Pandemic
April 2021

People are always asking me whether the covid virus has affected our recording or pitching songs.  I tell them, yes some of our musicians got very sick due to their close proximity in the studio setting.  Thankfully everyone has recovered now.

Regarding pitching songs, the virus has actually allowed us to increase pitching to singers and producers because everybody is home.  With the artists not doing concerts, they are stuck at home, which gives them little to do but listen to more songs in hopes of finding the right one to catapult them back to the top of the charts.

Nashville and the music industry have historically been immune to economic down turns, but this time I think it effected everybody in some way.

We're still rolling along, writing songs, recording songs, and pitching songs.

Something Positive
May 2020

We have been getting emails asking how the virus is affecting the music business. We are here to report that there have been some good effects and some bad effects.

Obviously, live performers have taken a beating. Many artists and their bands rely on ticket sales from live concerts and the sale of merchandise at their shows to earn their livings.

Curiously enough though, the virus has had a positive effect on songwriters. Being stuck at home, they are forced to write more songs. Music publishers are reporting an increase in new songs coming in and they are good, honest, and heartfelt songs at that!

Songwriters are practicing social distancing as well because their new songs are being delivered to publishers and singers by email.

Every singer wants to record the best songs he or she can find, and singers are stuck at home too, so more than ever these days they are listening to lots of new songs. A well-written hit song can make a career. The virus has strangely enough reminded singers of the importance of professional songwriters in their careers.

Studio musicians are working as well, especially creating demo recordings of all of the new songs. They are practicing social distancing by doing much of the preproduction work at home and wearing masks in the studio.

Ultimately, more new and better songs are being created and heard, so when the virus is over, we expect a lot of great new music to be heard on radio and in concerts, raising quality and earnings for all.

We are hard at work towards that goal.

~ Eric Zanetis

November and December 2019 Compliments from Our Songwriters
January 2020

"What you did is absolutely wonderful. Fantastic creation with beautiful music. Thanks heaps to everybody involved." ~ Thomas A.

"Love your style and great singing. Thumbs up and start pitching. It's got my approval. Many thanks everybody." ~ Dwight L.

"I am addicted to our recording. The interpretation and presentation of the concept/lyric via music, the singing performance and arrangement/production are second to none. I love what the guitars and piano are doing, wow. I am elated with it." ~ Carl C.

"I like the sound of what you and the team did. As always I'm well pleased. Will be sending another song soon." ~ Elliot J.

"I just reviewed our five songs. What a treat. I'm excited about 2020. We've had a great year writing and recording and I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the great effort you are giving this project. Exciting times are ahead of us." ~ Chris B.

"Thank You For The Great Work You Did On Ours Songs. Absolutely fantastic. Wow. I am so impressed. Great beat and timing, the words fit perfectly. The job your team did is a ten. Let's keep the ball rolling for 2020!" ~ Mel T.

"I simply love what yawl do! I'm honored that u all enjoy workin with me. So looking forward to completing the next song." ~ Yvonne C.

"Thanks for recording my new song. The singer sings with feelings and passion like he may have experienced it or is living it and the music backs him up. The average audience listener will feel this and think of a time when they experienced this feeling, too. While my heart and brain is on a high, I've started work on next year's songs." ~ Maggie M.

Gut Instincts
July 2019

I read the things people say online about other people's songs. If you are going to use these remarks as a survey of whether your song will be successful, don't. The truth is, surveying the public has been proven to be flawed.

To demonstrate, if we ask 200 people to critique a song, they know they are being asked to critique the song, so they put themselves in the position of authority, like a record label executive or a radio programmer, and they say what they think THEY SHOULD say!

On the surface, that sounds okay. But it has been shown that being surveyed overrides one's gut instincts.

Famously, in a survey Warner Brothers Records conducted of HERE'S A QUARTER CALL SOMEONE WHO CARES before it was released to the public, most people surveyed didn't like it and didn't believe it would be a hit because it was so unusual and aggressive and possibly even insulting to women. However, once the average listener heard it in his or her pick-up truck on their way home from work, it was a huge hit! It was honest, personal and kind of funny. The public got it.

