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By Carrie Carlin
When Beth and Luke Laird founded Creative Nation in Nashville, they ignored the two pieces of advice given to them: Don’t start a company with your spouse, and don’t use your own money. They did both.
“I wouldn’t want to do this without him,” said Beth. Besides, their skills complement each other perfectly — Luke is a Grammy-winning songwriter and Beth has years of experience on the business side of music.
Their partnership began when Luke, a young songwriter with a new publishing deal, met Beth at the receptionist counter at BMG Nashville in 2005 and they began dating. Around this time, both of their careers started to grow along with their relationship.
Luke’s song “Painless” landed on a Lee Ann Womack album, kickstarting his success in songwriting. And Beth’s career took her from the front desk at BMG to pitching music to labels as a song plugger. She eventually landed at BMI as a writer-publisher representative where she continued to learn the ins and outs of the music industry.
The idea for Creative Nation came about when the couple’s business manager informed Luke that he was at a point where he could consider selling his catalog.
“In that moment, we decided to make a five-year business plan and build the company, one person and one songwriter at a time,” Beth recalled.
In November 2011, Beth and Luke launched Creative Nation from their kitchen table with Barry Dean, Luke’s best friend and favorite co-writer.
Today, Creative Nation has grown into a boutique powerhouse in Nashville’s competitive music publishing scene. Beth and Luke are selective about who they work with. They follow three golden rules: Love the music even if no one else does; only sign artists you’d want to have coffee with every morning; and, perhaps most importantly, no jerks.
The company’s roster includes songwriters and artists from across the country. It has shepherded 24 songs to No. 1 chart positions, including Sam Hunt’s “Hard to Forget” and Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar,” and has produced more than 60 radio singles and critically acclaimed albums. To Beth and Luke, the process of signing new talent is deeply personal and collaborative.
Their mantra? “Work with good people, make great music and do it with passion, purpose and love.”
Once interested, the Creative Nation team spends time getting to know the writer, having them collaborate with current clients, and eventually sharing a meal with Beth and Luke to make sure the chemistry is right.
“We take our commitment seriously. If we sign someone, we want to make sure we can really take care of them,” Beth said. “We like to sign individuals in their own lane. That way, we’re not creating internal competition. We’re creating a culture where people support each other.”
Hitting the Right Financial Notes
A key part of Creative Nation’s journey was its relationship with City National Bank, which began in 2011 when the entertainment bank opened its first Nashville office. After early frustrations with other financial institutions, Beth and Luke found experienced advisory at City National, which understood the unique needs of music entrepreneurs.
“They just get it, and they bet on us when others wouldn’t, so that’s made all the difference,” Beth said. “We realized quickly that City National was highly specialized in music and just naturally understood us and really went to bat for creators,” Beth said. “That’s generally not the case with banking in general.”
City National has done everything from providing lines of credit to commercial mortgages for Creative Nation’s operations in the heart of Music Row.
Together, Beth and Luke continue to build Creative Nation one song at a time, honoring their love for music and each other. They prove that betting on yourself can be worth it, and that you never know who you’ll meet at a receptionist's desk.
This article is for general information and education only. It is provided as a courtesy to the clients and friends of City National Bank (City National). City National does not warrant that it is accurate or complete. Opinions expressed and estimates or projections given are those of the authors or persons quoted as of the date of the article with no obligation to update or notify of inaccuracy or change. This article may not be reproduced, distributed or further published by any person without the written consent of City National. Please cite source when quoting.
Creative Nation is not owned by City National Bank or any City National Bank Affiliate. City National is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims any and all liability for the use of any services provided by Creative Nation or damages of any kind arising out of reliance upon any information provided by this firm.
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