Are the Independent Country Music Songwriters Days Numbered?

[Christian Lamitschka]

Are the Independent Country Music Songwriters Days Numbered? http://countrymusicnewsinternational.bl ... music.html

[lo&m]

I think Mr holiday has answered his own question there.

Let's take a good long look at today's Country Music Industry, 90% of the hit artists that are selling records in country music are now writing their own songs on their releases.
Toby Keith on his first album release wrote all the songs except one (To me that's not very good odds) Taylor Swifts new album, she wrote all the songs, "Are they any good you ask?" Who cares, she will still sell in the millions, The only difference is she will not be making money for other writers, she gets to keep it all. This seems to be the growing trend among labels and artists in Nashville".
I could go on like this forever, my point is, "Where are the independent Country Music Songwriters???? Where are those people who play in those little clubs in Nashville like the Bluebird, or The Comodore.

At least 10 times a month I hear from some guy out in who knows where approach me and say "I don't wanna be an artist I just wanna sell my songs"!!
Well I have a big news flash for you my friend AIN'T NOBODY BUYING!!! And if you do get that one in a million shot at getting a major cut by a major artist, they will probably take your publishing royalties and go down as a co-writer and get 1/2 of those royalties.

Nothing new here. This has always gone on. Furthermore it is an error to say NOBODY'S BUYING. It's more accurate to say nobody is buying an independent songwriters work. The publishing houses still maintain large rosters of songwriters. When a major artist or even a minor artist is preparing an album they contact the music publishers for likely songs. The publisher, of course, only sends songs contracted to them.
The days when a hopeful songwriter could pitch a song to a major star in the back of some bar or at a gas station are long gone. The entry route for an independent songwriter is to stop being an independent and get a contract with a publishing house. They are still signing up talent, they'd rather have the talent working for them than somebody else. For the songwriter, there are pros and cons. On one hand they get their songs into the hands of producers like Holiday, on the other, they have to share the reward more widely. This too has always been the Nashville way. There's an old saying that the music business is 10% music and 90% business.

[Christian Lamitschka]

I agree.

[Smudger]

I agree.

Good response Christian!

[Christian Lamitschka]

I agree.

Good response Christian!

Thanks