Peggy and Melissa,
I really don't know how I can say it any plainer. I understand you didn't ask for anything. (in my post that was what the 'friend of a friend' approach is about.) we are constantly harrangued by friends, relatives, significant others, all saying "you have GOT to hear my friend...' a response to anyone that is trying to do this by someone being approached by anyone is "where can I hear your stuff..' "send me a link..." etc. that is the business equivalant of "wow, you have both lyrics AND music in your songs..." It is just a standard answer. And it is meant with the best of intentions. B
BUT..... I would make sure that anytime anyone offered that, I had the most astounding stuff in the world. I would have it PERFORMED OUT!!!!
This is the breakdown right here. UNLESS SOMETHING IS TESTED LIVE IN FRONT OF REAL AUDIENCES, I WOULD NEVER RECORD IT!!!!! Ever.
That means ARTISTS, ARTISTS ARTISTS! There is really no way around this. You are simply not able to play on the playing field. So what to do?
YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM. And most of them are right around you.
We have talked about this over and over. You have examples of MATT Casey, who formed his own facebook group, now has over 200 members, won the NSAI song of the year contest, and has artists everywhere, most of them in his own neighborhood. You have Justin who drives an hour to go see people. You even have YOU Melissa, who have a new person you are writing with, but you have to even do more. You have GOT to find those young artists around you.
Phil has talked about the open mics that come and go around him. He says there is no one willing to get out and do anything. Then he mentions that there are two and three more that he hasn't gone to yet.
There are songwriters festivals all over. There are outdoor street fairs that feature songwriters. Their are state fairs, county fairs. They all feature local and regional performers.
There are local songwriting groups. Their are coffee houses that feature 'open mics and "open stages." There is NSAI. there are local songwriting events,seminars, workshops. There are colleges that have coffee houses that feature the same. And of course, tons of songwriting sites that will have people from your area. My experience has always been that you will meet dozens of people from just one or two people.
BUT YOU HAVE TO MEET THAT FIRST PERSON.
Some people have used FACEBOOK to start the conversation. You know how I feel about it, but sometimes it is a nessasary evil. My personal views shouldn't keep anyone from doing whatever they need to do. Reverb Nation, Craig's list, I don't know. That is what Social networking is about. You have to find a way that works with you, and NO I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO BLOW YOUR BUDGET, DESTROY YOUR FAMILY, END YOUR PERSONAL LIVES TO DO THIS.
I'm trying to show you ways to do that, WITHOUT going broke. And I am trying to show you ways to make it work, people who have done this. Every single thing is from personal experience and those that I work with.
But I am also trying to inject some reality into the things you are going through. That is my role here. You get opportunities, great. Always follow up every lead. But you are saying "I was told to send this and that, or contact them, and then all I hear is.....crickets."
I work almost every single day with young artists, new writers, the people I am telling you to contact. There is not one of them, not one, that would even CONSIDER listening to anything sent to them from people they don't know. So all those pitch services, film and television libraries, online song pluggers? Draw out the money you would pay any one of them, get the cash and go flush it down the toilet. They are just as effective.
Why is that? I am telling you why. I am showing you everything we on the other side of this go through and I can assure you it is the exact same with the people you are dealing with, corresponding with, interacting with.
REALITY.
We are in a meltdown music industry.Nobody is making much money. Everyone is expending twenty times the energy AND MONEY we ever have in the past just to stay in the game.
Careers NEVER START IN THE MIDDLE. They ALWAYS START AT THE BEGINNING.
Forget about the established artists, you have to find the newcomers.
EVERY SINGLE MAJOR WRITER IS SEEKING OUT NEW AND UPCOMING ARTISTS. Every one. These are people with enormous hits, hall of Famers, people that have more gold and platinum records and success than you can ever imagine. And they are ALL trying to find new people BEFORE they get signed. It should tell you something that that is happening. These are people at the very top of the game. Why do you think that would be different for anybody?
The farther away from the source (the artists) you get, it is light years away from getting anything to them. Song services, publishers, song pluggers (except those at the very top of the game) are of no use whatsover.
This is the playing field. You have a choice to get on it, or not. And if you don't that is fine. Again, I want you to write the best songs you can, get them performed or recorded as best ast they can be. In my experience in life, the ONLY way that happens is through PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS and that just doesn't come from Internet only.
So no matter what you want to do, either just write great songs for your friends or relatives to hear, on your web site, or to actually try to get some legitimate pitches out there, the ONLY way to do that is to get out and do it. Get out of the living room.
I don't know how to be any plainer.
MAB