Making the Scene: Nashville: How to Live, Network and Succeed in Music City

By Liam Sullivan

Nashville may be considered the epicenter of country music, but today, this thriving music industry town is home to a diverse array of musicians and musical styles. Combine that musical community with a “livable” town that's more friendly and affordable than some coastal music cities, and it's no wonder that musicians continue to flock to Nashville to play, write, record, produce, and live otherwise fulfilling lives. Getting acquainted with any new city is a challenge. For musicians, picking up and moving presents a whole host of challenges. Musicians make noise and thrive on working with other musicians, whether playing in rehearsal spaces or gigging. They need spaces where they can create, record, and hang out with other musicians. They need to know where to play, where to buy gear, where to meet other musicians, where to see live music, and where to network and exchange ideas with other musicians. Making the Scene: Nashville will serve as a comprehensive guide for musicians and artists of all types looking to move to and establish themselves in Nashville, Tennessee. Sprinkled with historical references on how Nashville became the home of country music along with interviews from a wide range of music professionals and resources, this book will become a prime resource helping artists and others meet the challenges of moving to Music City USA – Nashville, Tennessee.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RowmanLittlefield
• Release date: Sep 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781480302488

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Liam Sullivan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a newspaper or magazine reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Published in 2012 by Hal Leonard Books

An Imprint of Hal Leonard Corporation

7777 West Bluemound Road

Milwaukee, WI 53213

Trade Book Division Editorial Offices

33 Plymouth St., Montclair, NJ 07042

All photographs by Liam Sullivan

Nashville map from Shutterstock.com

Book design by Adam Fulrath

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sullivan, Liam Napier, 1966-

Making the scene : Nashville : How to live, network, and succeed in Music City / Liam Sullivan.

pages cm

1. Music trade--Tennessee--Nashville--Vocational guidance. 2. Country music--Tennessee--Nashville--Vocational guidance. 3. Country music--Tennessee--Nashville--History and criticism. 4. Nashville (Tenn.)--Guidebooks. 5. Nashville (Tenn.)--Directories. I. Title.

ML3790.S79 2012

781.642023’76855--dc23

2012025306

eISBN 978-1-4803-0247-1

www.halleonardbooks.com

This book is for my mom and dad and to their boundless encouragement of my passion for music and travel over the years.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Preparation Meets Opportunity

The Nitty-Gritty

Chapter 1. Welcome to Nashville

A Personal Journey

Finding Your Way

Chapter 2. Nashville: A Brief History

The Beginnings

Music for the Masses

The Birth of Country Music

WSM 650 AM—The Air Castle of the South

The Grand Ole Opry—The Longest-Running Radio Program in American History

The Ryman Auditorium—The Mother Church of Country Music

Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

Making the Scene—Nashville Listening List

Country Music History Timeline, 1892–1984

Interview: Sheree Spoltore, Vice President, Membership Services, NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International)

