I saw this written by Gary Cavanauagh about playing in Nashville at an open mic night. I totally agree 100%.He stated 7 great points to remember if you are playing in Nashville or anywhere for that matter. I have held songwriters stages at Bost Harley Davidson and at the Fontanel.
Just to show how this works for you new songwriters...
There is a guy name Joel Shewmake. He is a fantastic songwriter. He is the "Best of the Best " for 2013 awarded by the NashvilleEar.com. He has several songs recorded by major country music stars.