Here are the questions: “I’m a country singer- do I have to have a Nashville band on my CD?” And, “I write songs that I think are good enough to be cut by a big name country artist- do my demos need Nashville musicians and singers? With few exceptions, the answer to both is an unqualified YES!, if the goal is to make an entry into the ‘big tent’ that is Nashville’s music industry. A daunting prospect for a writer or artist who has yet to pound the pavement of Music Row, or lined up outside the Bluebird Cafe on a Sunday or Monday night.
This can be hard to explain, but the reasons will be immediately apparent just minutes into that first Nashville recording session, when the five or six musicians on hand will magically transport your song to just the right place. I’ll never forget the first time this happened to me with a little song I had written, back in 1983, maybe 10,000 song demos ago. Guitarist Jerry Shook and his team honed a catchy intro and fell into a spacious groove, while a good ole boy’s southern twang took this city boy’s lyric way down a back road to Merle Haggard-ville. Exciting!
There’s another, extra-musical factor: Nashville A & R people want to know that you’re committed to your craft and are willing to go to certain lengths to have your contributions considered.
It can be expensive, but not necessarily prohibitively so. A wonderful song demo that sounds like a country radio production (in fact, the same A-team players will play just as well on your demo as they will on a record, for a fraction of the cost) can be produced for as little as $600 or so, a 12-song artist CD recorded for much less than $10,000. Additional savings can be realized with some final work (mixing, vocals, overdubs, mastering) done back in New England at Mill Pond Music.
One final consideration: the digital age is here, making it possible for your Nashville session to take place while you sit comfortably at the other end of a Skype feed, not incurring travel expenses. Contact me and we can discuss this exciting option.