My Music Row Story: Concord’s Courtney Allen

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Courtney Allen

Courtney Allen joined Concord’s Nashville team in October 2021 as Director, A&R and was promoted to Senior Director in 2023. Allen serves as an A&R for Concord’s publishing roster that has grown and expanded immensely in the Nashville and country market.

She is committed to rounding out Concord’s Nashville roster with top-notch talent and continues to be a force in developing high-level signings across the company including breakout artist Russell Dickerson and top country music songwriter/producer Corey Crowder, as well as rising stars like Grace Tyler, Cole Goodwin, Clayton Mullen, Lauren Hungate and more. Additionally, Allen serves an integral role in liaising with Hang Your Hat, a Concord creative venture founded by two-time ACM Songwriter of the Year, Hillary Lindsey including notable signings such as Chris LaCorte.

Prior to Concord, Allen served as Creative Director at BMG, where she worked with their roster of songwriters and developed new talent. Prior to her time at BMG, she was the Creative Director of publishing at Starstruck Entertainment, where she worked with developing artists on the management roster.

Allen is active in the country music and Nashville scene, both for music and philanthropically. She works with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital raising money with their annual “This Shirt Saves Lives” campaign, encouraging the music community’s involvement. She was also a part of the 2023 class of CMA Women’s Leadership Academy, and was named Song Champion of the Year at the 2025 AIMP Nashville Country Awards.

Allen will be honored as part of MusicRow‘s Rising Women on the Row class of 2026 on March 3 at the JW Marriott. Read more about the event here.

Photo: Courtesy of Allen

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Simpsonville, South Carolina.

What were you into as a kid?

I loved cheerleading. I played volleyball. I did class pageants. I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities. And I always loved music and entertainment. I had no idea I would land doing what I do now. But my mom always loved music, and she was my best friend, so I loved music.

My dad was military, and I was born in Germany. So for a long time it was just me and my mom together all day. She loved country, and she would take me to concerts. I specifically remember going to see Wynonna and standing on a chair trying to see her.

What were you going to do when you went to college? What was your dream?

I went to the University of South Carolina in Columbia for sport and entertainment management, which is hilarious because I know nothing about sports. I just wanted to do the entertainment part. I quickly realized it was very sports-focused. Everybody in the program was trying to work in sports.

I had gone to high school with a girl who loved country music. She came to Columbia one weekend and asked me if I wanted to go to a concert with her to see some new guy named Jason Aldean, who was opening for Trace Adkins. So we went and ended up meeting Jason and his band. We befriended them and would go see them whenever they played around the area.

Photo: Courtesy of Allen

They invited us to come to a show on New Year’s Eve at the Sommet Center in Nashville — Bridgestone Arena now. It was Brooks & Dunn and Jason, and we were sitting with Brooks & Dunn’s family in these really insane seats. Brooks & Dunn’s family got up, and I was like, “Where are y’all going?” They said, “We’re going back to see Ronnie and Kix. Do you have a pass? You need a pass to go backstage.”

I remember looking at my friend and saying, “We should just try to walk back there and see what happens. What’s the worst that can happen?” And we walked right back. I was taking pictures, just having the best time. Nashville completely enchanted me. Broadway was so different back then. You could just walk into any bar and see an artist.

So what did you do?

I went to my guidance counselor and said, “Hey, I know I have to do an internship. Could I do something in Nashville in music?” She said, “Yes. My husband actually went to school there. Maybe he would know someone.”

She asked her husband, then came back with a piece of paper and said, “Here’s the email address of a guy in Nashville my husband went to college with.”

So I emailed him, and he said, “Next time you’re in Nashville, you can come by and meet me.” I went, and it was Song Garden Music, Byron Gallimore’s publishing company. At the time they had just signed Brett Eldredge and some other writers. I didn’t know what publishing was, but he told me about it. I took the internship, and the guy I emailed who gave me my first internship was Brad Kennard, who is my boss today.

Photo: Courtesy of Allen

Small world!

Brett was a college student at MTSU at the time. I transferred there and watched Brett get a record deal, get radio singles and all of that. That was a really awesome experience.

After my internship, I did odds and ends jobs. I was in a few music videos where I’d make maybe $20. I did wardrobe styling. Anything I could do to make money and stay in Nashville, I did.

