Things are no easier in Scotland than elsewhere. Probably in fact things are harder as we do not have the same amount of top producers and studios here than in other places. Most people in Scotland write songs for themselves to perform rather than for other folks. Non performers writing for existing star billing artists seems to be an American thing or maybe even just a Nashville thing. That said the chances of a newbie songwriter or performer breaking into the big time market anywhere are tiny at best. Therefore to stand any chance at all you need to produce great songs with great demos and know how to pitch them to the right people at the right time.
The trash cans of record companies are full of rejected demos and most have not even been listened to.
I have nothing against cowriting and teamwork or even writing for others....in fact I am no stranger to it. My point is that it does not matter too much who writes the songs or even the quality of the demo...the MOST important thing is getting them listened to by the people who make the big decisions. If you do get a ONE IN A MILLION chance to have a song pitched properly to one of those people then make the most of it. Your song must tick all the boxes. It has to be much better than all the rest that have been pitched. It must be of the style required, with a great production demo to stand any chance of a cut. There is no point in doing a demo for pitching if nobody is ever going to listen to it. Nothing sells itself it has to be marketed. The best product is a waste of time and is nothing without being sold and marketed properly.
Serious songwriters must spend more on that aspect...the rest will follow.

PS In answer to Mike's question If I had to worry about whether to rent or buy a jet for my tour then I would have no worries.
My worry right now is who's turn is it to drive the van?

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=687727&songID=5238055