Singer thinking of moving to Nashville

[celticait]

Hey there everyone...

So I am a singer from NY and I am strongly considering making a move to Nashville. I recently auditioned for Nashville Star and made it as far as right before the final cut- (rough!) I mostly sing country music and obviously there is not much of a scene for that genre here in NY. I write some music, but I would prefer to work with MANY of the incredible songwriters in Nashville. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on research...getting started...who to contact...where to look for people interested in collaborating...where a singer would go first- etc!! I have endless questions and I am just looking for some help/insight/advice. Any tidbit would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Thanks

[PepperJack]

There's a lot in Nashville - but here's just a few to get you started:

Try Douglas Corner Cafe in Nashville (615) 298-1688 - the have open mic / writers' Tuesday night at 8pm - call on Tuesday to sign up.

Check Open Mic at The Bluebird Cafe - they have a lot of guidelines, so call them first - 615-383-1461

12TH & PORTER - 1st & 3rd Wednesday of every month. You can contact them at (615) 254-7250

You can also try contacting The Nashville Songwriters Association International. It's a great organization - you can reach them at (615)256-3354 .

Good Luck!!

[MBarne4908@aol.com]

Hello, my name is Marc-Alan Barnette. I teach songwriting and practical application of the Music business in Nashville. Before I considered moving to Nashville, I would make several trips, at least three or four. I would learn the lay of the land, meet people, attend the writer'snights, open mics, start building a network. You also might like to check on jobs and living areas.

There are places like NSAI and Indi Connect, that have ongoing functions and places to get started. Onilne you can connect to all of them. another place is www.musicstartshere.org, which has a lot of videos by industry people that you will find interesting and helpful.

Plan on a long wait and learn to have a lot of patience.It is not called a "ten year town" for nothing. If you come with no expectiations, a desire to meet people, write the best songs you can and be a part of a thriving great community of people just like you, you will always succeed. If you set up where you HAVE to get on the radio, land deals, make a lot of money, you are already setting yourself up for failure.

Good luck.

MAB