(Excerpt from Music Row article “Picking Locks”)

For those of you new to Nashville, a good place to get to know other writers and learn something about the idiosyncrasies of Nashville publishing companies is to attend one of the NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) meetings. This is one of several groups in the Nashville area dedicated to helping writers, both new and established.

They’ve been around for a long time and can help in answering just about any questions you as a writer might have. These meetings are also a good place to mix with other writers. There are usually between 20 and 30 writers attending each meeting. Talking to other writers is a great way to find out what is happening in the local music arena. Other writers will have gone through similar experiences and will have already solved many of the problems you're experiencing. This is what those in the business call ''networking.'' You'll hear this word a lot. If you're going to fit in here in Nashville, networking is the way to do it. The best way to beat the Nashville clique is not to fight it, but to join it.

OK, so you think you're ready to see a publisher. What do you do next? Have you called to make an appointment? Remember, there are electric locks on the doors. You'll usually get a canned response from the receptionist when you call. Something like, ''I'm sorry but we're not accepting any unsolicited material at this time." You'll get virtually no response if you don't call…so call. Here is where a little finesse can go a long way. BE NICE! You've got to convince the secretary that you really are the next Gary Burr and they really will love your songs if- they'd only listen to them.

Be creative. You are a writer, aren't you? Kid around. Be charming! Don’t say, ''You wouldn't want to hear some songs, would you?" Believe me they won't. If you don't get in the door this time, politely thank the receptionist and try another publisher. One thing is in your favor: there are dozens of publishing companies in Nashville.

The best way to get into a publisher's office is through ''networking.'' You'll meet someone who knows someone who's got a friend that's married to someone whose cousin's brother is a janitor at Big Bucks Publishing, and voila. You're in! There are probably more contacts made in this way than in any other approach. We're back to the cliques again.

The writer who can come to Nashville and stay a while has it all over the writer who tries to get a publishing deal by proxy. You really need to be there. Networking just doesn't work by mail or phone. It's hard enough for those living here to get a song published. It's next to impossible to get a song published from afar. It does happen, but it's a rare duck that swims in this pond.

Now that you've made the contact, what's your next step? Get prepared. There are certain things that all publishers expect from you. Your presentation should be as professional as you can make it. If you have your songs demoed, be sure they are recorded on a high quality tape. Don't use noisy, low biased, el-cheapo tapes. Those five-tapes-for-a-dollar specials are not going to cut it in this company.

If you have a computer, you're way ahead of the game. You can make your own J-cards (You do know what a J card is, don't you?) as well as the other documents needed for a professional presentation. Here's an area where you can show your creativity and make an impression on the publisher. A laser or Inkjet printer and a word processor can really make you look good on paper.

While you're making your J cards be sure you've included your name, address, and phone number along with the song titles. Song lengths should be noted as well. Don't forget to include a copyright date even if you haven't filed it yet. Put the same information on the cassettes if you can squeeze it all on there. Cassettes do get separated from their holders. Again a computer and printer make this an easy operation. It's also a good idea to include a short biography along with the lyric sheet. If you use CDs for your demos, (and you should) you can print all of this information right on the CD. CDs are really the only way to go.

You would not believe the letters I get with lyrics scribbled on yellow notebook paper. I know it's great going to the County Music Hall of Fame and seeing all those original songs first written on everything from restaurant menus to toilet paper. But believe me; you won't score any points with a potential publisher unless you have clean, legible lyric sheets. You may have written it on a McDonald’s hamburger bag, but you best present it in a better light. Many writers don't realize how important a lyric sheet is. I'm not talking about musical notation, just song lyrics. Be sure they match the vocal on the demo too. If you changed the wording when you recorded the demo, go back and change the lyric sheet so the words and the demo match. So many factors figure into what a publisher wants in a demo; there’s really no set way to go here. Suffice it to say, make the best demo you can with what you have available.

I’ll tell you a little story that happened to me back when I was writing songs on a more serious level. I was working with a publisher (David Nelson) at A&M records in Hollywood, CA and one morning I brought him a song that I’d written the night before. He passed on it. In fact, he didn’t like it at all. By mistake, I played him that same song about six weeks later and he loved it.

What had changed? Absolutely nothing! At least, not with the song. I’m guessing that David just wasn't in the mood for that style of song when I first played it for him. Or maybe he’d had a bad night or didn't feel good that morning.

Just the opposite may have happened the second time he heard it. The point I'm trying to make is…don’t give up on a song just because a couple of publishers didn't like it. I wouldn’t recommend taking a song to the same publisher twice, but you should get several opinions on a song before you trash it. Maybe a simple key change is all you need to make the song work. Sometimes a co-writer can help to pull it together. It’s better to have 50% writing rights to a good song than 100% of the rights to a bad one. Co-writing is common in Nashville.

Continued on page 31 August 8, 1999 Music Row