THE ARTIST'S PERSPECTIVE
Justin, in order to understand what an artist goes through in making decisions on songs,you have to view it through an artist's point of view. Being one for 37 years, I think I can provide a little perspective on that.
The basic artist will write 15-50 songs a year. In Nashville that is about 125. I, personally write between 225 and 250 songs a year. but we'll keep it on indpendent (normal people) for this excercise. Let's just split it all and say they write 35 songs a year. Most artists have been "out there' for a few years, so lets just say the active song list is somewhere between 75-150 songs. Most of those are covers, which they have to play in most situations that they get paid. They are constantly adding to it, so round it off let's say there are 200 songs in all.
Of those, there are always going to be crowd requests, songs from previous Cd's, new things they are trying out, songs that are favorites but might not resonate with crowds, they just are the artist's personal likes.
Out of those, on an average writers night, you play 3 songs. Open mics, one or two. If they are a "feature" meaning a 30 minute slot, that is about 6-7. If they are a headliner, 14-15. If they are doing multiple sets, about 30-35 songs, out of those 12-15 are original.
They are averaging a CD a year. That is 8-12 songs. Three CD's out, say 30 songs they have to have representations of to sell the CD's. Out of the 8-12 songs on their latest project, One, is usually picked for a "single", which means they try to get it played on radio, pod casting, reverb nation, websites, or a YOU TUBE video.
So if an artist has conservatively 30 songs that they really like they have written, slots 1-3, and adding new songs all the time, WHAT GETS SACRIFICED? What gets dropped off the list?
Tonight I am playing in Birmingham. I am in front of a crowd of about 20% I know, 50% of people that know ABOUT me. I am kind of an "underground cult artist' , in that I have never had a major hit, but many people have known or about me for years. I could almost do an entire show of "greatest hits" that most people have never heard,but several people request.
Tonight I am doing 13 songs. Out of those, four are my "mainstays." The regular "hits" include "TOO MUCH BLOOD IN MY ALCOHOL LEVEL, OLD MEMORIES, THING FOR YOU, and of course the standard, TABLES AND CHAIRS. A new one gaining requests, is THE HARD WAY, a song myself and Scott Southworth wrote about our son's, both named Logan. Like nothing else in my set. My most recent artist people would know is Frankie Ballard, so I do a seque of two songs with him, BAREFEET and MY GIRL'S HOTTER. Hotter, was written not only with Frankie but hit writer WALT ALDRICH. Another home town boy gone good.
Three of the songs are new co-writes with David Hill, the leader of the band COTTON BOX ROAD, the band I am opening for. That is eight songs. Another slot I have is a BEATLES song, HERE COMES THE SUN, because several of the people I grew up and started doing music with were huge Beatles freaks and kind of got me in music doing that. So I am doing that one. Nine songs. Another, MABELZ BEAUTY SHOP AND CHAIN SAW REPAIR, which is a very funny one about a gay bar in Birmingham, I wrote before I moved. The other two are CLEANING UP AROUND THE HOUSE, a pretty mainstream country song I wrote with a guy from Michigan, and "TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM" another guy from Michigan. Both are kind of humerous, "BRAD PAISLEY" type country songs. And both going to be on my upcoming CD, SONGS IN THE KEY OF "O". If I ever get the damn artwork for that thing finished! I keep having to drop and add other songs I write.
So that is it. And the ONLY way I can get that many songs in in a 45 minute set is to SLAM THROUGH THEM. It is actually space that most people would do good to get 8 songs in. I cut all solos, turnarounds, long interludes, conversation with the audience, etc. It is pretty much take off like a rocket from the first note and race to the finish line, then get the band on, and me OFF THE STAGE!!!!
So this is what you have to keep in mind when you are dealing with artists. And why you have to GET TO KNOW THEM. you need to know what they already have done and what they NEED next. And since, most of the time, they don't know themselves, you have to really work hard. The writing is the easy part. Getting to know them is a pain.
Hope this helps.
MAB