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

Frank Tanki

Following the news that CMT’s Brian Philips will be stepping down, CMT has named Frank Tanki as General Manager of the brand, expanding his current role as General Manager of TV Land to include oversight of both iconic brands. He will work from both New York and Nashville offices.

A 12-year veteran of Viacom, most recently as the EVP of marketing and creative for Spike TV, Tanki will be responsible for the day-to-day operations at CMT, including Programming, Marketing & Creative and Communications, and will work closely with CMT’s development team to set the overall strategy for the brand. He will continue to report directly to Kevin Kay, President of Spike (soon to be Paramount Network), TV Land and CMT.

In his new role, Tanki will be supported by CMT’s executive team, including Suzanne Norman (SVP of Programming & Operations), Anthony Barton (SVP of Consumer Marketing and Creative), Kurt Patat (SVP of Corporate Communications) and Margaret Comeaux (VP of Production – Music & Events).

Leslie Fram (SVP Music Strategy & Talent) will report to Tanki and Bruce Gillmer, the Head of Music and Music Talent for the Global Entertainment Group.

To centralize development, Jayson Dinsmore (EVP of Development & Production) will now report to Keith Cox, President of Production & Development for the Paramount Network and TV Land.

“I am honored and thrilled to be joining the CMT family,” Tanki said in an internal memo obtained by MusicRow. “I’m a longtime fan of the channel and thoroughly impressed by all the incredible work you’ve done, especially in the last year…Our goal will be to continue CMT’s upward trajectory to further extend the power of our palpable voice. Working together, we’ll develop new opportunities that tap the combined reach of both CMT and TV Land like never before. The opportunities are endless and each of you will play a critical role in our success.”

In the memo, Tanki also thanked Philips for his accomplishments and leadership at CMT.

“Brian has led the brand to an ambitious resurgence; setting a high-bar excellence that I will strive to hit. He has kindly agreed to join me and the senior team as we begin the transition process.  And I want to thank him for that commitment.”

“CMT is one of the most distinct brands in all of media and Frank is the perfect leader to guide the team to new summits of success,” said Kevin Kay, President of Spike, TV Land and CMT. “I am confident that Frank will apply the same ingenuity that has been the hallmark of his career at Viacom to ensure that CMT continues to thrive, while keeping the network true to its brand.”

Lauren Alaina was voted Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year at the recent MusicRow Awards. The talented 22-year-old called from the road to discuss her award and more. Pick up a copy of the MusicRow Awards print issue to read the full feature, or subscribe to MusicRow today to receive your complementary print issue.

What did you learn during your recent CMT Next Women of Country Tour with Martina McBride?

It was really cool for me to be on the road with a female. I’ve been on the road with Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Alan Jackson and Sugarland, but I’ve never been on a solo female tour. I learned so much from her.

She’s the nicest person on the planet, and so much fun. She really took me under her wing and we keep in touch. She’s won all kinds of awards—she’s MARTINA MCBRIDE—and she’s still a good person and cares about people. I love that about her. I learned that you can be gracious always.

She has proved that women can make it in this business. She still goes out and plays shows. That’s what I want—to still be able to play music when I have a family and kids. I learned that talented people and hard workers can make it, regardless if they are male or female. She’s amazing.

You are featured on Kane Brown’s new single, “What Ifs.” How long have you two known each other?

I grew up with Kane and we’ve been friends a long time. We went to Lakeview Middle School in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia together.

We had completely different ways of coming into this business. He started with videos online and I started with Idol. Not the traditional ways. It’s cool that we each took a different route. I think when you are from that area, you kind of have to, because no one is there to give you advice.

Now we have “What Ifs” together. We got to shoot a music video in California. It’s super dramatic. I’m in a flowy dress and I’m following him through the wilderness, and we end up on this perfect cliff.

I was like, “How in the heck are we the two kids who were in middle school chorus class?” Back then he was so shy but I made him sing in front of the class. How is this our lives now? It’s crazy and sweet, and it’s meant to be.

Our friendship is special and important. We lost touch for a while and the music reconnected us once he moved to Nashville. Now we have someone from home. 

