Tom from Warner/Chappell & Frank from Carnival Music

I really did not do well with my interviews today.

The first one i went to the wrong building and then once i got to the right place i was 20 minutes late and it last 5 minutes and it was not very helpful. and he had told me when he emailed me back that he didn't think he would be much help. but really i think it is my fault for asking the wrong questions. like when he mentioned he used to do managing why didn't you jump on that?!

anyways so i met with Tom and he works at Warner/Chappell which is a production music company, so the music you hear in films, tv, etc. that aren't hit songs. They create, represent, and license that music. he is in charge of licensing and has 10 people in his team. he has to bring in revenue. he calls on clients and works with offices around the world. it's about maximizing opportunities, getting in front of people. he personally spent 30 years in radio stations but then the radio industry changed about 7 to 8 years ago. so he was involved in artist management and label promotion. and then he has been here for a year. this is completely different from what he did before. the number one thing across the board is to make sure the team is motivated and maximizing their potentially and getting all the opportunities.

the second one was better but i also missed out on a lot of questions i could have asked. i had a hit successful producer in front of me and didn't ask him about that. and he founded the company i was in and i didn't ask him about that since he sort of didn't mention the whole founding part. what the hell, molly? you really missed your chance here...

so i met with Frank Liddell (who also just won an award) from Carnival Music. it is a publishing company and he also produces records. they have 12 songwriters and they write songs everyday. he is from TX, went to boarding school in MA, college in TX. ended up in Nashville, started producing records. he started at Bluewater and then was at Decca records for 4 years worked as a publisher pitching songs and in A&R. he doesn't like the whole meetings, would rather listen to music and stay in the studio and check in on people. he doesn't know at lot. he isn't doing anything a lot differently from 24 years ago other than he doesn't pitch as much because he has other people do that, he works with the songwriters.

he says the music industry is bigger than you think, you feel closed in on music row but it is actually huge. recommended the book by Passman. he said that people forget that the music is by people and the whole humanity of it. musicians are people and artists and their art is important. you want to work with music and stuff you are proud of. how do you progress and not forget how you started. he said he doesn't know anything now that he didn't know when he first stated. you want to work with music and people you love. and there is the whole reality of what they do and how you can talk about something but it is a whole new thing to actually do it. failed a lot. about 90% of his success came from his heart and using his brain didn't always work. he knew it wasn't adding up but entered into bad situations anyways. he wished he would have protected what he believed in. don't get into something if you don't think it is 100%. to love music and to love the people and believe in them. not just be yes people. come with your sense of purpose and music.

yeah so i didn't ask him about founding a company or producing music so i'm stupid. but you live and you learn i guess.

Ben & Emiy from Ole

i've had an extremely lazy past two days. like i haven't left the house. but i've read two books. the day before, Friday and before that, Thursday were both good! one of the groups on Rounder was playing at the Ryman and i was asked if i wanted to go so i went with Corey and it was really cool to be at the Ryman and everything. and after that we got ice cream and chips and queso and walked across the bridge. it was fun. and then Friday was spent with Corey again as she was getting her car fixed so we hung out at a coffee shop while i made phone calls to hotels to try to book places for Taylor's house show tour - another story - and then went to the opry hotel and walked around there and had dinner at Johnny Rockets! so it was fun.

but then she had to babysit yesterday. and our church had their sunday hangouts today and i thought we were going to go to together but no response from my text and she didn't answer my phone call...i probably could have just went, she was probably there. but i wasn't feeling confident enough to take on an event full of beautiful, happy, confident, successful people in Nashville - because that is what our church is made up of. i mean i am sure they would have been nice and taken me in but i didn't want to have to deal with the awkwardness. and Corey will probably be like, why didn't you just come? but i'm still working on my whole confidence and not being shy thing. usually i'm pretty good once i get somewhere but i usually need someone there with me just to get me out of the house and you know. i am not going to beat myself up and get mad at myself for not going. i am who i am and i didn't go so that's okay. i will have more chances to put myself out there. and in three weeks i won't be here anymore anyways. i'll be galavanting across ireland and then living in shanghai.

