Nashville's Dirty Secret: The Truth Behind Music Row's Shady Deals 🎤 #nashville #musicrow

Comments · 237

• RO

  @rommfilms · 2 years ago

  I owned a small studio about 10 years ago. We had a client whose parents were quite wealthy and supportive of his "singing" career. We knew he couldn't sing, but the songs were ok and we thought with some singing lessons he would at least be able to record. He was paying very good money for the studio time, session players and even brought drinks and food to the sessions. After 1 year of work, we had 12 songs fully recorded and mixed except for the vocals. He was never able to sing them properly, we tried a million different approaches but nothing worked and he didn't want to bring in a singer. The project was scrapped. A team of 5 people (including me) paid all their bills for a whole year thanks to this. I didn't feel we were scamming the guy, we did our very best for the album and got him vocal coaching and all. It just didn't work out. Some songs were good, it was a pity.

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• TO

  @toploadtele · 2 years ago (edited)

  I arrived in Nashville in mid-1975 by train from Montgomery AL at the ripe age of 18. I came for the &quot;music&quot; business but with a twist, I showed up &nbsp;to sell gear not play any instrument, although I was a decent drummer at the time. I was involved in opening up all of the Dixie Hi-Fi stores in the market working at all of the locations. As Dixie Hi-Fi eventually evolved into Circuit City, I managed every location at some point including the West End store close to Music Row across from the Holiday Inn. <br> <br>Artists, players and writers all required decent home and car audio gear to listen to the music they made, not just gear to gig with. The demand was unreal, we killed it! Selling audio in Nashville was easy as it get because the market wanted the best-sounding playback possible at home and in the car. I always tried to make the best deal I could for the writers and players to get them imnto the best-sounding system for their money. The artists didn&apos;t seem to care so much about price as if they had a budget from their label. I can&apos;t even begin to the you all of the great talent that came into the stores on a daily basis, most of which could not even hook up or operate their new systems or balance a tone arm. This was pre-cassette and way prior to CDs, everything was on vinyl with a smithering of 8-Track tape and KDF ruled the FM airwaves.<br> <br>I stayed 25 years but Nashville started getting too crazy for me around 1999-2000 so I moved back top Alabama in late 2000. I love Nashville but it became way too much for me way back then. <br> <br>I enjoy your channel and &nbsp;just wanted to point out that many people who support the music industry come and go just like the players, writers and Artists. <br> <br>Good luck in FL!

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• WI

  @williamcoiner6019 · 2 years ago

  I have felt that the entertainment industry is a secret society &nbsp;that some one lets you in.

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• TH

  @threestreamsworship · 2 years ago (edited)

  When I came to Nashville to track with clients, the session guys would call these &quot;vanity projects.&quot; In my case, the artists knew it was going nowhere but were happy to pay for the experience. Tracking your mediocre song with a room of killers is a once-in-a-lifetime joy. The look on people&apos;s faces when musicians simultaneously document their dreams in one take <br>is pretty cool.

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• GE

  @gener2842 · 2 years ago

  &quot;Demo Mills&quot; were common in LA too. I have a friend who became a millionaire running a network of demo mill studios in LA as the &quot;producer&quot;. I made some good money cutting bass tracks for him. Sometimes we would even get called to go into a bigger studio like NRG or Sound City at full AFM scale for some deep-pockets wannabe. It was like the fantasy Disneyland for some trust fund baby on Daddy&apos;s money. I saw a guy spend $120k on a record that no one has ever heard except for the people who worked on it and his immediate family. It was atrocious.

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• SC

  @scamtoons · 2 years ago

  From 2004 to 2009 I was a foh guy in Omaha Nebraska . Every person I ever got from Nashville always told me I need to move there and be a tech. <br>A couple of them told me . we don&apos;t have sounds guys like you down there. <br>And I took that as a very very good compliment. <br>Unfortunately in 2009 I got my family disease Ataxia and ended up in a wheelchair. &nbsp;Hopefully I&apos;ll make it one day to visit the town.

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• DA

  @dansmusic3637 · 2 years ago (edited)

  Brad, you are spot on, brother! Back in 1983 I was signed to a writer&apos;s contract with the biggest music publisher in the world, &nbsp;by a guy who wrote/co-wrote many top ten country hits. They wanted me to move from Indiana to Nsshvplle to write and play guitar on their in house demos. I was making a good living at home, making twice what the piublisher was offering, playing and teaching. So &nbsp;I diidn&apos;t go...before I got that contract I went to se veral small publishers. EVERY one wanted money to record demos, etc..

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• AM

  @amusicalheart7 · 2 years ago

  That so sad. Even though I’ve written a handful of songs, the more I find out about how the music industry treats people the more I’m glad that I’m content to just play covers in my own hometown.

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• JO

  @johnweir1277 · 2 years ago

  same type of things happens now with kids and sports , appealing to parents for training camps, travel teams with weekly tournaments all over the place &nbsp;, private coaching ... for the chance &nbsp;of a college &nbsp;scholarship &nbsp;pro career &nbsp;etc

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• PA

  @PattersonTweed · 2 years ago

  I support the right to fail in style.

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• JA

  @jackbyrd4921 · 2 years ago

  There are shell games everywhere you go. Its sad too because sometimes people hold on to their dreams so tight when the time comes they don&apos;t know how to let go. But i can see how you could fall into the trap if you have a good salesman selling caviar dreams and champaign wishes. .

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• ST

  @stevemarcantonio8587 · 2 years ago

  Wow! Lots to unfold here Brad. I’ve been here since 87. I’m surprised I haven’t met you yet. I had my run as an engineer in the late 80s and 90s. ACM and Grammy. Worked at most every studio and every studio musician. Did many records and many, many demos. So I think I have a lot of experience and I’ve seen it all.<br>To say that these “scams” are common is not true. Most everyone I know in this industry we call music are very fair and honest. Like me. I’ve done many demos for free. If I get close to a client who’s doing these demos I try to help them out. I tell them to watch out and take care of themselves. <br>A recording studio doesn’t make much money. The cost to keep it open are astronomical. Studios do not prey on people. <br>Anyone can call themselves a producer. It’s up to the client to do their background checks. <br>Please don’t try to tarnish Music City. I come from the Record Plant in NYC. I’m so glad I did. I love it here and I’m proud of the music community. Awesome people!!!<br>Oh, one other thing. &nbsp;Those people you talk about who make demos that can’t sing? I’ve done those sessions. Platinum selling artists!!!<br>Music is art. Let people do what they want. Do your research before you come here whether you’re an artist or musician. <br>Peace out. You seem like a dude I can hang with!

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