What would you go back and tell those middle schoolers?

Just wait. And don’t ever take “no” for an answer, because one day you’re not going to believe the life that you’re living.

Brian Philips is stepping down from CMT after 16 years, MusicRow confirms. A new leadership announcement is forthcoming.

In a memo obtained by MusicRow, Philips said he had been considering leaving CMT for awhile but was going to stay to help with the recent “brand renewal” of the network.

His full memo is below:

Today I’m writing to share the news that I’ve decided to step down as President of CMT.

For some time, I’ve been contemplating a change (more on that soon), but agreed to stay to help navigate through the recent exciting “brand renewal”. This was a tough decision; I remain a fan and champion of each of you. I love, live and breathe this brand. Change is difficult, especially after all we’ve endured together! Fortunately, we have the best senior staff team in place in our history, and I am confident they will continue the remarkable work we’ve done together.

I cherish the time I’ve spent here with you over the last 16 years. I joined CMT as an ambitious-but-unenlightened wayward radio character. I had the early good fortune to learn from masters of the medium, the creative firebrands who built the glorious MTV Networks group. Later, learning from Nickelodeon’s geniuses was another invaluable experience. I’m glad I don’t have to list my many brilliant mentors here. They are known to all, of course, their names are legend.

Most of all, I learned so much about TV from you, my awe at your abilities has simply never ceased. We at CMT grew up together and I’m forever changed and made better by each of you. I think of the early days when we worked from a shelled-out Opryland building on a dime-store budget, a small country music video jukebox in a town nobody wanted to visit. Fast forward to today, Nashville is one of the most vibrant cities in the world. CMT has forged its place in this dazzling new environment, all while remaining true to the brand promise.

I leave you as CMT enters what we all believe will be a very strong era. Ratings are up across all dayparts, driving more than 7 months of year-over-year growth. We’ve attracted new fans and advertisers with “Nashville” and successfully converted them to regular CMT viewership. Our creative resurgence continues and the channel looks better than ever! Recent CMT Music Awards and Crossroads have been widely acclaimed as two of the very best we’ve ever done. Our summer line-up of originals is solid, and we’re developing some innovative new series that will ensure our future.

I’ll be sticking around awhile to help with the transition and look forward to personal time with you. I will swing through NY and Hollywood offices to further express my gratitude. Your friendship and kindness mean the world to me, and all of the outrageous fun and laughter we’ve shared will be what I remember most fondly. Keep the faith.

More soon, but I wanted you to hear this first from me. Have a great holiday weekend!

With much love, Brian

Pictured (L-R): Leslie Fram, Tracy Gershon, Sara Evans and Beverly Keel

Sara Evans joined members of Change The Conversation Tuesday night (June 27), where she spoke candidly about her personal and professional journey and performed several songs from her new album, Words, from The Steps at WME.

In addition to performing the title track from the album due out July 21, Evans also debuted new songs “All the Love You Left Me” and “Marquee Sign,” as well as an acoustic version of her platinum chart-topper “A Little Bit Stronger.” The project is Evans’ first on her new label, Born To Fly Records, and features 14 female songwriters, including powerhouses Ashley Monroe, Caitlyn Smith, Hillary Lindsey, Hillary Scott, Liz Hengber, and Sonya Isaacs.

“I want to talk about why we need to change the conversation,” said Evans during the event. “When I first got my record deal, women were dominating country radio. We had Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain, Patty Loveless and on and on. I was fortunate enough to join that group of amazing women. So we need to change the conversation and figure out why it is not that way anymore. Why are there not enough women on country radio? Women artists are amazing and they have so much great music that we want to hear and we need to hear, so let’s change the conversation.”

The event, sponsored by WME and One Hope Wine, began with a conversation between Evans and Tracy Gershon, a co-founder of Change the Conversation who also helped with A&R duties for this album. “Sara Evans has been one of the most influential and admired country artists of the last two decades, so when she spoke about the importance of changing the conversation, the female artists in the room were inspired and invigorated,” Gershon says.