Spotlight on Nashville: Eldon Huff

I had the privilege of calling his home situated 30 minutes outside of Nashville, which is apparently more rural than I had imagined — we lost the connection a mere five times! But it’s all part and parcel of reaching a true musical genius. And it would seem that perseverance pays… Eldon imparted invaluable advice for aspiring musicians and also those who want to execute a successful fundraising campaign. I am now pleased to present you with the insider on Eldon, his project, and his plans for the upcoming album.

Tell us about Nashville. What’s it like being a musician there? Would you say there is a lot of opportunity for artists in Nashville?

Well, I’ve found its kind of a really good place to network and better your songwriting skills. It’s also where I found myself. I spent my first few years here figuring out how to write a song and how to actually do what I wanted to do. I think most people come to town that way. I wouldn’t say they’re blind or in the dark — they have, maybe, about an inch of an idea of what they want to do. And when they get here, they figure themselves out a little more. At least for me, that’s what its been good for.

Is there a lot of competition there? How does it feel?

Yea, definitely. I’ve heard statistics that say there’s hundreds that come here a day. Competition is pretty nuts. You kind of feel like a needle in a haystack. Fortunately when I moved here, I had already been in and out of town for a couple of years and made some contacts with some heavy hitters. But even so, it took me three years to get my publishing deal. I had to spend pretty much every day writing and getting better at what I did to achieve that.

What’s your best piece advice for other artists trying to climb the industry ladder?

Own as much of your creative content as you can; educate yourself on the music business as much as you can; and don’t think that a major record label is a measure of success because it just isn’t anymore. The old business model is dead in my eyes. I don’t foresee it ever coming back. But the major labels and many aspiring musicians are still holding onto it for whatever reason. They think its the easier route, but its really not.

There’s other ways to do it… there’s Youtube, and Myspace, just to mention a few. Digital distribution is really easy to get now for an independent artist. It’s easy to get your songs out. Keep yourself grounded and engulfed in the new ways and open-minded that you can achieve it without a major label. Stay focused on that consistently and believe in what you do until you succeed.

You seem to have quite an impressive performance track record. Tell me about some of the better shows/gigs you’ve been a part of. For example, you said you’ve had a chance to play with Miley Cyrus?

Yea.. I became pretty close with her dad Billy and his band and knew all those guys pretty well. Billy asked me to come out and open a show for Miley. It was a sold out house, about five or six thousand people. But for me all the shows are great. I dig the big shows in arenas, but my goal as an artist is to get into the theater level places — 2000 or 2500 seat theaters. They’re more intimate.

What’s a typical week for you like?  Is it all music, gigs, and recording?  Or do you secretly have a stamp collecting hobby or something?

Well my hobby is cooking. I love to cook. I try to cook dinner at home for my wife and two kids as much as I can when I’m home. I love to have people over to the house to cook for them. Other than that, my week is usually going into town spending 2-3 days a week trying to write songs and catching up with my writer buddies and producer friends. There will be times when I’m gone for a couple weeks at a time. But I just try to spend as much time with my wife and kids when I’m at home. Try to be in church when I can. I play golf when I get a chance. I’m a horrible golfer, but I have fun doing it.

When do you anticipate the album will be finished? And how will you go about distributing and promoting it? For example, do you have a tour planned?

The recording is set for January. I hope to have it done by the end of January, or mid February, then start the tour and begin releasing it in March. It will be in stores nationwide, on iTunes, and all of the digital outlets. It’ll also be available on my website. We’re not looking to hit radio with it… we’re going to put it out on the Internet, get some video play, and focus on touring. The market is becoming touring-based anyway for artists. So I really plan to wear the road out after the next three to five years.

As for distribution, there are several independent companies in town that have major distribution. I plan to hook up with one of those companies. They really cater to independent artists. They’ll do videos and release them onto CMT and some of the other new outlets. Although, the album is not really going to be very ‘country’. It’s more Old School/RnB. But as far as where the country audience is now, it’s still something I can market to them. The country market is very broad.

You’ve obviously spent years pitching producers and networking the music industry. What are the ingredients of a successful pitch?

It always goes back to the song. In any genre of music, it has to be a great song with great sound and recording. It can’t be something that sounds like it was recorded in your bathroom or basement with a cassette recorder. You also have to be patient and focused on building true honest relationships overtime. You always have to believe in what you’re pitching. Never pitch anything half-wit. Go the distance when you make a pitch and have your idea nailed to the floor. I think that’s the best advice I could give anybody.

How has your experience of using MicroGiving been so far? What did you like about this approach versus more traditional means of funding?

Well, the traditional means of funding usually involve dealing with a major record label. This means dealing with their control over the creative process, how and when they plan to release the record, how they’re going to promote it, and how much money they’re going to put behind it. A major label spends so much money recording a record. That alone, with the way albums sell these days, makes it almost impossible for the act to be able to recoup to them. And when you don’t recoup to the label, you usually get dumped because you are not making any money for yourself or the label.

Microgiving enables artists to raise the money to take a truly independent route — to fund their albums, their tours, their videos, and own as much of their own content as possible.

I’m also looking forward to being able to donate my ten percent. I’ve been some of the other places on MicroGiving, checking out the folks who have lost their homes, lost their jobs… and I’d like to see those people meet their goals too.

I enjoyed reading your stream on Myspace. You’ve been tweeting about your project almost every day. Do you have any other tips for how to successfully get the word out about a Project?

Video is always very strong. I’ve been doing a weekly video update that I post on Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, and refer my viewers back to my MicroGiving page. I think that will keep people interested.

I’ve also printed up some cards with my name, picture, and MicroGiving URL with the words ‘help me fund my album’. I’ve been giving those out at my shows, giving them out whenever I talk to somebody about it. I’ve found these useful because people have the URL right in front of them and can go home and check it out.

You just have to keep spreading the word. I think I can achieve my goals if I keep my nose to the grindstone.

You mentioned that you love to cook. In fact, you’ve incorporated this into your $5,000 reward:

So when are you going to visit the MicroGiving headquarters in Florida and show us some of your down home cookin’?

Oh, tell me when and I’ll be there!

A special thanks to Eldon for imparting such great advice and offering an insider’s perspective on the state of the music industry.

You can donate to Eldon’s project here.  If you too are running a Project, make sure to take note of his campaign approach and try implementing some of his tactics to get your project on the fast track to success.