I worked for a short window at Brentwood Benson Music publishing and sales, selling church music and church programs. After a while, I hit a rough patch where I was really struggling with anxiety and depression. I eventually decided that moving home was probably the best thing for me. I kept trying to find a job in publishing but couldn’t find one. I just wanted to be around songwriters and songs so badly, and there didn’t seem to be another route for me. So I moved home for a few years before eventually coming back.

Photo: Courtesy of Allen

What led you back?

I ended up getting a job at NSAI, which put me back around songwriters, so I came back and worked there for a little bit. Around that time, I met an artist named Tara Thompson, who I just loved. I knew a girl in A&R at Big Machine, so I played her Tara’s music. Scott Borchetta ended up signing her, and she started being produced by Alex Kline.

Alex was writing at Starstruck, and they didn’t have a plugger there. She told them about me and how I’d helped Tara get signed. I went and met with them at Starstruck, but they weren’t really interested in hiring a plugger. I started getting interest from another company and kept Alex in the loop about what was going on. She was insistent that I be her plugger.

One day, she and Tara were in the studio at Starstruck and told me to come by. Alex walked me into Cliff Williamson’s office. He said, “It’s so crazy that you’re here. I was just talking about you at lunch today. Come with me.” He walked me down the hallway into this giant office where someone was sitting behind the desk, and he said, “Reba, this is the girl I was telling you about at lunch today.” I blacked out. [Laughs]

She stood up from behind the desk, a vision like an angel, and said, “I hope all your dreams come true.” We went back to his office, met with Narvel [Blackstock], and they offered me the job.

Reba was there every day unless she was touring. She really was the force behind publishing there. She loved songwriters and wanted a place where she could have the songwriters she loved. When she moved on and got new management, all of that kind of went away. That was when I left and went to BMG.

Photo: Courtesy of Allen

Tell me about your time at BMG.

BMG was a really special place. They had Hillary Lindsey, and she was one of the main reasons I wanted to be a publisher. When I interned at Song Garden, there was a whole underground group of interns who would literally share her demos on a website. I was obsessed with her songwriting and her voice. Getting to work with her was such a great opportunity.

Carly Pearce was there, and she’s been a friend of mine since very early on when she first moved to town. Emily Shackelton was there. Tully Kennedy and Kurt Allison, who are in Jason’s band and were two of the people who encouraged me to move to Nashville, ended up becoming my writers. I learned so much from Kos Weaver, Daniel Lee, Sara Knabe, Jake Gear and Rakiyah Marshall. They are all incredible song people who approach publishing in their own unique ways.

Then you pivoted to Concord.

There were a lot of changes at BMG, and then COVID hit. Brad told me they were ramping things up at Concord and really trying to make it competitive in the country market. I wanted to work for him again. I knew what kind of boss he was and what kind of person he is, so it was a no-brainer to go there and work with Brad.

That ended up being a great decision. It’s been an amazing journey. We have such an incredible roster, such a great culture and great coworkers. Over the past year with my health issues, it’s been a really difficult time for me. Having that support and the kind of people there who have helped me through it, along with the roster I work with, has meant so much. They’ve taken pressure off me at a time when I needed to focus on my health and treatment.

Photo: Courtesy of Allen

What are some of the proudest moments you’ve had in the last few years?

I’m really proud of the way Concord has grown while maintaining the culture that makes our company so special. I am especially proud of the roster we’ve built and our staff because not only are they talented but they are people who have so much integrity.

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact proudest moment because our roster works so hard and they are constantly accomplishing goals that I’m thankful to be a part of. Russell Dickerson’s massive year with “Happen To Me” to Tofer Brown’s work with Carter Faith coming to fruition, Grace Tyler having her first radio single as a writer, Cole Goodwin getting a record deal and Lauren Hungate having her first hit single. These are all dreams coming true for these creatives and that makes me incredibly proud.

Who have been your mentors?

There’s this overall narrative I sometimes hear about women not being good to other women, and I feel really lucky because that hasn’t been my experience. I’ve been surrounded by confident, encouraging women who genuinely want to help other women.

Abbe Nameche, Allison Jones, Stephanie Wright, Kerri Edwards, Leslie DiPiero, Carla Wallace, Tiffany Kerns, Brad Kennard and Kos Weaver.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten?

It’s simple: be kind to people. You don’t know what someone is going through. It’s a scary world we’re living in, and there are a lot of hard things happening in people’s lives. You never know how a kind word or simply acknowledging something someone has done can turn everything around for them.

LB Cantrell
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