The Zak Kuhn Show
By Zak Kuhn
Zak Kuhn is an artist manager and founder of The Nashville Briefing, the must-read email newsletter that covers country music and Nashville news. In his new podcast, Zak talks with leaders in music and entertainment to gain their insights on the shifts in the music industry, what executives need to know to keep up on the latest trends and how to stay ahead of the curve in the biz.
The Zak Kuhn ShowJan 11, 2022
00:00
01:01:54
Mike Errico talks about his new book, country guitar playing and why more songwriters should study wheel makers.
Mike Errico is a New York-based recording artist, writer and teaches songwriting at universities including Yale, Wesleyan, the New School, and NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. He has a new book out called Music, Lyrics, and Life: A Field Guide for the Advancing Songwriter. We talk about his day to day in the classroom, what makes a modern pop hit, why songwriters should study wheel makers and so much more. You're going to love Mike. And he might convince you that you could have had a career as a songwriter.
Jan 11, 202201:01:54
Cody Alan
Cody Alan is one of country music's biggest radio personalities. Keith Urban says he "makes Ryan Seacrest look like a slacker". As host and executive producer of CMT Radio, millions of listeners hear Cody daily on more than 200 radio stations. On CMT's flagship music show, Hot 20 Countdown, his face can also be seen in 90 million homes. He has interviewed everyone from Taylor Swift to Blake Shelton, and Bradley Cooper to Dolly Parton. Cody has a brand new book out titled Hear's The Thing and we talk all about it. If you know Cody, you will love this conversation. If you don't know him, this episode will make you a fan.
Nov 30, 202150:55
Panos Panay talks Recording Academy, building Sonicbids and why artists make the best entrepreneurs
Panos Panay is the Co-President of The Recording Academy. Prior to his current role he served as the Senior Vice President for Global Strategy & Innovation at Berklee College of Music. A serial entrepreneur, he is the founder of Sonicbids; the founder of Berklee's Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship; and co-founder of the Open Music Initiative. His first book “Two Beats Ahead: What Musical Minds Teach Us About Innovation” (co-authored with IDEO partner Michael Hendrix) was selected by The Financial Times as a business book of the month in April 2021 and featured in Harvard Business Review’s IdeaCast. He is one of the great minds in the music industry.
Nov 16, 202155:11
Billy F. Gibbons talks early days of ZZ Top, playing with Jimi Hendrix and favorite Mexican food in Nashville
Legendary ZZ Top guitarist Billy F. Gibbons is on the podcast this week and he has a new solo album, "Hardware." We discuss the early days of ZZ Top, what is was like opening for Jimi Hendrix, what inspires him today and where he likes to eat in Nashville. Here is a man who doesn't need much of an introduction.
Nov 09, 202148:27
Marshall Sandman talks bringing back the woolly mammoth
Marshall Sandman is the Managing Partner of Animal Capital, a venture firm that was co-founded with manager Michael Gruen and some of the biggest influencers on the planet. With the help of fellow co-founders Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson and Noah Beck, Animal Capital has access to over 100 million consumers across the world and is investing in some of the most innovative companies today. We talk about the portfolio, what Sandman looks for in founders, why the stigma around influencers is over and so much more. You're going to love Marshall!
Nov 02, 202140:49
Kristian Bush
Kristian Bush is a singer, songwriter, record producer and one half of the country music duo Sugarland. In this episode we talk about how Kristian prepared for his TED Talk, how he wrote the opening lines to Sugarland's biggest hits, why he recently started writing musicals and so much more. I guarantee you'll learn something from Kristian.
Oct 26, 202101:41:20
Bruce Pomahac talks Rodgers & Hammerstein and Annie Get Your Gun
For over twenty years Bruce Pomahac was the Director of Music for The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization in New York City, where he helmed the restorations and supervised new editions of OKLAHOMA!, CAROUSEL, ALLEGRO, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING & I, PIPE DREAM, CINDERELLA, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and many others. He is currently Musical Consultant for Concord Music (Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart and Kern & Hammerstein), The Irving Berlin Music Company, and the estates of Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner. In this episode we talk about how he got the gig, what it takes to restore an iconic show and how he kept the music relevant for new generations. We also dive deep into the history of Annie Get Your Gun, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Oct 19, 202101:00:57
Dustin Boyer talks about how to grow your Spotify following
Dustin Boyer is a partner at Venture Music, one of the top digital marketing firms in Nashville. We talk about how to grow a fanbase, TikTok strategy, what most artists get wrong when it comes to marketing and so much more. Dustin is all about the analytics and he is one of the sharpest guys in the biz. This episode is going to make you grateful that there are people as knowledgeable as Dustin working in the music.
