The Music Industry Saved Songwriter Hugh Prestwood From Homelessness. Is It Also Responsible for His Plight?

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How the music industry failed a hit country songwriter, who at 79 is staving off homelessness

A-list names like James Taylor, Judy Collins, Alison Krauss, Jimmy Buffett, Nils Lofgren, Tanya Tucker, and Kathy Mattea all covered his songs.

But even if this specific campaign has a seemingly happy ending, it masks a much darker reality. For every Hugh Prestwood, there are dozens and dozens of aging songwriters without the reputation, the network, or even the know-how to get their story in front of a supportive community . Or they’re simply too ashamed or alienated to ask for help in the first place.

Prestwood is keenly aware of the ways in which his story is drawing attention to a much larger problem. “It represents the plight of a lot of songwriters,” he says, referring to various industry changes over the past several decades that have resulted in the dramatic shrinking in the number of professional songwriters who are able to make a living off their publishing income.

Joe Galante, former chairman of Sony Music Nashville, emphasizes the business’s transition from albums to singles and says songwriters like Prestwood who used to make money from album sales have seen that revenue dry up. “He got caught in the transition to streaming,” Galante says.

 

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