have you joined the Grammy yet?
www.Grammy.org

You need to be a member if you want to get tickets or vote in the
final round

Can you join the Grammy org as a voting member?
https://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Member_Services/Apply/

let me know if you join

Key Dates:

Dec. 1: Ability to purchase GRAMMY telecast tickets begins

Dec. 1: Last day to join in Order to receive a final ballot &
invitation to the telecast

Dec. 6: Press conference announcing nominees for 50th GRAMMY Awards

Dec. 12: Final Ballots mailed to voting members

Jan. 9: Final ballots due from voting members

Feb. 10: 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards

I look forward to meeting y'all in LA at the 50th Annual Grammy
Awards, on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008.
Save the Date!
In fact at least save Friday Feb 8th - Monday Feb 11th

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Take YOUR Songwriting to the next LEVEL
Drop by

http://www.SongU.com/ifs
Where you can:
+ PITCH your songs
+ Receive Professional critiques
+ Get Mentoring from industry pros
+ Network with talented songwriters at SongU and
TAKE a FREE songwriting course at
http://www.SongU.com/ifs

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Every songwriter should have a songwriting Library
Drop by:
http://astore.amazon.com/ifsande-20
to find what's missing from yours

I recommend books by Jason Blume and Sheila Davis

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many artists say the INDIE BIBLE
is a wonderful tool for independent artists
drop by
http://www.indiebible.com/swb
to check it out

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Dear IFS Readers,

I hope this email finds you well.

A lot's happened sing I last wrote y'all

indie artist Heather Wilkins cut Zip Zero that I cowrote with Donna
Aylor and Wake Eastman

Nov. 29 I hope to be in
San Marcos, TX
Cheatham Street Warehouse,
www.cheathamstreet.com, with
Class of 87 (Todd Snider, Terri Hendrix, James McMurtry, Bruce
Robison & jam)

I've got a new song called THAT MAGIC
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=60630

Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part
of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't
cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got.

Steven Pressfield
American Novelist and Screenwriter

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It's rare to find the start to finish evolution of a song written
with a pro song writer documented but that's exactly what you'll
find.

"Where Have the Good Guys Gone"
was written by Marc-Alan Barnette, the ring leader and many
participants on
the songramp.com "Songwriter" forum thread
"Marc-Alan Barnette Questions & Answers" at
http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=57759

It all began on Mon, Sep 10, 2007 7:14 pm when Marc Alan Posted on
page 22 of the thread:
"That's what we do.
You guys want to write a song on here?
I am up for it."
MAB.

Start at:
http://www.songramp.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?
thread_id=57759&page=22
and you can follow how WHTGGG evolved.

you can hear the final song at
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=60796

here's the final lyric

Where Have The Good Guys Gone

Written by: Marc-Alan Barnette http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?
userid=14317 & his Songramp songwriting students

Gary Denis: http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=16738 ,
Shelly Monahan: http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=13517 ,
Derek Buchal: http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=17877 ,
Norman Bradley: http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=21162 ,
Jules Bloeth: http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=7505 ,
Id57: http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=18413 ,
Tina: http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=14515 , &
Ande Rasmussen

If you are an artist or singer
please let us know if you'd like to
try out, perform or record WHTGGG.
Thank you.
Contact: AndeRasmussen@...



~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Last month I had the priveledge of interviewing Alissa Moreno
here's what she said

Congratulations to Alissa Moreno in LA, she recently got a Rascal
Flatts cut EVERYDAY that she cowrote with Jeffry Steele. She also
cowrote the theme song for Hope and Grace. And her song "Far From
Here" is being used to promote Lifetime TV's show "Army Wives" -- an
ensemble drama series starring Kim Delaney ('NYPD Blue') and
Catherine Bell ('JAG') and produced by the creative team
behind "Grey's Anatomy." Her song's been playing on on Lifetime and
ABC! So she was kind enought to grant me an interview.

How does it feel to have a Rascal Flatts cut?
I've had little time to be excited, I'm working on getting my record
done.”


Alissa was born in New Mexico on Ramah a Navajo reservation near
Albuquerque. Her parents were teachers. They later moved to
Albuquerque. At age 2 she picked up the violin for a" daddy and me"
class she took with her dad. At age 5 she discovered piano and played
her moms songs. She was unbelievably shy and refused to sing in her
piano lessons, when her teacher asked her to sing do rey mi. It was
big challenge to over come. Later came musical theater, rock bands,
great essay writer and huge fan of fiction.

At age 17 she was very inspired by “Under the Pink” by tori amos
she realized that she could play piano, sing, and write her own
words. She went off to College of Santa Fe majored in vocal
composition and performance with a minor in theater and dance in
1999.

