Ray,

It is not whether a song is "worthy of a cut". It is if the song fits into a catagory for an artist. That is the record business side. But we are in a world now where if it is not recorded properly, it doesn't get to a publisher, who doesn't get it to a record side to a producer, to an A&R representative, to a producer to an artist.

Now, you have to start out with the song being recorded like everything out there. Publishers are paying less and less for demos. So if the writer doesn't do it, it doesn't get done.

In every stage of the music business, every one is playing it for someone else. That is the nature of the music business. A "Hold" is simply one person "holding on to the song" to play it for someone else. There is no ONE person that makes a decision on a song. There are committees that make decisions on all facets of artists careers. The actual publisher is only one step. A publisher and song plugger will pitch multiple songs at any one time. Any one song is only one part of that. Again, this is business. Songs are commodities just like any product.
And at any stage publishers, song pluggers, artists, producers, managers, agents, record company people are SURE that some song or another is perfect.

All music is done by committee. It is incredibly political and everyone is up against everyone else.

MAB