Hey guys,
Man, what a day so far. Last week I got a new cell phone. It is great but the problem is that it comes with all new chargers,etc. So of course, coming to Gatlinburg, i get here and have THE WRONG CHARGER. So my phone died. I have a car charger but it has to be running to charge. So what do I do? Well I'm in the SMOKEY MOUNTAINS! So I thought I would drive the little 25 mile jog up the mountain to CHEROKEE NORTH CAROLINA. THREE HOURS LATER, I FINALLY GOT BACK!!! Traffic, slow lanes, road construction, WHAT A PAIN IN THE BUTT!!! I remembered why I didn't make that drive to Cherokee very often. Won't do it again.
The festival is going on and I wandered around seeing some of the venues. Of course it is about 100 degrees here so people are nearly sweating all over the place! Luckily I close the show tonight so it will cool down, I hope. Really great festival.
I noticed you and Peggy talking Meh, and understand where you are coming from. But another reason coming to these places is you see what is coming. Every hit writer (and there are about fifty of them) are bringing their artists, the people they are writing with,the people they are grooming for record deals. Saw a guy yesterday who has just signed with Curb records. he is 21, very good and every hit writer here is either trying to write with him or has written with him. He played several songs and named out his co-writers, many of whom were in the audience.
Now also here are hundreds of people, many of which are new and aspiring writers and artists. I keep running into two BEAUTIFUL girls who have a duo called "The Darlins." And they are. If they play half as good as they look they will be interesting. But judging from the descriptions of their music, it will be kind of a "Pistol Annie's/Dixie Chicks" sort of thing. Only thing is, is that there are about 300 of those around these days.
You kind of start "type casting" people you see. the young hot guy, (cap act, with the cap backwards or forwards),the duos, groups (bluegrass is really big here, and I just saw one play. They all are kind of dressed in the "bro country" uniform, baseball caps, sunglasses, tatoos, Kind of Eric Church with a banjo and dobro.) The obligatory hot girl, the over 40 people just trying to hang on, the parents walking around with their kids that YOU JUST HAVE TO HEAR!!!
And of course, everyone is trading business cards and trying to give CD's out. I've already turned down four of those.
Now this is what I want to say to those conversations girl. People always ask 'Can I send you some stuff?" And you never want to say "NO." You look like a jerk. So you always say "sure, send it to..." and sometimes you get friends, friends of friends who say,"YOU'VE GOT TO HEAR......!" It is every single day. So you tell them yes, and then go on to your own day. And that is filled with your own artists, your own songs, dealing with your day to day business. The farther away it gets, the farther away. So the fact that you are not getting answers back is really part of the deal.
And it is not because they (or I) don't want to help. We do. We are interested. But we have a lot of things we deal with all the time. I try to detail the things I do with artists and writers because I want you to know what it is like on that "other side of the desk." I'm not even a hit writer but even I get a lot of people wanting help. Of course,that is how I make a living so it is part of my deal. But man, there is just no way to help everyone out there. It is why you have people you personally work with.
Now imagine someone like Scott Borchetta. He has the biggest artist in the world. His job is predicated on keeping her happy. And he is not going to take things in that would compete with his artist. Just not going to happen. It can't.
The higher the level the industry person, the more they have riding on their reputation. So they are just not able to get to everyone. They would love to, but they just can'[t. and if you are talking about them hearing your songs, you are competing WITH TAYLOR SWIFT. Do you have a song that could knock SHAKE IT OFF? Because I'm telling you now,that is what they are looking for. And it has to be better than that one.
So when you get a chance to "send material in", you better know who you are sending it in for and have an idea of how high the bar is. Because that is what you are competing with.
But once again, if you were finding and writing with your own ARTISTS, it is a different ball game. Starting to see the common thread here?
MAB