Author Archives: Lynden

Over spring break I went to Nashville with my mom, who used to work as a back up singer for Barbara Mandrell in the 80’s. The little boy my mom would babysit before she began working with Barbara in Nashville is now a Writer-Publisher relations director at Broadcast Music, Inc, better known as BMI. Over spring break I had the pleasure of meeting him and his father, Tom Collins, who produced Barbara’s albums for years. Tom’s favorite saying about the country music industry, “Nothing stays the same but change” is evident in music’s sound, top artists style, lyrics and in many other ways. I wanted to know how becoming an artist had changed.

Did aspiring country music stars still go door to door on music row with a guitar in hand hoping to land a record deal? Or did scouts from music companies do most of the work, finding artists performing live at small open mic venues? So I asked the Collins men, “What does it take to get a record deal these days?” Bradley was quick to answer with a reply that surprised me. Many artists BMI signs today come in with an already produced album of quality original songs. By this point the artist has released and promoted these songs, and preferably already gained a following. Bradley said the company was holding back on signing new artists and keeping them for two or more years waiting for their big break. The days of empty handed but talented artists are virtually over. Singers have to walk in with material to show, a fan base to prove the music’s potential and a lot of leg work already done. Artists like Sam Hunt used this approach and have seen amazing success.

At this point I was wondering how I would ever go about this on my own. Do I have the resources to record a demo? How would I promote my music on my own? Do I have the talent to write original songs? I decided to ask about how to find songs to sing on a demo. He asked who my favorite writer is and I told him Kacey Muskgraves. He advised me to look up Shane McAnally, who writes a lot of Kacey’s songs with her and look through his catalog, or list of all the songs he has written. Then read through these and find one that I like that hasn’t been released as a single or hasn’t been played often over the radio. This is a great way to find a song to put down on a demo to show record labels, but cannot be sold because of copyrights. 

Shane and Kacey with Kenny Chesney at the ACM awards

Another option is to write your own music. The first step to writing is to listen to the radio, find songs you like, look up the writers and look at other songs in their catalog. This way it is easy to find patterns in song structure, lyrics, and music that you find appealing. Start by copying the patterns you like and eventually, once you’re comfortable, come up with original material. He said playing an instrument is not vital, there are many successful lyricists who can only write the lyrics to their songs. I loved hearing that since I don’t play any instruments! After you have an original song, you have to find a recording studio with good studio musicians and an idea of how you want to produce your song. Once your song is recorded with the right instruments and arranged the way you want it, it’s up to you to get it out there. With the internet it is so much easier these days to promote new music, but without any fan base, it is a difficult task to get a song out to the world. Through social media and word of mouth it is possible for a hit song from an unknown artist to reach millions of ears.

The key is to be as prepared as possible when walking into a record label, even if that means doing a lot of work on your own. A few talented singers, like Lennon and Maisy have been found from a simple video on Youtube, that is rare and takes a lot of luck. I believe quality is the best policy when promoting music. Another tip is to make connections. The best way into the music scene is if you already know someone involved. Go to that person for guidance and advice. Some advice Tom gave me that I will never forget is “Don’t be intimidated by competition, there might be someone out there who is better than you. There will always be someone better. The successful person is the one who wants it the most.” This advice definitely applies to the new style of getting a record deal. The artist who works the hardest to promote their music will come out on top.