Sometimes, theyвЂ™re one of your closest friends. In fact, you may have to talk to them about a different business matter tomorrow. Plus, most of the industry operates within a few blocks on NashvilleвЂ™s Music Row - so if there is tension over who will record a song, you could run into your competitor that same day. вЂњToday, album cuts are insignificant really, they contribute almost nothing to your income.вЂќ The radio singles were a luxury,вЂќ said Bart Herbison, executive director of Nashville Songwriters Association International. Most of those songwriters made a living on a volume of album cuts. вЂњIn our heyday, we probably had about 3,000 to 4,000 songwriters making a living on getting songs pitched. Fewer albums are being released, and most country artists prefer to co-write their material unless youвЂ™re collaborating with the singer, the chances of getting a cut on an album, let alone a single, are getting smaller. These days, the best way to make a living as a songwriter or publisher is with a radio single, which earns money per spin and helps rack up sales. If the songwriters are contracted by different publishing companies, who all technically own the rights to the same song and split royalties, there might be six or more people pitching the same tune around town.ДЄt the same time, the financial stakes are higher than ever.

While country songs used to be written by one or two people, now the norm is three, even four. The вЂњholdвЂќ policy in song publishing has been around for decades, though it has become more complex as Nashville writing rooms evolve. At the same time, everyone wants to get their hands on that next big song, especially as streaming services eat away at profits. The country music songwriting community is competitive but uniquely close a tightknit, supportive, fiercely loyal family. In an insular place like Nashville, where every deal is contingent on relationships, figuring out which songs should go to which singer can be a delicate issue. Welcome to a side of country music that fans donвЂ™t usually see: Many of their favorite hits started out with a different artist. And Shelton wasnвЂ™t thrilled to learn that Farr, a relatively new performer, was suddenly in the mix. Farr requested to put the song on hold.Д«ut as it turned out, вЂњThe VoiceвЂќ superstar Blake SheltonвЂ™s label had already heard a demo recording of вЂњA Guy Walks Into a Bar,вЂќ and executives liked it so much that they also put it on hold. Singleton wasnвЂ™t sure, so he introduced Farr to his publisher, who was also at the bar. His next question: Does anyone have the song on hold? Meaning, did any other artist have plans to record it? Intrigued, Farr walked up to Singleton afterward. (TOP LEFT: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Happy Valley Jam RIGHT: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Country Thunder BOTTOM LEFT: Michele Eve Sandberg/Invision/AP)ДЄ few years ago, country singer Tyler Farr was out listening to live music at a bar in Nashville when he heard hit songwriter Jonathan Singleton play a catchy ballad called вЂњA Guy Walks Into a Bar.вЂќ

Clockwise from top left, singer-songwriter Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and country music trio Lady Antebellum.

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