Peter Strickland oversees the financial and daily operations of BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville, streamlines distribution channels and physical-product sales as well as spearheads the label’s comedy initiatives.

Throughout his tenure, he has served several executive-level roles at Warner Music Nashville such as VP of Sales, VP of Sales & Marketing, Sr. VP of Brand Management & Sales, Executive Vice President/General Manager and Chief Marketing Officer.

In addition to the roles at WMN, he also created two successful comedy imprints and executive produced Jimmy Fallon’s 2013 Grammy Award-winning comedy album, Blow Your Pants Off, before opening his management company, Marathon Talent, in 2018.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a town called Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

What were you into as a kid?

As a kid, I always wanted to buy music. I had a paper route, and with whatever money I had, I would go out to the record store and just buy music. By the time I was around 12 years old, I already had a pretty decent record collection. As I got older, I found myself turning my friends on to songs, so I was an early record promoter.

When I was 17, the whole club scene was going on in New England and across the country. The drinking age was 18 at that time, so I was trying to figure out how I could get into the club scene. I just took a handful of records and went up to the doorman and said, “Hey, I’m bringing these up to the DJ.” He said, “Go right ahead,” so every week I’d go up to the DJ in that nightclub and say, “You’ve got to check this out. Have you heard this song?”

Eventually, the club owner came up to me and said, “Hey, do you know how to spin those things?” I didn’t, but I told him I did. He said, “Can you come spin on Thursday nights?” So that was kind of my entry into what I guess was part of the business. Eventually, I took over all those nights and then started my own DJ business doing parties.

Wow! How did you get further along into the business?

At one point, I was spending a lot of money buying music, so I needed to find something to do during the day. I applied to work at a record store called Strawberry Records, which is no longer around, but they were a chain of stores that dominated the New England area. Even though I had a lot of experience in a nightclub, the manager thought I should actually work in the warehouse. I said, “Okay, as long as I can still get my discount on music purchases.”

I got more than a discount. What ended up happening is they put me in a buying role for the whole chain of stores for R&B and dance singles. So I’d have all the distributors coming in and pitching to me. Eventually, I got hired out of there to work for WEA distribution in Boston.

Tell me about that.

That was my intro to the real music industry. I elevated quite quickly through the ranks there. I came in as a junior salesperson and won Sales Rep of the Year by my second year. In my fourth year, I got promoted to sales manager position, leap frogging a number of people who had been there for a long time, so that was a challenge—learning to manage people.

Eventually, the role became a little stagnant for me because it was all about pick, pack and ship. There was nothing creative about it. I heard through the grapevine through distribution that Warner Bros. Records in Nashville was looking for a salesperson. I knew a number of the people down here because part of my job in New England was to promote country music.

I applied for that job. I really wanted to move here and get into a label to absorb everything that happens there. How do they make the decision to sign an artist? How do they make decisions about songs? How does radio work?

I got the job, and I spent a good portion of my first decade here just learning everything I could about the industry at a record label level. During that time, the digital revolution happened, and it started to have a serious effect on Music Row. Half of the labels on Music Row went away overnight. Warner Bros. absorbed Giant, Elektra, and Atlantic, so there was a big cleansing that took place during that time.

A key part of a shift in my career was when Blake Shelton was one of the artists we took on from Giant. When he came over, there was really no one in marketing. I raised my hand to help with sales and marketing on Blake, and that unveiled a talent I didn’t know I had.

Tell me more about that.

As time went on, other artists started getting added to my marketing responsibilities, like Faith Hill, Dwight Yoakam and Big & Rich. Eventually, it was Hunter Hayes, Brett Eldredge and Jana Kramer etc. It was one of the most rewarding time periods of my career because all of a sudden I was doing all the stuff that I really enjoyed. I moved from VP of Sales to SVP, then EVP of Marketing, and eventually CMO at Warner.

I started the comedy division there and brought Jeff Foxworthy back. That led to the whole Blue Collar Comedy Tour coming to Warner Bros. in Nashville. I ended up signing a number of comedians including Larry the Cable Guy, that record ended up debuting higher than the Red Hot Chili Peppers the same week.

Later on, Jimmy Fallon called my office mentioning he had just taken over the late-night show and wanted to do a comedy record. He had gotten my name from people in the industry, so we ended up doing it together. It won a Grammy and was certainly one of the biggest highlights of my career.

