Peggy, now in most areas, unless you are the artist, and unless you are playing in the area AND unless you have a sizable YOU TUBE, FACEBOOK, and Viral following, they don't even consider playing anything. But they DO love the wonderful packages and gifts they get. Brings me to a "MAB" story. This is one I may have told, but it is always a fun one.
THE FED EX GUY IS HERE!
Around the middle 90's I was writing with a friend of mine who was a hit writer over at EMI publishing. That was and still is one of the four or fifth biggest publishers in Nashville. EMI was the Beatles publisher. My friend and I were working on finding a song idea, and getting no where when we suddenly hear this voice on the Intercom.
"THE FED EX GUY IS HERE!!!"
"THE FED EX GUY IS HERE!!!"
I looked at him and he just smiled. About that same time a huge sound started coming down the hall. It sounded like a cattle herd on the trail, this kind of rumble. All of a sudden, passing the door of his office, was about 7 or 8 women, all walking (running) down the hall to the receptionist. My friend said "Wanna see something funny?" I said yeah, we joined the throng. Everyone was in a great mood and gathered around the receptionist desk, which was one of those huge round things you see in the middle of corporate offices.
On her desk was this fairly decent sized FED EX. box. The receptionist was using sissors to cut the tape open and all the girls were laughing and making jokes about what was inside. The receptionist pulls out this large Easter basket looking thing, with the plastic grass, and all kinds of stuff sitting on top of it. There were miniature liquor bottles, gin, vodka, little Jack Daniels. There were also all kinds of candies, trinkets, a ton of little stuff. In the middle of the basket was this folder, very nicely embossed with the artist's name, his 8x10 and of course, his CD, in the middle of it all.
All of a sudden there was a flurry of activity as all the girl's (who were various secretaries from all over the building, accounting, tape rooms, executive assistants, etc. started grabbing for the "stuff." Each took the bottles, candy, even the basket and the grass were gone in about 20 seconds. The receptionist, who also had a couple of things, in this huge methodical way, popped open the CD, threw it in a box by her desk. She popped out the edges of the CD case, threw the contents, his well done CD cover and all the inside notes, in the garbage, the pictures in the garbage, bio, etc, even through the nice black folder. It was over so fast, it was like "feeding time on the Saringetti.
All the crowd went back to their offices and my friend and I just kind of stood there. I asked "Don;t you guys ever listen to that?" "Nah."said my friend. "But you want to see why?" "Sure," I said. he walked over, asked for the CD, and grabbed the folder, handed it to me. Inside was this guy who was obviously trying the "Garth Brooks" cowboy, pressed jeans and shirts and hat," look. Several pictures with the intense look, the sad look, the looking over the shoulder look, the out in the yard, look, was pretty funny. The bio read like you would expect, "Iowa sensation, lived for country music, was the next big thing, and EVERYONE had to hear him, blah blah blah"
We went back to my buddies office and sat down. He put the CD in his stereo and then did NOT TAKE HIS EYES OFF OF ME. I sat down and started reading the bio stuff, and all the press clippings, Guy had a pretty high opinion of himself. The first song started off like almost every country recording. Pretty much the 90's fiddle and steel approach. Then he STARTED TO SING. YEEEEEUCCHHHH!!!! The song was TERRIBLE, HIS VOCALS WERE TERRIBLE and it didn't get any better. After a verse and chorus my friend, never taking his eyes off me, pushes the "next" button. the next song was "worse. We only made it past about three lines in that one. He clicked the button again, same thing.
Then he said "Want another?"
NOPE!!!!
The lesson was "The more elaborate the package, the worse the product. I've seen it repeated hundreds of times and it is always the same. If a person is any good, if the songs are credible, they will find people that will become allies. but the farther away from personal recommendation, the less a chance anyone has at anything. Too many people driving those endless miles, playing the dives, being away from their families, to just let SOMEONE else get in there.
Peggy, if you have connections at radio, use them. But understand where they come from. In my opinion, every minute you spend away from going to see, support and meet artists, where THEY are performing, the farther away from getting anything anywhere. The era has just changed, and writers are going to have to adapt to the change.
MAB
Like