Setting a date to move

So now I have a date to move and an idea of what to expect when in Nashville, I have to find some money to actually make the move. I knew I would need gas to get there and food. After I decided to move to Nashville I had to make a budget for the move. I moved to Nashville with less than $400 bucks. That bought me enough gas, food, and beer, to get started.

I’ve learned that planning is good, but to focus on solutions to any obstacles I need to overcome. Emerson says to move forward in the direction of your goals and what you need will come to you. There were people who thought I was crazy for moving, and that I would fall on my face and fail, moving back home with a broken spirit. But I focused on what I did have, and found solutions, and asked for help when I needed it. I knew once I got to Nashville, I could make it. The economy was much better than what we had in Buffalo, NY, and I was making it there. I didn’t have a college degree, or any trade skills, (like being a carpenter, etc), but I was a good worker, I worked hard, showed up on time prepared to work, I got along well with others, and I enjoyed being around people, so I knew I could always find opportunities to prove myself. I’ve learned that’s what it takes.

I Decided to Move to Nashville

A Little About Me

A lonely snowflake kissed my cheek when I opened the door of my sturdy, 1986 Buick Century. I pulled my guitar and gig bag from the back seat and got out of my car. Walking up the sidewalk, and around the corner, I noticed the neon light flickering at Thomas Hughie’s bar across the street. The street lights illuminated the flakes of snow as they fell on their own time, caressing the industrial landscape of Buffalo with a fresh coat of crystal white. As I entered my silent apartment, I eased the door shut. No need to wake the neighbors at 4am. I brushed off my jacked and threw it on the couch, then I flopped down into my chair.

I reached into my front jeans pocket, and tried to fish out the pieces of paper in it between two fingers. A hundred bucks. I made a hundred bucks playing music, drinking beer, and flirting with every girl that wasn’t attached to man bigger than me. I looked out my window, and watched a man wobble out of the bar, then pull a brush out of his car and start brushing the snow off of his windshield. I picked one, just a single one, snowflake, and my eyes followed the lone flake until it hit the pile of flake standing on a now white, fire hydrant. The thought first hit me at that moment, “What would life be like if I was able to play and sing as my full time job?” Wow! In that moment, with that single snowflake, on an icy Buffalo morning, my life changed. I decided to pursue a career in music. I decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee, home of country music.

Motive-action!

Hanging out at Rippy's on Lower Broadway, Nashville, TN

Motivation is fuel for action. Knowledge can help conquer fear. Coming back from Nashville, I had intense motivation and excitement. I also had knowledge of the job market, the housing market, and the general culture of the city. I got to visit the Bluebird Cafe and listen to amazing songwriters. We took a tour of The Ryman (the original Grand Old Opry), the Country Music Hall of Fame, I sat in with a musician at a honky tonk on lower Broadway, and I even wrote my name on the wall at Tootsies! I was excited; I couldn't wait to move! That motivated me to act enthusiastically towards make this dream a reality. I was not longer intimidated or fearful of what was to be a major change in my life.

When I got back from Nashville I was more fired up and determined than ever. I knew what I wanted to do, and had several ideas on how to do it. I was moving forward, taking action on my dream.

Next, I had to set a date, and tell people about it. I had to put myself on the line. Fear can always creep in, as well as complacency. I had to have a plan of action, notify my boss, my landlord. I had to burn my bridges. George Washington. I had to keep my eye on the prize. I didn’t want to be contemplating moving to Nashville in 12 months, still doing what I was doing. I knew I had to take action, or I wouldn’t do a thing. It’s a law of physics, a ball in motion tends to stay in motion, a ball at rest, stays at rest. I had to get into motion.

Scouting Nashville PT 2

Yesterday we talked about scouting out Nashville; making a trip to town before you move here. I mentioned I made the trip with my parents, since they had never been to Nashville and wanted to go (and help support my decision to move). What other options do you have if this is not one of them? Be creative. You are an artist, aren’t you? Have a fundraise for the trip, make and cell a cd, hold a seminar, a party, sell homemade cookies, fundraiser at church. I know a guy that works for a company that cleans and maintains ponds and lakes. He convinced his boss to open up a office in Nashville, with himself as the manager. He works out of his apartment, building the business by day, and working on his songwriting career by night.

Another friend decided to go to college in Nashville. Nashville has some great music schools, including Belmont and MTSU. As well, the are home to Vanderbilt, but that may take a little more money than a shoestring budget.

Also, some restaurants, such as TGIF’s, allow their staff to work in other stores in other cities while they are on vacation. This is a great way to get started in a new city. Get a job at a chain restaurant or businesss, then transfer to the city you want to go to.