What was next for you?

When I left Warner, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do from that point. I took about six months off and decided to start a management company, Marathon Talent. The excitement of that led to me signing artists rather rapidly. I signed some incredibly talented artists, but I felt I was moving too fast, trying to prove that I could build something in a short period of time, which we all know doesn’t happen overnight.

Just as things started to uptick, COVID hit, and it really put a huge damper on the management company. At the time, I felt like the industry was abandoning me as well. That wasn’t the case, but it felt like it. I was at a pivotal point, asking, “What’s next?” My wife was very supportive, so I stayed at it. I struggled, struggled, struggled, and then Jon Loba called and said he wanted me to manage a comedian who was an employee of his who wanted to quit what he was doing to become a comedian.

I said I would help him out and help build that for him. In the meantime, I started consulting for BMG under the radar and was helping out in marketing while they had a couple of people out, and one on maternity leave. Soon, Jon brought me on full-time as GM. I didn’t think I’d ever want to go back into the corporate space, but being able to see what I was getting into through consulting with BMG allowed me to make a better decision about whether that was what I wanted to do.

What have you enjoyed about being back in the label system?

I’ve enjoyed being able to work with a different group of people after spending so many years at one company. A lot of things don’t change. We’re all challenged with the same things we’ve faced for years, but getting to know and work with more people has been very rewarding. I never put myself on a pedestal, but hearing people say they enjoy working with me and learning from me is, at the end of the day, the most rewarding part of what I do. Sharing my experiences and knowledge to help someone else grow and better themselves in the business is incredibly fulfilling.

Do you have any mentors?

There have been so many people who have positively affected my career it’s hard to single out one. When I first moved here, I came down for an interview with Jim Ed Norman, who was the CEO of Warner Bros. Nashville at the time. Neal Spielberg actually ended up hiring me. Jim Ed, Neal and I met and talked about the job. I asked how the interview was going, and he said, “Oh, you’ve got the job. I just wanted to get to know you.” He is such a warm and kind human being. He cared a lot about how my family would feel about moving here.

What’s one of the coolest moments you’ve had in your career?

Winning the Grammy Award for the Jimmy Fallon album. That’s something I never dreamed would happen, and it was never a goal.

Warner Records Nashville’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Victoria Mason, continues to lead Nashville’s charge in optimizing audience, fan development and fan engagement in country music. She joined the Warner Music ranks in 2011 after a three-year tenure working with audience and data giant Nielsen and became the driving force behind Warner Music Nashville’s implementation of analytics for the next six years.

In 2017, Mason was promoted to VP, Research & Analytics, where she increased the label’s focus on broader industry and genre-level trends, as well as deepening her oversight of ROI and marketing spend analysis. WRN expanded Mason’s duties in October 2019 into artist development, while also leading in-house analytics, and overseeing the day-to-day functions of the digital and strategic partnerships teams. She then moved from VP, Strategic Marketing to SVP Marketing & Analytics, where she merged and rebranded the Artist Development team into the comprehensive Marketing department, which encompasses Artist Marketing, Digital Marketing, Analytics, Brand Partnerships, and Industry + Fan Events, all reporting to Mason.

Mason is a current member of the Leadership Music Board of Directors (2022-2026) and has been named a Billboard Country Power Player, Nashville Briefing Power Player and a Billboard Woman In Music.

Mason 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.

MusicRow: Where’d you grow up?

I grew up in a small town called Bourbon, Indiana. It’s in northern Indiana, just south of South Bend, a one-stoplight town. My childhood home is across the street from a cornfield, so I basically grew up in a country song.

Did your family listen to country music?

It was very prevalent in our community, but in my house it was more like the big cultural zeitgeist artists of the time. I grew up on Whitney Houston, Garth Brooks, Backstreet Boys and Boyz II Men. My dad listened to classic rock. It was a pretty mixed bag; I have always been open to exploring all different types of music.

In high school, one of my best friends, Kelly Whiteman, made me a mix CD of country hits at the time, and I remember hearing Tracy Lawrence’s “Paint Me a Birmingham” and Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” for the first time. Those songs really cracked the genre open for me…shoutout to Kelly for unknowingly setting me out on this path!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I grew up kind of always being music-adjacent. I danced growing up. I wanted to play the drums, but my parents vetoed it, so I opted for tap class. [Laughs] I sang in a barbershop quartet and did choir, but I was never really talented enough to consider a life in music. Also, growing up in a small town, I think you just don’t really even imagine that there could be a lane for you in the music industry if you’re not famous or you don’t know someone famous. So I went to business school at Indiana University (go Hoosiers!) and focused on marketing.

