The Nashville Songwriters Association International, NSAI for short, has been a staple in the Nashville Music scene for over 46 years, but there are some things that you may not know about NSAI and their annual song contest. We had a chat with NSAI team members Shannon Gursky and Susan Myers about the contest and why it's a great opportunity for any artist looking to submit. Read on below for the full interview and click the banner at the bottom of the page to submit your songs before the 10/31/2013 deadline!
Sonicbids: Is the NSAI Song Contest only for country musicians and songwriters?
NSAI: The contest is open to all genres and all genres are encouraged to submit. There are song and lyric-only categories. The contest is open to all amateur songwriters. Any entrant or co-writer who derives the majority of their income from songwriting or has ever had a staff writing deal with a publishing company is not eligible.
Sonicbids: What's one thing you'd like everyone to know about NSAI?
NSAI: We are an educational and advocacy organization. We lobby in Washington DC to protect songwriters’ rights.
Sonicbids: What would you say to a songwriter thinking about submitting to the contest to encourage them?
NSAI: Connections and the opportunity to develop long lasting relationships with industry professionals is what sets the NSAI Song Contest apart from all others. Past winners understand this is a powerful vehicle to get “discovered” and have found success in multiple areas of the music business, including signing a record deal, an artist development deal, and securing music publishing staff writing deals. We dug up some quotes from past Sonicbids winners to prove it!
“…it has helped increase my visibility. I signed a publishing deal with Rhyme Partners after the contest.” – Bill DiLuigi, 2012 Grand Prize Winner
“I was able to connect with various publishers through winning the contest, and since then I have developed great relationships with them.” – Kayliann Lowe, 2010 Grand Prize Winner and CMT Listeners’ Choice Award Winner
“The NSAI Song Contest Presented by CMT helped me to build the kind of momentum that forces the industry to listen up!” – Cassidy Lynn, 2012 CMT Listeners’ Choice Award Winner
Sonicbids: Another great thing about the NSAI Song Contest is that the winners have the opportunity to work with some established industry mentors. Could you tell us a little bit about this year's mentors?
NSAI: Brett James is an award winning singer/songwriter with cuts from Kenny Chesney (“When The Sun Goes Down”), Carrie Underwood (“Jesus Take The Wheel”), Rascal Flatts (“Love You Out Loud”) and Kelly Clarkson (#1 AC single “Mr. Know It All”) just to name a few. Paul Williams is a singer/songwriter/actor and executive with a long list of hits including songs by Three Dog Night (“An Old Fashioned Love Song”), Helen Reddy’s (“You and Me Against The World”), David Bowie (“Fill Your Heart”) and the Carpenters’ (“We’ve Only Just Begun”). He’s also composed countless songs for film (The Muppet Movie “Rainbow Connection”) and TV shows.
Sonicbids: And lastly, what are some tips to get your songs noticed by NSAI judges?
NSAI: All songs are judged equally and will be judged based on melody, composition, and lyrics. Send in your best song(s)!