Then, Warner Brothers asked Tritt to write another hit song and he wrote TEN FEET TALL AND BULLETPROOF which surveyed off the charts. The public in the survey thought it would be a smash hit! So did the label executives who paid for the survey! However, it was a huge flop. It was noted at the time by all of us that this was because TEN FEET TALL was following the huge hit HERE'S A QUARTER so naturally a survey would say it would be a hit, by association! That is what everybody thought, but the song itself was ingenuous; a manufactured song, which rarely works well. The public's gut instincts saw through the guise.

A similar situation occurred with respect to DON'T TAKE THE GIRL by Tim McGraw. No survey to the public was conducted, however Curb Records invited 200-disc jockeys and radio programmers to sit down in a banquet room at the Opryland Hotel and listen to the song with McGraw just playing his guitar and singing. This was at the Country Radio Seminar held once a year in Nashville which we attend religiously.

Those friendly and appreciative radio folks went home and started playing DON'T TAKE THE GIRL even though it was technically not released as a single and was NOT even going to be a single from the album, according to the label.

The label executives didn't even like the song much; they turned it down and took it off the CD at one time, but McGraw and his producer Byron Gallimore insisted, even re-recorded it, and those 200 radio people whose job it was to be critical - loved it and apparently the average music lover loved it, as well. It helped make McGraw a household name. It has been our biggest hit to date.

It can be a little tricky, but in general, I was taught to trust your gut instincts. A great old songwriter once answered, when asked what he thought a hit song was: "If I likes it."

~ Eric Zanetis

Our Recording Studio
June 2018

We are often asked what kind of recording studio we use. It was built in the 1960s. It still has many of the same high-quality microphones that singers have been using for decades and that you simply cannot get anywhere else. It has also been constantly upgraded so that it has state-of-the-art equipment while keeping that old, warm-room sound we love.

We have shared our studio with Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, Joe Diffie, Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Faith Hill, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Randy Travis, Alison Krauss, and the list goes on and is growing.

Our studio comes with a 30-year veteran sound engineer who has worked in our studio for more than 20 years. The studio also comes with a veteran music producer who has recorded some of the most beautiful and iconic music in Nashville for the last 30 years, including artists recently signed to Mercury Records, RCA, and Curb Records.

Experience is king and it is what separates an ametuer from a pro - the people he or she surrounds herself with.

Let us know if you need us.

~ Eric Zanetis

Quality People, Quality Songs!
December 2017

Most people know that our company has been around a long time and that is a good thing. I think it means we are doing something right.

I mention this to remind you that we are not just whistling Dixie when we offer to record and pitch your songs; we bring a heavy load of experience to every project.

You may send poems, or song words only, or both words and music to the e-mail address shown on the Submit Songs page of this website. Or, let us know where to hear your music online.

Thank you.

~ Eric Zanetis

Who Is Happening Now?
March 2017

Last night in Nashville Maren Morris closed the Country Radio Seminar on the New Faces Show by declaring, "good music is coming back!" This statement was inspired by many voices today, from Vince Gill to Miranda Lambert, who have expressed publically their dislike of rap music and anger that rappers call themselves country artists in order try to sell records.

We were there! Maren is for real. She has a tremendous voice and loves the songs she sings; what more can you ask for. Maren records for Columbia Records and has had two hits so far including MY CHURCH and 80s MERCEDES. Maren won the Grammy Award for New Artist of the Year and was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year.

While this is Maren's first album on Columbia she previously recorded and released several independent records with her publisher and producers, which resulted in her song SECOND WIND being recorded by Kelly Clarkson, which is what brought her to the attention of the executives at Columbia. Maren will be recording again this Spring with her producer Michael James Ryan Busbee (known as simply busbee) here in Nashville. We are looking for crossover songs for Maren; a little pop, a little country, a little rock, or as she says it, "What people like!" Maren is from Texas, 26 years old, and has been singing for more than ten years. Write us a song for Maren; we will get it her!

Every year we attend the CRS, especially every since the year Tim McGraw played the New Faces Show and the radio disc jockeys shook our hands and slapped our backs and promised to play DON'T TAKE THE GIRL "as soon as we get home!" Ninety days later to the surprise of Curb Records, Tim McGraw, and us, DON'T TAKE THE GIRL was the #1 song in the nation! Since then it has sold more than 24 million records and has had 4 million radio airplays. It just goes to show you what our president Eric Zanetis has long said, "If you truly love a song, pitch it, because somebody else may, too!"