Once I arrived in Nashville with my parents, I got to spend a couple days downtown, on Music Row. I walked up and down 16^th and 17^th avenue, I even stopped in to talk to a few publisher, got some names and numbers. I learned my way around. Nashville is not a big city, it was easy for me to feel comfortable there, and navagate where I’m going, even without a map. I was amazed at seeing all the record company offices that I had only seen on TV up until then. I sat in with a guy at the world famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge, and played a song on stage! I singed my name on the wall at Tootsies, (at that time they let anybody). I toured the Ryman Auditorium, the original Grand Ole Opry. I ate at the Pancake Pantry, the Sunset Grille, local favorites. I got to go to the Bluebird Café. Wow! I sat and listened, read the brochures on all the famous songwriters who played there, Garth Brooks, Melissa Ethridge, etc. I read the help wanted ads, there were a whole lot more in Nashville than in Buffalo. I got an idea of how much monthly rent would run. I had pictures, brochures. I went to the Grand Old Opry at Opryland. I walked through Opryland Hotel, realized I could work here if I needed to and make what I need for bills.

Scouting Nashville and Jobs

One of the best things I did before I moved to Nashville was take a trip there to visit and get to know my way around. It was a big decision for me, and what better way to get good information than to actually experience it? There are many creative ways to make a trip to Nashville. First I had to get over the idea of not having any money. I loved my job, but it didn’t provide any holiday or vacation pay. That didn’t matter to me, since my job was my passion, however, to take a week off without pay, or withthout any gigs, may produce some problems. I had to realize that I needed to focus on what I wanted. I could make the payments I needed to, it would just be a little tight. I had to move with complete abandon. If I had to ask my landlord for a couple of extra days to pay the rent, or sell something, I was going to do it. I had to go to Nashville, I knew once I was there, I would know if it is the right decision to move.

Lucky for me I have the parents I do. They both wanted to go to Nashville as well, after I told them what I was going to do. This pretty much took care of the trip costs, including gas, lodging and food. I helped where I could, mainly with driving. It was a great trip, and I got to spend some time with my parents, and they felt more at ease with my move having been to Nashville.

Ideas for funding your move, and demo cd.

So, for me, the pro’s outweighed the cons when it came to moving to Nashville. However, I still didn’t have the money. I was living paycheck to paycheck. I read in a book by Robert Schuller once, that in order to pursue something that was impossible, write down 10 ways of achieving that dream without stopping to edit or think if any of the ideas were do-able, just write them down. He said, usually 2 or 3 of them will be pretty good ideas you could use. So I tried that to think of ways to get the money to move:

1.) sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door

2.) ask my boss for the money

3.) ask dad

4.) have a big party, charge for admission

5.) take pre-orders for cd’s, then record the cd’s and hand them out

6.) sell all my stuff

7.) cash in my 401k (didn’t have one)

8.) play the lottery

9.) pray God to send me a check

10.)skip out on my rent and slip out in the dark of night

Well, some of these may be do-able, but the one I thought would work was # 4. Have a party. I found a bar with a banquet hall close to where I worked, rented that out, and charged $15 to see my current band, Easy Does It, perform and enjoy some wine, cheese and beer. A friend from the health club I worked at made up a flyer announcing the party. We advertised it to all my friends and family, and told them what it was for, and made enough to record a 4 song cassette (1995) and have a couple of dollars left over to get started in Nashville.

Budget (Pt 2)

The key for me was to get here. I made a trip to Nashville with my parents 3 months before I moved here. It was a vacation for all of us, but it gave me a chance to learn my way around, check out the job market, check out the housing market, see how far it was and how much gas money I would need, and it motivated me big time to move. I new the route I was going to take to get there, how long it would take me, some places to stop, get some food and gas, some places not to stop, get food and gas. My parents were more comfortable with the move also.

I’ve learned that planning is good, but to focus on solutions to any obstacles I need to overcome. Emerson says to move forward in the direction of your goals and what you need will come to you. There were people who thought I was crazy for moving, and that I would fall on my face and fail, moving back home with a broken spirit. But I focused on what I did have, and found solutions, and asked for help when I needed it. I knew once I got to Nashville, I could make it. The economy was much better than what we had in Buffalo, NY, and I was making it there. I didn’t have a college degree, or any trade skills, (like being a carpenter, etc), but I was a good worker, I worked hard, showed up on time prepared to work, I got along well with others, and I enjoyed being around people, so I knew I could always find opportunities to prove myself. I’ve learned that’s what it takes.

If you have a car, and you really want to start off bare bones, or your are on a string budget, without the shoe, then you can try some alternative housing.

Tomorrow I'll talk about ideas for funding your trip, and the unique idea that helped me record my demo cd for Nashville.

