#189 Nancy Deckant
Nashvilles beating heart are the songwriters that are drawn to her and Nancy describes her desires to live in Nashville became very clear to her in 2013. She made the journey to the beautifyl music capitol of the world and realised all around her that even though everyone was there, peoeple were still struggling to connect and network in the magical city.
CEO and founder of Discover Sooner an online community of songwriting professionals and songwriters was put together to connect publishers, artist, songwriters and everyone inbetween to help fast track the meeting process and create more oppertunities for people to work together.
Check out the online community of Discover Sooner here: https://www.discoversooner.com/us
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Transcript
Rae Leigh: Welcome to a Songwriter Tryst with Nancy Deckant the co-founder and CEO of discover sooner. But also a songwriter. How are you doing?
Nancy Deckant: Hey, I'm doing really good Rae, how are you today?
Rae Leigh: I'm good. I'm actually really? looking forward to hearing about, you're obviously a very passionate person and you're doing stuff to help other people as Well, So I want to find out about how one ends up there. So I'd like to start with getting you to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about who you are and where you come from.
Nancy Deckant: Well, okay. I'm Nancy Dickens and I'm a songwriter and a. A lot of time as a publisher and doing mostly song plugging on that end, which is getting songs to artists and places where those, that music can be heard and, and picked up by major label artists and also and 20, 20, welcome to the pandemic I launched discover sooner, which was really born out of this.
It takes so long. For S for songwriters to gain access to publishers that can change their career. And I thought this is ridiculous. Just takes too long. We got to wait and there is a better way to do this. And out of that, I launched discover sooner, which we'll get to that later. But just even music for me was always.
So compelling, as a kid my mom got me a guitar at 14, started writing songs right away. And when I was in my twenties, I was in a church where, you could bring your own written praise, songs to church and just blurt them out whenever you want. And, you got to read the room and things like that.
And it was a very individual side of the sort of service. And anyway, so I, I played in church for a long time. And then, you kind of grow up and you get married, have babies, and then you get all distracted by life. And I really didn't come back to music till I was much later in life. But.
The minute, we started having there were a plethora of bookstores and everyone was playing in bands. So little, little, little folk bands and things like that at the borders and, and places like that, it was like, I just have to do this. I'm a play guitar, but also play mandolin. And, there's only one.
Neat for one mandolin and a band most of the time. And usually there's lots of guitars hanging around. So, just really actually my husband George, he was, he plays bass and it was like, come with me, let's do this music thing. And I'm like, okay. So we started writing songs. We were in a band. We were like, Like death cab for cutie band and indie rock kind of thing.
And the lead singer decided that that was just not the position he wanted to be in. He just didn't wanna sing. And, be we went to go make album writing, just check it out. Right. We love
him.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, but didn't want to be there. Didn't want to be in the spotlight.
Nancy Deckant: They want to be in the spotlight. And we were like, well, we don't want to give this up.
Right. So we just started writing our own songs and along the way I got invited to a meeting from the Nashville songwriters association, international N S a I do, the NSAI right
over there.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, I do. Yeah, we do.
Nancy Deckant: Oh, my God, it was like a half. They are amazing. There was such a hallelujah moment. This is like in the early two thousands.
Right. And Jason Blum, who's a phenomenal song. Writer came and there was actually a, I mean, they've really understood the craft of songwriting. And it was so exciting because just to put words on all of those things of like a burst of chorus,
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Nancy Deckant: There should be a high, you should give this, this singer something ha.
Well, look at this singers. They're amazing, give them something to sing for. And so just started buckling down and started learning how to craft a song and enjoyed playing in bands for 10 years. And then 13 I I'm just like. Well, the, the thing about Nash NSAI was saying always invite you about once a year to come to Nashville.
I became a coordinator of the Pittsburgh group and why to me down and to, get training as a coordinator, but stepping into Nashville. I like everything. In the, that is musical just turned on. Like, it was like, like I've got more melodies. I got more S a better song ideas. I got lyrics. I wake up in the morning and, and all of this in the just completely activated and then go and then go back to Pittsburgh.
