These past few months, I've been aware of several friends of mine, finally making a very painful decision for them, and having to move BACK to their home towns after, in some cases, decades in Nashville.
The life of a Nashville songwriter is a glamorous parade of hit songs, money, No. 1 parties and awards shows ... or at least, so country music fans think. While those things can and do happen, the reality of the average songwriter's career in Music City is a much darker picture in 2016.
A lot of reasons people get hung up on lyrics is because they are trying too hard to make a "statement" in each line. The result is usually very poetic lines that really don't mean a lot past a few words strung together.
"I just want to write my songs" or "I just want to do what I do.." are some of the 'most often made" comments I hear from young and newer songwriters or artists that are trying to find their way into the music business. They just want to "be who they are" and be paid for it.
What a wonderful occupation songwriting is simply for the fact that you can't show anyone how to do it.
If I were manufacturing a car I could show you how it was done, but with songwriting there is no manual.
I’m in a continuous dialogue with writers and artists literally across the world in the importance of “building teams” in their approach to music. Too many feel that the industry, publisher, producers, labels, agents, managers, etc.
We see it all the time. Someone posts on Facebook or Social media the big news that they are “HEADED TO NASHVILLE” and very excited for their trip. And of course everyone wishes them luck, “Always Knew you’d make it” messages…” pretty much the same all the time. And it IS GREAT!
After passing the 55 year mark as an active songwriter who truly hasn't done anything else since i was 17, it really isn't about SONGWRITING anymore,.what comes out of me has morphed into a different art form rather then the usual crafted three minute song,..