Your Budget, part 1

Lower Broadway, Nashville, TN (Tootsies, Roberts', etc)

After deciding to move to Nashville, I had to make a budget and get some saved for the move. I did not know how much it would cost, other than gas to get there, rent and food. I did know I would not have a lot of money to begin with, so I thought if I knew anyone in Nashville. There was a friend of mine from high school who had moved to Nashville years earlier. I could contact him, and if he still lived there maybe he could help me out.

After I decided to move to Nashville I had to make a budget for the move. Now, how much money does it take to move to Nashville? $5000, $2500? Not if you don’t have it and want to move bad enough. I moved to Nashville with less than $400 bucks. That bought me enough gas, food, and beer, to get started. Fortunately, I did have a job waiting for me when I arrived (see job hunting), and a place to stay (a friends couch, see alternative housing ideas). My main expense was the gas to get there.

If you don’t have a car, then you don’t have to worry about that. Take the bus, get a ride from a friend that wants to take a road trip, have your parents take you, or hitchhike. You can find a job downtown Nashville near Vanderbilt or Belmont University, and rent a room for @$415. If you work a part-time job at Starbucks, 20 hours per week, at $7 per hour,(that’s what they pay in Nashville, minimum wage is not a factor for most jobs) that’s $140 per week, times 4 is $560 per month, enough to squeak by paying rent, eating peanut butter and jelly, and beans n rice, and having enough time to write, write, write, practice, practice, practice, and make contacts. I got a job at BMI within a week from applying at a temporary agency called Randstadt on music row. I worked in the mailroom, and after 2 months of proving myself, they hired me. Talk about and inside track. I delivered mail to Sheryl Crows sister, Kathy, Bradleys sister and grandson, Patsy and Clay, worked along side Harlan Howards son , and met the CEO Frances Preston, several times picking up and delivering her mail! In that area you can walk wherever you need to go, all your restaurants, grocery stored, laundry mat, etc. are right there. And you are a couple of blocks from music row. You are a few more blocks from downtown, Broadway, with Tootsies, etc, where you can get gigs or busk for some extra cash.

How I Moved to Nashville on a Shoestring Budget (to pursue my musical dreams)

I moved to Nashville from Buffalo, NY in August of 1995. I was working at a health club by day, and playing music at night. It was a good life. One day I heard a Tony Robbins tape and on that tape he said to ask yourself if you were 65 years old and sitting in a rocking chair, what would you think about your life? What risks would you wished you would have taken? Well, I knew at that moment I did not want to look back and think, “What if I had moved to Nashville and was able to make a living playing, writing, and singing music instead of working dead end jobs and going nowhere?” I wanted to stop saying, “what if”, and try. I dreamed of traveling the world, playing music and making money. I had worked in factories, and in the service industry, and was unfulfilled. I heard about people moving to Nashville and making it big. Being able to write or sing music for a living, a very comfortable living. I didn’t want to be 70 years old, in my rocking chair at a retirement home wishing I could go back in time and take a chance at living a dream. I got so fed up with the day-to-day grind, I decided I would rather try and fail, than do nothing and succeed.

I started by weighing the pro’s and con’s on wether to move or not. Let’s see, pro’s:

1.) Nashville has a better economy than Buffalo, so it had better job opportunities.

2.) The music community for country music, Christian, and a lot of pop music, is located in Nashville.

3.) Some of the best musicians in the world are in Nashville pursuing their dreams. I would benefit from the association of these people.

4.) Nashvilles’ not a big, major city like NY or LA where it is hard to meet people, hard to get around, and hard to survive. It is more like a big country town, one of the friendliest cities in America. You can bump into songwriters, producers and stars in the supermarket, church, or in a restaurant.

5.) Nashville is set up to teach songwriters to become the best, with associations like NSAI, ASCAP, SESAC,GMA, CMA, Songwriters Guild, Bluebird Café, and BMI located downtown, most within walking distance of another (usually right across the street!).

6.) The history of country music is in Nashville; with Tootsies, The Ryman (the original Grand Ol Opry),

7.) Plenty of opportunities to play for tourists downtown and at Opryland.

8.) It’s the home of Gibson and Gruhn guitars.

9.) A great, experienced independent scene. You don’t have to be on a major label to make a good living.

10.) Sony, BMG, RCA, Capitol, Curb, and all their publishers are located downtown.

11.) Top recording studios and musicians in town.

12.) Education galore(Belmont University, MTSU), seminars, networking events, showcases, books, etc.

13.) Meet people with a passion for music like myself.

Cons

1.) I don’t have the money, and I’m afraid.

Looking at the list, I could see the pro’s outweighed the con’s. I had made and inventory of the situation to help with making the decision, and the decision was made. I was going to move to Nashville! The next thing I needed to do was create a budget, so I would know “how” I was going to be able to move.