JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum Getting cut by a major artist

You might be able to get a cut if you don't live in Nashville. You also might be able to get a cut if you don't know anyone in Nashville.

But...
I was looking at a list of songs that made Country radio recently. They went back a couple years. Where I could I looked up the writers. Well guess what....
The writer either lived in Nashville or a town close to Nashville or the co-writer lived in Nashville or a town close to Nashville. If they didn't they already had cuts or had done songs that made the charts years ago. Meaning they already had their foot in the door.
It is true that 99% of the songwriters in Nashville don't get cuts either. But that is cuts by a major artist. There are thousands of songs done that never make the radio or never make the charts. That does not mean you cannot get a cut and make money. If you could get a cut by an Indie that sold 50,000 CD's how would you feel about that. How about 10,000.
50,000 at $09.1 cents is $4550.00
A few of those a year would be nice. I could buy a nice Taylor for that.

So why does living in Nashville make a difference....The folks that run the business and decide which songs get cut are in Nashville. They have a couple hundred thousand songwriters trying to get a spot on a couple hundred CD's per year, If that.
Look at the odds. Be realistic folks. It's like standing in line at the ford factory with a thousand other people trying to get a job where there are ten job openings.
Wake UP.
If you cannot live in Nashville then work with someone who does.
Of course if you are trying to break into the New York or LA music scene then do the same there.

Do you offer your songs for licensing. You should make a point everywhere you post your songs that they are available for licensing.

But quit whining because you can't get a break...Make your own breaks or do something else.


EDIT

Walt Aldridge told us he was just like everyone else. He had shopped I loved Her First to every label and publisher in Nashville. It was turned down by every one. He did it on his own with an unknown band from Muscle Shoals, Al.
They spent $800.00 to record the song.
I don't know how he got it on the radio though.