NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Welcome to The Nashville Dispatch, a feature on NRI NOW.
In this monthly column submitted by Burrillville native Keith Bradford, we cover topics in the music business designed to inform, entertain, and enlighten people interested in the topic
Nashville Exodus
For years, if you wanted to have a successful career in country music, you more than likely moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Music City USA was the destination for singers, song writers, and musicians who dreamed of someday performing on The Grand Ole Opry.
The cost of housing in Nashville has recently reached an amount that very precious few aspiring entertainers can afford. Countless would be music people are having to leave Nashville because they can no longer afford to live there. It is a shame because the musicians struggling to get known have always been the very fiber that makes lower Broadway – home of the Honky Tonk district – not only a tourist attraction, but the life blood that makes what Music City is all about.
It is true that Nashville is known for far more than just music, but when the name Nashville comes to mind, the average person thinks of Country music, and for the older folks, “Hee Haw” is but a memory. I recently heard one young lady say that her rent went up $900 more a month than it was just three months ago. She is currently working three jobs just to be able to pay her $1,900 a month rent for a one bedroom apartment in downtown Nashville.
Hundreds of great singers, song writers, and musicians are exiting daily, and leaving behind their life time dreams of having a career in Country music. Well-established music industry people are suggesting for those interested in pursuing a career to work on it elsewhere where it is affordable. The old saying, “You can’t keep sunshine under a basket,” is truer today more than ever. If you truly have the talent to make it in the music business, you will be found and or discovered.
Continue to hone your craft and get better and better. Do this where you can afford to live. If it is meant to be, you will get your shot.
The Music Business – Ya Gotta Luv It
Keith Bradford is the host of Ya Gotta Love It, a country music show on NBRN based in Nashville, Tenn. Also a singer and song writer, Bradford is the owner and operator of KMA Records in Nashville and brings more than 60 years of industry knowledge to the endeavor.
Do you have questions about the music business? Have a topic or artist you’d like Keith to discuss? Send your questions and requests to keith@nbrnonline.com.
