatt on Sunset Blvd. That's where Keith Moon had thrown all those televisions out of the windows into the swimming pool.

He said he kept seeing all these groups of people going off into this side room, and coming back laughing their butts off and turning red. He thought they were all going in to do cocaine.
A few minutes later, someone grabbed him and pulled him into the room, saying "You've got to hear this!!"

He said he was elbow to elbow with a bunch of people when over the stereo comes MY TASTELESS IDIOTIC JOKE SONG WITH THE FULL REGGEE BAND GOING!!! He said they were falling all over the place laughing, and played it back to back about three times, (on cassette, so they had to rewind it every time) finally with everyone screaming the chorus, which was VERY TASTELESS.

So I have a reach in many places. Including the tastless. Sorry Everette. I renounced my tastelessness long ago. LOL!

Come to think of it, actually today, that song would be nearly mainstream. LOL!

MAB

I was just thinking of something, you werent prepared, Steve Tyler comes waltzing in the studio, while you are singing your song, and you didn't bother to give him a card, or take him up on his curiosity about your music. See had you of, you might be writing with Steven on his new album, see we dont hear the times where preparedness dont work

All I know is, if Steven walked in on my session, I'd yell at the engineer, how dare you tell me to to sing while Mr Tyler is in the studio, fire this man immediately!

Good evening Steven how would you like to write with a pro?

LOLLL, a little levity to start the day.

Yeah, that is what most people would do.We have a term for that. It is called GHERMING! "Pronounced GURMING" (Being a Germ.) it is a NO NO and you never do it. That is what most people try to do and what gets most people's careers killed. There are legal issues, and that is not why they are there. If you did something like that, you could ruin Omni's chance of ever getting recording business from any Big Machine artist. They take it very seriously, and it is the biggest unspoken rule in Nashville. It is also what EVERY AMATEUR does.

So that is actually the LAST thing you do.

MAB

Yep, I agree with Marc. That action would be a sure sign of an amateur.

John

GHERMING

While we're here I might as well seize on an opportunity for education. One of the reasons most people can't get anything heard anymore by publishers,writers, artists, producers, record labels,etc. UNTIL they know someone (this includes some song pluggers, film and television pitch libraries, etc.) is because of this. It is the main reason for the "NO UNSOLICITED MATERIAL" rules.

Over the past 20 years, we have been in a more and more letigious society. People sue over everything. They get offended by a resturant, they sue. They get drunk and get a DUI, they sue. They fall down because THEY are drunk, they sue. Every other commercial on television seems to be some class action lawsuit against some product or device that two years ago was the "savior of mankind." There is no doubt there is some validity to some of these claims, but in my experience and belief a lot of these are pure nonsense.

In the entertainment business, this has been rampant for sometime. Everyone has some title, movie script, idea, melody, groove, whatever they are ABSOLUTELY SURE SOMEONE HEARD AND STOLE FROM THEM!!!
THEY STOLED MY SONGS!!!!!!!!

We have seen it most recently in the Blurred Lines lawsuit, where Robin Thicke and Pharell Williams simply wanted to do a "nod to Marvin Gaye" and their estate sued successfully, leading to what I believe will be a rash of even more lawsuits, mostly meritless, and make it even MORE difficult to get anything heard at all.

Lawyers, my favorite people, have seized upon this, and so if you have a hit song,you are going to be sued by someone saying you stole their song. Even if you never even heard it. Which is how most of these things happen. To win one of these nonsensical things, you have to prove they PURPOSELY DEFRAUDED YOU TO DEPRIVE YOU OF INCOME. Which is why the Gaye Family sued Thicke and Williams. They figured these guys had learned what they know from Marvin, so why shouldn't they reap the rewards? Of course, of something they had NOTHING TO DO WITH CREATING.

So lawsuits go back and forth, but you really never hear of one unless it is George Harrison and the My Sweet Lord/He's so Fine thing. It is usually one famous person suing another famous person. The reason is that most people CANNOT get their songs heard in the first place and WE ARE ALL WRITING THE SAME THINGS! Anyone who shows me any song, I can just about show them where that song was written already BEFORE they were BORN!

But they go on, mainly because no outstanding royalties can be paid when ongoing legal action is happening. If you have a song earning a quarter million dollars that you can't get to, paying a small amount to get it cleared up is a small price to pay. Because these court cases can drag out for YEARS.the Harrison Bright Tunes lawsuit took 13 years and $680,000 to settle. And in the end Harrison was awarded the copyrights to BOTH songs, because it was proven his manager, Alan Klein, had coluded with he other side and was behind the lawsuit. A real snake that guy was.

