Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival

Last updated
Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival
Location(s) Nashville, Tennessee
Years active1993–present
Website tinpansouth.com

The Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival is an annual festival of songwriters in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established by the 4,000-member Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) in 1993. [1] [2] [3] The festival is typically a five-day session for songwriters including nights of "songwriter in the round" shows [4] held at 10 or so venues around the city, usually Nashville's top singer/songwriter hotspots. [5] According to Tennessean writer Dave Paulson, the festival allows country music's rising stars to take the stage alongside their closest collaborators. [6] The festival is not about country music per se [1] — it includes all genres of music, and features both professional and amateur composers in the U.S. and abroad. The name was derived from Tin Pan Alley, a district of Manhattan near West 28th Street, where music publishers flourished as far back as 1885. [7] As of 2019, Tin Pan South is "the world's largest songwriter festival" according to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation. [8] The 31st annual (2023) event will feature performances by hundreds of songwriters. [6]

Contents

Seminars

Tin Pan South songwriters seminar in Nashville, Tennessee - March, 2019 Tin Pan South Songwriters Seminar 2019.jpg
Tin Pan South songwriters seminar in Nashville, Tennessee – March, 2019

The Tin Pan South Songwriting Seminar is usually held during the Monday and Tuesday of the festival and includes keynote speakers, songwriter panels of successful composers, publisher breakout sessions and networking opportunities. Topics such as "effective co-writing" are typical, as is "dealing with rejection". [9] Each venue has two shows per night. At a symposium, writers can get critiques of their songs. Attendees entrance fees cover most of the nightly shows, which are open to the public, but performances by top songwriters or performers at larger venues, like the Ryman Auditorium are extra. [9]

In 2018, the keynote speakers were Kacey Musgraves and Shane McAnally. Previous speakers have been Gordon Lightfoot ("Sundown"), Merle Kilgore ("Ring of Fire") and Donna Summer ("Dim All the Lights"). The 2001 festival, for example, featured Ray Parker Jr. ("Ghostbusters") and Andrew Gold ("Thank You for Being a Friend", the theme from the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls ). [1] The festival goers are well aware of the millions of dollars that songs may earn. Speaking about the festival in 2001, BMI's Charlie Feldman said, "Songs like "This Kiss" (Faith Hill) or "I Swear" (John Michael Montgomery and All-4-One)... could generate in a year and a half or two years upward of a half-million dollars". [1] Some of the former attendees who have gone on to writes successful songs include: Jon Vezner ("Where've You Been" – Kathy Mattea); Tia Sillers ("I Hope You Dance" – LeAnn Womack); Barry Dean ("Pontoon" – Little Big Town); and Lance Carpenter ("Love Me Like You Mean It" – Kelsea Ballerini). [10]

Festival sponsors

Sponsors of the event have included American Songwriter Magazine, Folk Alliance International, corporate donors and performing-rights organizations such as BMI, SESAC and ASCAP. [5] NSAI Senior Director of Operations Jennifer Turnbow said, "We offer artistic reinforcement while presenting the truth about the music industry". [5] Turnbow stated, "...one thing that has never seemed to change over the years, though, is that a well-written song is a well-written song, so I think the relevance of learning the art and craft of songwriting is timeless.” [5]

The Nashville Songwriters Association International

The NSAI is a non-profit songwriters trade association including both professional and amateur songwriters and all genres of music. The organization raises money, in part to support lobbying efforts in Washington to be advocates for fair reimbursement for songwriters, but this is not their main goal, according to Bart Herbison, former executive director. "We don't raise vast amounts of money with this [festival]", he said, "because there are a lot of costs involved...we do it to showcase the art form and the artists". [9] In 2008, NSAI took ownership of The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville's landmark music-listening venue founded by Amy Kurland in 1982. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Griffin</span> American musician (born 1968)

Kevin Michael Griffin (born October 1, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Better Than Ezra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin Pan Alley</span> Collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City

Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally, it referred to a specific location on West 28th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in the Flower District of Manhattan, as commemorated by a plaque on 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth. Several buildings on Tin Pan Alley are protected as New York City designated landmarks, and the section of 28th Street from Fifth to Sixth Avenue is also officially co-named Tin Pan Alley.

Wayland D. Holyfield was an American songwriter and leader in the songwriting community.

Donald Ralph "Skip" Ewing is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 1988, Ewing has recorded nine studio albums and has charted 15 singles on the Billboard country charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Steele</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1961)

Jeffrey LeVasseur, known as Jeffrey Steele, is an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with recording his own material, Steele has become a prolific Nashville songwriter, having co-written more than 60 hit songs for such artists as Montgomery Gentry, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, and others.

The Bluebird Café is a 90-seat cafe and music venue in Green Hills, Nashville, Tennessee. The cafe features acoustic music performances and receives over 70,000 visitors annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob DiPiero</span> American singer-songwriter

Robert John DiPiero is an American country music songwriter. He has written 15 US number one hits and several Top 20 singles for Tim McGraw, The Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Shenandoah, Neal McCoy, Highway 101, Restless Heart, Ricochet, John Anderson, Montgomery Gentry, Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Pam Tillis, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins, Travis Tritt, Bryan White, Billy Currington, Etta James, Delbert McClinton, Van Zant, Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, and many others.

