I come to provide a little perspective and experience of my years in Nashville and aim it at a very distinct group of people. Those that are currently interested in making a trip, multiple trips or actually moving to Nashville, and things they will encounter on their musical journeys here. I’ve done some posts on OPEN MICS, WRITERS NIGHTS, NETWORKING and elements of the BUSINESS and I thought I do something that is essential for people to understand and a few things to keep in mind as they approach here.

This subject is CO-WRITING.
Songwriting is a naturally solo and independent exercise and people can pretty much do it all themselves anywhere, anytime, any way they want. And they do. Many people wonder “Why co-write? Van Gogh didn’t “CO-PAINT!” Well, in my experience, there are very valid reasons for it and if you do some research not only on todays music industry, and come across the names of people like RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN, LENNON AND McCartney, and ELTON JOHN AND BERNIE TAUPIN, you start to notice that in the PROFESSIONAL SONGWRITING HISTORY, co-writing is actually much more the rule than the exception. There are TWO main reasons to co-write, especially when you are dealing with a “100% co-writing town” like Nashville today.

#1. FOR PROCESS.
Co-writing, can put one together with someone else’s strengths, people who might be artists verses those that aren’t, people with stronger sense of melody and those with stronger senses of lyrics, or just someone who might be better than they are.

#2 POLITICAL
The second reason is a little more realistic. Someone always knows people that you don’t. Someone might be more connected, might have more experience, or just overall ahead of you in line. Politics.
All of these are the answers to most of the reoccurring questions people seem to ask here and more or less anywhere you discuss the subject of this town or the business:

“HOW DO I GET MY SONGS “OUT THERE?” – CO-WRITE.
By co-writing you encounter people who might help get your songs into places you can’t do it yourself. Having multiple people performing or recording songs, putting them on web sites, doing videos, etc. It multiplies the avenues you can get into.

“HOW DO I GET ARTISTS TO LISTEN AND HOPEFULLY RECORD MY SONGS?”-CO-WRITE
Today, if you are not writing with the artists themselves, their producers or “inner circles” (existing friends or friends of friends) of theirs, you are probably not going to be successful. You just won’t be heard.
Everyone today, are writers and artists now. By writing with other people, particularly connected people might put you in the “back doors” of publishers, producers, artists themselves. Writing with a “friend of a friend” goes a lot further than just writing something to keep on your phone or computer.

“HOW DO I FIND THE WRITERS NIGHTS AND OPEN MICS?” CO-WRITE.
Writing songs with one, two or even more writers, helps you be invited into their rounds, expose you to their friends and fan bases, and helps you share information on performing avenues. You get invited into the “ROUNDS” that we all need to be in to climb that ladder.
All of these can be answered by the same “co-write” answer.

HOW?
Most of the time, it takes it’s own pathway. You can’t force your way in. People like to check each other out first, to know if they are not axe murderers or even worse. A lot of this is done on social media today, but a lot of these things get started through meetings, usually at the existing writers’ nights and open mic, where you meet dozens of people a night.
Usually light conversations start up and then are led on over coffee, beer, meals, outside of the initial meeting. My suggestion is to ask the other people about themselves. If you are coming in from the outside or just plain new, you need them more than they need you. Most people here already have co-writers, contacts, etc. Looking for people who are new to town also, is a good approach as the more experienced someone gets the more existing opportunities they already have. Again, you have to earn your way into all this and being a good friend, and conversationalist is a good way to get it to work.

WHEN?
It is usually a day or more after a meeting that this might go into practice. Co-writing is “SPEED DATING.”
One of the most important thing of this is learning to deal with the PERSONALITIES, of other people Every one you encounter in this endeavor is populated with people with bigger egos, more diverse personalities, and mamy times much quirkier than you are. Finding out about those, dealing with them, understanding their motivations, can factor into everything from subject matter in songs, to process of writing, to follow thought into performing, recording, networking, all the way to putting them in front of the public and possibility of commercially releasing a song or songs. Better to learn about those now.

WHAT CONSTITUTES A CO-WRITE?
While there are some who want to nitpick, and worry about who wrote what, who wrote the most, less, or whatever, it is easier just to split a song fairly. There’s a formula we call “WHO GETS THE COFFEE?”
Sometimes you are ON FIRE, and get a ton of stuff in, a lot of lyrics, grooves, melodies, etc and someone might not get much of anything in. They “get the coffee.”
Sometimes, you are totally dry, they are past you so fast and you just can’t seem to come up with a thing or the things you do come up with, just don’t work.

YOU “GET THE COFFEE.”
It is ALL ABOUT ENERGY IN THE ROOM. Sometimes someone might utter ONE WORD that changes the entire direction of a song, and wind up being the most important word in the song. Sometimes someone might be stronger on the “re-writing” or deliver a performance that sends the song into another dimension. Many songs benefit from the INTERPRETATION on a song that most have thought was just “SO=SO”. You just never know, so splitting a song into fair increments only makes sense. Besides, very, very, few songs today earn much in the way of significant income, so why sweat over something that means nothing. And most co-writes lead to MORE CO-WRITES. Another song down the road might be the thing that breaks down all the doors. Never cut your nose off to spite your face.

AFTER:
You have to have open dialogues on songs. Some might feel stronger than others. Some might find a song or other songs, just so-so and don’t mean as much to them. They might have other songs that are similar, or just not “for them.” That’s fine. But when it comes to paying for recording and promotion costs, legally, you would be responsible for a share. However, this not always the case. Some people, particularly the “starving artists” might not be able to afford to pay for a bunch of recordings on songs. But if a recording of that song landed it on a web site, cd or downloads, sometimes that is a good reason to pony up money if you can. Would you rather just have it on your computer or phone doing nothing?
For all these and more, I hope this explains some of the complexities on co-writing. For myself I’ve learned more by doing it than I’d ever learned on my own. I’ve written with thousands of writers, artists, with people with number one, top ten, Grammy Award winners, and nominees, down to people who have never written a word, and just looking for someone to help them assemble their thoughts in a cogent form. It’s been the best thing I’ve ever done. I hope some of this might help some of you, if not, scroll down. Comments and thoughts are welcomed.

by Marc Alan Barnette