While in college, I felt like I wanted to be a brand manager. I liked the idea of owning the responsibility of a brand, helping to shape its narrative and drive results. I imagined that I might work for a company like Procter & Gamble, and maybe manage a brand like Tide laundry detergent. In my mind, that was sort of the most classic, well-rounded marketing track.

I didn’t end up doing that exactly. I went and worked for The Nielsen Company, but in their consumer packaged goods arm that focused on forecasting and product innovation.

Tell me about that.

Nielsen worked with companies like Procter & Gamble and Del Monte and Kellogg’s to launch new products that you would find in the grocery store. The division of the company was called BASES, which means Booz-Allen Sales Estimating System. Essentially, CPG companies would come to us when they wanted to launch a new product or rebrand an existing product in the marketplace. They would come to us and say, “If we launch this new brand of cereal, or this new refrigerated fruit cup that you can blend into a smoothie, what would we sell in year one? If we got product placement at Kroger and Publix, and spent X million dollars in marketing in year one, what would you expect us to generate in volume? Is it a proposition worth exploring and launching?” We would test the ideas and products with potential consumers, and help the companies make refinements to ensure the most successful possible launch.

It was like fortune telling, but with math and science. In retrospect, I don’t know that there was a better job for me to just get my feet wet in terms of understanding different drivers of marketing activity, how specific levers can move the needle, and how to tell stories with data.

I could not have envisioned, much less predicted, that the version of me at Nielsen, and now the version of me in my current role, would have any similarities whatsoever. However, they definitely are connected.

How did you transition from that to the music business?

I moved down to Nashville in 2010 for personal reasons, and I was working remotely still with Nielsen at the time. After a year and a half, maybe, of working remotely, I started to feel a pull to do something different where I could be in a traditional office environment. I remember walking my dog down Music Row one day and thinking, “I wonder if they do research or analytics in the music industry.”

I went home and did a little searching online and found a job on LinkedIn called Director of Research at Warner Music Nashville. It was a brand new position…the job description was really nebulous and unspecific, and I applied for it on a whim and got an interview. I knew the minute that I walked into the building that I wanted to work here. The job just felt like it was made for me. It was a combination of doing things that I had been doing at Nielsen in terms of telling stories with data, but instead of talking about cereal and fruit cups, now I had the opportunity to talk about something that I was really passionate about, which was music.

Tell me about when you first got here. What was it like?

It was basically building my own job from the ground up. John Esposito was CEO at the time, and I remember him describing my job as the “chief truth officer.” He wanted me to have no political affiliations with any of the departments, but really to just come in here with a very objective eye and state the facts, like this is what is happening for these artists and for this music, and here are the opportunities that I think we should pursue. Here’s where I think we’re winning, and here’s where I think we could be doing better.

Do you remember a time early on that solidified that you were in the right job?

Early on, Espo asked me to present to a room full of industry partners, primarily in the radio space of the business. We were at this inflection point where radio had not fully adopted streaming as an indicator to help them program and make decisions. It was obviously an area of the business that I was super leaned into, understanding when there really was a signal versus noise. So he asked me to come out and present during that summit about when data is real and organic versus programmed or lean-back. It wasn’t intentional, but it ended up being kind of an educational moment. I just remember feeling very in my element during that presentation, and the room was very open and receptive to hearing what I had to say. We were having this healthy discourse and conversation, and I remember feeling like, “Oh man, I think I might have a lot to offer this town and this industry,” and really helping people embrace new technologies and the constant ebbs and flows.

There have been hundreds of other little moments along the way that have given me reassurance that I am in the right place. Listening to the first batch of Dan + Shay songs ever on a white label CD. Introducing friends and family to their favorite artists. Getting ready for CMA Awards night with the girls. Steady, constant reminders of how lucky I am to be here.

You’ve risen through the ranks and grown your team at Warner. Tell me about how the job has changed over the years.