After college she went on vacation to Hawaii and loved it so she
decided to stay. Where she learned how to write songs. She decided
that she better learn guitar and probably ought to learn how to write
a pop song. She was waitressing, working as an aloha girl, sang a
regular gig, starred in a music theater, the director left and she
got a job as the director, plus a waldorf school hired her to teach
music. She loved living in Hawaii but decided that "If I'm really
going to do this (music) it would be hard to do from a small rock in
the middle of the Pacific." So she left and moved back to New Mexico

Alissa moved to Santa Fe to make first record EP, in 2000. A good
friend suggested she go to the Durango Songwriters Expo 2000 where
she met Jeffrey Steele and David Bearwald who told her "you really
need to move to LA and really do this."

Finished recording her EP CD. Started making trips to LA in 2000. In
NM, she was part of a side project band which was very hard to
leave. She moved to LA 2002. Joined ASCAP, found a manager, went
back to expo.

On her first day in LA she was watching band perform, she met a woman
who said, my husbands in music you should give him a CD. She did and
8 months later, that woman's husband john swihart called her and
invited her to collaborate on a project. He was working on a film
that turned out to be Napoleon Dynamite, her vocals were on the film
festival version but did not make the cinema release. John found out
he could rely on Alissa.

Execs wanted song for the TV show "Hope and Faith," she got with John
and wrote "Sisters" the theme song. A season later it was removed.

Alissa continued her artist career and acting career, an actress
jennifer introduced Alissa to John ernst, she gave him a CD, never
heard from him until 6 months later, he called and said he had a
featured spot on on the show Laguna Beach, Alissa's song "Next Time"
ended up on the sound track with interscope records. She wrote it
with Dawn Jackson from Sho-bud music who she met durango, .

In 2004 Alissa went back to Durango and jeffrey Steele was there.
He said I don't just do country we ought to write together. They
met in a room with now manager Felice Keller. Alissa had a hook "I
could take you on." They took it on, wrote it and felt a good
chemistry, so we continued our writing pursuits as often as we could.

Later that Autumn, Jeffrey and Alissa met in Durango, Jeff had a 5
hour slot before he was due to perform at the the event. Alissa said
I had a beautiful hook, it was an interesting piano lick. )She played
it for me over the phone. You hear it in the intro of the song.)
We were off to the races, Jeff started singing "everyday, Everyday
you save my life"
They wrote it and pitched it to Faith Hill, they put it on hold, but
later opted not to cut it.

It was recorded and leaked on to the internet, Alissa said, "That's
when it first occured to me that's it's not going to be my song."
People from "so you think you could dance" called and asked to
license it.

Jeff called late 2006 and said,"Get ready, the flatts loved it
(Everyday) it's a go."
Meaning they were going to cut it.

January 2007 Alissa thought this is really gonna happen, so I better
make my own record. This was way layed because I made a trip to
india and have a tendancy to stay longer when I travel.

Jeffrey called and said rascal is looking for one more song, so I
went to Nashville and we wrote.

Leslie King and I started a music licensing company called la la
music focus on TV & film placements. http://www.lalamusic.net/
Kevin Hunter brought on 8 writers, 10 songwriters are running the
company. We sent sent "Far From Here" to lifetime television and
they ended up using it for all their promotions of "Army Wives" I
feel like should have paid the kind of money that BMI has paid me for
Army Wives, it's been incredible.

Alissa switched from ASCAP to BMI, BMI has been really wonderful
pushing my artist career forward. Right now I'm working toward the
release of my record and a promo tour in early january.

I think we're likely to hear much more about Alissa Moreno and I look
forward to seeing how her very bright future unfolds.


http://www.myspace.com/alissamoreno

alissamoreno.com

Here's what she blogged about her Army Wives placement

Wednesday, August 29, 2007
ARMY WIVES SEASON FINALE
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
I am so PROUD to be attached to that show! Far From Here is my
favorite song and the response I've gotten from you guys and from the
real-life army wives has been unbelievable. Thank you, thank you
Lifetime, for putting out such a great show. The finale was amazing,
I'm dying to see what's next. Here's to another great season!!!



here's what she blogged on her Rascal Flatts cut

Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Rascal Flatts - Still Feels Good
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Music
I am going to fall out of my chair! We stood in line at the Virgin
Megastore waiting for 12:01 to strike. The Rascal Flatts record is
out and my song "Every Day" is on it. They really did a BEAUTIFUL job
with it, it's one of many amazing works by these guys, I am oh so
happy to hear it!


(on a side note on La La Music I found this)

Can't Find what you're looking for
Take Our 48 hour challenge

send us a script or a brief description of your project and let our
team of songwriters, producers, and recording artists work for you

with immediate access to five different state of the art studios LaLa
Music can write and submit the song you need in 48 hours


