Since Jarrod has chimed in as part of our new legal team of Nichols and Sanchez (David Sanchez is our West Coast Lawyer rep. Jarrod covers the east.) also known as DEWEY, CHEATEM AND HOWE. So our Legal team is in place.
Jarrod, you have all kinds of resources at your disposal. You are around many writers and artists all over the place as you are going. You are meeting people on writers nights, you travel to places that have music, have been asked to play festivals, you are pretty much in the thick of everything, not to mention coming to Nashville.
But most people are not in that. So we have to offer some suggestions on how most people can meet writers.
#1. Locally.
At pretty much every major town, city, region, there are entertainment magazines in almost every bar and resturant sharing the local eaterys, community events, plays, shows, movies and of course, live music. Most are put out by GANETT, the publishing company that does the USA TODAY newspaper.
In all of those are usually a live music section. There is also an EVENTS section.
You find OPEN MICS, OPEN STAGE, TALENT NIGHTS, KARAOKE NIGHTS, WRITERS NIGHTS, SONGWRITER STAGE,ETC.
YOU GO TO THOSE!!!
You have to get around LIKE MINDED PEOPLE. If people care enough to show up at these events, they care enough to get music out there and share a hobby. GO MEET THEM!!!
#2. EVENTS.
There are usually colleges, trade schools, community colleges, that have songwriter lectures, creative writing courses, or artists and writers who do shows on tours. GO TO THEM. Support the other artists and speakers. You will learn and meet other people who share the same hobby.
#3. LIBRARIES, COFFEE HOUSES, MUSIC STORES.
There are almost always bulliten boards, posters, announcements, for these same events or groups that get together.If you can't find anyone MAKE YOUR OWN ANNOUNCEMENT AND PUT IT ON THE BULLITIEN BOARD.
You have to be PRO-ACTIVE in this. You can't wait for the world to show up at your door.
#4. ONLINE.
I don't think I need to say more. You are HERE.
#5. Your own writers group.
Usually there are ALWAYS writers and artists around you. Just tell someone on a plane sitting next to you, that you are a writer. The next thing you know you will know all about their son, daughter, friend, husband, wife, parent, cousin, who are ALSO SONGWRITERS AND ARE SO GREAT AND JUST NEED TO GET THEIR MUSIC OUT THERE!!! After you have spent 20 minutes explaining why YOU can't get THEIR music to GARTH BROOKS OR TAYLOR SWIFT, you can at least feel like there's someone out there like you.
FORM YOUR OWN GROUP.
It needs to be small, just two or three people, who meet periodically to discuss and play music. Can build into huge things if you do it regularly. It can lead to pot luck dinners, living room concerts, putting on your own open mic, and building community interest. Matt Casey (Matt C) has turned his group, NEW ENGLAND TO NASHVILLE into raising thousands of dollars for people in need, putting on concerts in Boston and Nashville and bringing some of the top Nashville writers up there for workshops. He has over 200 people basically due to his efforts on FACEBOOK. One of the reasons we don't hear from him so much here is because he is very busy there. So it can be done.
Janice Starodub, in Winnipeg, started her own group of just a few writers and now is a manager of several Canadian artists, getting them on major shows, festivals, and making the trip to Twang Town regularly. Again, we don't hear much from her here because she is working her butt off there.
BE AWARE THAT THIS CAN GET TIME CONSUMING. One thing leads to another very quickly and you will have a second job going on before you realize it.
#5. TRIPS.
Jarrod, Phil, the Kid, OD, Melissa, Janice, Matt, (both of them), have made trips to Nashville. Much to work with me, but other reasons as well. Any trip to Nashville needs to have a broad overview.
IMPORTANT SAFTEY TIP:
NO ONE GETS DISCOVERED ON THESE TRIPS. GETTING DISCOVERED TAKES A LOT OF TIME, EFFORT AND WRITING YOUR WAY INSIDE THE COMMUNITY. And it can be EXPENSIVE!!! So you have to plan out.