When I first came in, it was just me, a department of one, analyzing sales data on SoundScan and radio data on Mediabase. Now the analytical arm is still very much under my remit, but that has become so much more complex, and we’ve got a whole team dedicated to looking at that. Obviously with streaming and socials, there’s just an infinite amount of data and things to analyze.

Beyond that, my job is ultimately about how we can make the healthiest, smartest decisions about how we allocate resources and people and time. That’s really what my job is now…supporting, guiding, and resourcing my team, and giving them the runway to do the things they need to do to give our artists and their music the best shot. I’d say that the same responsibility applies to our artists…supporting, guiding, and resourcing. Helping ensure they have the right tools at the right times to tell their stories and reach new audiences.

And as I am sure anyone in the industry would tell you—no two days are the same.

Who have been some of your mentors?

Growing up, my grandparents (Mammaw and Pap) and my parents always set great examples of the importance of hard work, kindness, compassion and community. I hope that I have taken many cues from them, both personally and professionally.

Espo is certainly my number one mentor professionally. I’m so grateful to him for so much that I’ve been able to accomplish in my career. He always made sure that I had a seat at the table.

Ben Kline, Shane Tarleton, Cris Lacy and Kristen Williams. And there is a special camaraderie I find among the other working moms in the industry…you know who you are!

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Seek first to understand. My mom has always said this, and it’s always stuck with me. Listening is so powerful…the more that we approach one another from a place of openness and understanding, the better we are going to be.

Also: Quality remains long after the price is forgotten. This one is from my grandpa, and I love it because it applies to lots of different things. It’s a funny way to justify a shopping splurge. And it’s also a reminder that good, hard work pays off.

Tell me about an experience you’ve had that your little kid self would think is so cool.

She would have been amazed to learn that in the second week of her first music industry job, Faith Hill would walk into her office to introduce herself and graciously offer her a hug. It was a perfect foreshadowing of the warm, welcoming women that make up our country music community.

In less than a decade, Sophia Sansone has risen from an assistant role to become one of Nashville’s most respected young executives, now serving as a Managing Partner at Make Wake Artists. Since joining the company in 2017 as assistant to founder Chris Kappy, Sansone has distinguished herself through sharp strategic instincts, deep artist advocacy and an exceptional understanding of long-term career building.

A key member of Luke Combs’ management team during a period of historic growth, Sansone has played an integral role in helping guide one of the most successful careers in modern country music. She also manages Nicole Combs, serving as a trusted advisor across brand, business and philanthropic initiatives. In 2025, Sansone expanded her roster by taking on Grammy Award–winning act The Band Perry, leading their highly anticipated return to country music while honoring the legacy that made them one of the genre’s most influential acts.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Sansone credits much of her leadership style to growing up as one of ten siblings, an unconventional training ground that shaped her collaborative mindset, adaptability and decisiveness. Her impact has been consistently recognized by the industry. She was named to Nashville Briefing’s 30 Under 30 in 2021 and went on to earn repeated honors including Billboard Women in Music (2023, 2024, 2025), MusicRow’s Next Big Thing (N.B.T.) (2023), Variety’s Hitmakers (2023, 2024), Billboard’s Country Power Players (2023, 2024, 2025) and Billboard’s 40 Under 40 (2024).

Sansone 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.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, with a big Italian and Greek family. I have nine siblings, and I was the first girl after five boys.

What were you into as a kid?

I was definitely a tomboy, so I was really into sports and I also boxed a lot with my brothers growing up, but at the same time I really cared about fashion from a young age and what I wore. I went to an all-girls Catholic school and had to wear a uniform all the way until college, but I always loved fashion and my dream was to move to Chicago and work in it. I also liked pop culture and would watch E! News and Oprah religiously after school.

I went to The Catholic University of America in DC for two years, where I played field hockey, and then I transferred to Vanderbilt. During the summers, I would work at Fox Sports Midwest in St. Louis, helping the local teams with whatever they needed. I worked on the production and marketing side of things, helping pull clips for the jumbotron, literally whatever you could think of. At one point, I was sitting in a closet going through old Cardinals baseball footage and pulling clips they wanted.

I grew up a big country music fan, but I really didn’t understand the industry at all. I didn’t know there were songwriters. So when I moved here and started going to writers’ rounds, that was when the light bulb went off.

How did you get your feet wet?

I started just managing my friends and being around artists and songwriters. I remember going to a round at a bar on Demonbreun and seeing Jonathan Singleton play “Watching Airplanes,” which he wrote. I had no idea someone other than the artist wrote songs. It really opened my eyes.