A reminder: the writers of DON'T TAKE THE GIRL were Craig Martin and Larry W. Johnson and we were their publisher. Craig set music to Larry's lyrics, we recorded DON'T TAKE THE GIRL first, pitched it Tim McGraw and his producer Bryon Gallimore, an old friend of ours, and the rest is history. So, you can understand why we love the Country Radio Seminar.

WHO ELSE IS HAPPENING NOW: Below is a partial list of artists and their record labels who are looking for songs and to whom we will be pitching songs to over the next 90 days:

• Maren Morris, Columbia Records
• Colt Ford, Average Joes Entertainment
• Jason Aldean, The BBR Music Group
• Jennifer Nettles and Rascal Flatts, Big Machine Label Group
• The Charlie Daniels Band, Blue Hat
• Alison Krauss, Rounder Label Group
• Third Day and Casting Crowns, Provident Label Group
• Brad Paisley, Arista Nashville
• Miranda Lambert and Old Dominion, RCA Nashville
• Brett Eldredge and Hunter Hayes, Warner Music
• Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, Capitol Nashville
• Eric Church and Brothers Osborne, EMI
• George Strait, Clare Dunn and Vince Gill, MCA

If you have a song for one of these artists, please send it to us. Of course, you may pitch your songs yourself. The mailing and email addresses of these labels are in the phone book and on the internet.

We prefer that you allow us to pitch your songs because first, we record them properly, then we keep track of each time we pitch a song and to whom, so the same songs will not get pitched to two different artists at the same time, and we have a reputation for quality songs and professionalism that rubs off on every song we pitch.

We do not share personal contact information on artists and their producers, that is, their phone numbers and home addresses, because it is just that, personal and proprietary. However, if you want us to pitch one of your songs to a particular artist, let us know. If we think it is a good song, we will.

Also, if you need to know the address of another record label, artist manager, or booking agency, we have them on file. Thank you for your continued support and trust in our endeavors. And, here�s to an incredibly successful 2017!

~ Eric Zanetis

Networking in Nashville
May and June 2016

Times change of course and so does the music business. Forty years ago if we wanted a singer to hear a new song, we might have gone to a concert and made our way backstage and when the timing was right, said "Boy, do I have a song for you!"  Then we would offer to play it for them live.

Sometimes a singer would come to us! While traveling the countryside, between shows at county fairs and in gymnasiums, artists would slip into Nashville and invite a half dozen songwriters to their hotel room. They would spend the night drinking and passing the axe (flat top guitar) playing their newest tunes. Often an artist would find a number of songs for their next album at these fun and talent-filled guitar pulls.

Sometimes we would go to a producer's office to play them a new song. However, if your song was no good, you might not get another chance. Their idea was, "If you can't play me a hit song, I don't wanna hear no more!" If your song was at the least entertaining, then you had gained an ally in the music business and were loyal to them.

Twenty-five years ago it was much the same, you could go to any recording artist just about anywhere, and if you were polite and quick, you could put a cassette tape in their hand. Again, with just one song on it.

You could also call an artist or producer and simply say, "I've got something you've gotta hear!" That was code for one good song! They would almost always invite you to come over exclaiming, "Can you be here in fifteen minutes?" as if they are desperate for a hit song (because they often are). But, you have to be ready.

Whether the producer was able to use your song at that time did not matter as much as that you played them a darn good song. Because that was your ticket; your first impression was the first song you played.

One-on-one and personal is still the best way to pitch songs. Networking events can get you noticed, but unless your timing is just right, rarely can you get a new song heard, or would you want to, in a crowd of people.

Fan Fair once brought 5,000 hard core music enthusiasts to Nashville each year led by stars who would detour off their summer tours to hang out in Nashville for a few days and meet and greet their fans. It also gave a songwriter a chance to play a song for an artist late at night in someone's hotel room.

Fan Fair has grown into the CMA Music Festival with 85,000 fans plus hundreds of singers, musicians, and stage hands in town. We cannot be everywhere at once, but there are many opportunities to mingle with artists and industry folk virtually everywhere. You may not get much personal pitching done this week, but a lot of networking, which means next week you will be making calls to old friends and new friends alike saying, "I got somethin' you gotta hear!".