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~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Do you have a youtube strategy

start making one simple video a week and put it up on youtube.com
do a combo of your own songs and covers
drop by
http://youtube.com/signup
register youtube.com/yourNAME
if it isn't taken

then go to upload
http://youtube.com/my_videos_upload

like
http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=davidchoimusic&p=v

david choi
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uWVuAl_aFRo

gimme more
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CYWhfzwbivA

that girl
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Lnio-pqLPgg

do videos in response to other popular youtube videos
like "That girl"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Lnio-pqLPgg

esmee
http://youtube.com/watch?v=69Grnh7Qin8

esmee unwritten
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cndPHeBiM3s

say it's possible
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ARHyRI9_NB4

esmee is an example of an artist who's been well received by
youtube viewers
http://youtube.com/user/esmeedenters

do your originals like
alone
take it slow
free to be loved by me

also do covers like
wonderful world
at last
over the rainbow
and other stuff you sing great

consider singing songs that Eva Cassidy did the way she sang them
http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?
ubb=showflat&Number=537943&page=1#Post537943

get them up there and let me know when you do
just get stuff out there
don't suffer from procrastination and perfection paralysis


~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

trusonic
load up your songs there
they are like muzak, if they like and approve your songs which I
think they might
they will put them in their play programs and you might have your
songs make you a little money
http://trusonic.com/artists.html
http://rms.trusonic.com/artist?cmd=display_create_new_customer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

admin@...>
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 2:22 pm
Subject: Today's The Big Day!


I am so excited to announce the release of my debut cd. This is just
amazing. I always dreamed of this day and now it is a reality.

It is such an honor to have worked with Hollyville Records, Mike
Winnen, John Kunz, Oliver Brodhage and so many others who worked so
hard to make this happen! I can't thank them enough.

The CD is currently available through the normal outlets, my website
(www.heatherwilkins.net) and on Amazon.com. iTunes, MSN, Rhapsody and
others will be coming shortly (apparently they are SLOOOOOW - LOL).

To celebrate the release I will be playing some poker with our
friends at www.vlpclub.net! This is Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Elliott
Sadler's latest venture and I am proud to be associate with them.

Winners will get prizes such as signed CDs, t-shirts and signed
pictures. So many things are on the horizon and I am looking forward
to a great year!

Those who Pre-Ordered my cd; those are being shipped today from my
understanding. THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME!

- Heather

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Posted by: "Derek at CD Baby" dereklist@... dereksivers
Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:42 am (PST)
I learned a hard lesson this year:

Sometimes the best deal for everyone is no deal at all.

In December 2004 Snocap contacted CD Baby about being one of our
digital distribution outlets. They were a P2P fingerprinting service
to help P2P services track and charge for music.

Since CD Baby has over 2.5 million songs directly from the artists,
in full WAV format with clean metadata, they wanted to import our
catalog into their tracking system.

After almost two years in ongoing contract negotiations, in August
2006 Snocap completely changed their business plan to what you see
today. Now they still wanted our entire digital distribution catalog,
but it was to create Flash widget stores on MySpace, which sounded
like a great idea, so we said OK.

But there was one crucial hitch with this plan: our two options from
Snocap were:
(1) - After delivering our entire catalog, step aside for the artists
to deal with Snocap directly
(2) - After delivering our entire catalog, have all
changes/additions/deletions administered through CD Baby's account
The downside to #1 was the obvious "tell your 200,000 clients about
us, then make them our clients for free, and get out of the way."
The downside to #2 was that artists would have crippled accounts,
unable to upload new material, change their pricing, or anything else.

But there's an important lesson learned, in hindsight: At this point
we should have walked away, and chosen "neither". We felt screwed
either way. But because of two years and thousands of dollars
invested into these negotations, we chose option #2. We were assured
that #2 wouldn't be so bad, that any audio we sent them would be
activated within hours, that we could send through pricing changes,
and many other things.

Unfortunately, everything went about as wrong as could be. Artists
had to go through a 21-step process to activate their accounts, which
left us with thousands of daily confused emails from artists. Furious
artists trying to upload their songs into Snocap were wrongly told
they can't because CD Baby "owns" their rights.

We had to hire 6 new full-time customer service people just to deal
with the thousands of problems. We couldn't fix problems ourselves,
only pass them on, because all fixes had to be done by Snocap. A
hundred times a day we had to helplessly apologize to our clients.

Every company meeting revolved around Snocap. Every employee had to
be trained in the endless FAQ about Snocap. For the last 8 months,
the CD Baby office has felt like a Snocap office. All we were doing,
all day long, was dealing with Snocap issues.

Then the sales reports came in.
$12,000 total sales for the 8 months they'd been active. Since we
keep a 9% cut, that's $1080 for us, total. Ouch.
As a curiosity, I quietly enabled MP3 sales on cdbaby.com, without
telling anyone. A "buy MP3" button showing up next to the "buy CD"
button.
In 3 weeks, with no announcements, we sold over $110,000 in
downloads. Hm.

We decided to do what we should have done in the first place: to
choose "no deal" as the best deal for our artists.

We told Snocap we needed completely out of the contract, at any cost.
Luckily, they agreed.

By breaking all ties with Snocap, our artists can go directly to
Snocap with no conflicts at all, and we can free-up our 24 full-time
customer service people to help our clients with other things besides
Snocap issues.

We're happy with it, for obvious reasons.

Snocap is happy to have the direct relationships with the artists.

The artists are happy to have full control and one less middle-man.

