Music Promoter Chris Keaton Launches a New Venture “The Song Inside You” For 2025

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Interviews

Published on Wednesday, 30 July 2025 14:01

Written by Brad Balfour

Through Chris Keaton’s efforts as a song promoter, his writers have had songs recorded by George Strait, Brooks and Dunn, Reba McIntyre, Trisha Yearwood, Sir Cliff Richard and more. As a 30-year voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammys) and a 2016 inductee into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, this Nashville resident puts his experience to use.

Thanks to his savvy, Keaton has also written three books — “Seven Stupid Mistakes People Make Trying To Break Into The Music Business,” “Dapper” and “Confidence on The Fly.” In addition, he began hosting a podcast series, Random Acts.

As he explained, “From March to late September 2021, I recorded and released 22 episodes (Season 1) of my podcast. In January, 2025, Season Two begins. Season 1 was audio only and the second season will be available in audio and video formats. The Random Acts podcast will include upcoming guests: Warner Music artist, Cale Dodds and Grammy-nominated Dance/Remix Producer, Dave Aude.

But I now have a new venture going live called “The Song Inside You.” This is meant to be an unparalleled experience for those who started out as songwriters but parked their dream to focus on a career. Now that they are nearing or at retirement age, they have realized that one never ages out as a songwriter. This once in a lifetime experience is for them.

The following day, our clients fly home with a copy of the co-written song and memories to last a lifetime. Packages, which start at $5,000, also include two nights at a deluxe hotel on Music Row, just minutes from the famous downtown honky tonks and nightlife attractions.”

Q: Have you done this already as a test case?

Chris Keaton: No. It’s a brand new idea. The sign-ups for registrants so far have come from my social media feed.

Q: Do you have people already booked for this?

Chris Keaton: We began on January 1 to take bookings of registrants.

Q: Obviously, this is something you curate. What’s the process of picking who you focus on and how are you promoting the idea (beyond a story I can write)?

Chris Keaton: Yes, I curate only to make sure that the talent level of the registrants is at least adequate (my judgement call) and they are agreeable to terms created by my attorney. The registrant does share ownership of the copyright with the hit songwriter.

Songwriters already committed to the project include Kent Blazy (hits with Garth Brooks, Chris Young, etc.), Trey Bruce (Randy Travis, Diamond Rio), Cale Dodds (Warner Music Artist with numerous TV/blm placements including the latest ABC TV NYE commercial).

Q: Do you have ideas about how this community will grow?

Chris Keaton: Social media, advertising and focusing on meeting our audience where they are. The target demographic is professionals from all walks of life. People who are either approaching or at retirement age. Emerging songwriters who would like to engage in following their dreams by having the unique opportunity to co-write with some of Nashville’s best and most successful songwriters. Think Fantasy baseball camp or Rock and Roll Fantasy camp.

This one-of-a-kind songwriter experience allows registrants to make memorable moments and follow their dreams. The packages include deluxe accommodations on World Famous Music Row in Nashville; an in-person songwriting session with a bona fide hit songwriter in a professional setting; a recording session with top Nashville studio musicians, engineers and singers in a top tier, professional recording studio. The registrant leaves with not only a professional recording of her or his co- written song but also the memory of a lifetime. Travel to and from Nashville is not included.

Q: Will this model create a new force among the songwriting community?

Chris Keaton: I believe it already has. Several professional songwriters with whom I have shared the idea are doing similar but smaller scale versions: offering their time and expertise to emerging songwriters without access to the industry via Zoom songwriting sessions. The professionals are paid for their time, energy and talent and the emerging songwriters get a wonderful and valuable experience, a lesson in how songs get written on a professional level, and a co-written song which is better than they could have written on their own.

Most everyone understands how difficult it is to have access to those who have successful songwriting careers. It is nearly impossible. With The Song Inside You program, not only do registrants gain this one-to-one access. They can also learn how to grow their songwriting craft.

Q: Do you think it will create an online distribution network out of the result of the songwriting creations?

Chris Keaton: That remains to be seen.

Q: How did you get involved with music in the first place?

Chris Keaton: On February 9, 1964, along with millions of other young people, I saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. Their performances that evening shaped my life and career path like nothing else. The very next day, my brother and I started lip syncing to The Beatles. About a year later, we started a neighborhood band.

At the time, I was learning to play piano but the band already had a piano player. They insisted I play something, so my dad took me to the local music store. He pointed out a trumpet and I was like, “Not so much.” He pointed out a sax and before I could object, he said “Ladies love sax players.” So I said “Let’s get one of those!” I learned to play sax in band classes in school and never looked back. I was a touring musician for many years — playing in bands with Gary U.S. Bonds and then Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, among others.

Q: How did you become a song plugger?

Chris Keaton: When I moved to Nashville in 1993, I noticed that people in the business with the nicest houses, nicest cars and year-round tans were music publishers and song pluggers. I immediately decided that was for me and found my way into the business. The fact that I didn’t have a clue about what to do never stopped me from learning.

For more information or to sign up for a free weekly newsletter at wwww.chriskeaton.com. Registrants can reach out or get more information including pricing via:www.thesonginsideyou.com

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