The Nashville Feed

The motto of the Nashville Songwriters Association International lays out the truth in plain language: “It all begins with a song.”

But how does that song get to where it needs to go to be heard?

The unsung hero behind these questions is the songplugger — the middleman whose domain lies between the realms of artists and songwriters. Some songpluggers are on staff at specific publishing companies; others represent individual writers or songs.

The best of them can change what America hears on the radio each week. By any measure, this select company would include the independent Sherrill Blackman, named Songplugger of the Year by Music Row magazine in 2004, 2005 and 2006, Dale Dodson of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Tom Luteran of EMI Music Publishing and Abbe Nameche with S1 Songs, all of whom gathered one morning at CMA to share insights into an industry of limited visibility but inestimable importance to Country Music.

FIRST, LET’S ESTABLISH SOME CREDENTIALS. WHAT SONGS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF GETTING RECORDED?

BLACKMAN: “Sinners and Saints” (J.B. Rudd, Vip Vipperman and Darryl Worley, recorded by George Jones), “I’ll Get Even with You” (Coweta House, recorded by LeAnn Rimes) and “Maybe She Fell” (Pat Bunch and Georgia Middleman, recorded by Laura Bryna).

DODSON: “Broken Wing” (Phil Barnhart, Sam Hogin and James House, recorded by Martina McBride), “My Give a Damn’s Busted” (Joe Diffie, Tony Martin and Tom C. Shapiro, recorded by Jo Dee Messina) and “Learning as You Go” (Larry Boone and Billy Ray Lawson, recorded by Rick Trevino).

LUTERAN: “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (Jim “Moose” Brown and Don Rollins, recorded by Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson) and “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” (Dallas Davidson, Randy Houser and Jamey Johnson, recorded by Trace Adkins).

NAMECHE: “In My Daughter’s Eyes” (James Slater, recorded by Martina McBride) and “Paint Me a Birmingham” (Buck Moore and Gary Duffey, recorded by Tracy Lawrence).

WHAT FACTORS DO YOU CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING WHICH ARTIST TO PITCH WITH A SONG?

BLACKMAN: It basically comes down to me being a detective and learning as much as I can about the artists and their upcoming projects. I try as much as I can to provide mid-to-up-tempo songs.

DODSON: I listen for vocal range. Also, I’ll keep the subject of the song in mind and whether the artist will sing about that certain subject.

NAMECHE: You need to know the market, what’s out there and what’s on the horizon. And of course, you’ve got to know your catalog. With that information, it’s a no-brainer. You’ve either got the right material or you don’t.

HOW HAS THE MARKET FOR SONGS CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY?

BLACKMAN: For some of the newer artists, their influences come from a different perspective than the ones who grew up on George Jones and Merle Haggard. Now, sometimes a newer artist will say, “I’m looking for something like so-and-so,” and I have no idea who they’re talking about.

DODSON: I remember the “Class of ’89,” with Garth [Brooks] and Clint Black and Dwight Yoakam, when everyone got real Country. That really spun things around. But we’re in a different time now. They’re really gearing the music toward a younger demographic.

LUTERAN: It seems kind of split to me. You’ve got your Josh Turners over here, and then there’s Rascal Flatts, and they’re both doing very well.

NAMECHE: Non-traditional Country artists like Rascal Flatts have broadened the boundaries and grown the audience base, so that a wider variety of songs is accepted and being recorded in our format.

WHAT CLASSIC COUNTRY SONGS WOULD BE HARD TO SELL TODAY?

BLACKMAN: Just about any song with what I call “Standard Country Melody No. 3.” Even though this is Country Music, songs still need to have a fresher, more contemporary semi-pop melody.

DODSON: Anything that’s really traditional is hard to sell in today’s market. But maybe with a new demo and a fresh vocal, they might work too.

LUTERAN: They might, if the lyrical quality is still there.

NAMECHE: “Stand By Your Man.” Lame men aren’t as popular as they used to be — after all, they’re just men [laughter].

SHOULD SONGWRITERS WRITE WITH SPECIFIC ARTISTS IN MIND?

BLACKMAN: I always encourage writers not to, because if that artist doesn’t like it, then every time you pitch it to someone else, they’ll say, “That sounds like so-and-so.” Then you have to drop your head and say, “Yeah, they passed [laughter].”

NAMECHE: And the writer tends to demo it exactly like they think the artist would record it, so it’s impossible to disguise.

WHEN IS IT RIGHT TO INCLUDE THE SONGWRITER’S NAME WITH A PITCH TO AN ARTIST?

BLACKMAN: I write their name really big on the demo [laughs].

LUTERAN: The plugger will drop the name if it’s a top writer. Absolutely. But it still needs to be a great song.

NAMECHE: I’ve heard of situations where someone will put an entire session of a particular writer on hold for an artist before they’ve even heard the songs, because the writer is so hot.

HOW HAVE CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AFFECTED YOUR WORK?

BLACKMAN: Two things come to mind. First, with singles staying on the charts longer and artists only doing an album every year and a half to two years, it’s harder to keep writers from getting frustrated with the long gaps of catalog inactivity. Secondly, with so many artists trying to write, there are fewer available slots on most projects. So I’ve got to dedicate a certain amount of time to trying to set up co-writes with artists to even have a chance of being on their albums.

DODSON: Back in the ’90s, there were more record labels with close to 40 artists on each roster. Now there are five major and a few independent labels. With the dramatic decrease in labels and artists, there are fewer possibilities of recordings.

LUTERAN: The digital age is here to stay. You have to adjust your style to fit it. You need to stay current on new technologies. You need to know more than just how to e-mail a song to a music user.

NAMECHE: Digital innovations have made the songplugger’s job much easier. If you were pitching a song for an urgent New York or L.A. project only a few years ago, it required burning a CD, typing and printing a label, tray card and lyric, preparing a Fed Ex envelope and dropping the package before the pickup deadline. Now, whether the publishing emergency is in Timbuktu or right up the street, you just click and pitch.

WHAT, FOR YOU, ARE THE BEST AND/OR WORST ASPECTS OF THE SONGPLUGGER’S LIFE?

BLACKMAN: The worst part is when I can’t find a home for a song I love.

DODSON: The worst part is the politics, but the best part of the business is having relationships with great people who love the music and hearing great songs.

LUTERAN: Being able to get new songs out to the music community.

NAMECHE: For me, the worst thing is when you feel strongly that a song has “song of the year” potential but it never makes it through the Music Row gantlet. And the best part is the thrill and challenge of the chase. Getting a cut these days is like winning the lottery. Faith that a great song will prevail is what keeps us motivated and enthusiastic.

By Randy Rudder for © CMA Close Up News Service / 2008 Country Music Association®, Inc.