We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cort Carpenter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cort, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I’ve hit the 10-year mark of living in Nashville, and I have done a ton during that those years that I’m proud of. Actually, everything I have done has led to my current project that is super meaningful to me.

My latest project is in the midst of being rolled out and released this Fall. It’s my first full length album (10 songs) that I have released since being here. I have released a ton of singles, and 4 7 song EP’s, but this is my first album.

This album means a lot because I have put my heart and soul into making it my strongest yet. I have carefully written and also collected songs from some of Nashville’s biggest songwriters to complete this album. Everything from the order of the songs to the artwork is in place for a strong rollout.

I have also worked with two new producers on this project who collaborated to make this record one that the entire world needs to hear. From the songwriting and production, and then my own performances on the tracks, I’m super proud of it all. My suggestion, just give it a listen when it releases.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, I grew up as a standout 3 sport athlete and dedicated my life to playing ball. I ended up playing division-1 baseball at the University of Portland and excelled in my college career.

After my college ball career completed and my dreams of going pro were up ended by a car accident, I started looking for a job but started singing for fun at local bars in my hometown. From there, I ended up drawing attention with my voice, which led me to starting a band locally and touring the Northwest. I then made the move to Nashville after a short stint in California and the rest has been history. I have been touring nationally for the past 10 years as an independent artist.

As an indie artist I have been able to break down doors that most have not been able to just by not giving up and finding ways to get in front of the right folks. However, my dream of being signed to a major label is still a goal of mine that I haven’t been able to reach yet. The music industry in Nashville is a blast to be involved in, but it’s been terribly difficult.

As I continue to forge ahead, the single most important thing I’d like my fans to know is that interaction and support with fans on social media and music sites is crucial to an artist’s success. If you are a fan of any musician out there, my suggestion is to do extra to support your favorite artists. Join their VIP Clubs, follow all of their socials, continuously spin their music daily, and interact. With algorithms stifling creatives/artists, its vital to help beat the system by constant interaction. That’s my hope for fans everywhere. It’s tough enough as an artist to “make it”, but with algorithms working against us, we all need constant fan support to get our art out there.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I feel over the past 10 years I have really built a strong social media presence by merely “hustling”. I have been able to find investors that have been able to help me with small promotional items that really have helped. Handing out flyers at shows, putting my information and giving away FREE koozies at all my shows, and other promo signage has been extremely beneficial to my success. The little things go a long way. Because of my free koozie giveaways at ALL of my shows, I’m even known as the “koozie man”. People remember those efforts because they physically have a koozie hanging in their house.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being a country artist in Nashville is one of the hardest industry’s to be in. With so many artists trying to make it as I am, and especially as the country market has been flooded with new artists who now have moved to Nashville since the pandemic, it’s difficult to stand out anymore unless you have a video go viral.

Because of the market being so heavy with artists now, I have still been able to beat down doors and get into some opportunities that are keeping me on the radar in Music City. With 99 no’s you may get 1 yes.

Being an independent artist without a label, getting into festivals is extremely difficult. However, one thing I think shows my resilience is that I never give up and I find ways to get my name, fans, and music in front of festival management. I have worked my way in to playing the main stage at many of the nation’s biggest country music festivals, without a label representing me. This is something I’m most proud of because it’s unusual to even be considered for these events without major representation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cortcarpenter.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cortcarpenterofficial
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cortccarpenter
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cortcarpenterllc/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/cortcarpenter
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/cortcalebcarpenter
• Other: www.patreon.com/cortcarpenter

Image Credits
Headshots by: Daniel Shippey