Jim,

I would really like you or any one here to go back and ever find one of my posts, my comments or anything I have ever said that I say Nashville is the only place to go, the biggest this or that of anything. I said Garth Brooks in the 90's sold more records in a decade than any artist. That is a fact.
I preface every single thing I say in the terms "This is for people interested in this or this market. I speak from this market. I live here. I don't ridicule any other market, I don't make fun of it, I don't belittle it, until it is done to me.
It is one market.People come here, people on these forums ask about and in many cases interact with. This thread is about a certain aspect of that. Paid critiques and ancilary issues, like people that offer opinions and their qualifications to do so. There are people who believe that is not worth it,those that do. Rand Bishop, Mike Dunbar and I offer a perspective as people who are paid to do just that.
Music is indeed done differently in different areas. And my experience and comments are from experience from people in other parts of the country coming here. I have said that over and over, and yet it seems to be ignored.
I respect what you do, how you do it and your opinions. But there are others as well and those have validity as well. We are talking specifics here. yes, there are people who do exploitation and who are exploited in every walk of life. Some of us dedicate our lives frankly to not to that and help people understand the totality of what they are trying to do. That is actually the point of paid critiques. To help educate people as to the genre they are in, eticates and procedures involved.

MAB