but i was about to start binge watching netflix and i told myself i have to be at least a little bit productive. i haven't written up the last meeting i went to so i have to do that. then i might do a chinese lesson and maybe write a blog post. and then i can be lazy for the rest of the day. and then tomorrow i have to make more phone calls to hotels and i have two meetings.
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okay so i went to Ole and met with Ben first. he told me about Ole (music publishers), started in Canada in 2004 and they have 3 offices (Canada, Nashville, New York) and had a 15% ROI. so they manage the writers, schedule co-writes, use songs on records, and pitch songs to records. so a lot of cold emails, networking, meetings with A&R, artists, and managers. it's all about developing relationships and pitching actual songs. so in the Nashville artists they focus on country, LA is more pop. he mentioned that Josh Dorr, Zach's roommate is signed to them. they are acquiring catalogs too, they have Taylor Swift's. so for Ben actually he went to school for music business. he was bartending and met someone from Song Records and went to work in their mail room and then in the tape room and then the assistant to A&R but then his company wanted to get into publishing so he was moved to work on that which because Sony ATV and then ended up at Ole. he said that publishers also act as managers before songwriters have a manager. he said the business is about getting a job and working two times harder.

then i met with Emily who was absolutely adorable and i really liked talking to her. she showed me the cool writing rooms that songwriters will go and write together in. she went to Belmont and she wanted to help songwriters. so that is someone how she got here because she loved helping songwriters. she helps set up co-writes and strategically puts together different people. she will often have pitch meetings and have lunch with publishers to get writers together. she was just so sweet and i really liked her.

this meeting really opened me up to this kind of music publishing, not just old catalogs or whatever. but working directly with the songwriters. i wouldn't mind working at a place like that!

so i told Zach that i went to the place where his roommate is signed to. and he was all excited asking who i met with. apparently he is buddies with all of them. so then i few days later he says: "Ben had nothing but amazing things to say about you. He was so impressed with the fact that you emailed them and met up with em. Keep going Molly!! ... Yeah he's one of my buddies. he was super impressed. Said you have a big future ahead of you" so it was awesome to get that kind of feedback. but then of course since then i've been sitting on my bum not doing anything. well i do have two meetings tomorrow but i haven't been sending out any new emails or doing anything great. but at least i have done something. and even if i'm feeling kind of stuck and blahh here and feeling like i can't really do anything else since i will be leaving soon - i'll be in china and hopefully be able to explore the music scene there. and i'll just figure it out one day at a time. i have time. even though it feels like i'm wasting time and like i should be doing something, i don't have to have my life together right now. i don't have to be doing big things right now. i'm learning and seeing. right? or is that just an excuse for sitting like a bum in my room all day? could go either way.

guys i did that thing again where i was exhausted and ready to fall asleep at 7 but just stayed up until 2am. whoops.

I just talked to Maeve and i feel so much better about everything. she saw things from the side of Joy wasn't being a very good friend and was being manipulative and that it was fine that i didn't invite her over. when i talked to Maeve i had already left Joy a message and told her she could stay if she wanted to. but if i had talked to Maeve first i probably wouldn't have. i haven't heard back from Joy but i am hoping she won't want to come. but i forgot how good it is to just talk to someone, it was awesome talking to Maeve. i should really call and talk to her about what is going on in my life more. usually i only talk to her when she wants to call to talk about all the shit she is going through. which i will do whenever and it is important but it is also nice to just talk about what is going on in my life and figure that out as well. because i realized other than Maeve i don't really have a close friend that i can call and talk to. i don't want to unload all of this on Ellie or Amelie because i have barely talked to them anyways. i really should text them just to see how they are doing and all. but i don't feel like i can just talk to them about all the shit in my life because then i am complaining and i don't want them to have to carry that or worry about me.

but basically i should have called maeve yesterday. i feel so much better after talking to her. i am going to stick to my guns and just go with it. we will see what happens. but it is good to have the reminder that i will always have her to rely on.

now i have to figure out if i clear my plates or if i can just leave them...coffee shop problems.

i feel sick. i'm a horrible person. i left joy to sleep in her car last night. and it's my fault. god. i feel horrible right now.

it was 10:30 and i was exhausted and wanted to sleep but summer wasn't texting me back and then kristian was here so i went and talked to her and basically talking to her convinced me not to have her stay. and then i basically broke down because of all of this and all the stuff that is going on at home and stuff. and she was just like you need to sleep, don't take on all of her stuff, you don't need to bring her into the house. and just now i feel like shit and don't know what to do. she still need a place to stay for like 3 more days and she texted me all this stuff like how it really hurt our friendship.

