94 (ounEry Publishers In Nashville Hit Producer Problem Continued from page 68 Agrees Bob Beckham, president ented ploy that several Nashville dem as a "crutch" and excuse when of Combine Music: "You had to publishers are instituting. their songs aren't up to par. start doing more in -house produc- "Your song has got to be better Bill Lowery, president of Lowery tion to survive." than what the producers already Music Co., Atlanta, insists the prob- Combine's in -house efforts in- have," says Jimmy Gilmer, head of lem goes far beyond the country mu- clude , Larry Gat- United Artists Music in Nashville, sic field and the present days: "This lin, , Lee Clayton who also emphasizes that the situ- is prevalent in the pop field, too, and and . ation exists in the pop music realm not only with present -day produc- Though Beckham admits, "There as well. "It's not hard to get your ers, but going way back into the old are guys I have a hell of a time doing songs to these producers, but hard to days where some producers business with," he feels such chal- get your songs to these producers, wouldn't cut a record unless they got lenges can be met by the publisher but the odds are against them cut- half of it." being "extremely creative and hot." ting your material unless you have For that reason, Lowery started If the producers still don't accept the that killer song." producing some of his own records material, Beckham believes, Some of the UA writers are getting "back in the early '60s" and began "They're hurting themselves, not involved in production, advises Gil- pitching only "hit records" at pro- me." mer, who expects that trend to con- ducers. He also concentrated on Beckham feels successful Nash- tinue. SURPRISE GUEST -Linda Ronstadt shows up to duet with singer George such writer- artists as Billy Joe Royal ville producers are much more open The same is true at April /Black- Jones onstage recently at his Bottom Line debut in Manhattan. Ronstadt and : "Our own acts who for outside material now than they wood where writer -artist Keith Ste- joined in on "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You." Another surprise cut their own material are keeping used to be. Combine has opened a gall of Capitol Records is one of the guest during Jones' set was Bonnie Raitt. us alive." studio -another production -ori- firm's hot new in -house production acts. "If you have an artist who writes, it helps," comments Charley Monk, head of the April /Blackwood Nash- ville operation. Still, he feels the pro- ducer who naturally has more to gain by cutting his own songs creates a "major problem" for other pub- lishers. "It makes us have to hustle harder in presenting songs." It also puts a pressure on the pub - lishers-a fact that the publishers don't begrudge: "We're never going to get a second appointment if we don't have good songs," says Monk. Monk, and several of his Nash- ville publishing colleagues, believe the producer /publishers will re- spond to the bottom line: "If they're a good producer -and in Nashville most of them are -and if they hear the song and like it, they know it'll have a great impact on their artist's career, which, in turn, will sell more records and result in more chart suc- cess." Tim Wipperman, who directs the Warner Bros. Music firm in Nash- ville, agrees that the producer /pub- lisher situation forces independent publishers to come up with better material than the producers. But, unlike many other publish- ers, Wipperman doesn't want to get into the production syndrome. "When I'm pitching songs to pro- ducers, I don't want them to think they're getting second -hand songs." He also notes that producing is time - consuming and that, as a publisher, "I can only do one thing well." And, though some publishers point to the producer/publisher sit- uation in such off -the- record terms as "extremely difficult," Merlin Lit- tlefield, director of Peer -Southern, Nashville, claims he senses no such problem. "I expected it when I came into the publishing business, but it never occurred," says Littlefield. Sedalia Festivity SEDALIA, Mo. -A appreciation day was held here over Labor Day weekend. Climax for the "Do You To Go To event was a concert featuring Arena Want Heaven" artist Jerry Graham and Dolly Fox. (WBS 94515) Graham is owner of the local Ra- mada Inn, which has booked a num- The smash single from his Smooth Sailin' ber of country acts, including Merle Also featuring "Smooth Sailin' it (BSK 3423) Haggard and Marty Robbins. (WBS 49214) Stargem Relocates NASHVILLE -Stargem Records, by Buddy for Tree Produced Killen Productions Inc., which incorporates the music

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