Last week, I posted a blog titled, “10 Tips To Maximize Your Songwriters Night.”  You can read it HERE.  The last point was worth its own post, though.  And that’s because sometimes the best way to maximize your songwriters night is to just NOT play it.  A good friend and I explored that thought once, and I think it’s worth sharing with you.

Back before my friend signed his first publishing deal, he and I were talking about how he was prepping for a round he was playing later that week.  We started adding up how much time he was investing in just that one round.  It came out to about ten hours once we added up:

 -Picking and practicing the songs

-Driving to the venue

-Arriving early

-Playing the round

-Staying at least one round later

-Driving home

10 hours.

And what is the result?  Well, my friend enjoys playing his songs for a crowd.  But his big reason for playing the round was to raise his profile and to network.  Your reasons might be the same.

That might be worth it if at every round, you met two or three strong contacts.  But most of the time, you don’t.  You could easily have 50 to 60 hours over the course of 6 months invested before you meet one or two strong contacts.

Does that seem like the best use of your time?

Now, my friend isn’t stupid.  In Nashville, it’s just standard operating procedure for unsigned writers to play a bunch of rounds while building up their networks.  But we figured that in the 10 hours of one round, he could identify one or two people he’s like to connect with and figure out a way to meet them.

Maybe you find where your targeted contact will be playing.  Or you start asking around your current network to see if someone you know can arrange an introduction.  Call their office and offer to buy them coffee (you never know…).  Just playing writers nights hoping to run into a great contact is… random.

There’s nothing wrong with writers nights.  You just have to make certain that they are helping you get where you want to go in the most effective, efficient way possible.

God Bless,

Brent

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