This blog was contributed by NSAI Intern, Grant Thompson
I came to NSAI with minimal knowledge of the music industry. Before I started at NSAI, friends would ask me what NSAI is. I told them what I knew at the time: “It’s an organization that’s built to support songwriters in every way possible.” What I didn’t realize at the time is how much NSAI actually does for the songwriting community.
Weekly workshops, song camps, mentoring sessions, song feedback, pitch to publisher opportunities and the list goes on and on. What some might not know is how much NSAI advocates for the songwriter. Almost once a month, members from our staff travel to D.C. to lobby for bills that will benefit the songwriter and industry, as a whole.
I was lucky enough to be apart of NSAI in the midst of a turning point for songwriters. The Music Modernization Act (MMA) has been the forefront of the conversation at NSAI for the back half of my internship. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a large amount of support and camaraderie within a community like I saw in these last few weeks. Everyone from friends at my part-time job to pro writers to big name artists spoke out in support of the MMA, and it ended up being instrumental in the progress of the bill.
There’s a moment when it hits you like, wow, this is real life for these people. This decision could impact a multitude of lives, and to be apart of that kind of movement is inspiring but also relieving to know that this industry has each other’s backs like no other.
NSAI has had my back in more ways than I can even begin to describe. These people that I’ve known for only three months somehow feel like a huge part of my life already. They’ve taught me so much about the industry, what it means to be an intern and how to be successful. For that and even more, I’m forever grateful to NSAI for giving me my start in the industry. 
