Ed Hardy Named Music City Music Council Co-Chair

Ed Hardy

Mayor Karl Dean has announced former Great American Country president Ed Hardy as the new co-chair of the Music City Music Council. Dean has served as co-chair of the Music Council since its inception in 2009. Hardy was most recently the interim CEO at the Country Music Association, and previously served as chairman of the board for the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. He is also chairman of the CMA Board of Directors.

“Ed has a wealth of experience that will help us continue to promote our Music City brand and attract entertainment companies to our city,” Mayor Dean said. “Ed is well liked and highly respected, and with his work with two giants in the music industry –the Country Music Association and Great American Country — we are fortunate to have him lead the efforts of our Music Council.”

Randy Goodman, who formerly served as president at Lyric Street Records in Nashville and is now with Spalding Entertainment, is the outgoing chairman. Mary Ann McCready, co-founder and president at Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, was the first co-chair.

“I have watched the evolution of the Music Council and the great things it has achieved under Mayor Dean’s leadership, so it’s a real honor to be asked by Mayor Dean to serve in this role,” Hardy said. “Mayor Dean’s passion for our thriving music scene and the talented people who work in it, in addition to his general support for the music industry, is unsurpassed. His leadership is respected and appreciated by all of us. I look forward to advancing our Music Council projects and working with the dedicated Council members, who have done so much.”

The Music Council will continue to primarily focus on recruitment of entertainment companies to Nashville. Recent expansions include Sony/ATV’s expansion to downtown with 60 new jobs and Eventbrite’s expansion into Nashville earlier this year with an initial 45 new jobs. Among the organization’s other priorities are supporting and expanding live music in Nashville, and music education in public schools.