| Do you secretly harbor ambitions to write | | | | If you really want to break into the country |
| Kenny Chesney's next hit song? Do you want | | | | music scene, the Luboffs stress that you have |
| friends to download country songs that you | | | | schmooze with the major players in Nashville. |
| have penned? You may have thought it | | | | "You need to promote yourself and your |
| impossible, but there are ways to go about | | | | material; otherwise, who will? There are |
| pitching your country music to the next big | | | | books about how to schmooze. Get over your |
| country star if you are determined and | | | | reticence! How bad do you want to be a |
| persistent. | | | | professional writer?" they say. |
| | | | |
| "The best way to pitch is any way you can," | | | | Because most people get free country music |
| say Pete and Pat Luboff, workshop leaders | | | | off the Internet, the Luboffs say that |
| with the National Academy of Songwriters in | | | | promoting yourself online is a great way to |
| Los Angeles. "The closer you can get to the | | | | attract the record industry and fans to your |
| artist, the better the chances of being heard | | | | country songs. "You can hear what the artists |
| by someone who makes the decisions. | | | | are doing, find connections and information |
| Publishers are often easier to get through | | | | on artists, see what kinds of messages they'd |
| to, but other good routes are managers, A&R | | | | like to deliver and how appropriate your song |
| people at the labels, attorneys, producers, | | | | would be for them. A country song mp3 is a |
| publishers of songs previously cut by the | | | | great promotion tool for new artists." |
| artist, band members, other writers who have | | | | Playing the songwriters clubs via open mic in |
| had cuts with the artist. We also know of an | | | | Nashville is another great way to network |
| Oscar-winning writer who worked his way into | | | | with top country song artists and |
| a very lucrative song by getting to know the | | | | collaborators. |
| producer's barber, lawyer, dentist, etc. and | | | | |
| actually becoming a client of those people! " | | | | Of course, the most important way to sell |
| | | | your country music is to keep writing, even |
| If you are really ready to lay it all on the | | | | past the rejections. Even the great country |
| line and head to Nashville with a demo in | | | | songwriters all initially met with some |
| hand, the Luboffs recommends getting a hold | | | | degree of resistance when shopping their |
| of tip sheets which tell you which producers | | | | country songs in Nashville. Just keep in mind |
| artists are looking for material and drop | | | | that if you persist, your friends will one |
| your CDs off personally." Meet with people at | | | | day be able to download free country songs |
| the performance rights organizations and get | | | | written by you! |
| advice and referrals. Perform at songwriter | | | | |
| nights. We had a songwriter take one of our | | | | Listen to Country Songs at EZ-tracks for |
| songs directly to an artist that he had a hit | | | | free. |
| with because he liked it when he heard us | | | | |
| sing it at the Bluebird. That isn't the only | | | | Where does your favorite top country songs |
| time that's happened to us." | | | | rank? Visit EZ-tracks to check out top |
| | | | country music charts. |