On January 4th, a milestone for our Co-op quietly passed into history. NC Songwriters was incorporated on January 4th 1999. The organization existed a few years before (we had already mounted two songwriting contests) but that’s the date we became official. So as we, NC Songwriters Co-op, officially enter our second decade, let’s take a quick look at where we’ve been and where we are going.

How things have changed for performing songwriters in the last ten years! Our Co-op was born in the 1990’s when everybody wanted live music. We fondly remember those days as if almost anyone with a guitar and a song could get a gig. Over this decade internet technology has loosened the death grip of big-business music on the music industry and independent music has flourished. The range and quality of music available to every music consumer has exploded and for us, well, “There’s just no place to be lousy anymore.”*

While internet technology has helped to lower all kinds of technical and business barriers for musicians, it has created a new problem: isolation. Making and sharing music is not a solitary effort. Musicians are at their best when they have the opportunity to inspire each other and in turn move the hearts of audiences with their craft.

For the Co-op the last four years have been years of experimentation and growth. We’ve piloted new programs, experimented with the formats of others and we’ve more than doubled in members. Both in participation and in word the membership feedback has consistently repeated these two themes:

• Help us to achieve a quality in our craft that will help us in public performance.
• Provide an opportunity to network with and learn from our peer artists.

2009 may be some of the hardest economic times that any of us will ever see. This not only affects our organization as a non-profit, but also most of our members as they deal with their “day-jobs” and the venues that provide us a place to play. In hard times, success is all about efficiently solving a real need. To this end, we have reorganized our Board of Directors and designed our program around those two membership needs:

• We’ve trimmed the Board of Directors to five members with very specific roles in delivering the 2009 core program. This frees up other volunteer talent and resources to provide extended and pilot programs.
• We are simplifying the basic operations of the Co-op so they can be executed by an entirely volunteer Board.
• One member of the Board is now charged solely with membership communication. This will help to keep the entire membership informed of planned activities and provide a focal point for members to contribute their ideas and efforts to build the program.
• We have kept the annual membership fee at $10 to insure that nobody has to drop out for lack of funds.

As you’ve heard us say many times: this is a Co-op. It will always be stronger with your contribution. Ideas are always valuable and delivery always wins the day. Please review the 2009 core program and think about resources or activities that would make the Co-op more valuable to you and other members. If you have ideas, bring them forward and help put together a plan for delivery to the membership.

Yours in Tune,

Dwight Sullivan
2009 NCSC Coordinator

* my thanks to Jon Batson for this quote from the late, great George Burns.