And I share this tale with no hard feelings, for the few who have
asked, "What happened?", and the many more that might recognize
themselves in a similar situation, and remember that sometimes the
best deal for everyone is no deal at all.

--
Derek Sivers, CD Baby, Hostbaby
http://cdbaby.com <-- best new independent music
http://hostbaby.com <-- web hosting for musicians

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Carrie Underwood article in USA today
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-10-18-carrie-
underwood_N.htm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
http://www.myspace.com/morley220 anderasmussen
Offline
Send Email
I am a singer songwriter I have been playing and writing since my
teens. I primarily play guitar I also play keyboards,bass,mandolin,
harmonica. I dabble on the fiddle(ouch) and drums.I have been
splitting my time between Niwot,Colorado and Nashville.I have been
recording in Nashville ironically enough at a studio on music row
called Jay's Place. I have been blessed to be able to get some of the
best musicians in Nashville on my songs. Jay Verne is the owner of
the studio he plays keyboards and is also a great producer engineer
and friend. He has played with and produced some of the best. Danny
Parks master list guitar player that rocks has played with everybody
in Nashville he knows exactly where I want to go, John Voight bass
player and groove master.Tommy Welles kickbutt drummer and avid
hockey addict. Larry Franklin and Hank Singer on fiddle they have
played with everyone from Alan Jackson to Brookes and Dunn, Asleep at
the Wheel to LeeAnn Womack, Dana McVicker on vocals she has belted it
out for the best and has great solo projects of her own. Butch Baker
did lead vocals on two cuts he is a great guy and killer vocalist. I
am so grateful for the work they have done and continue to do. I am
also eternally grateful to Jeffrey Steele and Sarah Wood for giving
me the opportunity of a lifetime. I got to spend time and cowrite
with Jeffrey Steele on two great songs as part of a work shop THE
JEFFREY STEELE BOOTCAMP that I was fortunate enough to take part in.
Not only did I get to Co Write with Jeffrey Steele. I got to play the
song we wrote, live on stage with Jeffrey Steele in Nashville and
with my new buddy and co writer Jeff Hurst from Fla. I will carry
that weekend with me for the rest of my life.If you don't know who
Jeffrey Steele is turn on country radio he has written a #1 song on
the country charts just about every week. Check out his web site. A
song I wrote titled STOP TALKIN recently placed first in the Song of
the Year monthly competition.STOP TALKIN has also been playing on
Rhapsody Radio. I had the opportunity in October to showcase at the
Durango Song Writers Expo and played on the radio in Park City, Utah
where the event took place. I got to play with my good friend Craig
(CJ) Jones.Just got back from the Durango Song Santa Barbara in May
and got to showcase there on two nights I was honored. What do I do
on my off time? We live on thirty two acres in Colorado so we are
outside alot. We have horses,two goats and three dogs all of that
keeps us pretty busy. But when I can I like to mountain bike, wake
board, surf and I love to snowboard. Above all those things I am in
love with and married to the woman that makes all my dreams happen
Janet with out her none of my crazy ideas would fly. In fact I have
to be careful of what I say. Like if I say. "Hey Janet I was thinking
of taking up brain surgery." I will get a resounding "You can do it!"
When I get home she will have signed me up and there will be books on
Brain Surgery on the kitchen table.We have raised a wonderful
daughter who is living on her own and is a multi talented artist and
teacher and we are proud of her accomplishments. All in all I have
been blessed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cabaret songwriter Dennis Livingston was elected to the board of
directors
of the Boston Association of Cabaret Artists (BACA), where he is
working on
expanding member services and developing material for a new web site
for the
group (bostoncabaret.com). Dennis also reports the premiere of his
song "If
I Could Tell You," set to a poem by W.H. Auden, at an Auden festival
held
last month at the Gresham School in Holt, England, where the poet was
a
student. This song & others can be heard in full at
dennislivingston.com.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Finding the Song
by Kris Bergnes
http://www.myspace.com/bergsong

