Leadership Music
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615-770-7090
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P. O. Box 120478
Nashville, TN 37212
Organization Details

Statements

Mission

The mission of Leadership Music is to cultivate a forward-thinking community of leaders that impact the creative industry.

Background

Leadership Music is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to facilitate communication between the many factions of the music community as well as established leaders in their roles as industry decision makers. The organization was formed by alumni from the music community who had completed the Leadership Nashville Program, and the program's structure continues to be modeled after the LN Program. Since its inception, the defining elements of the Leadership Music program have been to: 1) explore and analyze how various parts of the industry operate; 2) provide increased familiarity and dialogue with industry leaders; and 3) expose and educate class participants to varying points of view and philosophies. Leadership Music helps to expand the knowledge base of each participant, expand the talent pool of leadership within the music community, and promote teamwork and camaraderie in an otherwise competitive business. Each person selected to participate in Leadership Music makes an extensive time commitment. Attendance is mandatory for the nine-month program, which begins in the fall. The first and last meetings are weekend retreats. Between these retreats are six monthly meetings, which average 12 hours each. The participants make on-site visits around the community, focusing on such subjects as Songwriting/Publishing, Broadcast, Artist, Studio/Audio, Record Company, and Touring. They hear from numerous speakers and participate in hands-on exercises. The education does not stop where Music Row ends. Through on-going alumni activities, Leadership Partners was formed. Leadership Partners pairs Leadership Music alumni with Leadership Nashville alumni to facilitate growth and communication between the music industry and the greater Nashville business community. With nearly 1,200 alumni after 30 years, Leadership Music continues to grow, adapting to the changing times and trends while always respecting the fundamental goals of the organization.

Impact

We will accomplish this through: 1. The identification and exploration of topical issues a. Annual series of off-the-record issue-oriented educational seminars (the Program) b. Alumni nurturing and education 2. Adequate funding that provides for the long-term security of the organization 3. Appropriate governance and oversight of the organization's mission and objective. Leadership Music recognizes the community culture that is unique to the creative community in Nashville and provides a forum for it to continue and flourish; as well as embracing the power in the coalescence of leadership within the music and entertainment industry. Goal #1: To maintain high quality, in-depth, educational value through the LM Program for each year's participants, while adapting to the changing times and trends. Goal #2: To facilitate growth and communication between the music industry and the greater Nashville business community through on-going alumni initiatives. Goal #3: To facilitate mobilizing the resources within the LM alumni community for the greater good of the industry, as well as through partnerships with related companies and organizations.

Needs

1. Annual corporate underwriting donations to support our operations and program and increase an endowment fund. 2. Support of our events, including sponsorships and in-kind donations 3. Technical donations of programming services, programming and facilitating e-commerce for donations and registration fees, equipment, software.

CEO Statement

Like many leadership programs, our organization is made up of established leaders and decision makers, and creates teamwork, camaraderie and dialogue among its participants. Leadership Music has the unique distinction of being the only organization of its kind (in the Music and Entertainment industry) nationally. This gives us the advantage of being able to explore industry issues in an in-depth manner, exposing class participants to varying points of view and philosophies. Each year we receive more candidates from outside Nashville, many are top leaders in their industry segment. Each year there are a few participants from the non-creative community, such as legislative, Chamber of Commerce, major non-profits, and other organizational partners - to foster better understanding of our industry by the broader community. We believe our Program has contributed to Nashville's success as a well-connected, thriving creative community, reinforcing the city's moniker of 'Music City.'


Service Categories

Primary Category: Community Improvement, Capacity Building  - Business and Industry 
Secondary Category: Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Arts Education 
Tertiary Category: Mutual & Membership Benefit  - Professional Societies & Associations 

Areas Served

Our participants mainly work and reside in or near Nashville, Tennessee, though each year's class has between 10-12 participants from other entertainment communities; frequently Los Angeles, Washington DC and New York.

TN - Cheatham
TN - Davidson
TN - Robertson
TN - Rutherford
TN - Sumner
TN - Williamson
TN - Wilson