Chapter 3. Settling In

Resources for Making Your Move

Getting Here and Around

Airport

Shuttles from the Airport

Hotels

Car Rental

Word on the Street with Nashville Songwriter Julie Forester

Public Transportation

Taxi Services

Buses

Finding a Place to Live

Rentals

Resources

Best Neighborhoods for Musicians in Nashville

Downtown

East Nashville

Word on the Street with Nashville Songwriter Ryan Michaels

Hillsboro Village/West End/Music Row

Germantown

Berry Hill

Sylvan Park

Green Hills

Buying a House

Utilities

Recycling

Internet and Cable

Local Banks

Furniture

Interview: Tim Fink, Vice President, Writer Relations, SESAC

Mattress/Futon Stores

Mega-Marts

Discount Stores

Flea Market

Malls

Electronics/Appliances

Interview: Jeff King, Guitarist for Reba McEntire

Buying a Car

DMV Plates and Emissions Test

Finding a Job

Personal Appearance

Hair Salons

Spas

Interview: Julie Roberts, Nashville Recording Artist

Tattoos

Clothes

Men’s Clothes

Women’s Clothes

Jeans

Shoes for Women

Interview: Kirsti Manna, Songwriter and Owner of Songwriter Girl

Health

Gyms

Yoga

Medical/Health Insurance

Family and Personal Help Services

Day Care

Help Line

Food Shopping

Specialty/Organic Produce

Grocery Stores

Spirits

Pets

Pet Care Boutiques

Nashville Parks

Nashville Festivals

Bookstores

Art Supplies

Museums

Interview: Bradley Collins, Director, Writer-Publisher Relations, BMI

Chapter 4. Nashville Skyline

Nashville Skyline

Coffee Bars

Breakfast

Word on the Street with Nashville Songwriter Amber Hayes

Lunch

Meat and 3

Interview: Robert Ellis Orrall, Songwriting Craft

Cheap Eats

Dinner

Vegetarian/Vegan

Late-Night Eats

Bars

Nightclubs

Karaoke

Interview: Mark Lonsway, Audio Engineer, Singer-Songwriter

Chapter 5. Gigging Out: Open Mic/Writers’ Nights

Playing Out

Interview: Debi Champion, Nashville’s Leading Open Mic/Writers’ Night Host

Debi’s Tips: Making the Most of an Open Mic/Writers’ Night

Why You Should Play and Attend an Open Mic/Writers’ Night

Open Mic/Writers’ Night Venues

Live Music Venues

Honky-Tonk, Country, Bluegrass

Rock/Indie Rock

Printers Alley

Interview: Joe Limardi, Program Director, WSM 650 AM

Jazz

Classical

Nashville Social Networking

Interview: Amy Kurland, Founder, Bluebird Cafe

Chapter 6. Musicians’ Corner

Succeed

PROs (Performance Rights Organizations)

Music Publishing 101

Interview: Mark Weiss, Director of Business Affairs, Ten Ten Music Group

Top Music Publishing Terms Every Musician Should Know

Publishing Deal

Mechanical Rights or Mechanical Royalties

Statutory Mechanical Royalty Rate

Synchronization Rights, or Sync Rights

Performance Rights

Co-publishing Deal

Master

All In

Advance

Transfer of Assignment

Most-Favored Nation Basis

Exclusive Agreement

Single-Song Agreement

Perpetuity

Life of Copyright

Public Domain

Song and Music Publishers in Nashville

Music Education

Interview: Dr. Don Cusic, Professor of Music Business, Belmont University

Recording Studios

Talent Agencies

Record Labels in Nashville

CD/DVD Duplication

Music Instrument Stores

Gear Rental and Rehearsal Space

Record Stores

Interview: Ralph Murphy, Vice President, International and Domestic Membership, ASCAP

Music Festivals

Radio Programs for Musicians

Radio Stations

Country Music TV Stations

Music Magazines

Chapter 7. Road Trips

Land Between the Lakes

Bluegrass Underground at the Volcano Room

Natchez Trace

Radnor Lake

A Day Trip on the General Jackson

Chapter 8. Nashville Breakdown: A Review

Live

Network

Succeed

Make Your Scene

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

A special thanks is in order to the following:

John Cerullo, Matt Cerullo, Polly Watson, and the entire team at Hal Leonard, Tracey Howerton and the entire staff at the Nashville Public Library, Dr. Don Cusic, Ronnie Pugh, Ralph Murphy, Sheree Spoltore, Debi Champion, Amber Hayes, Ryan Michaels, Patti Donahoe, Mark Lonsway, Kirsti Manna, Julie Forester, Dr. John Rumble, Bradley Collins, Phoebe Blume, Mark Weiss, Vincent Abbate, Patrick Hemsworth, Emile Menasche, Chris Soldo, Tootsies Orchid Lounge, Robert’s Western World, Tim Fred Godwin, Jeff Epstein, Dan Dino Zaccari, Robert Ellis Orrall, Tim Fink, Joe Limardi, Eddie Stubbs, Bill Cody and Charlie Mattos at WSM 650 AM radio, Amy Kurland, Julie Roberts, Jeff King, Steve Komen, and Hank Locklin Jr. Finally, thanks to my family, friends, and the good people of Nashville who have taught me that wherever there is music there is always a way into the light. Rock On!