okay now let me get mad at her. we are barely even friends. she through this all on me. and stressed me out so much. i have other shit going on.

it's hard for me to be mad. i don't know what to do. this was horrible. i should have just let her come over because even then if i had to deal with that and that was messy at least i wouldn't feel like a bad person...i kind of want to talk to Maeve or someone but i really have no one. Maeve's probably still asleep. it's 7:13am in the morning and i'm up so early because i am meeting another intern for coffee at 8 but at least this woke me up, no way i could fall back asleep.

hi i really want to be asleep right now but i need work through this dilemma.

okay so i have this friend Joy, who is really Erin's friend and i met her through her or whatever. but she and Erin just had a big fight and i'm not going to go into details but basically Joy has not been a good friend to Erin and is blaming Erin for everything. and i haven't heard from Joy in a while even though i had texted her saying we should hang out a while ago. but then she texts me tonight and she needs a place to stay because her roommate is away but her roommate's ex-boyfriend is coming to get his stuff and is staying in the house and she doesn't feel comfortable staying there with him. but when i talked to Erin about her staying here Erin said she would feel uncomfortable if Joy was here even though Erin isn't here. and Summer i think is at her boyfriends house but i wouldn't feel right about having Joy stay here without asking her. and i don't know what to do. i feel like the big obvious choice is to just have Joy stay here but it isn't my house so really i shouldn't be making that decision. but it is also midnight and i just want to sleep. would I believe a horrible person if i just ignored Joy's texts and went to sleep...the answer to that is yes but i still really just want to do that. i am so tired. i can't deal. and i think Corey is upset that i didn't go to the belonging tonight. and i am starting to get stressed out by this but i really don't want to.

okay i have to text Joy back otherwise i'll feel horrible. i'll see if i can figure something else out for tonight. and then i'll talk to Corey tomorrow and make sure she isn't upset and see if she is moving in or what.

Erin just texted me and i feel bad that Erin has to deal with this now too because she is supposed to be on vacation. all i really want to do is sleep. i'll wait and see what Erin says then text Joy and either leave the door unlocked for her or i will sleep.

OMG she doesn't even need a place until Wednesday, why am i still awake! ahahahahahahah i just lost like half an hour of sleep and stressed over this when i can figure it out tomorrow. gaaaaaah.

I have been spending money like crazy lately...$50 for Kristian's utilities, $20 for a present for Corey, $30 for Hanson's kickstarter, $45 for Abby's fund, $30 for Kyle Reynold's kickstarter, $60 for new face stuff cause the stuff i bought isn't working...and I still want to buy a $100 backpack and I have a list of things I need to buy for China and I need to go grocery shopping today...

but i have to remember that everything i spent and give to other people so $170 will come back to me somehow...like the tickets to the Fray and some people in front of us paying for our ice cream (which we should have continued and paid for the people behind us! so frustrated i didn't! worse that Zach is the one who pointed out that i should have)

i shouldn't be worried about money because i have enough but i just see myself spending it all and i have no income...which is kind of scary. but i'll be okay. i don't want to be restricted by money and have it control my life...i already missed a concert by the Neighbourhood because of that. 

oh wow, i just read that Ricky isn't going to Europe with David and Jose for their tour...that is kind of shocking. i was so proud of them for pulling that off and doing it all themselves. i wonder what is going on in his life. i hope everything is okay. i wish him and the rest of the boys luck. goodness.

anyways i also left the oven on all night which i am beating myself up about, especially because that means the electric bill will be higher and that affects people other than me too...

but still thinking about KTK, reminder that other people have a lot going on in their lives. i am grateful and blessed that i have the life i have and can afford to help other people as i do.

that's dream you know: to help other people's dreams come true and if i can do that by $30 that is great. eventually i want to be able to help more. fund a whole kickstarter. be the manager behind a band that blows up.

anyways i should get out of bed and maybe try to be somewhat productive today. it's 1:12pm.

let me write a list of what i should do today:

- shower

- grocery shopping

- library

- Chinese lesson

- blog post

- start getting friends addresses together

- start clearing out Babtop

- write up about last music industry visit

i think if i do all of that i will be happy. so let's go!