And it's like, this is like crickets. Wait, what's what's going on here. And then, mixed year, go down to Nashville. And the same thing happens. I mean, I know again, you realize that something about this town. It's calling to me and I have to go. So in 2013, I go to my husband. I was like, oh honey, I don't want, I don't want to book this band anymore.
I want to, I want, I need to be at the creation point and let's put in
that.
Rae Leigh: move. Yeah.
Nancy Deckant: And he's like, ah,
he goes like, oh, well, why don't you just go back and forth for a while to figure it out? What out he figured it out, but you know, I think when you're supposed to be here a lot, there's a great feeling that, that things are coming together and it's feels kind of, like bigger than you, bigger than you are calling.
And that's where a lot of us come because, they feel like spiritual experiences that, that nudge. And a PA in a way in which you're supposed to go. And so 2013, and I, okay. I'm going to go all the way off the deep end here. Right. then I want to NSAs advanced song. And invited us afterwards to hear the hit songwriters over at Douglas corner.
I'm sitting there at Douglas corner and I start getting like, Like maybe this invisible voice speaking to me and it says, do do I need to give you a vision to, for you to know that you're going to sit in the, in that round like that, like a head songwriter. And I'm like, well, now that you're talking to me, I guess you really don't need to give me a vision.
That's enough for me. And I was like, and then there was. I, and then everybody around here in Nashville, we, there's a lot of a lot of buildings that are being, sold to to, turn them into Airbnbs, the ones that are on music row and then. I like Ben folds saved RCA studio B a couple of years ago from the developers.
Not, not that they have ill intentions, but the square footage usually doesn't work out for them. And the thing is, we're always saying, well, you don't understand these great things have happened in the, in these buildings. And I would go one step further. I would say that if there are spirit guides, then they hang around in these beautiful places where they know all of us seekers are going to be, and they're ready.
They're ready for us. They know who we are. They know whose heart is beating. Like I need to be here and they will find their own ways to encourage us there on the UNSW. Like we can't see them, but we can feel their nudge. And I've had, I had a lot of those experiences. I'd always like, I just have to be here in Nashville.
And in 2013 I started living here every, every other month. And, and I did that for a year and a half. And then I was like, I can't pick up everything every other year.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, it's
Nancy Deckant: this anymore. And then, cause there's like 10 hours away and it's a long drive. And so, in 2015 my husband and I, we bought a condo in Nashville for me to stay there.
And that's very typical for people to do this, this back and forth stage because it does upset your whole life. But all of that gave me a chance to find some great co-writers and really, get my song, writing career going. And and, and then lots of other things sort of happened. I mean, and I think, this a very interesting town in a way the whole entire music industry is here.
And if there's something. Some role that each of us can fill like a lot of song writers become producers, a lot of songs, because that's a way to make money while you're writing your song is right. A lot of us are like, well, somebody in this group for me, it was like, well, somebody in this group got to take care of the business and because we can write all these songs, but we need to get them to whomever.
And so I started doing song plugging and became a publisher out of that. And and to this day, I can send my song. I have a great relationships with a lot of people in town because, you have to learn how to, what the bar. And send people songs that they can really use and stuff like that.
And, and you have to learn sometimes in the beginning of your song writing, you have to really, your songs get really better quicker when you're in Nashville. Cause you usually
start co-writing right. And when you're
Rae Leigh: And doing it more often. He's
Nancy Deckant: right. And more often.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Nancy Deckant: Oh, you start getting better, really fast.
And I think, writing in Pittsburgh, by myself for, three years was equal to, three months of me writing and Nashville with co-writers. Where I didn't where I maybe, I, I didn't know where the second verse went, but they did. I was like, Hey, now I'm getting better, faster, because I'm learning from everyone else. And they're learning from me. And
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Nancy Deckant: so anyway, that's how it all started in for very much. So the ground that you need to. Cultivate when you're in Nashville is if you're, if you're not in your twenties early thirties, you might when you're over traditionally aged and at which, where you start writing with artists who are young.
And you bring the craft to the room and you help them write their lyrics and help them, help young artists along the way. And that's a lot of what I've done with my own songwriting choices. And. Really worked to support many other S young songwriters career on their journey to where they're going.