I was working with a girl trying to write a song, but the music she
was playing was up-tempo and plodding. It was not doing anything for
me, because I wanted to write something emotional. I like up-tempo
but not just for the sake of being up-tempo. A&R people always say
they have the ballads, but they just need up-tempo. I always felt if
they truthfully had their ballads they would have a great record.
Reba's biggest album had one up-tempo, Jewels first album had zero
and it was still her biggest and best. There's a quote that says,
“The sadder the book the more the people loved it. Well, I just
stopped her in the middle of, her song, and my frustration. I said,
When's the last time you cried. Then I said, My last time was Sunday
night when I went to fix my starter on my car in Woodbury, TN, about
60 miles from home. She looked a little confused and I started
getting teary eyed and I said, It was late Sunday Afternoon and all
the streets of Woodbury were rolled up. I was on about my third trip
to Wal-mart and AutoZone, twenty miles away in Murfreesboro, for
parts and tools on a very frustrating day. It seemed like everything
was going wrong and I just took a glance into my rear view mirror.
The sun was going down and the sky looked, just like it did, the time
when I was a kid and Daddy had car trouble far from home. He always
had a hard time keeping his cars running, I thought about the time we
were 40 miles from my grandmothers house on a Sunday night headed for
Drumright(100 miles away) when we broke down. A highway patrolman
held the flashlight for daddy while he took off the fuel pump. He
tried to fix it but it was shot. The highway Patrolman called a
friend who had an auto parts store. Off they went, and in an hour
they came back with the part. Daddy put it on and I slept the rest of
the way to Drumright where we were living at the time. Yeah, that sun
was sinking and that chill in the air was identical to the time over
30 years ago when daddys car broke down, and it had been only 3
months since I buried my both my parents. All at once I just lost it
for a minute then I realized I had to get it together and fix the car
because that’s what daddy would have done. I stopped talking and
she knew it was her turn. She said for her it was a couple weeks ago
at a September 11th tribute where the kids were telling about a
parent or uncle or neighbor they lost. I said, Well, play that, what
does that sound like. She started playing what she felt instead of
what she was comfortable with. I said, I know you think we're trying
to write a song here but we're not. We're trying to find a place and
when we get to that place there's lots of songs waiting for us

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

check out essession.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

have you read
Songwriters Survival Guide
by Andrea Stople
http://www.musesmuse.com/col-andreastolpe.html

Andrea Stolpe is a multi-platinum recorded songwriter, performing
artist, and educator. She has worked as a staff writer for EMI, Almo-
Irving, and Universal Music Publishing, with songs recorded by Faith
Hill, Josh Gracin, Daniel Lee Martin and many others. She is the
author of "Commercial Songwriting Techniques," part of Berkleemusic's
online songwriting program. Just released in August 2007, Stolpe's
book Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling
describes how to apply her process for uniting our artistic voice
with the commercial market. She continues to tour as a solo artist
and leads songwriting instruction from her own website.
http://www.andreastolpe.com/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://www.SongU.com/ifs
Gold Stars - September/October 2007

