Hi everyone

Hi everyone!!! This is an open letter to everyone who is a country music fan
anywhere.

The country music industry is running at a stagnant pace these days and it
needs a kickstart to get it going again. Sales are down, attendance at
concerts is down, radio stations playlists are smaller and the same songs
are played too many times over and over again. Country music artists,
songwriters are being squeezed financially by rising costs in recording and
the lack of promotional support available to get their product to the
consumer. The various country music associations' memberships are down.
There's only one monthly Canadian country magazine left (Country Music
News).

It sure sounds like doom and gloom, doesn't it? Well it doesn't always have
to be this way. I am appealing to every country music fan and country music
artist to get more involved in the country music industry. I am particularly
addressing the independent country music industry. I'd like to tell all
country music fans what it's like being an independent country music artist.
Things are not as they may seem. A lot of people are under the impression
that we are making a decent living from our concerts and CD sales. This is
just not the case. Things are really tough. Most independent artists have
full time jobs outside of music to pay their bills. A full time music career
is just not in the cards for most of us. Unless you are signed to a major
record company label, there is very little chance to make a decent living
from the music business. Even songwriters are having great difficulty
earning a living. Unless you write a top 10 song, and do it consistently
there is no way to make a decent income. Then why do we do it you might ask?
The main reason is for the love of it. We love writing songs, we love
singing and performing them for people. We bring the gift of music to
everyone's lives everyday whether you listen to the radio, television or
hear it live. Music is a part of everyone's daily lives.

My wish to everyone out there is to become more INVOLVED in our country
music industry. Whether you're a country music fan or a country music artist
I appeal for your help to make our industry get out of its current state.

If you are a country music fan or a country music artist and/or songwriter
there are many things you can do to help. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Purchase CD's from independent artists. This is very important. We all
have Alan Jackson, Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain CD's in our collections but
how many of us are supporting the independent artist. If everyone bought a
CD from one of these artists once a month, it would help tremendously and
boost the industry.

2. Check out an independent artist live in concert. It would really make a
difference. There are many concerts available to see independent artists.
These concerts are reasonably priced and sometimes free. If you run an
entertainment business, think of hiring one of these artists. Live music is
much more entertaining than background music.

3. Find out more about the independent artists out there by joining the
country music associations or checking out their country music websites.
There are links to independent artist website on these sites. Here are a few
in Canada to check out:

CCMA - www.ccma.org
OCPFA - www.ocpfa.com
Thatscountry - www.thatscountry.com
Oprynorth - www.oprynorth.com
Atlantic Seabreeze www.atlanticseabreeze.com

4. Subscribe to Canada's only country music magazine.Country Music News.
Check out the website at www.countrymusicnews.ca. If you are an artist or in
the music industry, take out an ad in the magazine to promote yourself

5. Country music still has this image that all the songs are about drinking
songs and the dog that died and stuff like that. Well, some of it may be
like that and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that but today's country
music is about heartfelt emotions, humorous songs and stories about real
life. Yes REAL LIFE. It's about our everyday lives and things we've
experienced. Country music and lyrics take listeners to places they've been
or would like to be in their lives. No other music format does it better.

6. If you are a country music artist and/or songwriter and are not involved
with the associations listed above, you are missing out on major promotional
benefits for your career. Check them out.

7. If you are a songwriter please check out the 2 major songwriting
organizations in Canada. If you want to develop your craft and write better
songs, these people can help. Also, co-writing is another way to improve
your songs. Two heads are better than one. You can meet other songwriters
through these organizations.

NSAI - http://members.rogers.com/torontonsai or www.nashvillesongwriters.com
SAC - www.songwriters.ca

These are just a few things you can do to help revive our country music
industry. If every one of us did some of the things on this list, think of
how much better this industry could be. Please support our artists
especially the independent artists. It's a tough industry but with your
help, we can all make a difference.

Dan McVeigh

Dan McVeigh is an independent singer and song writer from Toronto Ontario.

The opinions express are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Opry North or Whitepaw Productions.

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