And, out of that I, I feel very successful in a way that, maybe we haven't had, number one song on billboard. I haven't had a top 40 billboard, but I haven't had a number one like that, but everyone
Rae Leigh: But it's coming.
Nancy Deckant: Right. You know what? Because like in 2013 I was sitting next to Dallas, Remington at the Commodore and she was 13.
Rae Leigh: Wow.
Nancy Deckant: Now we've been on this journey a long time and. Yeah, last year I've had, three or four songs out by Dallas Remington because we're great friends. And I think that's the kind of the ed and great co-writers and we've helped each other on our journeys. And what's really interesting about music.
At least here in Nashville is, it's not a lot of snobbery. I mean, there is some, but, You could be young and you can be really old. And none of those things, it's not about the age of, the physical age, it's about where you're at as a songwriter and what you can bring and have you, oh.
And so, we who are of a certain age, we go, well, that's not as important as.
Rae Leigh: team effort, isn't
Nancy Deckant: It's it really is. And especially when you're writing and co-writing with two other people and we're just trying to get the best song here and you find your best friends and you find anyway,
Rae Leigh: I love that attitude though. In Nashville. Like I think for me coming from. Australia and feeling like to do a song. I had to do everything myself. It's overwhelming to the, to the point that I wasn't doing it. It was too overwhelming. Cause I'm like, well, I can't be the producer and the artist and the songwriter and the publisher and the, everything, it's, it's just so much to do for, to get to that process and being in Nashville and it was like, someone else can do.
The parts that someone else can write the bridge, someone else can do the publishing or the, and, and, and as soon as I realized that there are other people who are good at the things that I'm not good at, and I can just do what I'm good at. I was like, sweet. Like I can do that. I can, I can just do what I'm good at.
Nancy Deckant: Absolutely. I, I love that. Right. And I love that because it's, it's so true and there's so much to learn. And my most time when we're doing a demo, right. All of us are chipping in saying, what about this? What about that? You're not really having to produce this all alone. Oh, left with the decision how's this going to sound?
And and it's great to be in that situation. It's great. When you have a great producer, who's just going to, who knows what you want and that's what we all strive for. But yeah.
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Nancy Deckant: on the, on the journey there to, to not be in it alone. It is. I think that is like as a visual artists, because I am I have you misspent spent many, many, 15 years as a visual artist in Pittsburgh before I came to Nashville,
Rae Leigh: There you go.
Nancy Deckant: I mean,
Rae Leigh: creative.
Nancy Deckant: Right. And there's nothing. There's nothing like, like when you're painting by yourself and listening to music, even if you're painting in a workshop with a whole bunch of people there, it's not the same as sitting in the room with two other people. And you're telling the stories of your life, you're laughing, you're crying, you're, you just met this person and you're telling them stuff that happened when.
17, all in service to the song and it's completely trustworthy and most cases and yeah, it's, there's, I mean, the painting doesn't usually smile back and laughing and laughing point, I just got, it's kind of, so it's, it's, it's really beautiful. Although I do know that there is cocoa painting. I've seen some people paint, but you know,
Rae Leigh: Oh, there's, there's all sorts of things. Now, even with the digital NFTs, they're doing music, original music, over original artwork and all sorts of crazy wonderful things that are happening online these days. But I love, I love how you talk about the connecting and your laughing and sharing and, and that, that process of just connecting with another human being, I mean, If you think about what does music do?
And what's the point of it? It's like, well, it does, it connects us to ourselves and to the people around us and to the artists. And, and so it makes sense to, to make music from that space of connection, because that's what music does. It just seems so natural. And yet can, it can be sometimes. Great. Like, I, I probably would say I'm 50, 50.
Like I read a lot by myself and I ride a lot with other people. If I was in Nashville, I'd probably read a lot more with other people. I'm just, sometimes if it's 3:00 AM in the morning and no one wants to carry right at that time in the morning with me. So, and, and when a song comes or you're inspired you've got to let it out before you can get more sleep again.
Nancy Deckant: Yeah, well, as a, as a co-writer, I'm always writing by myself anyway, in the morning, I'm going to try to come. I mean, I add through the day, you get ideas and it, you have to develop that idea and before you could just take a hook it to us co-write. But if there's not some story around it, we're all scratching our heads.