Oct 05, 202159:48
Carter Faith
Carter Faith is a Nashville songwriter and artist on the rise. We discuss her path as an artist, why she moved to Nashville and her songwriting process. For Carter, it's all about the song but she loves being on the stage and she recently opened up for The Avett Brothers. In Nashville, Carter constantly comes up in conversation. The industry is rallying behind her and she has been featured on the playlist covers for Fresh Finds and Today's Country. Learn about her now, before she blows up.
Sep 28, 202147:38
Pete Ganbarg
Pete Ganbarg is a true record man. He is a 2-time Grammy winning executive who is the President of A&R at Atlantic Records. He learned the business from Clive Davis and over the past 30+ years has played a major role in the careers of some of the most influential artists in the world. We talk about his involvement with Santana, Train, Hamilton, BRELAND and so much. We also talk about his podcast Rock & Roll High School and how the show came together. You're going to love Pete. This episode will remind you why you got into the music business.
Sep 21, 202101:01:07
Charlie Davis
Charlie Davis is the founder of Preffy, a brand new marketing platform that was recently acquired by Nashville based company Songfluencer. Preffy is changing the way artists engage with fans by allowing them to host competitions to see who can get the most likes on a social media video that features their song. We talk about how Charlie built the platform, the future on influencer marketing, why Songfluencer CEO Johnny Cloherty was willing to bet big on Preffy and so much more. If you work in the fan engagement business, this episode is for you.
Sep 14, 202145:51
Ted Chapin
Ted Chapin is the former president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. He has lead Broadway productions and revivals, including “South Pacific” Broadway revival, “The King and I,” “Oklahoma!” and “Carousel.” He also approved television productions such as “The Sound of Music Live!” on NBC and “Cinderella,” starring Whitney Houston and Brandy, on ABC. We talk about how he got the job, the importance of these shows today, how Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" came together and so much more. We also talk about "Annie Get You Gun" which is celebrating its 75th anniversary and how Rodgers & Hammerstein were involved in the iconic show.
Aug 31, 202158:18
BEXAR
BEXAR (pronounced ‘bear’) is comprised of Chris Ryan (lead vocals/guitar) and Logan Turner (vocals/banjo/guitar). The band self-released their debut EP in 2018 and have accumulated over 25 million streams to date. Now signed to Warner Music Nashville, BEXAR has been in the studio working on a new EP with producers Ross Copperman and Luke Laird. The project will be released September 3rd. The group is also getting ready to open a string of dates for Keith Urban. These guys are going to make you wish you were in a band.
Aug 24, 202101:01:58
Lori McKenna
All the way from Boston, Lori McKenna is one of Nashville’s most in demand songwriters. From Girl Crush to Humble and Kind to Always Remember Us This Way, Lori has written some of country’s biggest hits. Not only do we talk about her guitars and songwriting process, but we get into how she wrote the hits, why she loves living in Boston and what you need if you want to invite her to a show. Lori McKenna is magical and it’s contagious. This episode will make you wish you were a hit songwriter.
Aug 17, 202101:00:09
Mary Rahmani
Mary Rahmani is Triller’s global head of partnerships and TikTok’s first U.S. music executive. Most recently she launched Moon Projects, a new agency specializing in creator curation; content strategy for short-form, vertical platforms; and a label imprint in partnership with Republic Records. Not only does Mary talk about the current landscape of platforms like Triller and TikTok, she also goes into how she got her start in the industry, what she looks for in clients, how to grow your social numbers and so much more. Mary is amazing. You'll love her story.
Aug 10, 202159:28
Bryan Benson
Brian Benson is the Vice President of Booking at AC Entertainment. He has been with the company for over 20 years and is perhaps best known for booking Bonnaroo. We talk about how he builds the lineup, discovers new bands, booked Paul McCartney and so much more.
