Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Shout-out to NSAI

Some large organizations drive me insane with their bureaucracy and their ability to hire employees that just don’t care about making any kind of effort. But there’s an organization here in Nashville that’s the exact opposite: Nashville Songwriter’s Association International (NSAI). The people that work at NSAI are ethical, hard-working, talented, and always thinking about what they can do for their members. I’ve been a member since I moved to Nashville in 2002, and have watched them expand their membership and offerings hugely during that time. As a songwriter, I’ve learned a ton from their workshops, one-on-one mentoring, and networking opportunities. As a teacher, they’ve helped me expand my network of students: I’ve given workshops for NSAI in several states, and I regularly teach at their annual Songposium (more on that later). They just interviewed and filmed me for the online educational video section of their site, and since once again I was impressed by them I thought it was time to sing their praises in my blog.

By the way, they don’t just cater to country music writers and singer-songwriters. No, really. They just connected me with a possible co-writer, a true rocker who just opened for Rick Springfield. I’ve met hip-hop producers at NSAI functions. We’re talking all styles here.

It’s completely worth joining NSAI even if you don’t live in Nashville. Their online resources for members are formidable, and their song evaluation service alone is worth the membership cost. Plus, there are numerous regional wings of NSAI where you can find a community of songwriters closer to you.

In recent years NSAI has made an effort to find and get publishing and/or recording deals for well over 250 of their members. So they don’t just educate, they mentor, guide and help their members make connections. In case you haven’t noticed, the music industry has gone through epic changes this century, and NSAI keeps working to find ways for songwriters to roll with the punches. They are also fighting the good fight against illegal downloading, which has decimated the incomes of many artists and songwriters, including me.

Songposium is one of the many conferences NSAI offers each year, and it’s really great: five days of workshops with some of the top songwriters in the country, as well as workshops on music business, craft, performing, new media, and singing--the latter is where I come in, I’m teaching three workshops at Songposium in September.

If this sounds like an over-the-top fan letter, it is. It’s hard to be a singer, songwriter, or both in the current music industry climate. I’m grateful that the staff and volunteers at NSAI are working so hard to create educational and career-building opportunities, and to help songwriters stay positive and inspired.

1 comment:

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