Here's what I almost always say "You can't keep a good song down!" Now I cannot claim to have coined that phrase, (forgive me whoever did) I picked it up somewhere along the way. But it's so true.
Something special happens when people hear a song that really hits them between the eyes or touches them. A song that has that special something that elicits deep spiritual or carnal response when it's being heard for the first time and then lingers and resonates afterwards. THOSE are the songs that stand out in the crowded soundscape. THOSE songs sprout legs like a Darwinian fish and take off with a life of their own. You don't have to promote them. You don't have to mail them to anyone wrapped in twentys or twist any arms. People WANT to hear them again. They WANT to tell others to listen to them and they want to get out their guitars and play them themselves. If no one can play and sing them quite like you can then they want to hire YOU to come and present them. They want to feel that feeling again and they want their friends to as well.
Does that mean we don't do ANYTHING to let our songs he heard? No, no, let's not be crazy. I tell artists to go get out there. Go play and sing anywhere and everywhere someone will let you. Give people a CHANCE to hear and like what you've got goin on. That's how the chain reaction gets started! But even before that, maybe the question isn't how do you get your songs out there as much as how do we write GREAT songs? - Not that I have the answer to that one. Though I might have some suggestions a little later on here... But when we take the time and effort to craft that really truly GREAT song. It'll just take off. Write it and give it a fair send-off so people know it exists. Then go on your way writing some more and eventually you'll bump into someone singing that song you wrote way back and they'll say "hey have you heard this great song?" To which you'll smile and say. "Yes! Have you heard of CCLI?" :)