At any rate, now NOBODY will take songs from anyone they don't know because they can't take a chance someone will sue them. They don't listen, mostly because they have their own, but some yahoo will sue them. So they stopped it all.

So the act of trying to give someone a CD, business card, or elbow your way in has a definition. GHERMING. It is the unpardonable sin in this town and once you do it, everybody knows about it and avoids you like the plague.

That is another reason you can't get your songs heard.

MAB

Well spoken Marc,
Ambulance Chasers! They will always be with us. You can get sued for something you had nothing to do with. Even if you put up a warning sign you can still get sued. Clint Eastwood was building a resturant that wasn't even open yet. A bunch of handicappers came by and asked if there would be handicap parking available. Not knowing a worker told them no. So what happened Clint got sued and went to court even tho handicap parking is a law and there was handicap parking when the resturant opened.

Big Banks are being sued and settling with the government for mortgage fraud they had nothing to do with. They have the money, so sue em! No wonder so many businesses are moving offshore.

I couldnt disagree with you all more.

Boyz 2 men, one of the guys was working in a movie theatre, when he noticed Bon Jovi in the theatre, he called his buddies down, and bon jovi agreed to give them a listen outside the theatre,

the rest as they say is history

And a band called "paper tongues" spotted Randy Jackson in a restaurant, and he said he hears stuff all the time and dint think anything of it usually, when he heard them he was floored

Amateur? perhaps, but it;s a good way to stay amateur too.

i cant stress this enough:

luck is when opportunity meets preparation

every artist or writer out there has faced the same hurdles, if they are good people, and remember where they came from, it cant hurt you to ask, if not, you didnt let opportunity get by you

LESSONS!

Post deleted by Charlie2015

The one case where it is wrong, i recall a story where Biully Joel was in a car crash, and was on the ground bleeding, with an ambulance, and some idiot came by and asked for his autograph!

Ok, he took opportunity a bit too far!

More "Marc" advice

http://dottedmusic.com/2011/marketing/20-tips-on-networking-in-music-industry/

There are exceptions to every rule. But most you can name all were over five-ten years ago. The past three years have seen more legal lawsuits than ever.
Alan Jackson's wife was on a long flight with Glenn Cambpell and she got him interested in Alan. But that was 20 years ago. Much has changed since then. And PARTICULARLY IN THIS TOWN, because we are all very accessable. It is very normal to go to dinner or be standing in a movie line and having a huge star sitting next to you. I see Vince Gill about every other week at his regular breakfast place. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill come into another resturant, very undercover. They don't want to be bothered.
A lot of song pluggers and publishers rarely go out because people try to gherm them. No one wants to be a jerk and turn someone down but they literally can't take anything from anyone they don't know and sometimes won't take anything from someone they DO KNOW.Again, they have a lot of their own.

NSAI is getting us all to buy COPYRIGHT LIABILITY INSURANCE. it is a policy that we have to pay for if we are involved in NSAI events, like teaching seminars, Tin Pan South,etc. I have not done it yet, but if some of the cuts I have coming out turn into something, I have to think about it.

Part of the cost of doing business.

MAB

if you are referring to gherming, i think it far more intrusive bothering somebody while out at the movies or at dinner, than asking a guy who walks into a studio where you are paying to be, and where He supposedly is intriqued by your music.

In my opinion Marc let a golden opportunity pass him by, he will never run into steven Tyler again, and Steven is working with Nashville songwriters cause evidently he doesnt write much country.

In Marcs defense, i too let an opportunity pass me by, how golden it was Ill never know.

But the same Randy Jackson had just written a book on diabetes, and my niece and friends were idol fans, and needed a ride to Barnes and Noble, where he was signing books

We went expecting a big turnout and less than 20 people showed up. I had plenty of time to talk to him, he was extremly nice to my niece and me, and he even said he had a son my nieces age.

The day before and the ride there, my niece and her friends kept pleading, "You gotta let him hear you sing, you should bring a tape, he'll like you"

I gave it a few passing thoughts, but once there, I just didnt feel it was the right setting. Im sure he would not have objected and probably would have taken it, whether he'd listen or not I dont know, and im sure he would have never contacted me, but because i didnt, ill never know

it aint like it protected my professional rep by not asking.

So John, I can read Marcs article, it doesnt mean Marc is right, I mentioned those artists, and there are many more who did it this way.

being that Steven was intriqued by Marcs music, i dont think it a stretch to say, Hey im Marc, I teach hundreds of students how to make it in Nashvile, I have several cuts, if you ever would like to write, that would be fantastic.

it aint like running up and asking for his autograph, HE expressed interest in HIM

When opportunity knocks...