Aug 03, 202143:12
Seaforth
Seaforth are a musical duo consisting of Tom Jordan and Mitch Thompson. They are signed to Sony Nashville and are one of the most talked about rising acts in Music City. Their current radio single is called "Breakups" which they co-wrote with Liz Rose and Cameron Bedell. We talk about moving from Australia to Nashville, how the duo signed their label deal, the worst foods they have ever eaten and so much more.
Jul 27, 202158:08
Emily Oberman
Emily Oberman is a New York-based multidisciplinary designer and a partner at design studio Pentagram. She is responsible for the recent rebrand of Warner Chappell and Warner Records. Emily is also the creator of the SNL opening credits, the current DC Comics logo, the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon logo, and so many more. We talk about her process, what goes into building a brand, how to get the most out of a graphic designer and so much more.
Jul 20, 202101:01:41
Tenille Townes
Tenille Townes is doing country music her way. The rising star is getting ready to release new music and hit the road with Brothers Osborne. We talk about her new single "Girl Who Didn't Care", the one year anniversary of her album The Lemonade Stand, how she shared a stage with Shania Twain at 9 years old and so much more.
Jul 13, 202155:20
Pilgrimage founders Kevin Griffin and Brandt Wood
On episode 72, Kevin Griffin and Brandt Wood talk with Zak about how they created the iconic Tennessee music festival Pilgrimage. We also get into what fans can expect from the upcoming 2021 event, why the VIP package is worth it, Kevin Griffin's secret smoothies recipe and so much more.
Jul 06, 202155:44
Jennifer Turner
Jennifer Turner is the CEO of the Tennessee Performing Art Center (TPAC). We talk about how she got the gig, what goes into organizing the season, the future of theater in Nashville and so much more. The 2021 - 2022 season has already been announced and tickets are going fast!
Jun 29, 202150:60
Robyn Ottolini
Robyn Ottolini describes herself as the Eminem of country music. No joke. In 2020, Ottolini's career took off with the viral TikTok hit “F-150”. Since then, she signed with Warner Music Nashville, recently announced a brand new tour and has been releasing music non stop. Despite recently making her debut trip to Music City, she is one of Nashville most talked about rising artists.
Jun 22, 202158:48
John Marks
John Marks has been the Global Head of Country at Spotify since 2015. He moved to Nashville in 2010 to work at SiriusXM, where he became Head of Country Music Programming. During his tenure at SiriusXM, he brought The Highway to prominence and helped bring artists like Florida Georgia Line, Old Dominion, Kelsea Ballerini, Chase Rice, and Russell Dickerson to a national audience. Marks recently decided to step away from his powerful position on Spotify to launch new endeavors, including a brand new website: www.johnmarks.me
We talk about his rise in the industry, why he decided to leave Spotify, what's on the horizon, and so much more.
We talk about his rise in the industry, why he decided to leave Spotify, what's on the horizon, and so much more.
Jun 15, 202101:01:45
Steve Lassiter
Steve Lassiter got his start in the music business as a production assistant at Sound Seventy Productions in 1977 at the age of 19. He went on to have a 20 year career at APA where he became Partner / Sr VP and then Co-Head of Worldwide Music, representing artists like Travis Tritt, The Charlie Daniels Band, Crystal Gayle, Lee Greenwood, Little Texas, Kansas, Jackyl, The Gatlin Brothers, and many others. Today, Lassiter is launching a brand new agency, Reliant Talent. We talk all about it.
Jun 08, 202159:25
Kelleigh Bannen
Kelleigh Bannen is the host of The extremely popular Kelleigh Bannen Show and Today's Country on Apple Music Radio. She is also a longtime artist herself. We talk about what goes into creating her radio shows, how she preps for interviews, when she is coming out with new music and so much more.
Jun 01, 202154:28
Tracy Gershon
Tracy Gershon is a leader in the entertainment industry and music business. She has worked with and signed artists like Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, The Mavericks, Brandi Carlile and many others. We talk about her rise in the industry, her brand new publishing company, her favorite country music albums and so much more.