I finished up at Vanderbilt and was doing a lot of hustling on the side, managing my friends. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to get into the industry somehow. I expressed that to my parents, but there were no job openings that I could find. All I had was babysitting money and a degree. I couldn’t afford to live here, so I had to move home.

My parents encouraged me to go to law school, so I started studying for the LSAT, took it, and applied to law school. But the whole time, I’d drive to Nashville every other week, stay with friends, and get coffee with whoever would take me in the industry. Everyone was so great, but no one had a job opening.

One day, my girlfriend saw a Facebook post from Kappy at Make Wake. He was looking for a day-to-day position for a bunch of his baby acts at the time. I knew who Luke Combs was. He had just had a No. 1 with “Hurricane,” and “When It Rains It Pours” was at radio. I also had lots of mutual friends with his then-girlfriend, Nicole.

I met with Kappy at the then Edgehill Cafe in 2017, admitting I was under-qualified for the job but asked him to take a chance. He ended up hiring someone else for the day-to-day role, but he said, “I can’t not hire you, and I really want you to grow and learn under me,” which is all I ever wanted. So he hired me as an assistant, paid me as much as he could, and gave me my chance.

That’s awesome. Tell me about getting started.

My first day of work was CMA Awards day. Kappy had me meet him at this address around 9:00 a.m. I showed up, and Luke was in the middle of a really big interview with a huge crowd. Then we went to Bridgestone for soundcheck, and there were all of these big names in the room, like Scooter Braun and Taylor Swift. I was like, “What is happening to me?” Kappy threw me right in.

I’ll never forget Mary Catherine Kenny, who was Luke’s PR at the time, coming out the door at Bridgestone to grab us. She was quick and decisive and wasn’t phased by all the people. She just radiated boss energy. I realized I had joined an environment where I was going to have to work really, really hard and use my voice. You could get eaten alive if you didn’t keep up with the pace. A lot of it looks glamorous, but there’s so much happening behind the scenes.

Within six months of working at Make Wake, Kappy called me into the office and asked me to be Luke’s day-to-day. I was like, “Are you sure? I’m so new.” I was so honored. I’ve been his day-to-day ever since and have been able to grow a lot on the team, which has instilled a lot of confidence in me.

Now you are also Partner at Make Wake.

Yes, about two years ago, Kappy asked me to be a Partner. That was a huge honor for me, and I feel really grateful for it. About a year ago, I also signed The Band Perry, which was something I never expected to do because Luke is so busy and the company is busy. I also manage Nicole with her brand marketing sponsorships.

But when Kimberly Perry messaged me that she was returning to country music, I had to meet with her. I was honored. Once we talked, I knew I needed to do it. I built a team around it, and I’m really grateful.

What is a day in the life like for you, balancing all of that?

Every day is different. Before work, I try to work out and do my Bible study before I get ready for the day. I really prioritize my mornings now. It’s better for everyone that way. [Laughs]

Then, depending on the day, I’ll go to meetings, and after that it’s more meetings, calls and emails. If we’re in an album cycle, we’re going to interviews and the studio, and now touring is ramping up, so I’ll be going to stadium shows for Luke and shows for The Band Perry.

Kappy still goes to every show for Luke, and I go to a lot of them. We’re so close with the touring team. We get so much done out there, and there’s so much camaraderie. It’s a grind, but it’s rewarding, and it’s a privilege to me.

Tell me about a moment in your career that you are most proud of.

When Luke and Tracy Chapman performed “Fast Car” at the Grammys, that was an incredible moment. It was such an important moment for Luke and such an honor for him. The fact that Tracy appreciated his cover of the song and wanted to perform with him was a full-circle moment. No one knew it was happening at the Grammys besides our teams.

I become the seat filler for Luke when he’s on stage at award shows, so I was sitting with Nicole when he came on stage. It was indescribable and such a proud moment, you could feel that the entire room was in awe too, which was really cool and felt like a huge step for country music.

I’m also really, really proud to be managing The Band Perry. It’s a big step for me to have something that I signed, and I’m honored.

Who have been your mentors?

My Pop has always been my mentor in business. He pushes me to think bigger and gives the best advice. I also talk with my brothers about business all the time, having those conversations with both of them has shaped so much of how I approach my career.