Well Charlie, I appreciate it but it seems like the "Golden Opportunity" wasn't quite so golden. Apparently I was the target of a well timed, "April Fools day Prank. It seems that the guy I saw the back of yesterday, was NOT really Steven Tyler. Seemingly yesterday there was an actor with the television show Nashville who came in, again, actually checking out the studio, was interested in what we were doing, who I was,and actually did inquire about the song.
He bore a resmblence to Steven Tyler and so my co-horts in crime, the people in the studio, my co-writer, etc. thought it would be fun to have a little joke at my expense. It really kind of confused them when I didn't get all gaga about it, so I guess the joke didn't pay off the way they thought it would.

As I said, I was doing the vocals and only saw a reflection in glass as he was walking out. Could have fooled me. Why it all did work is that Steven Tyler IS in town,doing just what I said, checking out studios, meeting people,writing songs as he prepares for his first project on Big Machine. He was downtown yesterday because it was on the news and some people got video footage. Must have been a big thrill to the tourists to see him bopping around. They probably thought it was a "Steven Tyler Impersonator!" LOL!

No matter. I would not have changed my reaction if it was him.It has been my experience that these opportunities tend to come around again and again. You tend to see these people over and over so if you miss a chance, stay who you are, things will come your way if they were meant to. If not, you don't worry about it.

The song we are doing is written with two very well known writers, one of which Jim Peterek is a friend of Stevens and has performed with him. Everyone loves to sing "Vehicle." I guess we are all just perverts who want to invite some girl to take a ride in our car, LOL!!!
But both Jim and Joie, my other co-writer are both number one writers, very respected and both represented to the top independent song plugger around, Sherril Blackman. He actually is getting a few cuts and can get into see people. If it turns out the way I think it will (have only done basic tracks and scratch vocals so far) at least we have an idea of who to pitch it to. An actor and Steven Tyler. LOL!

The whole experience did take me back to a pretty funny experience years ago on one of my songwriter tours. On those, I spend the day with the person, taking them wherever they need to go. Most in is song critiques,performance critiques, catalogue orginization, explaining the intracacises of the business,ASCAP, BMI, SESAC,publishers, artists, etc. the whole 9 yards. We also write songs and I generally take them out at night to introduce them to potential co-writers.Is a pretty hefty 8-10 hour day.

On one occassion I had a very sweet middle aged African American female Doctor from Chicago. She had only been writing a couple of months and wanted to learn the finer basics. Being from the medical profession she understood school and came to see the main professor on this campus. (How you like that, Charlie boy?" LOL!)

We usually meet over breakfast at a local songwriters hang out, and this is where they tell me their history (Past), how they got here and what they are doing now (present.)
I call it a "tour' because I never know where it will end up.

I have an information sheet they fill out and the bottom line is a question, "Is there anyone within reason you would like to meet?" It is usually for songwriters who might have a favorite song or writer. Sometimes I know these people and can get them to have lunch or a drink with us and talk shop.

On her's she said "I am so new to the music business, I don't know who to ask for, but I would love to meet a celebrity."

I tried to explain to her that mostly the stars are out on tour on buses and we don't see them that much, except on rare occassions. I explained that songwriters are really the stars here and often I can pull one into a conversation. But then I asked "but this is your lucky day because I can actually introduce you to a celebtity. Would you like to meet them"

She smiled and said yes. I had noticed out of the corner of my eye, that in the booth right behind her sat WEIRD AL YANKOVIC.He was in town recording one of his goofy records, sometimes he writes the parodys with the writers of the orignal song. That was what he was doing in town. So I just called out to him, he turned around and I said "Weird Al, this is Kimberly. Kimberly, this is Weird Al."

He was very nice, they shook hands said nice to meet you and both went back to their Bacon and eggs. She had a huge grin and I said "Maybe I should add this "breakfast with Weird Al" on my tour brochure.

We laughed about that all day. Wanna meet a star? I can make that happen capn.

Sorry for the confusion on Tyler. But my friends better be ready. Paybacks are HELL!!!!! LOL!
MAB

That AIN'T Funny UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dunno..is it me? Or is Steven Tyler starting to look like Joan Rivers?

Barry, that is no big deal. MUCH better than what I went through in 1996. The WORST April fools day prank ever played on me or any musician/writer I have ever known.

I had just gone through my divorce and was living with a friend of mine. I was actually staying in the room of another friend/writer of mine, who was gone for three months performing in Padre Island Texas. The guy who owned the Condo, Ronnie, had let me stay in his room. He was a great guy, and Lord could he cook!
Actually,the three of us had a songwriting group that we would play live with and did a lot of things.But we were all broke songwriters and kind of leaned on each other a lot.

one Friday, I get a call on the house phone (this was before the days everyone had a cell phone) and heard on the other line the sound of a recording studio.Tuning, noises, etc. The voice said he was Don Was, who is a world famous producer. I have heard Don speak before and the voice sounded very similar. He said that he was about to cut one of Ronnie's songs on BONNIE RAITT, and they needed a lyric change and a go ahead on the song before they could cut it. He said if they didn't get back to him in 20 minutes, he would have to drop the song and cut another one.