High-Fives to our members who won or placed in a songwriting contest
recently:
Rita Case ("I WON'T REMEMBER YOU") - 11th Annual Unisong
International Songwriting Contest Broadway/Cabaret Category:
Honorable Mention
Rita Case ("A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS") - 11th Annual Unisong
International Songwriting Contest Seasonal/Specialty: Finalist.
Cheryl Ashton ("Cinderella in Satin") - 11th Annual Unisong
International Songwriting Contest. 2nd place in the country division.
David Swinford ("Free to Believe", co-written with Terri Fann).
Mountain Valley Arts (MOVA) songwriting competition 2nd Place in
Folk/Bluegrass category.
Leslie Bowe ("Here I Am", co-written with Nancy Vogl). Stagenoise.com
Songwriting Contest. Grand Prize winner!!
Ed Williams has been placing all over the board in several contests
from grand prize to honorable mentions in The John Lennon Song
Contest, Midwest Song Contest, Australian Song Contest, UK
songwriting Contest, Austin Songwriting Contest, West Coast
Songwriters Contest and Billboard Songwriting Contest.
Hats off to those members who signed a song with a publisher or had a
song recorded/licensed:
Jeff Moxcey has five cuts on the latest CD, "I've Gone Funny" by "Dan
The Man," in North Wales, in the UK!
Bill Ekhoff ("Too Much Information") was recorded by Rob Russell. The
song will be released in Canada as a single in the first quarter of
2008. Rob Russell's last release "Just Walk Away" reached #20 on the
Canadian Country Chart.
Pat Kelley ("Did You Think Of Me Today" and "Better We Used To Be").
Signed by America's New Artist (ANA). Two more songs were picked up
by ANA during a visit to Nashville in August. They were, "Let's Get
Ridin'" and "Every Sunday." They are scheduled to be recorded in
November with an early 2008 release on all of them. "Better We Used
To Be" and "Every Sunday" were co-written with long-time Nashville
pro Bucky Jones.
Ken Matejka ("Right Ain't Wrong & Wrong Ain't Right", co-written with
Anastasia Matejka). Signed by America's New Artist Music.
Ken Matejka ("Three Days to Live", co-written with Anastasia Matejka
& Dan Robinson). Signed by RockDiva SugarDaddy Publishing.
Ken Matejka ("To You With Love", co-written with Anastasia Matejka).
Signed by RockDiva SugarDaddy Publishing
Ken Matejka ("What Might Have Been", co-written with Anastasia
Matejka). Signed by America's New Artist Music
James (Jim) Smith ("Pink Fuzzy Dice"). Recorded by Jimmy Dale. Jimmy
is finishing his first CD end of this month.
Jane Godfrey ("Finally Loving Myself") is on the new recovery music
CD, Trail of Light. She's in some pretty good company too, alongside
such notables as Paul Williams, Mary Gauthier and SU faculty, Jack
Sundrud. You can read more about it at:
http://www.sunlightofthespirit.com/product/84-Gracie-Vandiver-Friends-
Trail-of-Light--Trail-Of-Light
Tammi Mullen ("The Tiger And The Monk (Convergence)") is on hold for
the upcoming album Songs For A Better Planet, Vol. III (by the way,
this song was written for the recent Spring Fling challenge at
SongU.com).
Carey Moore ("I Thought I Was A Stud Till She Got Her Nails In Me")
will be used in the movie "Jolene," starring Jessica Chastain, Dermot
Mulroney, Donald Sutherland Based on an E.L. Doctorow short story.
Scheduled to be released in October.
Congrats to those members who have released a CD or are getting
airplay:
Marla Lewis - Her second Children's CD "I Love To Talk To Plants" is
now available. Find out more at: http://www.marlalewis.com/
Ban Banerjee ("Gotta Be A Country Star", co-written with Ronnie
Wilson). American Idol Underground currently at the #3 spot in
the "folk" category/radio in its 18th week on the charts.
Rebecca Hosking ("Your New Home") recorded by Rachel Farley (Warner
Bros.) is being performed regularly by Rachel. You can look for the
album due out this fall.
Gary Hines and Sounds of Blackness. Check out their ground-breaking
New CD, "KINGS & QUEENS: Message Music From The Movement" available
exclusively At Best Buy. "KINGS & QUEENS" is a 'Movement' for Self-
Respect and Against Violence. A Portion of Proceeds To The Martin
Luther King Memorial Fund. And if you're a Grammy voting member, be
sure to cast your vote for it - you'll find it listed in several
categories on the first ballot.
Sue Fabisch ("I Don't Think About It") has been recorded by Emily
Osment and is in rotation on Radio Disney.
SongU.com Spin N' Pitch Congratulates....
September and October were another couple of great months for the SU
Spin N' Pitch as several members either received notes of interest in
their songs and/or had their songs forwarded by the SU screeners. As
a reminder, you can now listen to some of these songs off the special
listening page linked off of "My Pitching". Apologies in advance to
anyone I left out, including any co-writers.
Congrats to the following members who received notes of interest in
their songs from our Publisher Guests:
Elizabeth Axford "Christmas in Florida"
Elizabeth Axford "It's Not Like We Never Drove Through Texas"
Doug Brzak "FROGS DIDN'T HAVE GUNS"
John Condrone "I Held His Hand"
John Condrone "Since I Found You"
John Condrone "Here And Now"
John Condrone "True Light"
Larry Center "BACKBONE"
Carol Coffey "WITHOUT YOU THERE'S NO ME IN MERRY CHRISTMAS"
Arnie Davidson "Golden Road"
Keith Dean "Double Up"
Patrick Dodge "White Knight in a Cadilac"
Perry Dusch "Jumpin' Out Quicker Than Jumpin' In"
Jonathan Eborn "That's What It's Like"
Bill Ekhoff "Tall & Tan & Twenty-Three (CD)"
Terri Fann "Some 2,000 Christmases Ago (Best of SongU)"
Lorna Flowers "No One Can Hurt Me"
Steve Hostetler "Eleven Fifty Nine"
Ken Matejka "The Christmas Wish"
Yvonne Perkins "WHAT DO YOU SEE"
Gerri Rowan "UPTOWN DOWNTOWN COUNTRY SWING"
Todd Thompson "Born Into the Streets (I am)"
Mitch Townley "Promise To Forever"
Tim Voorhies "Down To My Last Nerve"
Keith Sasser "Give My Toys"
Bruce Scism "Guide Me Home (Note: Vocal version)"
Michael Taylor "Links in a Chain"
Michael Taylor "Troubletown*"
Ashleigh Wehmeyer "Get In Touch with Your Feminine Side"
Bob Wirth "YOU'RE EVERYTHING CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME"
Jack Wise "If You Let Me"
Kenn Wolfe "Every Day I Rise and Fall (In Love With You)"
Kenn Wolfe "I Just Wish (male vocal)"
Congrats to the following members who received notes of interest in
their songs from our Artist/Producer Guests:
Gene Reynolds "Bobby'd Be A Star"
RITA CASE "ANGEL OF MERCY "
Bob Clay "The Church of Come On In"
Lonnie Good "Victory In Jesus"
Elizabeth Milcarek "IF LOOKS COULD KILL "
Lance Sims "Got My Country On"
John Condrone "One Teardrop Short"
Kent Forward "The Way I Do"
And a round of applause to the following members who had their songs
forwarded for recent pitches:
Cheryl Ashton "TURN OFF THE MOON"
Tom Bohn "I SOULD BE SO LUCKY"
Chris Caminiti "WINDOWS DOWN"
John Condrone "Lyin' On The Side Of The Road"
Bob Dewald "Y CHROMOSOME"
Lorna Flowers "Strong Enough To Lose You (re-write)"
Kent Forward "Screw That"
Kent Forward "Hearts Break In Waves"
Kent Forward "Above Ground"
Jeff Harmon "I Wish You Love"
Steve Hostetler "No Goodbye"
Shelley Jacobson "Don't Even Think About It"
Marc Kuchner "I'm Still Growing Up"
Marc Kuchner "Jack Nicholson "
Joe Lickteig "I've Died and Gone To Tulsa DEMO"
Christina Meyer "The Way She Makes Me Feel"
James Oliver "You've Given Me A Hand"
Bill Osofsky "Come With Me"
Bill Osofsky "It's Not You, It's Me"
Ray Phillips "Wrote That In Blue fv"
Ray Phillips "That's What She's Dreaming Of -ml"
Gene Reynolds "KNOCKED ME DEAD (NEW)"
Gerri Rowan "Workin Overtime"
Catherine Rushton "Girls Like Fast Cars Too"
Lance Sims "Elbow Room"
Janusz Slusarz "Loved By You"
Gary D. Smith "Trying to Mend a Broken Heart "
David Swinford "Last Dirt Road"
Mitch Townley "Boondockin'"
Mitch Townley "LACEY MAE'S HOT WINGS"
Tina Tufts "ALL THE LITTLE THINGS"
Nancy Vogl "Here I Am"
Ed Williams "Make It Right Right Now"