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) is a 501(c) not-for-profit trade organization that works to help songwriters in three ways: through legislative advocacy, through education and advice about the actual craft of songwriting, and through teaching about the music industry, and how to best position a song for success within it. They own the Bluebird Cafe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jen Foster</span> American singer-songwriter

Jennifer Kate Foster is an American singer-songwriter, musician, performer, record producer, and owner of her own record label Fosterchild Records. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, R&B, folk, country, and dance. She has released 3 studio albums, 3 EPs and has contributed to various film, television and multi-media soundtracks and exceeded sales of 50,000 units as an independent artist.

Brett Beavers is an American country music songwriter and producer and the co-author of the book Something Worth Leaving Behind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Laird</span> American songwriter

Luke Robert Laird is an American country music songwriter and producer. He has written over 20 number one Billboard singles, including Carrie Underwood's "So Small", "Temporary Home", and "Undo It"; Blake Shelton's "Gonna"; Sara Evans' "A Little Bit Stronger"; Rodney Atkins's "Take a Back Road"; Eric Church's "Drink in My Hand", "Give Me Back My Hometown", and "Talladega"; Little Big Town's "Pontoon"; Luke Bryan's "I See You" and "Fast"; Thomas Rhett's "T-Shirt"; Kenny Chesney's "American Kids"; Lady Antebellum's "Downtown"; and Jon Pardi's "Head Over Boots." He has also written and produced songs for Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Kacey Musgraves, Toby Keith, Ne-Yo, John Legend, Darius Rucker, and many others.

Kree Annette Harrison is an American singer and musician, who was the runner-up on the twelfth season of American Idol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Dean (songwriter)</span> American songwriter

Barry Dean is an American country and pop music songwriter based out of Nashville, Tennessee. He has written multiple No. 1 singles including “Pontoon”, “Day Drinking”, "Somebody's Daughter", and "Think a Little Less", along with a Top 40 hit with “Girls Chase Boys”. He has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song on Tim McGraw's "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools."

Jason Blume is an American songwriter, author, and teacher of songwriting. Blume is the author of 6 Steps to Songwriting Success, This Business of Songwriting, and Inside Songwriting, all published by Billboard Books/Penguin/Random House.

Nicolle Anne Galyon is a singer, songwriter, producer, record label executive, and publishing executive based in Nashville. She gained national exposure early in her career after a 2012 appearance as a contestant on NBC's The Voice. She co-wrote the song "Automatic" sung by Miranda Lambert which was named the 2015 ACM's 'Song of the Year' and the 2014 CMA's single of the year. As of 2023, she is credited for writing nine No. 1 hits. Galyon has written songs for Lady A, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David G. Smith (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

David G. Smith is an American singer-songwriter, based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has released eight albums since 2011 and has hosted shows at the Bluebird Cafe since the mid 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Morrison (songwriter)</span> American country songwriter

Robert Edwin Morrison is an American country songwriter based in Nashville. More than 350 of his songs have been recorded. His most successful compositions are the Grammy-winning Kenny Rogers song, "You Decorated My Life" and the Grammy-nominated "Lookin' for Love," the theme song for the 1980 John Travolta film, Urban Cowboy, recorded by Johnny Lee. Morrison was ASCAP's "Country Songwriter of the Year" in 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1982 and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016.

Patsy Ann Bruce was an American country-western songwriter, music artist manager, and casting agent and businesswoman. She is best known for songs co-written with her then-husband, singer Ed Bruce, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the country-western standard "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," which was recorded by Waylon Jennings with Willie Nelson and went to No. 1 on the country chart in 1978.

Samuel Brinsley Ashworth is an American songwriter, producer, and recording artist. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee, he is best known for songs he composed for H.E.R., Leslie Odom Jr., and Sixpence None the Richer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donny Kees</span> American songwriter and musician

Donny Kees is an American songwriter and musician. Kees has written songs for numerous artists and charted several singles on the Billboard country charts. Since 1984, Kees has continued to write hit songs for other artists, most notably George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, George Jones, Conway Twitty, Joe Nichols, Bryan White and Diamond Rio.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Patterson, Jim (April 9, 2001). "Tin Pan South festival celebrates, motivates songwriters". Vol. 138, no. 61. San Francisco Examiner. p. C–4. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  2. ↑ Slaughter, Sylvia (February 27, 1993). "Lend an ear to Tin Pan South". Vol. 89, no. 58. The Tennessean. p. D–1. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Tin Pan South welcomes top American tunesmiths" . The Tennessean. March 7, 1993. p. 10. Retrieved February 26, 2019– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Paulson, Dave (March 28, 2019). "Tin Pan South 2019: What to know". Vol. 115, no. 87. The Tennessean (Nashville). p. 2–A.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Moore, Rick (April 8, 2018). "Tin Pan South 2018 Packs Them In". americansongwriter.com. American Songwriter Magazine. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Paulson, Dave (March 2, 2023). "Tin Pan South 2023 lineup to feature upstarts". No. 52, Vol. 119. The Tennessean (Nashville). pp. 2–A, 12–A.
  7. ↑ Mooney, Jake (October 17, 2008). "Tin Pan Alley, Not So Pretty". The New York Times . Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Tin Pan South Music Festival". Visit Music City. Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 "Entertainment Briefs: Songwriters Symposium". Vol. 75, no. 243. The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, California). Associated Press. April 3, 2002. p. D–3. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Tin Pan South Songwriting Seminar/About". nashvillesongwriters.com. Nashville Songwriters Association International. 13 November 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  11. ↑ Capps, Milt (November 8, 2007). "Bluebird Cafe gets new owner after 25 years". nashvillepost.com. Freeman Webb Company. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.