Music City Records Banner
 
 
 
Artist Related Questions
I've heard that there is a biopic movie being made about Charley Pride's life. When is it going to be released?

Charley has an amazing life story (click here to read our short Charley Pride biography) that’s going to make a remarkable movie. But as of March 2012, the film project is still in development and no production date has been set.

There are numerous and often complex issues that must be hammered out before a film project can begin shooting. So it is not unusual for it to take months or years for a project in development to show up at your local movie theater.

Charley inadvertently disclosed in a 2011 interview that actor Dwayne Johnson is involved. But at this point in time no official announcement has been made about who is involved with the project.

Be advised that there is outdated information floating around on the Internet that has led to some confusion about other actors and directors that may be attached to the project. At the moment, film director Craig Brewer and actor Terrence Howard are not involved with the current project. However, they were attached to an earlier, unrelated film production that did not come to fruition. Terrence Howard was also a lead actor in the completely unrelated 2007 film titled Pride which has added to this confusion.

Charley is excited about the prospect of a film based on his life and he looks forward to making a formal announcement once production is set to begin.

If you are interested in learning about any new developments with the movie, it would probably be a good idea for you to join the Charley Pride email list or his Facebook page.

 
 
Aspiring Artists
What is your artist submissions policy?

* * * At the current time, we ARE NOT actively looking for new artists * * *

We are focusing our time and resources on any new music from Charley Pride as well as our reissue series.

If you wish to submit music for us to consider, you may forward it along with any press materials (photo, bio, tour dates, etc) and contact information to the address below.

A&R Department
Music City Records
P.O. Box 210527
Nashville, TN 37221

* * * Please, don't call us about your package! * * *

The music industry is a very tough industry for new artists to break into. We understand the hard work, passion and dreams that have gone into the creation of your music, and we sincerely wish we had the time and the staff to acknowledge everything sent to us. But at this point in time, we do not. And we occasionally get such a large volume of submissions that we cannot provide critiques, or even verify that we've received your music or that it has been heard.

Be assured that if we are interested in your music or require additional information, we will contact you or the contact person that you designated.

What resources are there for someone wishing to pursue a career as a recording artist?

Music Row Magazine
Music Row is Nashville's premier industry magazine and they have a highly informative website. Additionally, if you are looking for a listing of who's who in the Nashville music industry, their annual "In Charge" and "Publisher Special" editions of the magazine amay be just what you are looking for.
www.musicrow.com

Music Starts Here
This is a solid informational site for anyone interested in pursuing a music or music industry career.
www.musicstartshere.org

Doak Turner's Music City Blog
Doak offers a lot of information on his blog for aspiring singers and songwriters.
www.doakturner.com

Local Universities
If you are high school student or planning to pursue a college degree, you might be interested to know that there are a number of universities that offer music and recording industry related coursework. These programs can provide a solid knowledge base for anyone who is interested in learning about the industry. And their internship programs offer students the all-important opportunity to get hands on experience and develop industry contacts. Many succesful artists, songwriters and industry executives started their careers at these schools.

Belmont University
Mike Curb College Of Entertainment And Music Business
www.belmont.edu

Middle Tennessee State University
MTSU Department Of Recording Industry
www.mtsu.edu

 
 
Aspiring Songwriters
Are you "Music City Music Records?" I sent you my songs and the money for you to create demos for me but I never heard back from you!

We occasionally receive phone calls and/or letters from songwriters who have seen an ad in the back of a magazine from a company that calls itself Music City Music or Music City Music Records that offers to create recordings of their song lyrics for a fee.

Our company is a Country Music record label based in Nashville, TN that is in no way associated with the company that advertises itself as Music City Music Records. Additionally, we know of no phone number or contact information for this company.

If a publisher is impressed with your songwriting skills or interested in pitching your songs to the Nashville industry, they will normally sign you to some sort of a publishing deal and finance the production of demos. Music publishing is a highly speculative industry and this is one of the many services that publishers normally provide to songwriters in exchange for a share of any future performance, licensing or mechanical royalties.

Legitimate publishers do not normally advertise in the backs of magazines or offer mail order demos.

If you are an aspiring songwriter, please be warned that there are people on the fringe of the legitimate music industry willing to take advantage of you. We highly suggest you contact one of the following organizations to find out if they may have any information about any publishing or music company that you may be considering sending money to.

The Nashville Songwriters Association @ 615-256-3354

The Better Business Bureau Of Middle Tennessee @ 615-242-4222

How do I get a Nashville publisher to listen to my songs?

Contact the Nashville Songwriters Association International and ask for a list of publishers with an "open door policy." An open door policy means they will accept outside material from songwriters. Most major publishers do not, unless a writer is already established within the circle of Nashville writers. The reason is that most aspiring songwriters think that they can write better songs than what's being played on the radio right now, but usually can't. Commercial songwriting is an extremely competitive artform that can take many years of experience to develop and it is very rare to find someone who can write songs with commercial appeal that has not already been schooled by an established publisher or professional songwriter.

How do new songwriters get exposure for their songs in Nashville?