You kind of have to develop it. So. And writing on my own. I think I feel like it reminds me of what my voice is as a writer, when you, sometimes you can lose that, right. Your great idea. And you brought it to these people and it didn't turn out at all the way you thought it was. But, med happens sometimes, but
Rae Leigh: Where would you say your voice is, songwriter songwriters come from for you
Nancy Deckant: I bet that that is such a good question, because I feel like there are certain topics that. I know, work for me, right? There's a certain, there's a there's anthems in this world that I, that I love writing, you know, like Jay for his name is Ashley J with a number for Joseph Henry. Wanda's the fourth.
So they call them J for, this song is better, it's called. And it's just meant to uplift the world. And that is, that is what I'd love to do. And then I'm with the feisty rebel over there, Dallas Remington. I love to work out of that part of. You know my own rebel at her age and for a long time after that.
So it's real chance to take all those parts of ourselves that often don't, don't get a chance to have a voice and say what they want to say and say it, for me, I love, I love, the. There are certain themes that I'm going to want to write on and others that maybe I won't, I won't, I won't be on that way for like,
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I love that though. And I love, I love that like as an artist, because I love to perform and I love to sing no problem with the spotlight, but I love it when I can take someone like yourself and I can hear their voice in that, what they want to express through their art. I love it when I get to be a medium and I get to share that.
Three performing a song that was written with them. What, what would you say like,
when it comes to co-writing, what would you say you found is really important for people when they're going into a co-write to,
Nancy Deckant: If you're writing with an artist, I think, songwriters are they're in service to the artist and to. This is the person who's going to take this song into the world. They need to feel it in their guts. And if so, if she wants to say it in a certain kind of way, that might not be the way that I would say it, then I'm all for whatever makes the singer feel the strongest, because I know there's no mistaking that because it's how you feel when you sing a song.
And, and so as a song writer Doing a lot of that working with artists, then that's my goal is, bringing in great ideas and and try to help the singer. If they like it, find everything, get the best out of it for them, for themselves. And, so that's really my goal. Sometimes that doesn't necessarily lead to a great deal of fulfillment for other people in the room.
But then there are lots of other places that we could take this song, writing skill, like for TV and film, when you're writing songs for. TV and film, I call them sink songs for saying, oh, that is real different thing. And I can, I can be my own artist in that, even though it might not necessarily be the demo singer on its right.
The singer on that. I can have it say whatever I wanted to say, and it's simple. And so, and it's really nice not to have to do, country flip-flops whatever. With this hook, you have to be a lot more emotional with a song that's in TV and film. So it's a nice break from the typical. Kinds of ways in which we write.
And then if riding long enough, I've gotten to know what works and in both areas pretty well. So I just think that it, right. If with enough people that you're going to get. All the satisfaction that you need. And I think one of the I mean, there's nothing more satisfying than creating something together.
Right. And that is what I think keeps us coming back. Like we're all little addicts. Oh my God. We went from nothing into something and I like it.
Rae Leigh: And you all get to celebrate your strengths if you've done a good job. It's yeah. That's, that's probably my favorite part of doing a song project and having something really. And then, all the names attached to it when it, when it does well, when you get a number one radio hit or it's on, CMT or anything like that, you all get to celebrate.
Cause it's like, Hey, look what, look what we've done together. When we've put our strengths together and it's has beautiful. like that's such a high, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it does happen, it. just makes everything else worthwhile. Right.
Nancy Deckant: Yeah, I think when you, that is what we're going for, we're going for successful careers. Right. I saw like, we're not really in it for the hobby. We do love it for creating, right. And the sake of creating itself, like, what I think makes a lot of people wake up in the morning is the fact that there's some place to take that talent.
And
so, yeah,
but you know, when I, I'm not just writing to have something that I wrote, they wrote another song that they wouldn't really rather write a song that people are going to hear and
Rae Leigh: Yeah, like you have to love it. And that, that is the base rule. You got to have fun and you've got to love what you're creating when you're working with people. and that, that makes it even better because then you're enjoying the journey. But like we said earlier with connecting, if we're trying to connect.
