On The Cover: 2017 ‘MusicRow’ Awards Issue

Inside a gorgeous new building on Music Row, SESAC continues to champion its songwriters by sharing professional experience, words of encouragement, and an enthusiastic attitude to its incredible roster of talent. Some of the newest signings to SESAC are award-winning songwriters Lee Brice, Rosanne Cash and Jamey Johnson.

As two of the most visible members of the Nashville music industry, Kelli Turner, who has led some of the company’s most important licensing negotiations, and Dennis Lord, who is a fierce advocate for the rights of songwriters and intellectual property, provide leadership within the organization and throughout the community.

Turner heads up the Nashville office, overseeing a staff of 105 in a strikingly modern, nearly 39,000-square-foot space. In her role as Executive Vice President, Operations, Corporate Development and Chief Financial Officer, Turner monitors a multitude of departments with an indispensable eye for detail. She has been recognized as one of the leading women in the industry by Billboard and T.J. Martell Foundation. Turner joined SESAC in 2014.

Lord is SESAC’s Executive Vice President of Creative & Business Affairs. He leads the Creative Services team, which is responsible for the recruitment and signing of songwriters. This year marks his 20th anniversary with the company. With his guidance, SESAC has significantly expanded its representation of successful songwriters and composers. His signings include Zac Brown, the Kurt Cobain estate, Randy Newman, R.E.M., Adele and many others.

Lord has been a fixture in the Nashville music industry since the 1980s, when he wrote Travis Tritt’s breakout hit, “Country Club.” For two decades, he has set the tone for SESAC’s outstanding relationship with songwriters, and remains highly regarded within the community.

Sam Kling—SESAC’s Senior Vice President, Creative Operations—is responsible for helping create and execute growth strategies for SESAC’s creative departments. He also manages the creative operations’ day-to-day objectives. Kling is based in SESAC’s Los Angeles office, yet travels to Nashville frequently to immerse himself in the city’s unique musical culture.

Also on the creative team is Shannan Hatch, Vice President, Creative Services. Always striving to help songwriters reach the next level, she manages the Nashville-based Creative Services team. Her strong relationship with the Nashville songwriting and publishing community has resulted in significant and strategic growth for the SESAC roster. In 2014, she received the elite recognition as one of MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row. Following a career in publicity, Hatch joined SESAC in 2002.

ET Brown, Lydia Schultz, and Cristina Wheeler – who each hold the title of Manager – are vital members of SESAC’s Creative Services team by being knowledgeable in all areas of the songwriting field, from royalty statements to new legislation affecting songwriters’ rights. Because they interact with songwriters every day, their optimism and integrity are essential to the team’s overall success.

SESAC Nashville representatives stay actively involved in the careers of their songwriters, whether they’re keeping tabs on a newcomer, introducing new revenue streams, or presenting trophies for writing the year’s biggest hits. In fact, the SESAC Nashville Awards traditionally kick off the industry’s award season each fall, honoring the year’s most prominent country and Americana titles.

In Nashville and beyond, SESAC is a cornerstone of the music industry. On behalf of the most progressive performing rights organization in the U.S., Dennis Lord and the Creative Services team regularly seek out the top industry gatherings in Nashville to ensure that SESAC remains at the forefront of the community. At every level, from the writing room to the arena stage, their dedication to songwriters is undeniable.

The MusicRow awards issue also features the winners of MusicRow‘s 29th annual MusicRow Awards, which was held Wednesday, June 29 at SESAC and sponsored by Anderson Benson insurance in the CMA event space.

Inside the print issue are exclusive articles with producer busbee and his work with Lady Antebellum’s latest Capitol Nashville project, Heart Break. The Entertainment Services Division of storage facility Iron Mountain is examined in a spread with the billion dollar company’s Sr. Vice President Jeff Anthony and Nashville-based project manager Barry Cardinael. Additional edit includes G Major Management’s Virginia Davis and the work she has done with Big Machine Label Group’s Danielle Bradbery and headliner Thomas Rhett. Kathy Anderson of Nashville’s Anderson Design Studio additionally talks interior design for projects including RCA Studio A, Grand Ole Opry, Blake Shelton’s Ole Red bar, Alan Jackson’s AJ’s Good Time Bar, Gavin and Joey DeGraw’s Nashville Underground, among other projects for Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Reba and Vince Gill. Law firm Milom Horsnell Crow Rose Kelley detail the legal hangups with copyright infringement actions in the magazine’s concluding piece.

Single copies of the MusicRow Awards issue are available for purchase at musicrow.com and included with yearly subscriptions at no additional cost.

Photo: Gomez Photography