I knew where Ronnie was, in the downtown bar we all usually were in and so I jumped in my car and drove like a bat out of hell to get there. I got there, totally out of breath and saw him with a bunch of our friends at our usual table. I went up telling him he had to call Don Was, what they had said and what was going on. We all get REAL excited when one of us gets something happening.

Everyone started kind of giggling and then I heard one of our other friends start talking in the Don Was voice. i realized I had been had. I was SO PISSED OFF, I turned around and walked out, drove back home. I really didn't speak to any of those guys for a couple of weeks.

We all were going through some pretty rough times, I was having to be away from my four year old daughter, and things were not good. That was just NOT the type of joke you play on people like us. They all felt terrible and realized they have to be careful about that sort of thing. From time to time I see them all and remind them of that.

I don't really do "April Fools Day." I try very hard to be careful about jokes or pranks on people. I really don't do it because I don't like embarrising people. the most I do is write really silly things on people's Facebook pages.Butit is much more light comments than anything deep.

That was why I don't care for those pranks. But I did learn to be fairly jaded about any news. I'll believe it when I see it.
MAB

I think I've taken this thread as far off topic as it needs to go. I apologize to the original poster. Just let it be said that Nashville is full of Relationships. If this producer or anyone wants to build those in Nashville, they can.

Actually, all of you have one. You have me.

MAB

In all the "Steven Tyler' April Fools day pranking, my friend Tom Shiness apparently DID have Steven turn up at his session. If you go to his Facebook page, you can see the selfie he tried to 'sneak' with Steven. Another reason I don't do that sort of thing. LOL!

https://www.facebook.com/tom.shinness?fref=ts

Relationships is an interesting word and concept, in this context, and can mean different things to different people. Some view them with disdain, as mutual palm greasing and sweetheart deals. They can be that, sure, but certainly aren't always. And sure, if we do great work, maybe we feel some entitlement to go to the head of the class. But the reality is (as Marc has pointed out many times) that so many are doing great work, that those who ALSO have people skills will succeed on a more regular basis. It's just common sense.

There are very few tortured artist/isolated genius types in country music. It's an oxymoron. Wait..maybe Kostas Lazarides--Yoakam's writer, from Montana..but I digress.. All the isolated geniuses who write in a country vein are on alt country labels, like the Nashville group Lambchop, whose Kurt Wagner certainly qualifies as a kind of isolated genius, in my book. His songs are too quirky for the majors, but the quirkiness is part of what makes them special.

There's different rewards for different systems, too. The isolated genius types put out their own product and tour with it with very little overhead. Make a few friends, and develop a strong but relatively small core fan base, and it's all good; whereas the Nashville system is designed to handle big numbers, and the songs all exist somewhere between the poles of quirky and formulaic, so that they will naturally appeal to the most people.

I am not sure one needs to spend a thousand bucks to make recordings that would excite a Nashville Producer's ear, these days, though. I have a mostly desktop studio, and it's getting pretty hard to tell the difference between real instruments played by real people, and virtual instruments played by one real person. I lived and worked in Nashville in the mid-nineties, and I tried desperately to produce Nashville quality demos on an Akai Keyboard back then, and of course, the demos sucked to the degree that I tried emulating real instruments on each particular demo. But now, I don't know..these days..if you hook a producer with your intro and verse, that if they realize 2/3rds through the song that your steel guitar is a virtual instrument, because it sounded THAT close to the real thing, that they are THEN gonna do an about face and close their ears..

No..but..again..the difference is that a demo made THROUGH the Nashville system will simply have a head start on one that sounds exactly the same, made by a loner from North Dakota, because making that demo IN Nashville, with real Nashville musicians is just real good networking, and counts as "relationship building" too, and so will get one just that much closer to that Nashville producer who holds the keys to the magic kingdom--if getting one's song recorded by the majors is one's goal, that is.

Good post Michael. I can not speak with authority on anything Nashville related. I will say that regarding songs Cam and I cowrote, the better the demo the higher up the food chain it will get pitched. And I'm not complaining about that...it's common sense. But they are not cheap. Nevertheless, being a regular at a good demo studio is a solid way to make friends. I would also recommend a writer bring material that doesn't look/sound like what everyone else is doing and yet still keep a couple of toes inside the circle of accessibility.