If, if know, if it goes on radio and it gets success, however much it NP, other people are connecting to it. Well, it's just like, it's validating that you've, you've done your job. You've
Nancy Deckant: Yeah, for
Rae Leigh: on some level. However you've done that it's
Nancy Deckant: Just so that the fact that an artist loved the song enough to record it, that is a huge right. You go like, oh my God, the ring there was wrangling this song. Oh my goodness. That it, that it makes me feel like I did my job. Right.
Rae Leigh: Is there, is there something that you could from the other side of the couch in, and co-writing section for maybe artists who maybe haven't done a lot of co-writing, do you have any advice for them going into a co-write, how they can best prepare themselves to be working with other people who want to help them as aria?
How to like take on their advice because it is a bit strange going from being a solid writer to co-writing can be daunting. Do you have any advice for people
Nancy Deckant: Yeah, for sure. I think as an artist that the mark of an artist who is well on their way to being an artist is someone who I call like carries their own light into the room. And the, in the sense that I have this idea and I'd really, I, I love something about this idea. They don't necessarily have to have it all worked out, but life is.
Is is touching them in a way, and they're responding in a certain way that they know that they have, they have an idea that they want to write about. And I, I think it, if the artist is like, Never knows what they want to write about, but just, I think it means that they are much more and it takes time to figure out, what your voice is as an artist and the things you want to say.
But just to try to bring things that have feelings. An importance to yourself because if you do that, no matter, no matter what happens, you're going to write something that is interesting to you, and so I think it's incredible. Yeah. Incredibly important that you, you might not know today because maybe you just started writing songs and being an artist in the last, few years of your life.
But you know, five years down the road, it's going to be a lot more solidified and we need you to find your voice that's what you'll stand for. Like, What I have a really good friend. His name is Ben fuller and he is a Christian artist. He just got signed to Providence and he he's no secret.
He had a problem with drugs and, and any really the hit the Jesus center being in his life. And then it was just. I just have to give my life to Jesus. Right. And he started writing, his experience and he's very open about it. But interestingly, he said, okay, now I, he was at this point where he didn't really want to go to the bars to sing because that really wasn't a safe place for him.
So he decided that his, that his mission in this life was to bring hope to people. then he going to, to find places to play that he could bring hope to people. I think when you're on that kind of a mission, then it's, then it's easier to figure out what it is you want to say. And, and, and, Listen to Ben D Ben D fuller has B D is his middle initial.
Cause there's another Ben fuller out there and you will hear all over the place. And I think when you have that guiding thing, then it's not like saying I want to be a mix of Jason morass mates the wines, the wines, right. Musically, you might have a Sonic sound, but I think when your core is, this is what I'm bringing to the world, then everything will fall in line with that.
And until you find that purpose as an artist, it may be hard to find that voice. So try to start with the inner self because. I've heard many, many times from, and our people at labels that the closer an artist is to his true self as an artist, meaning like Kenny Rogers, the artists and Kenny Rogers, the dad, Kenny Rogers, the friend, Kenny Rogers, the, the spouse, the more that all of those lineup, I guess today would call it. Sam hunt, Sam
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah.
Nancy Deckant: Sam hunt. Right. Then, then the more likely this, the world will connect with you because you're close to yourself and you know who you are and what you want to say. So I think,
Rae Leigh: And that's not an easy thing
Nancy Deckant: right? That takes time. How many 20 year olds, 20 year olds know this? Well,
Rae Leigh: but that's
Nancy Deckant: I mean, but we
Rae Leigh: wrong with that either.
Nancy Deckant: Right. So that's why it takes time to figure it out. But we songwriters, we don't necessarily have to know every in and out of ourselves. We can know what we bring melodically. We know what we bring lyrically. We know get, bring his idea of the wise. Right. And, but artists, I think they have a big job that they have to do as a human being underneath that in order to grow. And connect with the world and that is connect with themselves.
Rae Leigh: And that that is, it's something that we all need to do in our own time. And our own journey is to try and do that. And, but the more we do that, I do believe that it becomes easier to exist when we are connected to ourselves. If we can seek that out. I don't know about you, but I've, I've spoken to a lot of artists where they're looking for a persona, and, and I've done this, as a 20 year old or a teenager, we're all trying to find out where we fit and we go through our different phases of I'm going to be in trouble.
