Welcome To The Nashville Music Industry © 2014 Vinny Ribas for Indie Connect How Nashville Works People in Nashville are extremely friendly, helpful, accommodating, generous and caring. And when it comes to the music business, Nashville is really a small town. By that I mean that everyone knows everyone. Whether you’re looking to get a job as a musician in a top band or get signed to a label, you first have to earn your way into the ‘circle’. If people trust you and believe that you have the talent, they will introduce you to the people you need to know. Most of the time it takes constantly networking, meeting people, making a good impression, following up on conversations, being respectful, being professional and knowing your boundaries in order to find someone who will be your ‘ticket in’. One of the biggest mistakes that many singers, songwriters and musicians make is not being ready when opportunity presents itself. If you’re a songwriter and in a position to have someone listen to a demo of your songs, have one ready with your name and contact information printed on it. Do not use magic marker or stick-on labels. Invest in a CD printer so that you look completely professional. If you meet or someone introduces you to a club owner or entertainment buyer, have a promotional package together to hand him or her or an EPK (electronic press kit) that you can send him or her. Keep in mind that no matter where you go in Nashville, someone in the room ore in close proximity to you is probably either in the music business or knows someone who is. Most importantly, you want to always be perceived as professional. Don’t get lost in getting autographs or gawking at celebrities. You want to be perceived as someone on their level who they would like to get to know and possibly do business with. Networking Since Nashville is based on getting to know people, here are some of the prime ways to network. Websites and Newsletters www.IndieConnect.com – Packed with videos, articles, tools and resources on success in the music industry. It’s member-based, and has a free membership level. Paid members get more advanced content. It also has a social network where you can connect with others in the industry. www.NashvilleMuse.com – Sign up for Doak Turner’s newsletter to find out what’s happening in the songwriting community every week. He lists all of the clubs as well as special events. www.NashvilleMusicPros.com is a social network with almost 4000 members. It’s free but you must qualify to be a member by somehow showing that you are a professional in the music business. www.nashvilleuniverse.com is a social network that also actively tries to connect artists with people from the music industry. They host jam sessions, contests and a lot more! www.Nashville.com has a local musician’s forum. The Facebook group ‘Welcome To Nashville Artists and Singer Songwriters’ has thousands of members https://www.facebook.com/groups/205516429538073. The ‘Nashville Music Industry Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NashvilleMusicIndustry) is a great way to get connected and to know what’s happening in town. Just Plain Folks is a global songwriter forum that has a lot of local members – www.jpfolks.com. Nashville Pro Musicians and Singers is another valuable social network (http://nashvillemusiciansandsingers.ning.com) Music Starts Here (www.MusicStartsHere.com) is a website geared towards people who are new in Nashville and interested in the music industry. It has tips, articles videos and more. Young Music Professionals (YEP) holds a variety of networking events. Join their Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/yepnashville) and check out their website at www.yepnashville.com. The ‘Nashville Music Industry’ group on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) has over 3200 members. It’s a great place to make connections as well as get your questions answered. www.MusicNewsNashville.com is a great website for learning about what’s happening in Nashville. Subscribe to their daily email blast. Nashville Gig Finder Facebook page – finf gigs and/or band members (https://www.facebook.com/groups/Nashvillegigfinder) Music City Arts Update – Popular newsletter that lists events in all of the arts. Published by music publicist, Chuck Whiting. www.musiccityartsupdate.com Cold calling As mentioned earlier, Nashville is a relationship town. Many doors are opened only by introduction. However, if you are professional in your demeanor, you can often get permission to present your songs to some publishers, song pluggers etc. The key is to let them know the reason you want to meet and how much of their time it will take (the shorter the better). If you get the appointment (it just takes persistence), dress casually but neatly (tie, dress etc. not required). Get right to the point. After the meeting, send a follow-up thank you. If you present yourself well, they will be more inclined to talk longer, invite you back or even introduce you to someone else who might be able to help you more than they can. In