RAINMAKERS 2020 RANDY GOODMAN’S NEW DOMINION andy Goodman’s tenure as Sony staying power and reach. Music Nashville chief has been When Goodman took the marked by breakouts. The major- helm in 2015, it was a homecom- ity of the label’s biggest successes ing. The bespectacled industry has been with acts signed on his leader started his label career in watch, younger artists who have the publicity department at RCA achieved major streams, sales and Records in 1981—and moved crossover fame. These include through essentially every depart- Luke Combs, Kane Brown and ment at the iconic label. Maren Morris, who have con- “Joe [Galante] never let sistently been among the top- me stay in a job very long,” streaming acts in country and all Goodman tells HITS. “Publicity, of who have gained a foothold artist development and dealing with young audiences, beyond with TV, product management, Nashville’s typical purview. sales with Dave Wheeler—Joe Combs shattered all manner kept moving me as soon as I got of streaming records. Morris good at something.” sauntered onto the pop charts. Brown won crossover audiences orn in Albuquerque, where with multi-genre collabs and by his father was stationed confronting America’s racial and after the Korean War, and “RANDY IS THE cultural divides with warmth and moving six months later RIGHT GUY humanity. Goodman’s belief in B to Nashville, he developed the authenticity of these acts was the flexibility demonstrated under Rpivotal to their growth. Galante moving to New Holland, TO CONVINCE Goodman recognizes that the Penn., for his father’s work, COMPANIES key to success is knowing when to back to Nashville at 12, then off say, “I don’t know” and relying to Bowling Green, Ky., for two THAT NASHVILLE on the people who do: the fans. years of high school. Though he “We realize our younger fans are took classes at David Lipscomb IS THE PLACE really into everything,” he says. University before his senior year, “Luke’s people are streaming a lot he never bothered going back to TO BE IF THEY of Drake. We see a lot of Ariana high school. But he did go back to Grande and Billie Eilish on Bowling Green, to play drums in WANT TO DO Maren’s fans’ playlists. Our artists a couple of local bands, including are getting better range, reaching Southern Star with band members RANDY GOODMAN’S BUSINESS IN more and different people.” Bill Lloyd and Kim Richey. SMN’s boss has also enjoyed It was college classes in Nash- THE MUSIC major success with hitmaking tro- ville during the week, local band INDUSTRY.” phy magnets Old Dominion and guy on the weekend. Along the NEW DOMINION superstars like multitasking enter- way, Goodman struck up a friend- tainer Brad Paisley and country ship with Owsley Manier, one of —FORMER diva supreme Miranda Lambert, whose work in recent years has NASHVILLE shown consistent evolution and MAYOR creative risk—and garnered a fair number of streams as well. KARL DEAN By the end of 2019, SMN had 75% of the year’s #1 albums in country consumption, and the company continued to earn strong country marketshare. Its roster took home enough CMA, ACM, CMT and other hardware to fill a warehouse. Most impor- tantly, it had a roster of acts with Goodman with Luke Combs PHOTO: MATTHEW BERINATO MATTHEW PHOTO: 69 Joe Galante, Goodman, Roy Rogers and Jack Weston (left); with Dolly Parton (center); Alabama’s Randy Owen and Jeff Cook, Goodman and Alabama’s Teddy Gentry and Mark Herndon (right) the Exit/In’s founders. Helping with local hen Galante was sent to New like Barry Weiss, Coran Capshaw bookings, he began a working relation- York to run all of RCA, he and Terry Hemmings (now head of ship with Dave Perkins of The Flying took his utility player with Provident Entertainment under the Burrito Brothers’ last incarnation. He him, tapping Goodman as VP SMN banner). later booked, promoted, tour-managed W of Product Development. “It was a time for RCA New York and played drums when needed with “Joe goes to New York, and I think, where ‘anything you’re going to eat, The Dave Perkins Band. ‘Oh, wow! The ultimate position; I’ll you’re going to have to go out and He remembers getting stiffed open- now get to run this [Nashville] division!’” kill,’” he adds. ing for Kinky Freedman at the original Goodman relates. “But he calls and says, Lone Star Café, shows at Kenny’s ‘I need you here.’ Out of 80 names, I y 1991, Goodman had been Castaways, college dates. It was all fun only recognized Bruce Hornsby’s... But named SVP of Marketing and games until he got a call from Don I got to be there for KRS-One and Kool and become active in several Cusic at Cashbox. “I was in New York Moe Dee, this nascent hip-hop thing. I charitable organizations, in trying to find a job, and he told me got to work the Wu-Tang Clan and Dave B 1994 serving on the execu- Top Billing needed a publicist. I said, Matthews.” His stretch there also gave tive council of the Sixth Annual T. J. ‘I don’t know how.’ And he said, ‘Yes, him an opportunity to meet biz players Martell Industry Roast. Still, he—and you do. You’re doing it right now.’” Galante—missed Nashville. Top Billing, Tandy Rice’s agency, was Galante became head of BMG booking Tom T. Hall, Jim Ed Brown & operations, overseeing RCA, BNA Helen Cornelius, Don Gibson, Bobby and Christian label Reunion, which Bare, The Bellamy Brothers and comic were reconstituted as RCA Records Jerry Clower. Goodman took his last Label Group/Nashville. Goodman few dollars, flew back to Nashville and was named SVP/GM. got the job. Surviving Top Billings’ rite Not long after his return to of passage—a trip to Clower’s home- Nashville, uber-barrister Joel Katz town of Yazoo, Miss.—he thrived. reached out, saying that Walt Disney Goodman graduated from Lipscomb Records wanted to start a country with a B.A. in Political Science and label and needed a leader. Goodman Economics. He also audited every course felt it wasn’t necessarily a good time offered in Belmont College’s developing for a country start-up, and he certainly Music Business curriculum. wouldn’t pursue such a thing without He began his RCA Nashville tenure in Galante’s okay. But Galante signed PR; after stints in marketing and merch off and, as Goodman told Radio & he was named VP/Product Development Records in 2007, “It finally dawned on in 1988 and later, VP of Promotion & me: How many times do you have an Product Development. He’d become ALAN POIZNER PHOTO: opportunity to start a company, and Nipper Nashville’s secret weapon. With Miranda Lambert for a company like Walt Disney?” 70 Goodman launched Lyric Street as a division of Hollywood Records, “WE REALIZE OUR YOUNGER FANS ARE REALLY INTO initially set up in the Bama House on the corner of Chet Atkins Place and EVERYTHING. LUKE’S PEOPLE ARE STREAMING A LOT OF DRAKE. 19th Ave. South, where he “hung with WE SEE A LOT OF ARIANA GRANDE AND BILLIE EILISH ON Alabama back in the day.” He recruit- ed Doug Howard, whom he’d met at MAREN’S FANS’ PLAYLISTS. OUR ARTISTS ARE GETTING BETTER Belmont, to spearhead his A&R team. With songwriter Lari White and RANGE, REACHING MORE AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE.” traditionalist Aaron Tippin on board and the understanding that it would take five years to see a profit, Goodman and his team set to work. In year three, the label sold almost 3 million units and Rascal Flatts was launched. High School Musical was 2006’s #1 Disney album; Rascal Flatts was #2. The Flatts tour generated more than $50 million on the way to multiplatinum. oodman was elected president of the Country Music Association’s Board of Directors. In 2007, he became part of the City of G Hope Music and Entertainment Industry Executive Board. Despite its triumphs, though, Lyric Street was shuttered in 2010. “I moved into the Lyric Street/Disney phase of my career as a young man leading a young team,” Goodman notes. “We had a lot of success, but I missed being part of a major country-music label.” Also in 2010, Goodman (who’d received the CMA Chairman’s Award that year) was named Co-Chair of the Music City Music Council alongside Nashville mayor Karl Dean. Dean said his partner was “the right guy to con- vince companies that Nashville is the place to be if they want to do business in the music industry.” Tasked with building a bridge between the city and the music business, Goodman focused Top: Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus, Goodman and Rascal Flatts’ Joe on incubating digital media and enter- Don Rooney; bottom: with Old Dominion tainment start-ups, creating music- education plans for the public schools and establishing an artist residence, The Ryman Lofts, to ensure creatives had affordable housing. He later served as his alma mater’s Executive in Residence, working on curriculum and offering input on Giving Back Lipscomb’s music-business program, and did a turn at Clarence Spalding’s Maverick Management, helping 70 71 Grammys 2019: Kane Brown, Ryan Hurd, Maren Morris, Clive Davis, Rob Stringer, Goodman, Jason Iley and Luke Combs “PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY FOR DEPTH AND MEANING; OUR ANALYTICS SAY PEOPLE WANT MORE OF THAT. WE ARE AT THE NEXUS OF ART AND COMMERCE, SO IT’S A MATTER OF WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE CONTENT THAT ALSO HAS GREAT MEANING TO MAKE SURE IT TRANSLATES.” Rascal Flatts navigate a rapidly chang- share at 20.8%, up from 19.8% for all sumption.