I'm going to go hard country, or I'm going to be a gardener. I'm going to be an athlete, or I'm going to try all these different things and identify with, and you have to go through the phases to work out what you like and what you don't like. And what's true, and what's not true for you and your body. And there's that. That's a beautiful phase of life to go through and be curious and explore. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with trying something. Actually, I don't think I like this. That's for, I don't know, for me, I'm like finding out what you don't like and what you don't connect to is just as much as its success as finding the things that you do connect to.
Because you've worked out, whether it's a yes or no, but if you don't try it, you won't know it. And I I'm, I'm speaking as a mum here, obviously I've got, I've got three little kids and you want them to try their vegetables and if they haven't tried it, they don't know if they don't like it, it's that thing of being constantly a student and curious, and just trying new things. And that is how we, we connect to ourselves. Yeah.
Nancy Deckant: we have to write a whole bunch of songs on the way to an album. Right. We were like, don't take the first seven songs and put them on your album. Like. 47 songs and then, and then take the bus seven out of that. And I just wanted to say, Billie Eilish comes to mind. We believed her because we believed every word she spoke because we thought she was so authentic and everything she was experienced.
And because I think she took her real life experiences and our feelings. Like, and like that, and all those songs that we just believed her, and we all wanted to go on that journey with her. Cause we all knew what it was like to be that sad. And and, and, and I just think, if we can try to find out what's, what's real for us, we're all going to be in a better place.
Rae Leigh: How about we talk about discover soon and tell me, where did that come from? And you said it was a pandemic. You you're a problem solver, obviously. And you wanted to fix things. What, what was the real dry, like what happened that made you go, I'm going to do this.
Nancy Deckant: Well, I just if my previous life, I was an entrepreneur, I was a process engineer and I was an entrepreneur. And long before I came to Nashville and I just looked at in a five years into being in Nashville, I started seeing that. A number of the people that I had turned up in my class, we called the class of 2013.
Right. I noticed that the, a lot of my people showed up the same time as me started getting publishing deals. And I was like, Well, they were always that talented. They were that talented on the day. They stepped foot in this town and I was like, why is it taking, this is it's ridiculous. It's taking five years, right.
For people. And I just thought, sometimes I see that if you know exactly the right person. You immediately get brought into the fold of, these major publishers. And if you don't know the right people, then it can be a very, very, very long Trek. And I thought, what would be nice if there was someplace like LinkedIn?
Meets Bumble for all writers and publishers, right? Like bubble is like the publishers would have to reach out first. So that was my original idea. And I went and I talked to some wonderful people in Nashville in publishing rusty Gaston. Who's now over at Sony and Brad canard at Concord and Tim and.
He's been a real mentor to me and they all thought I had some really good idea here. And I went off and I built this, this website, which happened to launch during the, March of the, I got all my friends in the middle of, in March. We had nothing else to do, get into the site and if it works so, publishers can read.
And then I found out that like, I, that as is typical is of Nashville really just needs someone to refer you like Ben fuller his tour manager crystal said to me, Hey, I, I need, I need some, guidance when it comes to. Being an artist manager. And I says, well, here, let me hook you up with Neil's Spielberg.
And nail Spielberg is a long time manager in town and he jumped on down that team. And the next thing, Ben has a record label tale and
Rae Leigh: Wow.
Nancy Deckant: We're like, that's great. Okay. And then, making some other calls for people and sort of in the matchmaking game. And I was, and I was like, one-offs are kind of hard in this way that, Ben Fuller's don't come around every day.
But there are quite a lot of them here in Nashville. It's just about finding people. And so I eventually just came up with this idea with one of my friends. Leslie bow. And we looked at all the programs in town and like what works and what doesn't in terms of, you can pitch your songs, but do you really know, does that publisher know who you are?
Do you have any relationship with them? So I says, this is what I've always at the, what I want to do. And I set up a program called the publisher writer experience. Where, if this is a paid program, but my goal is not to have it be too much money that people can't afford it.
Rae Leigh: that's a good balance.
Nancy Deckant: No.
