Hello everybody,

I think I have come up with a description of Nashville in particular and the music industry in general that might explain the "inside nature" of the business and why it is so hard to get inside, and why it is essential to build the relationships and take the time nessasary to get inside.

Nashville is a neighborhood.It has people, children, houses, neighborhood activities, barbeques, weekend hang outs, people helping each other, schools, civic organizations, neighborhood watering holes, and every day, a LOT of activity that goes on. Everybody works. Everybody fights to be there. Everybody wants their position in the neighborhood.

Now who do you want being in the neighborhood? Who would you want to watch your kids, go to the store for you, clean your house, work in your yard, helps your friend's or invest in their business, help them in getting their own home, their own piece of the pie? Someone who you know, know their skills,their intentions, their hearts? Or someone who is wandering around the neighborhood, demanding to be heard, wanting to sit at the table, drink your drinks, eat your food, and prop themselves in your living room? OR take your own job?

Songs are our children. They are our building foundations. They are our reputations, our houses, and everything we do. We protect our lively hoods and where we live and work. When people come around, we like them to look at the neighborhood and possibly even move in. But we are not going to just let them be trusted with our kids and livelyhoods before we get to know them, get to hang out with them. Find out what they are made of.
If they are not willing to do what we do, why is it we are supposed to let them in our neighborhood?

When you deal with Taxi, workshops, personal counciling, co-writing, networking, you are being shown the neighborhood but it takes a long time before you are accepted in. And if you are spending time personally getting to know people, you are working your way into the neighborhood. Everything else is just wandering around.

So the lack or percieved lack of success has more to do with having to take the time to get known as well as learning the craft on the same level as the people who live and work there, that is why it is hard to work your way in.

Hope this makes it easier to understand.

MAB