Introduction

I’ve never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down.

—Virgil Thompson

Nashville, Tennessee. The name is known around the world as the home of country music. It has been referenced in hundreds of songs and if you say, Nashville, Tennessee, out loud long enough, you’ll notice it has a musical ring all its own. The warmth of those two words has drawn musicians of all stripes to this city for decades. For Nashville’s original inhabitants, playing music served as relief from the hard work and toil they endured forging a new life. They employed instruments such as violins (fiddles), guitars, and mandolins. They called out in song on back porches, churches, hilltops, valleys, and plateaus that make up the landscape of the state of Tennessee. It can be argued that music, to the early settlers, was as important to them as the food they put on their tables. Music was their spiritual nourishment. The songs they sang often drew upon themes from scripture, local folklore, and the hardships of working the land. They were songs of faith, everyday struggles, love, heartache, and pain. As country music grew in scope those themes would remain the bedrock from which future songwriters could pull inspiration.

Nashville is unquestionably a historic music hub. The Ryman Auditorium, which sits in the heart of downtown Nashville, has served as a beacon, if you will, for musicians for more than a hundred years. If you’re a musician, you want to play the Ryman Auditorium. The longest-running radio show in American history, the Grand Ole Opry, still broadcasts live from the Ryman Auditorium a few times each month. Situated around the Ryman down on lower Broadway in Nashville are the honky-tonks: bars bustling with live music, tourists, locals, and musicians from around the world. There is no other place like it. Amateur and professional musicians flock to Nashville each year to become part of what has become a musician’s paradise. However, the musical landscape has evolved beyond country music. Now, every genre of music is represented in Nashville: jazz, blues, rock, R&B, soul, country, and bluegrass. With the completion of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in 2007, opera and classical music are represented as well.

Preparation Meets Opportunity

Moving to any new city is a challenge. For musicians, that challenge can sometimes be greater. As musicians, we make noise. There’s no getting around it. We thrive on working with other musicians and either playing in rehearsal spaces or gigging out. We need spaces where we can create, record, and hang out with other musicians. As musicians, we also need to know where to play, where to buy gear, where to see live music, network, and exchange ideas. We need to know where to live, where to buy a car, where to buy clothing or that cool hat. We also need to find jobs that fit a musician’s lifestyle.

As musicians, we prepare, we practice. We work at our craft so that when preparation meets opportunity, we’re ready. Therefore, moving to Nashville should be looked at in the same way. We need to set a budget and take care of all the variables before making that big move. Think of it as preparing for a gig. What will you need? A guitar tuner, an extra set of strings, extra pairs of drum sticks, batteries, a backup guitar, mics, patch cords, etc. In assembling these, you are prepared, not scrabbling around at the last minute asking other musicians in other bands at the gig, Hey, can we borrow your drum stool? Our keyboard player needs something to sit on. As musicians, we are constantly learning, not only from the music we listen to, but from people who see us perform. In the coming chapters you will read firsthand advice from musicians who have moved to Nashville and the challenges that they faced. I’ll also be interviewing music industry professionals who will offer up helpful tips so that once you get settled you can make your plan of attack and get your music heard.

There will be tips on how to get a music publishing deal and the benefits of becoming an ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC member. You’ll read about networking at open mic/writers’ nights, and how to find writing partners for co-writing projects. And finally, you’ll learn the best approach to getting a gig so that you’re not playing to the crickets on a Tuesday night at 1:00 A.M. I’ll also offer up my own personal account of the challenges that I faced as a musician when I first moved to Nashville and describe some of the hurdles that I had to overcome in order to make Nashville my new home.