Rae Leigh: Cause that's, songwriters kind of afford much.
Nancy Deckant: There's cat auto for all that much. Right. And I understand, right. So what if there is, what if we could set you up with new co-writers that were at your speed and great, like you and. And then just 20 minutes and you get a 20 minute meeting with the same publisher for three months in a row. And, and, and, and this is how, I mean, you could blow your first meeting and then you've got two little mini meetings after this, where you can make up for it.
And, and this seems to be working. Then you can never, like you'll really, that publisher will really know you. We're kind of it's we started last September and since then we've had publishers give songwriters their email and inviting them to set up. Songs and continue the conversation.
And last time we had one publisher invited a songwriter ever to write with one of their signed writers. Who's a major label artist and, and, and, so everything, they could hope that. That could happen, has started to happen. I think we've gotten about 40 people in front of publishers now, and that's 40, more than were here before we were here. So, so it's it's so it's happening
Rae Leigh: connecting people.
Nancy Deckant: Are connecting people and not necessarily, there's a lot, there, there are not very many connector people in town. There are attorneys who are connectors and there are NSAI and global songwriters are definitely do a lot of that. And we're just doing it a little.
A little differently than other people are doing it because at the end of the day, I truly believe, these major label, major publishers, like Warner, chapel, and Anthem. They're more interested in writers. They need the best writers in the world and they, Tim told me Nancy, come focus on that next generation of artists and writers that.
That the people who are on the are, are really getting there and. It may or help us find them. And I'm like, okay, Tim. Yes, Tim. Yes. We'll get to them. Right. And like, but there's like 80,000 songwriters come to Nashville every year. There's some really great people here and so anyway currently we have, our summer, we have two more publishers out there.
We have a right now and probably by the time people hear this that that class may be over with, but we're going to do more and we're making inroads for songwriters because we know they're worthy and, and we net. And it should take a little, we're just helping it. So it takes a little less time and they got the.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Nancy Deckant: And, and what, not every songwriter in this world is meant to be with a publisher. And a lot of these publishers in Nashville, very country focused and things like that. Not everybody writes country songs, but what about SIG? And so I've just talked with two amazing women from. From their sink agents.
And we're going to do the, we're going to have St. Camp and we're going to try to get a whole bunch of people to these sink agents. Right.
Rae Leigh: to the sink camp. That sounds like fun.
Nancy Deckant: Well, I have your email and I will let you know when it goes, when it apply and I'm going to try to make it not too expensive, but when you're done with that sink tank, that same camp, it'll be a little bit like this.
It'll be like, you'll be in a group with a you and a producer and an artist, a producer, and a. And then the sink. Agent's going to tell you what, they're, what they're looking for. They're going to give you a brief and then you're going to start writing, right? And then an hour into the process. They're going to bop into your zoom room and they're going to say what you got and you're going to play what you got and they're gonna go, oh, that's great.
Keep going. Or they're going to go. No, no, no, no, that hook, I can't use that hook. Okay. Fix it. And then at the end of the night that give you more feedback and then two weeks later, you guys hand your song in and maybe they sign it. Right. So we are bringing the sync and I'm really excited about it. And it's not just for you guys.
It's because I need it right. These people, I'm a songwriter and we all need connections with people. So we have to do more of that and we're excited. That'll be coming probably, I don't know, July, August in that timeframe, but I'll definitely let you know when we,
Rae Leigh: that sounds fantastic. And it is
Nancy Deckant: so we're going to help you
Rae Leigh: That's.
Nancy Deckant: and you can be anywhere in the world. I don't know if you've got to run water right at 1130 at night,
Rae Leigh: say, but.
I want to come, I'm looking for excuses to come to Nashville. I know I don't need one, but it's like, when You you know, I had a friend living in Canada and I was like, could you just get married? Cause then I'd have an excuse to come over. It's it's not But, yeah, I mean, I came over in 2019 and I was like, I think like you I'm like I have to be back here and that hasn't been an option for the last few years.
And so I, I've made do, but that's probably where this podcast started as well as like, I, I have to connect with other people like me and get better as best I can from wherever I am. And thank goodness. I guess in a way COVID happened and people did become more online and people that weren't working with people online now are, and it's created a great way for me to get to know people. But I love being in the room with someone though.