My mom is incredible. She raised 10 kids while also building her own path as an entrepreneur. She is a fitness coach, specifically for the elderly, wrote a bestselling book titled Women First, Family Always, and was featured on Oprah and in O Magazine. She’s my role model in every sense, her work ethic, her heart, and the way she shows up for people.

My brother Jimmy has gotten me through some pretty challenging times and pushes me to work on myself mentally, emotionally and physically. Of course, Kappy is my mentor in this industry. There are a lot of other names I could mention, too. I have a lot of people I can lean on.

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

I’ve gotten a lot of amazing advice. I’m really close to my grandparents. My Pa, who was extremely wise, always said, “Treat the janitor the same way you treat the CEO. You’re not better than anybody, and nobody’s better than you.”

It’s simple, but it’s important. Treat everybody with kindness and respect.

An industry veteran and song champion, Big Loud Records SVP, A&R Sara Knabe plays an integral role leading both the Records and Big Loud Publishing A&R teams. With a meticulous ear and collaborative mindset, she brings a unique perspective to the forward-thinking teams, providing invaluable insights on talent discovery and placements after over 20 years in the music industry.

Credited with signing country supernova Lainey Wilson and representing the catalogs of genre-shaping songwriters like Hillary Lindsey and Lori McKenna, she continues to sign and shepherd red-hot risers like 2025 Grammy Artist To Watch Kashus Culpepper.

Prior to joining the Big Loud staff in the spring of 2023, Knabe founded her own venture, Cake Maker Music, a publishing, artist development and A&R consultancy whose name alludes to the idiom about having your cake and eating it too—more literally for Knabe, mutually inclusive motherhood and career. Before Cake Maker, she spent over a decade at BMG, starting in 2011 as Senior Director of Creative in the company’s publishing sector and later upped to VP, before transitioning to the label side as VP of A&R at BBR Music Group in 2017. Prior stops for the Belmont University alum include Bug Music, Windswept Holdings, LLC and Harlan Howard Songs.

Knabe also currently serves on the boards for the AMCs and CMAs.

Knabe 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.

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Jackson, Missouri, but I moved here in 2001. So I’ve been in Nashville for 24 years now.

What was your childhood like? What were you into?

I was a pastor’s kid, so we moved around a bit. Jackson is where I went to high school, but my childhood was the typical preacher’s kid experience — loud and a little chaotic. I was obsessed with both music and sports. Volleyball was my sport, but I was also in band and choir. I was always listening to records and falling in love with songs.

We didn’t have many concerts come through town, but the Bootheel Rodeo in Sikeston was my place. Every summer I lived for that week. That was my concert experience growing up. I saw Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Clint Black, Lonestar, Jo Dee Messina and more there.

What was your dream? Did you imagine yourself doing this back then?

I knew I wanted to work in music, but I had no idea what that looked like. I started college at Southeast Missouri State in ’99 as a vocal performance major, but I quickly realized I wasn’t good enough to make it as a singer. I switched to business.

Over Christmas break, my dad ran into someone I went to high school with who had moved to Nashville and was attending Belmont. She told us about the school, and I was like, wait — there’s a place you can go to actually study the music industry? I only knew about managers because I’d seen the movie Pure Country, so I came to Belmont thinking I’d be one.

On my first day, a professor asked if anyone knew what they wanted to do. I shot my hand up and said, “I want to be a manager and help artists find their songs.” He told me that was actually A&R or publishing. As soon as I heard about publishing, I was hooked.

What internships did you do?

I interned at EMI Publishing and with Scott Hendricks and Jason Krupeck in A&R. Jason let me sit in on all his meetings, which was huge — that’s where I met so many of my first publishing contacts.

I also interned at Teracel Music during peak Rascal Flatts, when Brett James was there as both an artist and writer, along with Mark Beeson, Philip White and others. It was an amazing environment.

Then I got an internship at Harlan Howard Songs. Honestly, I didn’t know much about Harlan at the time. But he had just passed, and his friends would come by the office to sit in his chair, smoke cigars and tell stories. It was like a baptism into country music. I learned so much about songs, the history and the community. That internship turned into my first full-time job, and I stayed there four years.

What did you get to do there once you were full time?

I started as catalog manager and assistant to Melanie Howard. It was just the two of us, so I did a little bit of everything — front desk, admin, catalog recapture. I learned a ton about copyright and paperwork, especially on songs from the ’50s and ’60s.