May 25, 202101:12:13
Adam Lowenberg
Adam Lowenberg is the Chief Marketing Officer at Primary Wave. He is responsible for some of the most compelling and unique marketing concepts within the modern music industry. Prior to being at Primary Wave, Lowenberg was Sr. VP of Marketing for Island Def Jam and served as Sr. VP of Marketing at Virgin Records. We talk about his rise in the industry, the 15th anniversary of Primary Wave, how he creates national holidays for his clients and so much more.
May 18, 202152:32
Adam Sansiveri
Adam C. Sansiveri is Head of the Nashville Private Client Group at AllianceBernstein. He is also a Broadway producer, film financier, tech entrepreneur, philanthropist, restaurateur and a renewable energy investor Adam started his career as a classical vocalist and has performed at the Verbier Festival, the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and Tanglewood. We talk about the growth of Nashville, NFTs, selling song catalogs and so much more.
May 11, 202142:21
Track45
Sibling trio Track45 is one of Nashville's most buzzed about acts. Consisting of Jenna, Ben, and KK Johnson, Track45 fill a NEED in the genre for a fresh, harmony-driven band set to explode on behalf of Country Radio, streaming, and social media platforms. The siblings on their own have written songs for artists including Lee Brice, Charlie Puth, Justin Timberlake, Weezer, Dierks Bentley, HARDY and many more. Now the trio is ready to make a go on their own.
May 04, 202158:13
Seth Godin
Seth Godin is an institution. He is a teacher, author, entrepreneur and you will have a hard time finding a modern business book that does not reference his work at least once. We go on a wild ride hearing Seth's thoughts on music, building a fan base, how to pick yourself, and so much more. Seth's newest book The Practice is out now.
Apr 27, 202150:27
Ian Munsick
Ian Munsick is that guy. He is one of Nashville most buzzed about artists and signed with Warner Nashville in 2020. Munsick is co-managed by his wife and legendary manager of George Strait, Erv Woolsey. We talk about his rise in the industry, his musical upbringing, where to get the best western shirts and so much more. His new album Coyote Cry is out now.
Apr 20, 202140:17
Kurt Deutsch
Kurt Deutsch is the Senior Vice President for Theatrical & Catalog Development at Warner/Chappell. He is also the President and founder of Sh-K-Boom and Ghostlight Records. Kurt has worked on some of the most iconic cast albums from the last 20 years including: In The Heights, Book of Mormon, The Last Five Years, Pippin, 13 and many more. Kurt is an entrepreneur, a pioneer and a leader in the Broadway community and music industry.
Apr 13, 202154:09
Sarah Trahern
Sarah Trahern is the CEO of the Country Music Association (CMA). We dive deep into her journey to Music City, how the CMA is innovating around the world today, the recovery of the music industry and so much more. This episode is simply a must listen.
Apr 06, 202159:28
Joseph Hudak
Joseph Hudak is the senior editor at Rolling Stone's Nashville office, which covers the country and Americana genres. Prior to joining the iconic title in 2014, he was the managing editor of Country Weekly magazine and spent 12 years at TV Guide magazine as an editor, dissecting and writing about television programming. Joseph is a pioneer in country music journalism and we talk all about it.
Mar 30, 202156:02
Ken Davenport
Ken Davenport is a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer whose credits include Once On This Island (Tony Award), The Play that Goes Wrong, Groundhog Day, Godspell, Kinky Boots (Tony Award), 13 The Musical and so much more. We talk about the return of live events, what makes a perfect logo, how he knew Ariana Grande would become a massive star and so much more.
Mar 23, 202146:27
Jordan Burger
Jordan Burger is the head of Madison House Nashville. He has worked with artists such as Oasis, Squeeze, Kid Rock, Kevin Costner, Southern Avenue, Sugar Ray, Los Lonely Boys, Rob Zombie, Marc Cohn, American Idol Winners [David Cook, Nick Fradiani, and Kris Allen] and many more. We talk about the current booking landscape, why so many music industry legends come out of Emory University, the secret to the perfect New York bagel and so much more.
Mar 16, 202101:18:37
Michael Barra & Stephen Snedden
Michael Barra & Stephen Snedden are the lead producers behind the Florida Georgia Line inspired musical "May We All". The show plans on making its debut in June of 2022 and will be part of the upcoming Broadway at TPAC series in Nashville. We talk about the show, the upcoming national tour, the future of Broadway and so much more.