Nancy Deckant: it changed everything. Because we all found out, we could write on zoom. Yes, we can. We love writing in person, but you know, in the past where like you get a little snobby,
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Nancy Deckant: look, I worked my butt off to get here to Nashville. When they get to Nashville, then I'll write with them and now it's like, Hey, they're really great.
You're full if you don't, if you miss this opportunity. Right. So, and, and anyway, so discover sooner we are going to have, as if you're a member, we're going to have a co-writer hookup night in June. So if you want to jump in there and belong to our little club there we are. And we know people that's like the number one thing.
Well, how do I find co-writer I'm from out of town. And while we're going to try to we're going to see if we can, if we can help you meet some really good people on a night, like on a night in Intune, we're going to do it.
Rae Leigh: it's going to be fun. And I've, I've seen a few people on there that I've already spoken to on the podcast that are a part of discover sooner. And I'm like Chris Wallen. Oh, my goodness. Such an amazing
Nancy Deckant: Oh, my
Rae Leigh: writer. And I, yeah. So
Nancy Deckant: Michael he's from Australia. You have to meet him because you're from Australia and he's so lovely. He's in Australia right now, but he's coming back and we can't wait till he comes
Rae Leigh: yeah.
Nancy Deckant: He's one of the greatest Aussies ever.
Rae Leigh: We haven't met me. Okay. No,
Nancy Deckant: sure you guys hook up. Be great. He'd be great to have on the podcast because he has a lot to say about the truck, the trip between Nashville and and and
Rae Leigh: And that that would be, that would actually be really good. We've had a few Aldi Nashvillians on the show and it is great to hear and get advice for some of the people coming in and out. But I mean, we've got people from all over the world, listening. To the podcast, which is very humbling and exciting as well, because I'm learning so much by talking to people like you, Nancy.
And, and my song writing has been getting better, but what's been even better is being able to share that like, like you're doing, helping everyone, everyone gets to hear these podcasts. Anyone can listen in, and it means everyone has the same opportunities to, to learn and grow and get better.
Nancy Deckant: democratic. Isn't
Rae Leigh: Yeah, it's all equal. But now I'm going to put the links to discover sooner and to use so people can connect into you and to what you're doing on the description of the podcast. And there'll be a blog on the website, songwriter trusts as well. Is there anything else you would like to share that you feel that we haven't covered?
I know we got interrupted, so I'm like, have we missed something? I actually have a question. I have a question that I ask everyone, and this is more to do with your inspirations, but if you could collaborate with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it?
be and why?
Nancy Deckant: Oh, my gosh. Okay. Kim Williams, Kim Williams is an amazing country songwriter and I met Kim a. I mean a Gatlinburg is song writing festival and he passed away. And I can't even remember so many classic country songs here. I look him up Kim, Kim Williams, but. There he is so close to heaven on some level as a young man, he was badly burned and the scars.
And I do think when you come that close to the, the edge that. God gets a chance to seep in your soul. A little more is such a cool guy. And when he passed away, I asked him if he would be my song writing a guardian angel, so to speak and be like, I'm going through a bad time. I talked to Kim and he, he hardly knew me. He shook my hand, but you know, I'm telling you
Rae Leigh: That's a beautiful story.
Nancy Deckant: So much talent and so much heart, right? Oh God. I know. Beautiful. So I would, I would like to write with Kim Williams on the other side,
Rae Leigh: I love that. Can you write that song writing with Kim on the other side? That's a good one. I can, I can hear it now. Okay. Well, thank you so much for taking the time out to, to share your heart and everything that you're doing and what you're doing and why are doing it and how you're doing it. You are obviously a very talented woman and we need.
people like you at their health.
Creatives connect And not everyone has that, the business, understanding and ability. And that's obviously a strength that you've stepped up in, in this space. And I really appreciate it. And I'm sure there's lots of people out there, like thank you for helping in this area. It's great to see.
Nancy Deckant: that's amazing. Thank you so much for having me. And I've enjoyed every minute of this.
Rae Leigh: no problem.
Nancy Deckant: Okay. Stay in touch.