But I knew I wanted to pitch songs. A few months in, I asked Melanie if I could start taking meetings when my work was done. She graciously said yes. My first pitch meeting was with Erv Woolsey for George Strait, and my second was with Scott Hendricks. Looking back, I probably didn’t pitch great songs that day, but what an opportunity.

While I was there, we signed Lori McKenna and Mary Gauthier. Lori’s career exploded, and that opened every door for me. Artists were calling, fighting to hear her songs first. Having Harlan’s catalog gave me credibility, and Lori’s writing gave me access I probably hadn’t earned yet.

Melanie also included me in the Chicks With Hits meetings, which were like grad school for pitching. Those women were relentless about the songs they believed in, and the artists who walked into those offices blew my mind. I always say the Chicks With Hits raised me.

What was your next step?

Steve Markland hired me at Windswept Music Publishing, which was such a thrill. They were coming off a huge run of hits with Jeffrey Steele and Kendell Marvel, and they had Randy Houser, who was still looking for a record deal. That era was so fun — Tuesday nights at 12th & Porter with Randy, Jamey Johnson, Jared Neiman, Ken Johnson, Lee Brice… everyone was getting signed, playing shows, and hanging out. After work we’d bounce from Tin Roof to 12th & Porter to Douglas Corner to 3rd & Lindsley. The whole scene felt like it was rising together.

Windswept had that kind of culture. It was a hang — even if you didn’t write there, you could show up and know someone would be around. My very first day of work, everyone was at the Key West Songwriters Festival, so it was just me and the receptionist. I hadn’t met most of the writers yet, when I suddenly heard someone in the kitchen. This guy is loading beers into his cargo pockets at nine in the morning. I introduced myself: “Hi, I’m Sara, the new plugger.” He goes, “Oh, I don’t actually write here. I just knew you guys had beer. I’m writing across the street at Starstruck.” [Laughs] That was Windswept in a nutshell — open, fun and creative.

Unfortunately, the company sold not long after I started. I was technically only at Windswept for about nine months before Bug Music bought them, and we became Bug Windswept for a while.

What was that transition like?

It was interesting because the two companies had very different approaches. Windswept was a creative, artist-development kind of place, while Bug was known more as an Americana-leaning administration company. But when they came together, it actually created a perfect mix.

I got to work with people like Darrell Scott, Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale, and catalogs from legends like Townes Van Zandt. At the same time, we had writers cutting songs for George Strait and Gary Allan, and Randy Houser as an artist. It gave me the chance to be part of both worlds, which was ideal for my ear.

How long were you there?

Bug was eventually bought by BMG, and I stayed through all of that — from Windswept to Bug Windswept, then Bug, then BMG. All told, it was a 17-year run. I spent 12 years at BMG, seven on the publishing team and five at Broken Bow.

Tell me about working in publishing at BMG.

Those were some of the most fun years of my career. The catalog was incredible. Because I’d stayed on through the Windswept and Bug acquisitions, I had access to everything — Windswept, BMG, Cherry Lane, Stage Three, Corlew — all at my fingertips. For someone who loves digging for songs and finding homes for them, it was heaven.

I also worked with some amazing writers: Tony Lane, Wynn Varble, Ruston Kelly, Lucie Silvas, Emily Shackelton, Adam James… just a really strong creative group. And the team itself was great — Daniel Lee, Chris Oglesby, Kevin Lane — we had such good synergy. It was just fun.

And then you transitioned to the label side. Was that something you’d always imagined?

Not at all. I kind of fell into it and ended up loving it. When BMG bought Broken Bow, there were a couple of projects that needed to be wrapped up — a Runaway June record and a Joe Nichols record. They didn’t have a dedicated A&R team at the time, so I just started jumping in, mostly clueless but having fun.

At first, I was suggesting names for the role, throwing out peers and friends, but meanwhile I was realizing how much I enjoyed the flip side — listening for songs, having those creative conversations. Publishing had shifted to being more calendar-driven: scheduling writes, managing rooms. That wasn’t my strength or passion. I’ve always loved the creative side — hearing songs and finding where they belong. Weirdly enough, A&R felt like a better fit for that than publishing had become.