Mar 09, 202132:25
David Kells
David Kells is the Executive Vice President at Bridgestone Arena and the Nashville Predators. He oversees operations for the entire venue and has been named twice to Billboard's Country Power Player list. We talk about how the venue is reopening, the best place to watch a show, why the venue community is so collaborative and so much more. Kells even mentions the best Bridgestone snack! Tune in to find out what it is.
Mar 02, 202141:29
Jody Williams
Jody Williams might as well be a Nashville institution. Born and raised in Nashville, he started his career in the mail room at BMI. He then climbed the ranks to work at publishing companies like Charlie Daniels’ Hat Band Music, Screen-Gems Music, Chappell Music, Tree Publishing and MCA. Williams has championed talent such as Robert Earl Keen, Alison Krauss, Brooks & Dunn, Maren Morris, Eric Church, Natalie Hemby, Jeffrey Steele, Carrie Underwood, and many more. Last year, Williams launched a brand new venture, Jody Williams Songs. we talk about it all.
Feb 23, 202159:53
Martha Earls
Martha Earls is the longtime manager of country superstar Kane Brown. Prior to that, she had careers at companies like Warner Chappell, BMG and co-founded the Company that would eventually become Big Machine Music.
Feb 16, 202158:15
Chris Swanson
Chris Swanson is the co-founder of Secretly Group, which includes independent record labels Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, The Numero Group and Secretly Canadian, as well as music publisher Secretly Publishing. Secretly Group artists include Bon Iver, The War On Drugs, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers and many more. He is also one of hollywoods top music supervisors, most recently working on Motley Crue's biopic, The Dirt,
Feb 09, 202152:01
Mike Deestro
Mike Deestro is the head writer for The Bobby Bones Show. He has been with Bobby since the very beginning and has been part of his incredible rise in Country Radio. In addition, Mike is a movie/Hollywood expert. We talk about it all!
Feb 02, 202142:47
Mat Devine
Mat Devine is the head of Music Partnerships for Cameo. Prior to that he created and fronted the alternative rock band Kill Hannah, which was signed to Atlantic Records. He also starred in the Spider-Man Musical on Broadway. We talk all about it!
Jan 26, 202158:20
Ben Vaughn
Ben Vaughn is the President/CEO of Warner/Chappell Nashville. Prior to that, he was the youngest executive to head a major publisher in Nashville, as EVP & GM at EMI. Vaughn started out running an independent music publishing company at the age of 20. Today, he works with some of the biggest songwriters and artists in music including Thomas Rhett, Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, Nicolle Galyon, Liz Rose, Dan + Shay and many more.
Jan 19, 202153:00
Alex Hall
Alex Hall is one of Nashville's fastest rising guitar slingers. He new EP is titled 6 Strings and features some of Country music's biggest artists like Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, John Osborne, Tenille Townes and others. Hall is signed to Shane McAnally's Monument Records.
Jan 12, 202147:54
Andrew Stone
Andrew Stone is the Head of Chugg Music, the Management, Publishing, and Record Label arm of Chugg Entertainment. He manages Australian superstars like Sheppard, Lime Cordiale and Mia Rodriguez. Andrew is also head and founder of City Pop Records. When industry leaders like Scooter Braun or Dre London need to team up with a manager from Australia, they team up with Andrew Stone.
Jan 05, 202101:07:21
Clarence Spalding
Clarence Spalding is a partner in Maverick and the founder of Spalding Entertainment. He manages country megastars like Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, Reba & Darius Rucker. When it comes to Country managers, few compete with Clarence.
Dec 15, 202001:09:34
Clarence Spalding
Clarence Spalding is a partner in Maverick and the founder of Spalding Entertainment. He manages country megastars like Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, Reba & Darius Rucker. When it comes to Country managers, few compete with Clarence.
Dec 15, 202001:09:34
Lee Greenwood
Lee Greenwood, the myth, the legend, the patriot. This was a fun one! We talk about his biggest hits, how his song ends up in presidential campaigns and so much more.
Dec 10, 202026:39
Lee Greenwood
Lee Greenwood, the myth, the legend, the patriot. This was a fun one! We talk about his biggest hits, how his song ends up in presidential campaigns and so much more.
Dec 10, 202026:39