#1. GET A MAB!!!!! Working with me is how a lot of people streamline their trips, focusing on the most important and taking it one step at a time. i analyze catalogue, grade and evaluate songs, teach performance, instruct in networking, help with booking and basically MAKE YOUR LIFE MUCH EASIER!!!
#2. No MAB? YOU ARE DOOMED!!!!
#3. A trip to Nashville should include three things:
A. NETWORKING.
Going to writers nights,open mics, showcases, lectures, meeting other like minded people.
B. PERFORMING.
If you are performer, go to the writers nights and open mics and play. get there early. Stay late. Support others.
C. CO-WRITING.
This may take a while because you are new, but if you make RELATIONSHIPS, they lead to co-writes.
ACTIVITY=PROXIMiTY=OPPORTUNITIES.
If you are around other writers, supporting them, becomng a FRIEND, meeting their friends, working into the fabric of Nashville, it leads to THEM being interested in you. That leads to shows, parties, social events, that put you AROUND the other people who can help you down the road. That leads to co-writers, higher caliber shows, more selective invitations.That is the way to cuts and success.
It is NEVER EASY. You are UNKNOWN. How many strangers walking around your neighborhood do you just invite into your home? And everyone is trying to do THE SAME THING.
I just had a conversation from a dear friend of mine who stayed with us last night. She is a writer/artist and has been around for quite some time. She has a radio show, teaches songwriting, tours extensively. She was talking about meeting with her PRO representative and trying to get him to give her more attention. She is leaving that PRO for another one because she just doesn't seem to be getting any attention.
I had to tell her, "welcome to the new reality." She is not under 25 years old, doesn't live here, isn't going for an artist deal. SHE IS NOT GOING TO GET ANY ATTENTION, EVEN FROM THE NEW PROS!
We are in an era of FREE MUSIC. The PRO's, BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, are powerless to collect on music that there is nothing being paid for. We are earning literally TENS of dollars on songs that are played hundreds of thousands of millions of times. That era of getting paid for music is for all intents and purposes, OVER. Might as well get used to it.
And most people have that "I don't want to be rich or famous...." GOOD. YOU PICKED THE RIGHT BUSIESS FOR THAT! YOU WON'T BE EITHER.
It is difficult, especially for those of us who have been in this for a long time. i have been at it for 37 years. We have no retirement, no 401 K plans, most don't have health insurance, most have no back up. Doesn;t bother me, because I don't ever see a time that I would "RETIRE," From WHAT? What woudl I do? Sit around and do internet posts and talk about music, write music, record and perform music?
WAIT A MINUTE. I'M ALREADY RETIRED!!!!!!!! WOW! I never realized that! LOL!
We all have to deal with the new reality. So lowering expectations, on cuts, on money, on fame. This is what life is now. Deal with it. You probably don't like being tied to an electronic device all day every day either. Having your thoughts interuptted by phone calls, texts, emails, twitter, etc. while you are eating, going to the bathroom, being involved with others, either do you? BUT YOU HAVE TO GET USED TO IT. THIS IS REALITY.
So understand that coming in from the outside takes working with and dedication. And that is what THIS FORUM ON THIS SITE is about.
I want us all to KNOW EACH OTHER. To talk privately. We have had examples of people who have met here visiting each other's homes and cities. OD just got back from visiting with Justin in Texas. The Kid Forced some of tha Texas BBQ onto OD, and OD showed him how to deal with his parents. OD loves his Mom best.
But the purpose for this site is to get to know each other. I also suggest strongly to put songs up in your listening rooms and then invite some people to give you PRIVATE CRITIQUES! If you get three or four people that say the same thing independently of each other, you need to look at that. If it is all over the place, you use your gut.
All of this should be used as a TESTING LABARATORY. You are learning here. You are applying it THERE!
MAB