as a gospel songwriter. I wrote short stories or poems and sent them to journals. A reasonable expectation was within six months I would receive a letter informing me if the work was accepted or rejected. If I hadn't heard in six months, I dispatched an inquiry, which usually elicited a reply. As a small press editor, I endeavored to respond to writers within six months or sooner. Most small press editors do their jobs as labors of love for little or no recompense, on top of their regular jobs and responsibilities.
I came from this into the world of an unknown southern gospel songwriter. They are two very different worlds. I put demos into the mail and I followed up within a reasonable amount of time to make sure they had been received. I kept careful records of songs I sent out and of to whom and when they were sent. I followed-up by phone. For the most part, I found phone calls to be a waste of time. Either no one answered or someone not directly involved with the group did and they could not answer my questions. Occasionally, I would get someone from the group on the line only to hear things like, “I haven't seen it, but it must be here somewhere,” or “Our tenor must have it. He looks after the demos.”
Later, to save the cost of wasted phone calls, I moved to following up with e-mail. Most groups don’t let songwriters know demos have been received and they ignore queries. If called out on it, they say they are too busy. In this comparison, it should be noted magazines and journals publish on regular schedules. Groups do not record on regular schedules. While songwriters need to allow some leeway, most artists could treat lesser-known songwriters better by telling songwriters when demos are received and notifying writers as soon as they know if the song(s) are or are not going to be used or if they will be held for future consideration.
This sort of behavior happens with the majority of groups. There are some exceptions I would like to mention. Very early on, not realizing Mark Bishop writes his own songs, I sent a demo to him. He graciously wrote me an encouraging letter telling me this and expressing that my work showed talent and I should continue writing.
When my husband and I got to go to the National Quartet Convention, the first thing I wanted to do was to find Mark and thank him for his encouragement. When I did, he told me to burn as many demos as I could and to hand them to everyone. Later in the week, he passed me an aisle and said, “Go visit Karen Peck—she's looking for songs now.” Mark may never record one of my songs, but his consideration in sending a follow-up letter and offering advice at the NQC will always mark him as a fine Christian gospel singer in my books. (By the way, Karen Peck's office always follows up with an e-mail to tell me Mp3s have been received.)
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