About Sherrill Blackman
Founder – sdb Music Group
Blackman, a Dudley, North Carolina native, arrived in Nashville in 1980 and graduated from Belmont University with a Music Business degree in 1982. He served on the staff of The Nashville Songwriters Association International for six years and was General Manager of Buckhorn Music for four years until 1994, when he founded his sdb music group, a publishing and songplugging company. Since that time, he has secured recordings in Country, Pop, Rock, Gospel, Bluegrass, Blues, Jazz, and Polka, resulting in various radio hits, as well as Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum certifications, several Grammy and IBMA nominations and one Dove award winner. Blackman is co-founder of The Independent Pluggers Association; a three term past president of The Nashville Publishers’ Network; and was named Music Row Magazine’s Songplugger of The Year in 2004, 2005, and 2006
This is what Sherrill typically looks for when seeking songs to add to his catalog. Most publishers like Sherrill have areas of focus. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW.
First of all and most importantly, Sherrill DOES NOT want to hear any AI-generated vocals on the demos. Sherrill supports the use of real musicians and vocalists in our industry.
COUNTRY: NO SLOW SONGS! Only tempos or something with a great groove. Need to have energy, movement, and excitement musically and melodically. No love or romantic relationship songs. No drinking or bar songs. The lyrics need to have depth and substance. Let me share a quote I was told that the legendary songwriter Bobby Braddock made “Don’t strive for songs that will only last through lunchtime. Write songs that will last a lifetime.”
Here are some song lyric examples to reference: “Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson; “Buy Dirt”, “Dirt Cheap”, This Is My Dirt” by various artists; “Stay In The Truck”. Going back further: “Live Like You Were Dying”, “The House That Built Me”, “I Hope You Dance”, “Humble & Kind”, “I Drive Your Truck”. Since basically all the artists are writing almost everything for their albums, these are the kinds of songs that it takes to beat those inside politics.
BLUEGRASS: Any tempo is acceptable, but an up-tempo feel is preferred. Avoid cutesy or novelty songs. Story songs work well in this genre, but they must be authentic. Avoid anything trite or cliché.
COUNTRY GOSPEL: Any tempo. Think Country á la Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba McEntire, and even Rascal Flatts. The lyrics need to be positive and can mention God, Jesus, and prayer but the song doesn’t need to be about those overall. Family values are a plus. Also, nobody can die in the song. Please understand that this genre is NOT Southern Gospel, Contemporary Christian, or Praise and Worship Gospel. It’s Country music that leans toward Gospel. Reference Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel”.
Sign Up For This Event
$30 per song GSC member
NEW Listen Only Option Available for Members for Only $20 (Note: Listen Only sales close at 7pm two days before the event.)
About the Publisher Online Pitch Event
Have you ever thought: “Wow I think I have a really good song. If only I could get a legitimate publisher to listen?”
Through GSC’s affordable Publisher Online Pitch service you can have your song or songs heard by a reputable publisher from wherever in the world you live and without the expensive cost of travel.
One of the most important elements of this service is that you will be connecting with a publisher, creating a relationship with this publisher and learning the pitching process professional songwriters utilize every day.
Here are the details!
- This event is open to members only.
- Pricing is $30.00 per Song Pitch and $20 for a Listen Only slot.
- This event is limited to 35 Song Pitches and 50 Listen Only slots.
- Once you purchase the POP event you will receive a confirmation that will contain your step by step instructions for logging into the webcast.
- If you purchase a song pitch, you will need to email your song in mp3 format along with your photo (jpg format only) and lyric (Microsoft Word format only) to pop@globalsongwriters.com 2 DAYS BEFORE THE EVENT. It is preferable to put the photo image and bio on the same page with your photo and contact information at the top. (Please list your name and where you are from on the top of your lyric. GSC wants the publisher to connect with you.)
- Guitar vocals and keyboard vocals are acceptable. You do not have to have a full demo for this event.
- The publisher will only listen to the first verse and the chorus of your song.
- The publisher may or may not comment on your song. This event is not intended as a publisher evaluation service; although in most cases, the publisher will offer constructive advice.
- This is a real publisher pitch opportunity. The publisher will either PASS on your song OR he may choose to keep your song for further consideration.
- You are encouraged to stay involved in the webinar while all songs are listened to and here is why:
- Out of respect for the other participants.
- Should the publisher choose to comment on a song, you will learn from what he has to say.
- If a publisher takes a song, you will want to connect with that songwriter and possibly co-write with that writer.
At GSC we always want you to know the real journey of a song from the pen to the publisher. With that in mind we want you to be aware of these facts.
1. Paying to Pitch a Song: GSC wants you to know that professional songwriters do not pay to have their songs heard by a publisher. Professional songwriters have worked years at developing their songwriting craft and earning the respect of the publishing community which earns them the opportunity to have their songs heard.
2. The Demo: GSC wants you to know…If you had a publishing deal and was a staff writer for the featured publisher, this publisher would hear your songs every day in their most simple form of a guitar vocal or keyboard vocal. If you were pitching your songs to a producer, artist, manager etc then you will need fully produced and well produced demo’s for these types of pitches.
3. The Listening Process: GSC wants you to know…Often, when a publisher is listening for songs for a project or artist, they can usually tell if it is a song they would be interested in for that project in less than 30 seconds. Through the POP event the publisher will be listening through the first verse and chorus in its entirety. However, in the future should you pitch a song to a publisher in their office and they turn your song off after only the first half of the first verse, we want you to know that is a normal part of the process.
4. Pitch Ready Songs: The reality is that some of your songs may not be ready for pitching to a publisher. However, there is much to be learned through the pitching process. Please consider a song evaluation session before pitching a song.
5. The Follow Up: If the publisher should take your song for consideration, we will be excited with you and it does happen! Below is the GSC recommended follow up process. Correct follow up is essential for success.
a. If your song is taken by the publisher you will be provided with the publishers contact email address for follow up.
b. If you do not hear from the publisher within 5 to 7 business days of them taking your song. We recommend you email the publisher, thank them for participating in the GSC POP program, thank them for their interest in your song and list the TITLE of the song as a reminder and ask if they should need anything further.
c. If you do not hear from the publisher within three weeks, make a phone call to the publisher office. You will most likely be leaving a message. If so, just leave your name, contact number and that you are following up on your song and list the title.
d. If the publisher does not return your call, do not call again. Simply send a physical thank you card, thanking them for their interest, recognizing that they are a busy industry professional and that you hope to have the opportunity to play them more songs in the future.
At GSC we know it would be disappointing to have your song taken by a publisher and then not hear from them. Unfortunately, this process is part of the song pitching process. Thoughtful and professional follow up is essential to success and is appreciated by busy, overworked publishers. They won’t forget your professionalism. Sometimes you may not hear from the publisher who took your song for months and then out of the blue, when they are ready and working on the project, you get the call. Many times I have kept a member’s song for over a year and then gave them a call for the just right opportunity. Songs will often be pitched over and over again for years before they land on just the right project.