So finally, I threw my own name in the mix. Jon Loba took a chance on me, and I’ll always be thankful for that. I jumped in not knowing much, just trying to figure it out. Honestly, I still feel like I’m figuring it out.

Do you have any early wins that gave you confidence?

I feel really lucky to have worked on the Lainey Wilson projects. But honestly, that was just about giving her the opportunity and staying out of her way.

Helping with those first two records was exciting, but she knew exactly who she wanted to be. My role was just narrowing down songs — going through hundreds and helping her land on the best 12 — and having ongoing conversations. From the beginning, I just trusted my gut. I loved her voice, her songwriting, and when I met her, I thought, this girl has everything she needs.

It’s been so fun to watch her career take off. I’m grateful to have played even a small part in her journey, but that’s all her. What I’ve learned is my job works best when I’m just championing talented people and giving them the runway to do their thing.

Then you started a new chapter. Tell me about that.

During COVID, I burned out. I loved my time at Broken Bow — it was an exciting run with Lainey, Dustin Lynch, Jelly Roll early on — but being on Zoom from eight to six every day fried my brain. I wasn’t being the mom, wife, daughter or friend I wanted to be, and I didn’t feel like I was being the A&R I wanted to be either. After 20 years of hustling, I knew I needed a break.

I left with no real plan other than starting something that gave me more balance — which became Cake Maker. The idea was to create a space where I could help artists develop and get them to the point where they were ready for a label. I thought I’d take a year off, but three months in I was bored.

So I launched my consulting company. Around then, Seth [England] called. We’d known each other since he was my intern back at Harlan Howard Songs, and we’d worked together for years. He asked what I was doing, and I said, “I went to Costco twice today — I need a job.” He brought me on to consult for Big Loud, just listening for songs, and I loved it.

I also covered a maternity leave at Creative Nation, which was really important to me. I wanted to show that women can be working moms — it’s hard, you’ll never be perfect at it all, but you don’t have to “fail” at one thing to succeed at another. That idea is where the name Cake Maker came from: I wanted to make my cake and eat it too by creating the environment I needed.

You eventually joined Big Loud full time.

Big Loud’s philosophy of “best song wins” really resonated with me. Whether the artist wrote it or not, the bar is always high. And the environment is so creative — writers and artists are constantly hanging out, rising together.

At first, I was hesitant to join full-time because I didn’t want to get overwhelmed again. Seth told me to call other SVPs with kids and ask them about work-life balance. Almost all of them had young families, and they said the culture allowed for it. We work hard, but if you need to leave for a baseball game, you go.

The moment that sealed it was going to Seth’s son’s birthday party. Everyone from the office was there with their kids. I left and cried in the car because I realized, this is the crew that gets what I’m trying to do.

So I joined Big Loud two years ago, and it’s been such a great fit. The team is fantastic, the roster is strong, and while work-life balance will always be something I have to manage, I’ve gotten better at setting boundaries. And I’ve learned that makes me better at my job.

What would you say is your favorite part of your job today?

I love that every day is different. No two days look the same. I get to be in creative conversations on both the publishing and label sides — hearing songs from writers, meeting new talent, talking with producers and artists about their vision for a record, even sitting in marketing meetings and throwing out the occasional crazy idea.

At the heart of it, my favorite thing is sitting down with a writer or artist and asking, What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to say? Helping them clarify that vision and then giving them opportunities to get there — that’s the best part.

And of course, just hearing a great song. Getting to send it to someone with, “You’ve got to hear this one.” Or getting a text from Ernest with something brand new he’s excited about — that never gets old.

I also love mentoring. Guiding young A&R and publishing staff is so rewarding. I’ve had great mentors myself, so it’s important to me to give that back.

Have you had any mentors?

So many. Stephanie Cox has always been incredible — when I was at Harlan Howard Songs, her office was upstairs at Larga Vista Music and she was so generous with her time. Kos Weaver was amazing, always pulling me into meetings and letting me learn by doing.

I’ve also had peers who mentor each other — Beth Laird and I talk all the time about how we’d handle different situations. The Chicks With Hits raised me; they taught me how to pitch songs and be relentless about ones you believe in.

Others who made a big impact: Steve Markland, in the way he nurtures songwriters. Stephanie Wright — I can talk to her about anything. Allison Jones has been a great mentor too.

I’ve been really fortunate to have so many positive influences — men and women — from the very beginning, and I’m grateful for every one of them.