Are the Independent Country Music Songwriters Days Numbered?

Are the Independent Country Music
Songwriters Days Numbered??
 
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, SINGER SONGWRITERS and if they ain’t
songwriters, make em songwriters and keep all the
money!!!!
Dierks Bentley, Hit recording artist, ALSO
A.S.C.A.P. WINNER OF SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR AND SONG OF THE YEAR “NEED YOU
NOW”
Chris Young honored as a songwriter for
Getting You Home (The Black Dress Song), Darius Rucker “Alright”, Brad Paisley
“American Saturday Night”, Kellie Pickler “Best Days Of Your Life”, David Lee
Murphy “Big Green Tractor” Kenny Chesney “I’m Alive”, George Strait “Living For
The Night”.
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. Why are people still out there trying to get into the
country music business claiming to be a songwriter and not an artist?? At
lease 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.
The way it looks today, if it keeps going
like it is, the independent songwriter will soon become a myth and fall by the
wayside just like REAL COUNTRY MUSIC HAS. I will always remember this line when
I was producing Mel McDaniel’s Last Career album “THE LAST RIDE” recorded 1
week before he past away, I asked Mel who was celebrating 25 years as a member
of the Grand Ole Opry, “So Mel What Do You Think Of Country Music Today? He
looked at me and said ” I DON’T KNOW DOC, I AINT HEARD NONE IN 15 YEARS
(That was in March of 2011)
Hey that’s just my opinion and the way I
see it.
Doc Holiday

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