~ Eric Zanetis

News from Nashville
April 2016

Nashville News: This year's Country Radio Seminar was one of the best in memory. Held last month here in Nashville for five days, hundreds of record company executives and radio station programmers from across the country shared their thoughts and ideas about the future of country music radio. Casual breakfasts, lunches, and dinners brought everybody closer to their main objective: making sure radio stations remain a viable delivery system for new music.

The CRS has always been the most important event on our calendar. As originators of new music, that is, as songwriters and publishers, it is important for us to meet with people from the marketing side of the music industry as often as possible. Radio programmers and on-air personalities enjoy hearing stories of how our newest songs were written and learn about what music we are working on for 2016.

After they return to their radio stations across the U.S., they often call us to thank us for a great visit. They often thank us by playing our songs! Several of our biggest hits were a direct result of our introducing the songs at the CRS and therefore going directly to radio and the public with our songs.

Some of the New Faces of country music this year are:
• Frankie Ballard
• Eric Paslay
• Jon Pardi
• Danielle Bradbery
• Brothers Osborne
• Kelsea Ballerini
all of whom we have delivered new songs to over the past 90 days.

The next big event in Nashville is the CMA Music Festival this June. We will be there supporting the artists as we have for more than 25 years.

~ Eric Zanetis

Getting New Songs Heard
January 2016

Music publishers work behind the scenes delivering songs to artists, producers, and other commercial users of music. A few such as ourselves have a website to invite new writers to share their songs with us. Many publishers do not have websites and those that do are not always open to receiving songs from new writers.

There several reasons most publishers are not open to listening to songs from new writers, one being that new writers often do not understand the dynamics of the industry. Try calling Universal Music or Sony and talking to a publisher. Big music conglomerates do not make it easy for you to call them and certainly will not allow you to talk to them about your songs. Their lawyers disallow it because they are afraid people not familiar with the music industry will try to accuse them of something nefarious. To avoid the possibility of misunderstandings, they simply do not accept unsolicited material.

The difference is we are a relatively small company although our songwriters have enjoyed 15 number one records and sold more than 25 million copies. The phone number on this site is public. It rings in our office, but when we are busy, it goes to a computer that takes a message so we can call you back.

Most of our business with recording artists and producers is conducted in person and in private. Artists may spend a year searching for 12 songs for an album and listen to 500 to 1,000 songs to find those they fall in love with. That is what we are doing, creating songs and letting artists hear them so they will have the opportunity to fall in love with one of our songs. Because love is fickle, we write and pitch scores of songs every year written by perhaps a dozen writers.

~ Eric Zanetis

Publishers Protect Songs
October 13, 2015

Recently a songwriter called and asked how he could protect his songs from theft. My quick and I believed clever response was: "I wish someone WOULD steal my song and sell a million copies! At least that way people would hear it!" He didn't laugh.

In reality, people are not stealing other people's songs; that is highly unlikely if not impossible. When you write a song you automatically own it. That is the law. Someone would have to have proof that they wrote the song before you did to even be able to attempt to steal it. Certainly, professionals in the music industry would not steal or borrow from another writer's songs and would not tolerate anyone who did.

You do not have to copyright each song you write, professional songwriters do not. Simple record keeping will usually suffice until you have a publisher or a commercial release. That is when a copyright of a song is usually filed and the publisher usually handles that.

Record keeping is part of a songwriter's job. If your songs are not yet published, then you are in effect "self-published." That means you need to do the things a publisher would do, including keeping a list (catalog) of the titles of your songs with their Date of Completion (D.O.C.), and write the author's name and the D.O.C. on each lyric sheet. If you have a music publisher, each time you turn in a song, it is cataloged.

~ Eric Zanetis

Protecting Your Songs
January 23, 2015

If you are going play your songs in public or share them on the internet, it does not hurt to have a friend or relative sign and date your catalog or lyric sheets every so often as a witness.

Everybody in the music business must work together every day to deliver the best music they can to audiences. Respecting each other's rights is an important part of what makes the music business work. If those rights are trampled on, everybody loses.

If you compose music to your words, you should make a simple "work-tape" recording if you can. These do not have to be full-blown, expensive recordings, but can be simple work tapes with words and melody (voice with guitar or voice with piano).

Most professional publishers prefer to produce their own demo recordings of songs they choose to pitch. Publishers and songwriters customarily share in the costs.

~ Eric Zanetis