Public You will see celebrities and meet high-level industry people everywhere you go in Nashville. They visit the clubs. They eat at the restaurants. They shop in the stores. When they are having private time, like eating with friends at a restaurant, it is best not to stare at them or interrupt them. Don’t pitch your songs or give them your CD. This is called ‘gherming’. Please respect their privacy. You’ll have a chance to meet them again in a more appropriate setting. Industry Events There are always different industry events going on around town. The PROs (performing rights organizations) host events. The many nonprofits have fundraising events that are great to plug into. Subscribe to as many trade newsletters as possible to get the complete listing. The Music News Nashville website and daily email blasts are packed with current happenings (www.musicnewsnashville.com). The Nashville Muse announces many of these events. Also check out the local newspapers like Metromix, The Tennessean and The Nashville Scene. Nashville is also home to many major industry events, all of which are tremendous networking opportunities. Here are just a few: Events o Indie Connect – Runs various industry networking/training meetings. Check the website at www.indieconnect.com/events. o Young Music Professionals (YEP) holds a variety of networking events. Join their Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/yepnashville) and check out their website at www.yepnashville.com. o www.Meetup.com – There are several Meetup groups in town. The 2 most prominent ones are The Nashville Songwriters Meetup Group and The Nashville Singer, Musician and Songwriter Meetup Group (run by Indie Connect) o Nashville Music Pros (www.nashvillemusicpros.com) holds occasional networking events for its members. o Workshops and seminars – There are always all kinds of workshops and seminars going on around town. Many are listed in the Nashville Muse newsletter (www.nashvillemuse.com) ,on www.NowPlayingNashville.com. On Nashville Music Pros (www.nashvillemusicpros.com) and in the Nashville Music Guide (www.nashvillemusicguide.com). Some of the many organizations that run these workshops are Indie Connect, NSAI, BMI, ASCAP and SESAC. Rick Barker runsa free monthly workshop (www.rickbarker.com). The local colleges often host workshops and other events. There are also a lot of individuals who host their own workshops .Hit songwriter, Kirsti Manna runs Songwriter Girl (www.songwritergirl.com) which hosts songwriter camps. Others include Jeffrey Steel, Steve Leslie, Bernie Nelson etc.), top vocal coaches (Judy Rodman), live music producers (Tom Jackson) etc. The list is endless. o NAMM – National Association of Music Merchandisers (www.namm.com) – holds their summer convention here. It’s a great place to meet reps for endorsements. o CRS – Country Radio Seminar, put on by Country Radio Broadcasters (www.crb.com) o Gospel Music Association’s ‘Immerse’ (www.gospelmusic.org) – Chrisitan musician conference. o Americana Music Festival and Conference (www.americanamusic.org) o CMA Music Festival (www.cmafest.com) o Next Big Nashville (www.nextbignashville.net) o NSAI’s Tin Pan South and weekly pitch to publisher events – (www.nashvillesongwriters.com) Get Involved There is no better way to make a good impression than to meet people while joining and/or volunteering to help out a local nonprofit. Some of the music-related organizations include: Women’s Music Business Association (http://wmbanashville.org) - A tremendous organization for connecting with other women in the industry. Musicares – Provides assistance to people in the industry during times of need. www.musicares.com Tennessee Songwriters Association – www.tnsai.com Get connected with local songwriters. NSAI – Nashville Songwriters Association International – (www.nashvillesongwriters.com) Get connected with songwriters and publishers. With over 150 chapters worldwide, you can connect with writers everywhere. Nashville Blues Society (www.nashvillebluessociety.org) – Get connected with other blues musicians. They run a weekly open mic and host other events. ASCAP and BMI are nonprofit organizations and always need volunteers. SESAC might as well, although they are not a nonprofit organization. Music For Sight (www.musicforsight.org) IEBA (International Entertainment Buyers Association (www.ieba.org) – meet entertainment buyers at their annual convention. Global Songwriters (www.globalsongwriters.com) is another powerful songwriter organization. CMA – Country Music Association – www.cmaworld.com Country Music Hall Of Fame (www.countrymusichalloffame.com) Nashville Songwriters Foundation (www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com) Musicians Union (aka Nashville Musicians Association) – www.nashvillemusicians.org Songwriters Guild (www.songwritersguild.com) Americana Music Association (www.americanamusic.org) Leadership Music (www.leadershipmusic.org) AES – Audio Engineering Society (www.aesnashville.org) SOLID – Organization for young professionals in the music industry.