Tina Shafer, Director of NYSC

Tina Shafer, director of NYSC.

What does NYSC do?

The NYSC  is a branded, self contained music community that features live shows in major cities, a world wide songwriting contest, and educational “LOFT” series that is supported by an online social media platform.  We are all artists working to connect other artists and help them with exposure and knowledge of the ever changing landscape of the music business!

Who is eligible to join NYSC?

Anyone can join the site but venues are booked by myself and our listening team.  If it’s something we love, we will always call.  The contest is also submission based and the best talent rises to the top.

What separates NYSC from other songwriting organizations?

Quality, consistency, and the history with my running it for 19 years.

You’ve served as director of the organization since 1991. How has NYSWC evolved since then?

Since then, we have expanded into other cities, Boston, Philly, Chicago and LA and soon Milan, Italy and we are considering other cites in Europe. We started our educational “LOFT” Series the last Tuesday of every month and we are into our fourth year with the Songwriting contest.   Plus, our site (songwriters-circle.com) has fantastic selection of audio and video content from all of our shows.  We are always looking for ways to generate exposure for our artists.

You’re an accomplished songwriter yourself, having written songs for Celine Dion and Donna Summer. Do you still find time to put pen to paper?

Hardly, it is the one area that I really miss and want to find the time to do more of in the future.  I am completely dedicated to our goal of growing the NYSC and my career as a writer has taken a bit of a back seat to the company in order to support our artists.  However, there will be time though and I am working on my third CD.  I am a songwriter, a poet at heart and mostly an observer by nature.

Who are some of NYSC’s more notable members?

Jessie Harris, Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton, Gavin DeGraw, Chris Baron, John Oates, Phoebe Snow, Siedah Garrett (Man in the Mirror) Hugh Prestwood, Gary Burr, Marc Cohn, Glen Burtnick, Shelly Pieken,  Eric Bazilian (what if God Were One of Us).  The list goes on, there have been so many amazing songwriters I just can’t remember them all as I sit here!

NYSC recently expanded to Los Angeles. What prompted that decision, and are there plans to expand elsewhere?

I have alot of songwriter friends in LA that I have written and worked with over the years, it just seemed like a natural fit.  Shelly Pieken helped me put together the first show with some amazing writers and Suzan Koc (a indie publisher) helped me to host the show.  It will be held monthly at “The Mint” in LA. What a great club!

What else can we expect from NYSC in the near future?

We are looking to continue to expand our live venues and include more cities in the US and abroad.  Plus, we are also working on ways to make our website more interactive and reach writers globally at every level.  But, at the core, I am always looking for great original songs. They never die.