My motivation for writing this blog is two-fold. First, it is to be of service. Second, it is self preservation! Almost daily I receive emails from amateur songwriters either asking me to pitch their songs for them -- or asking me how to open doors and get their songs to successful recording artists. The idea is that I can now refer them to this blog. Following are my suggestions and answers for the as yet unpublished country songwriters:
I am not a song plugger and I do not know any attorneys who are.
Find a good song plugger in Nashville. These people make a full-time career of opening the doors you want to enter. If your songs are competitive then they will get them to the right people.
Meet the publishers, the producers, the a&r people, the artists--that means networking in Nashville and becoming a part of the natural flow of the industry. I do not mean the online publishers that prey on songwriters. I mean the real publishers in Nashville, LA, NY and in other smaller music industry pockets in the U.S.
Improve your craft and make connections by joining the Nashville Songwriters Association International -- and taking advantage of what they have to offer. I am not familiar with NSAI Chapters in other cities but I know they offer many priceless opportunities in Nashville.
Perform at writer's nights in Nashville.
Network in Nashville -- your goal is to get to know the publishers and other writers--writers who are more accomplished than you are at this particular time. Perhaps you will be able to co-write with one of them and learn.
If you haven't already picked up on it, I strongly believe that if you are going to write for the country market then you need to spend a lot of time in Nashville. My belief is not mere opinion -- it is the result of years of experience and observation. Yes, you can find exceptions. Maybe you are one. But this blog is for the rest of you. It is about how to improve your odds. If you cannot move to Nashville you can still make regular visits here. Again, the idea is to increase your odds. Go where the work is. Go where the industry is.
I am sure there are many other good suggestions. If you have any, then I invite you to share them by commenting on this blog.