Make Nashville’s ‘ten year town’ reputation work for you
So you’re a songwriter or an artist with the goal of a successful career in music. You’ve been in Nashville for six months or a year, or maybe a couple of years. You’re beginning to wonder why ‘things aren’t happening’ for you. Perhaps your family and friends back home are dropping hints that ‘you haven’t made it yet.’
It’s hard to keep focused on your career when you feel it is stagnating, going nowhere. It’s even harder when loved ones cast doubts on your decision to follow your musical dream. Those doubts begin to worm their way into your mind, undermining your self-confidence.
- Note: This is a corrected re-post of a previously posted item. Due to an editing error, much of the information in Number 6 (“Join a songwriters’ association”) was inadvertently omitted. The correct text has been restored, below. Apologies for the error!
A marathon, not a sprint
It is important to remind yourself (and maybe Mom and Dad) that this is a marathon not a sprint. Everything you do, every day, is bringing you closer to achieving your goal. Think of it this way: if you’d chosen to become an engineer or an architect, instead of a singer or a songwriter, you’d have attended a four-year college, and then gone on for a master’s degree and post-graduate work before you ever had a chance to earn a single dollar. Speaking of dollars, you (or your parents) would have had to invest many tens of thousands of dollars in your education over many years with no guarantee of success.
As an aspiring musician, you are creating your own education, with the help of peers and mentors, honing your craft, learning and getting better every day.
Every day, promise yourself to do something that moves your music career further along. Here are some idea starters that you can adapt to suit your own career objectives.
“You’ve got to work hard for your success and you’ve got to have a steady presence. That’s the secret.” – Kid Rock
[1] Network
Get out there. Meet people. Be where things are happening. Introduce yourself by saying, “I’m [Name]. I’m a singer-songwriter.” Hear yourself saying that out loud! See? Now that’s what you are! Get to know other people who are at the same level of experience (or lack of it) as you are. Also network with people whose knowledge and experience you can learn from.
A word of warning: Do NOT be a gherm! (The ‘g’ is hard, as in ‘Grrrrrrr!!’) That Nashville term refers to someone who is obnoxiously pushy, perhaps going up to a famous artist or producer and trying to hand them your CD or aggressively asking a song publisher for a meeting when they have no idea who you are. It’s a matter of respect. Get a reputation as a gherm and your career can quickly stall. Network: Yes! Gherm: No!
[2] Write… and Co-write
Keep writing, every day. Write something, even if it is just a phrase or a few words. Keep a ‘hook book’ in which you can jot down words, phrases, a snatch of overheard conversation or just ideas that maybe someday you could turn into a song. (Your hook book can be a ruled paper notebook or a file on your iPhone, whichever you’re more likely to use as soon as the idea hits you.)
“You overhear a conversation on a bus and you think, ‘that’s a great first line.’” – Richard Thompson from an interview at SongwritingMagazine.co.uk
Continue reading “Ten ways to keep your music career moving forward”