On any given night in-and-around Nashville, there are open mic writers nights. Nashville publishers and songwriters are generally in the audience as they are very supportive of each other and the art form. They are checking out what their friends in the business are up to and sometimes even scouting around for talented newcomers. When in Nashville, check out the local Music Row magazines and Newspapers for listings of open mic writers nights, and make as many as you can. These writers nights are the best place to go to perform your songs in hopes there might be someone in the audience who likes what you have to offer.

If you are just visiting Nashville for a few days, you should try to set up a meeting with someone at one of the major publishers, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, or one of the performing rights organizations (PROs). PROs are organizations which collect song "performance royalties" on behalf of professional songwriters and publishers. The major three are ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.

Music Row Magazine offers an annual "Publishers Special" edition of the magazine that includes a directory of legitimate publishers and key industry professionals in the Nashville area. This contact information is very difficult to obtain on your own and can be invaluable if you are planning a visit to Nashville.

What other resources are there for someone pursing a songwriting career?

Music Row Magazine
Music Row is Nashville's premier industry magazine and they have a highly informative website. Additionally, if you are looking for a listing of who's who in the Nashville music industry, their annual "In Charge" and "Publisher Special" editions of the magazine amay be just what you are looking for.
www.musicrow.com

Music Starts Here
This is a solid informational site for anyone interested in pursuing a music or music industry career.
www.musicstartshere.org

Doak Turner's Music City Blog
Doak offers a lot of information on his blog for aspiring singers and songwriters.
www.doakturner.com

Local Universities
If you are high school student or planning to pursue a college degree, you might be interested to know that there are a number of universities that offer music and recording industry related coursework. These programs can provide a solid knowledge base for anyone who is interested in learning about the industry. And their internship programs offer students the all-important opportunity to get hands on experience and develop industry contacts. Many succesful artists, songwriters and industry executives started their careers at these schools.

Belmont University
Mike Curb College Of Entertainment And Music Business
www.belmont.edu

Middle Tennessee State University
MTSU Department Of Recording Industry
www.mtsu.edu

 
 
General Questions
Does Music City Records have an internship program?

No. At this time we do not offer any internships.

However there are many companies (including the major record labels, artist publicists, booking agencies, etc.) in the Nashville are that do offer internships. These are generally unpaid positions that college students can receive college credit for on a semester-by-semester basis. Because of their close ties to the Nashville music industry, Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University provide the bulk of the interns for these positions during Fall and Spring school semesters. But it is not unusual for students from out of the area colleges and universities to be an intern during the summer months.

But don't wait until the last minute to look for an summer internship. You should start your internship search several months in advance. Due to the colorful nature of the music industry, there is a lot of competition for these unpaid positions.

If you are interested in an internship, read the credits on your favorite Country or Christian music albums or research the website of your favorite artists to determine which record labels, publicists, booking agencies or other companies are associated with them. Determine which areas of the business you are interested in learning about and research the phone numbers of your target companies. Industry contact directories such those published by CMA (CMA Directory), Billboard (various talent and industry directories), Pollstar (various record label, artist and concert venue directories) and Music Row magazine ("In Charge" issue) can be helpful in identifying target companies and will provide you with contact information. Call and ask if if your target companies offer internships. If they do, ask for the name and email of the employee that administers the internship program. Ask to speak with them if possible and if you are able to reach them, ask them if they have any upcoming internships what steps you need to take to apply for them. In any case, once you know who the internship contact is, you can follow up with a cover letter and resume, as well as a follow up phone call.

Also, keep in mind that some of the best internship opportunities can be found at some of the smaller firms (such as independent publicists, album art design firms, etc) who provide services for multiple artists or labels. These companies can really can use an extra set of eyes, ears and hands and will often allow you to become very involved with the fast and furious, day-to-day business of the company. Additionally, because these companies deal with multiple labels and artists, such internships often provide you with the opportunity to network with several different companies rather than networking primarily within one large company.

Good luck!

I have a copy of Charley Pride's A TRIBUTE TO JIM REEVES and it won't play on my computer. Will you exchange it?

The initial pressing of Charley Pride's A TRIBUTE TO JIM REEVES was manufactured with an encryption technology by SunnComm that was meant to prevent unauthorized computer duplication of the album. This encryption technology turned out to be problematic and Music City Records stopped using it on all subsequent pressings of the album.

If you have one of these discs, you will definitely experience problems using it with a computer and possibly experience difficulty playing the CD in some DVD players or car stereos. The UPC barcode on the encrypted CDs is 7-816190222-2-4. However, the presence of the bar code itself does not guarantee your copy has the encryption as several subsequent pressings of the album with that barcode were not encrypted. Copies of the album that do include the encryption state this fact on the disc and album artwork and also include the SunnComm logo below the song titles on the tray card.

If you have an encrypted copy of A TRIBUTE TO JIM REEVES and wish to exchange it for a non-encrypted copy of the album, please contact us via email or phone to receive instructions on how to do so.

Is Music City Records hiring?

At this time we do not have any open job positions.