Hey guys,

Back in Nashville after 15 days out. I sometimes find it hard on things like this, because I don't know each and every person in the world. But I do know songwriter and entertainers and the types of mentalities they have. I understand the human condition when it comes to the arts, writers, singers, poets, authors,etc.
I am pretty well versesed on history and biographies on people who have done this throughout life, not to mention the people in Nashville who are hit writers and artists.

I also have had a nearly 20 year career dealing face to face with these songwriting groups and individuals nearly worldwide, from every walk of life, every vocation, every age bracket, every income level.

I can only offer up what I see, what I am involved with and the people that take these things the next step. And I am only one person, there are many others doing similar things with people, Song U, TAXI, Barbara Cloyd, and tons of other teachers, and instructors, in colleges and privately, that are trying to do.

Bill,

I don’t know that I am misunderstanding anything. I hear it continually. “I can’t find anyone, there is no one around, I did this…once.” To be honest with you, the reason I have a job,working with people is because of that exact attitude. But I have yet to go to any place that I didn’t pretty much immediately find a “scene” that already existed. In Decemeber I wqas in New Hampshire with 25 songwriters who told me there was no scene. First of all the fact that there were 25 songwriters in the middle of no where New Hampshire should tell you something. Then I went to the local entertainment paper and found 18 local open mics and writers nights.

So it is there. It is always there.

The second part of your comments are “I did this and I did that… even offered it for FREE. Fine. Let’s look at that for a moment. yLet's say You are a 20 hear old college student. Male and female.You have very little money and are trying to find your own way through the clubs, open mics, poetry slams, etc.

An over 40 guy who is not around very often, nobody seems to know, openly claims he is not good with people or groups, approaches you to come record for FREE in his studio that is not in town, nobody knows about or has any examples of his work. What does that sound like to you?

Let’s see: Unabomber. Jeffery Dahmer. The one guy in every neighborhood that people don’t really know about that ends up on the National news when they find body parts all over his house and in his basement? Come on man. Take a look at how other people view this.

It is the same thing with music. You FIRST have to SHOW people what YOU can do for them.

I have talked to dozens of hit writers, producers, record labels,publishers, managers, agents, and I always ask a question, "What should I tell people when I am trying to help them pull their careers together?"

It is almost always something like this:

"people sit down with us and ask the wrong questions. They want to know what WE are going to do for THEM. That is the wrong question. "What are You going to do for ME?" Is the question.

That is what you have to ask.Everything in music is about what YOU can bring to someone else's life. If it is a song going out to a listener, how is that going to make their life better from hearing it? If it is another co-writer, "What can you help them do that they can't do themselves or with someone else they know?
If it is a publisher, how much are you going to increase your bottom line, are you writing with artists? Are you helping pitch your own songs?

If it is anything, it is all about perseverance.

You talk about trying to get people to write with you. EVERYONE who does this is turned down. Most writers who come here go through about 100 rejections before you even get one person to write with. And it is not just writers. When I first moved to town after about six months I did a series of three showcases for labels and publishers. I was paying for rehersals and the shows. I had 37 musicians agree to do the shows and rehersals and then drop out very uncerimoniously, as they got better or other gigs or just decided they didn't want to do it. That was in two weeks.

Rejection is the only thing you will get continually in this business. And you can decide what how much you want to deal with.

On this past trip we had a couple of people drop out of the appointments. Four to five people stepped up and wanted their appiontments, so much that I had to extend my trip by three days.

This is what it is. Always.

The last thing I would say about your comments was talking about "one guy who was old, couldn't write, didn't know what he was doing" that describes about 85% of the people I work with. My job is to show them the process and try to pull them along. I am trying to teach by doing and while I am paid for it now, this is something I have done pretty much my entire music career, helping other people up and pulling them along.

So I think instead of complaining that he might not have been at a certain level you should have worked harder to pull things together and make them work.

I have even brought you together with someone in hopes that would help push you into doing it more and learning that you have to do what you can.

This is about showing up. But it is also about energizing other people and make them want to work with you. There is only so much any one person can do. Just have to make the best of what you can.

MAB