Rising Women On The Row Spotlight: 5 Questions With Curb/Word’s Janine Ebach

MusicRow Magazine’s eighth annual Rising Women on the Row event will be held Tuesday, March 26, at Omni Hotel Nashville.

This year’s honorees include Sandi Spika Borchetta (Big Machine Label Group, Sr. VP Creative), Janine Ebach (Curb|Word Music Publishing, VP), Kelly Janson (Manager, Kelly Janson Management), Meredith Jones (Creative Artists Agency, Agent), Lenore Kinder (Paradigm Talent Agency, Agent), and Jennifer Turnbow (NSAI, Sr. Director of Operations).

Leading up to the event, MusicRow is spotlighting each honoree with a brief Q&A.

Janine Ebach launched Word Publishing’s country division in 2013, and has gone on to celebrate multiple No. 1 songs, including the Platinum-selling singles “Sleep Without You” (Brett Young), “Singles You Up” (Jordan Davis), and Gold-selling “Heartache On The Dance Floor” (Jon Pardi) and more recently “Good Girl” (Dustin Lynch). Additional singles and cuts have been recorded by George Strait, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Tim & Faith, Dan + Shay, Lindsay Ell, Randy Houser, Russell Dickerson, Jordan Davis and more. When Curb Records and Word Entertainment merged in 2018, Ebach was elevated to Vice President, Curb|Word Music Publishing. Ebach’s current roster includes 72 writers across multiple genres. A graduate of Belmont University, Janine Ebach launched her career at THiS Music in 2007 before joining Word Publishing. Ebach serves on the board of the W.O. Smith School and is the current recipient of the AIMP’s Song Champion of the Year Award.

MusicRow: What is the biggest lesson on leadership you have learned in your career?
Empower people. Give them the freedom to be an entrepreneur and everybody wins.

MR: Who has been one of your biggest mentors, and what have they taught you?
Our CEO, Jim Ed Norman. For the last few years I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with him through the company transition, and there is a reason he is a music business legend in this town. He is patient, doesn’t get worked up over small stuff. He’s taught me so much about becoming a better executive, a better leader—even a better person. People love him and respect him. He makes you want to work harder and teaches you life lessons without you even realizing it, he has done so many positive things and is one of the kindest, and most humble humans I know.

MR: Describe a time that you took a big risk in your career, and how did it pay off?
Leaving my first industry job after seven years was extremely tough, we were family. I knew in my heart of hearts it was the right decision and time for me to move onto my next adventure. It was a very tough transition, full of daily doubt, and up hill battles. Somehow, I continued to believe and fight for what I was doing, the writers I had signed, and in myself really. There were days I wasn’t sure how I was going to continue to do it, but those small victories kept me going… then our first radio single, more cuts, singles and songs on the charts and our first No. 1. If I had known then what I know now, I would have stepped out quicker and further and not tried to fight against what was meant to be.

MR: As Nashville continues to grow and evolve, what changes in the music industry excite you the most?
While most think streaming is a negative, I actually see it as a positive. More indie artists are given the opportunity to release music without anyone knowing who they are. More songs are releasing, more folks are looking up old George Strait records, or their favorite song from middle school, because it’s so easily accessed. Music lives on, plays on over and over, and we’re paid based on every time someone listens vs. one record sale or single sale. If we can just get the payments fair, we all win.

MR: Favorite Nashville place to hold a business meeting/lunch?
Breakfast: J. Christopher’s, First Watch, Noshville
Lunch: Thai Isane, Ted’s Montana Grill, Midtown Cafe
Drinks: Flyte, The Hutton Bar

(City National Bank, Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group, and Loeb & Loeb are again the Presenting Sponsors for the 2019 Rising Women on the Row.)