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Hey Ricardo-

Thank you so much for inviting me. I really enjoyed it.



Most divisions here hire their own interns based on need, so we
don’t have a specific system set-up. If you have some folks that
would like to submit resumes for internships here in the spring, have
them send to you with the division they are interested in, or which
their experience is a fit. You can compile and send all to me and I
will distribute to the various divisions for review.



1. Marketing / Advertising - this division is responsible for
promoting the festivals. This involves media buys, magazine / radio
trades and promotions, setting up special events, recruiting and
managing street teams, organizing timelines and schedules for all out-
going pieces, etc.

2. Sponsorship �" This division is responsible for selling available
properties at the festivals, as well as managing the current sponsor
relationships.

3. Digital / Interactive �" this division runs the websites for the
festivals, creates fun web promotions, organizes the email calendars
and content, manages message boards and social networking sites,
works on the digital recording and download program of festival
audio, and also sells online properties to sponsors.

4. Talent Buying / Club show marketing �" this group books the bands
for all the festivals and the club shows in Texas and beyond. Their
marketing division is responsible for promoting these shows in their
respective markets.

5. Accounting �" anyone interested in finance?

6. Office operations �" does anyone just want a general office
internship?

7. Event production �" this division is responsible for all of the
logistics of the festivals �" ordering gear, setting up staff,
internal communications, developing the lay-out, advancing with the
artists, etc.

8. Private parties and events �" this division produces events or
parties for clients, product launches, foundations, etc. They also
run all the VIP hospitality areas for all of the festivals.

9. Creative �" this division is responsible for designing all
elements for the festivals. They create ad campaigns, design signage
and site enhancements, design and produce all street team collateral
and marketing materials, etc.

10. Artist Management �" this group manages the careers of our music
clients. They oversee album launches, publicity, touring,
merchandise, publishing, etc.

I think that is about it!

Thank you again for the invitation. Please let me know if you have
any other questions.



Lisa


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**** "The Durango Songwriter's Expo's "Write With The Hitmakers"
songwriting contest the winners actually get to write with hit
songwriters, get a one song publishing career, and advance your
career. First year pop winner, Alissa Moreno, wrote with Jeffrey
Steele at The Santa Barbara Expo two years ago and that song they
wrote is on the new Rascal Flatts record and slated to be a single.
The country winner will write at
The Santa Barbara Expo,
Feb 28 - Mar 1 with SESAC Writers Of The Year, Sam and Annie Tate..
The pop/rock winner will write with Keith Follese. The country one
song publishing deal will be with Midas Music, the pop/rock deal will
be with Left Winger/Peermusic. For more info and to download the
registration form go to
www.Durango-Songwriters-Expo.com

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Official Press Release regarding the entrustment of The Bluebird
Café to the NSAI:

Nashville Songwriters Association International
To Assume Ownership of Famed Bluebird Cafe

Amy Kurland Announces Extraordinary Contribution
and Will Remain As Founder

Kris Kristofferson Kicks Off Celebration with Private Performance

November 9, 2007, Nashville, TN-- Bluebird Cafe founder Amy Kurland
will
entrust ownership of the legendary songwriter venue, effective
January 1,
2008, to the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).
NSAI is
a trade organization committed to protecting the rights and future of
the
profession of songwriting, and to educate, elevate the songwriter.

Through the announcement it was revealed that Kurland structured the
transfer to ensure that the Bluebird will provide financial support
for
NSAI's mission, and allow the organization to continue the their
important
work on behalf of the songwriting profession.

Thursday night, November 8, one of NSAI's founders, the legendary Kris
Kristofferson, with original band members Donnie Fritts, Billy Swan,
Stephen
Bruton and friend Chris Gantry, performed at the Bluebird to
celebrate the
historical moment.

"As the Bluebird turned 25, I looked back through the years of
wonderful
music and started to consider the next 25 years," said founder Amy
Kurland.
"By partnering with NSAI, I feel sure that The Bluebird will always
be here
as a home for new and accomplished songwriters."