The Nitty-Gritty

The social diversity of this country is as vast as its borders. This should play a part in your thinking when relocating to Nashville. Social nuances vary greatly from the East to the West, North, and South. Nashville, like any city, has its own rhythm, and the more in tune you are to that rhythm, the better off you’ll be. Therefore, I’ll explain how Nashville became such an important music city, and how everyone from early music pioneers to today’s country music legends helped make that happen. Once you’ve figured out the lay of the land you’ll want to branch out to the various services that musicians rely on, as well as where to eat after a late-night gig (very important!). You’ll need to know where to get CDs made and duplicated. You’ll need to find local producers and recording studios so you can make a demo. Additionally, you’ll need to make the most of contacting local social networking sites, newspapers, radio, and TV stations that will further help you promote your image and build a following. Understanding how this music town works before you arrive is vital. By supplying you with historical references, modern resources, and interviews with a wide range of music professionals, this book will help guide you through the challenges of moving to Music City USA, Nashville, Tennessee.

Chapter 1

Welcome to Nashville

Honky-tonk Tootsies Orchid Lounge, lower Broadway, Nashville.

A Personal Journey

My first trip to Nashville was back in 1997. I was attending the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show. Trade shows, as a rule, are grueling endeavors. A lot of time is spent on your feet, shaking hands and talking. By the third day of the trade show grind I needed a break. I was eager to step out and see what Nashville had to offer. The Nashville convention center is located in the heart of downtown Nashville, so it was a matter of minutes before I was passing by the honky-tonks along lower Broadway. I wasn’t hungry, having had a hearty Southern breakfast that morning of grits, biscuits and gravy, and eggs. Nashville was a new world for me and I was more interested in hearing some music than eating. As I left the convention center I took it slow. There was a slight hint of barbecue in the air. It was July in Nashville, and a flickering billboard flashed 102 degrees. With several choices of honky-tonks, I decided to duck into Tootsies Orchid Lounge. The name alone piqued my interest. The façade of Tootsies was painted purple. On the window was the name Tootsies along with colorful painted wild orchids. As I entered, a live band was playing to the left of the bar on what is probably one of the smallest stages in Nashville. The aura of the place took hold immediately. Faux-gold-framed black-and-white photos of country music legends lined the walls. I felt transported, as if in a time warp.

By this I mean outside in the blistering sun it was 1997, but inside Tootsies it was 1960 and cool. The musicians on stage were dressed in plaid country shirts with sleeves neatly rolled up to the elbow. To complete that look, they wore blue jeans, cowboy boots, and hats. They were playing country standards like Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash and Walking the Floor Over You by Ernest Tubb. Since I’m not from Nashville, this was a new experience, true Americana, and I thought to myself, I’d love to play a gig at Tootsies one day.

Originally called Mom’s, Tootsies Orchid Lounge was purchased by Hattie Louise Tootsie Bess in 1960 and quickly became a meeting place for singer-songwriters. Country stars like Willie Nelson and Faron Young hung out at Tootsies. Roger Miller’s hit song Dang Me, primarily about a guy down on his luck, spending all of his money on drinks, was supposedly inspired by him hanging out at Tootsies as well.

After an hour it was time for me to get back to the trade show, but something had changed in me. I was hooked. I spoke with a friend later that day as the trade show came to an end. I said to her, I could really see myself living here in Nashville one day.

Ten years later I played my first gig at Tootsies. It was July, which could only mean one thing: It was hot and beyond humid. That same flickering electronic billboard sign showed a temperature of 90 degrees at 8:00 P.M. But this time it was me up on that stage—without the plaid shirt and cowboy hat, mind you. I had joined a country cover band and prepared for that gig by listening to hundreds of country music

Reviews for Making the Scene

[Wendy Toll · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Stay away from Nashville. It's way too crowded with shit musicians already.