Debunking Myths About the Country Music Industry (Part 1 out of 3)

There are so many theories about success and how people find it in the music industry. There are so many terms and conditions, fabricated procedures and phrases that have become buzzwords amongst many. But I am here, at your service, to debunk them, based on my personal experiences and harsh realizations about the music industry. First up, Myth 1.

Image: Grand Ole Opry

Myth 1: Getting “Discovered”

The entire concept of getting “discovered” is needless to say, is fake and misleading. The word insinuates that an artist just happens to be at the right place at the right time, just as some Sony A & R executive is there, looking to sign someone with talent and starpower. The deal goes through the next day, the artist comes out with a single, it goes to radio, they find success, and then they end up making some kind of documentary where they talk about the day that they got “discovered”. It’s a great fairytale, and the consumers eat it up.

I believed this theory for the longest time, until I came to Nashville and my hopes were completely crushed like a beer can on Broadway the morning after. People definitely don’t just have a one night wonder at the Bluebird Cafe or the Listening Room. Artists and songwriters actually work their tails off for months, years, decades, until they find their big break. At that point, it isn’t really a moment of “I got discovered!!” and more of a moment of “My consistent hard work was finally recognized and appreciated, and someone is now taking a small chance on me”. They usually go on to sign a publishing deal that pays less than a waitress job, but it's the connections that are worth more than anything. The majority of these signed artists and songwriters will keep getting shelved and writing non-hits for the rest of their life, but a small group will find success to varying degrees. They will write about how lucky they are that someone took a chance on them, and then maybe get big enough to even start their own publishing company. They will become mentors for younger writers and artists (this is VERY common in Nashville, for hit writers to be mentors with no strings a.k.a. deal attached) for a very long time and then decide whether or not they will give them more opportunities and connections with other executives. It’s a tiresome cycle.

The moral of the story is, the likelihood of someone playing one or two shows and then getting “discovered” in a city filled to the brim with talented musicians, is very unlikely. You have to put in the work. Nashville is called a “ten year town”, meaning that most musicians must spend ten years there before even making a dent in the industry. Everyone says, “don’t expect anyone to care until you’ve written at least 500 songs and have lived here for 10 years”. And this is a deceiving window of time. You might end up being in Nashville for 15 years and nothing happens. You worked three day jobs, played shows every night, and yet no one ever really gave you a chance to sing.