The NSAI Board of Directors agreed that the Bluebird Cafe would
remain a
venue for songwriter performances.

"The NSAI Board meeting fell into stunned silence at the announcement
of our
acquisition of the Bluebird Cafe," recalled board president Steve
Bogard.
"Twenty-five of Nashville's best and most experienced songwriters were
literally speechless, humbled at the honor and responsibility of
carrying on
the tradition of America's premier acoustic songwriting venue. The
terms of
Amy Kurland's transfer of the Bluebird to NSAI can only be described
as a
gift to songwriters everywhere. We know that this is a sacred trust
and a
brilliant opportunity to create a synergy that will allow us to
better serve
America's songwriters in Nashville, Washington D.C. and across the
country."

NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison noted that "no changes" were
planned
for the Bluebird Cafe. He said the same staff would remain along with
the
format that Kurland started.

"Bluebird Founder Amy Kurland created something that simply does not
exist
anywhere else. The musical magic created nightly over the years has
earned
the Bluebird Cafe a place in songwriter history," said
Herbison. "We, at
NSAI, intend to carefully guard the legacy of the Bluebird Cafe and
protect
the special atmosphere Amy created."

Kurland opened the cafe in 1982 as a casual gourmet restaurant with
some
live music. Since those early days, the Bluebird has become a
showcase and
home for songwriters. In 1985, Sunday writer's nights were added as a
chance for new writers to audition and perform. Dinner
shows followed in 1987. The Bluebird Cafe is the setting for the
1995 film
"The Thing Called Love," starring River Phoenix, K.T. Oslin, Samantha
Mathis
and Sandra Bullock.

Kathy Mattea, T. Graham Brown and Sweethearts of the Rodeo were
discovered
at the cafe. Superstar Garth Brooks played Open Mic and Sunday
Songwriters
shows, and nailed down his recording contract with Capitol Records at
The
Bluebird.

Notable songwriters including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith,
Janis
Ian, Tony Arata, Bill Lloyd, Danny Flowers, Don Henry, Don Schlitz
and many
others have worked their magic in the room.

About the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) NSAI
is the
world's largest not-for-profit songwriters trade organization.
Established
in 1967, the membership of more than 4,000 spans the United States
and five
other countries. NSAI is dedicated to protecting the rights of and
serving
aspiring and professional songwriters in all genres of music. For more
information, visit www.nashvillesongwriters.com


Amy Kurland entrusting The Bluebird Cafe to the NSAI, but we thought
you might like to see the official press release, so we've included
it below. Please scroll down to the main part of the e-mail.
***To see Amy’s chat with Katie Couric, go here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3476875n


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My song "Party Of The Year" will be prominently featured on the
December 2nd episode of "Life Is Wild" on the CW 11,

check it out!!

yours truly,

Noel Cohen


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We'll be covering songwriter Liz Hengber's lesson "A Songwriter's
Reality Check." After that we'll do peer song critiques & get to
know each other a little better! Feel free to bring a friend...

Belton-Waco Regional Workshop

Harris Community Center
401 Alexander St
Belton, TX 76513
(254) 933-5860

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
at 7pm

The meeting is open to current and former members of NSAI and guests
who are interested in joining NSAI. The first two meetings for non-
members are free, after that, it's $15 to attend a meeting. We pass
the hat for a donation of a couple of dollars that helps pay for the
space.
Future meetings will be held the 4th Wednesday of the month.

Please bring at least six copies (or more!) of your typed lyrics
along with a song on tape or CD (or you can perform it live). If
you’re not a musician, please bring your lyrics and find others to
collaborate with.

Check out our new website: www.myspace.com/beltonwaconsai

For more information contact:
Ashleigh Wehmeyer, NSAI Regional Coordinator, (254) 213-3400,
adw246@...
Cody Cotton, NSAI Regional Coordinator, (512) 285-3336,
cody5mile@...


Directions from the North:
Take exit 294B on I-35 South for 6th St in Belton
Take the first left off the exit at the light, by McDonalds, onto 6th
St
Take 6th St until it ends and turn left onto N. Main at the light
Take a right onto 2nd at the next light (approx. 0.2 mi)
Cross over the bridge and take a right onto Alexander (almost 0.2 mi)
You'll see a sign for the center
Harris Community Center is about 0.1 mi up the road on your left
Park and come on in!

Directions from the South:
Take exit 294A on I-35 North for Central Ave
After the exit, turn left at the light onto Central near the Sonic
Turn right at the 2nd light onto Main St (about 0.6mi)
Turn left onto 2nd at the first light (about 0.1 mi)
Cross over the bridge and take a right onto Alexander (almost 0.2 mi)
You'll see a sign for the center
Harris Community Center is about 0.1 mi up the road on your left
Park and come on in!

If you wish to be taken off this list, just ask! Thanks, Belton-Waco
NSAI Coordinators

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Write On,

Ande