Trailblazers is MBW’s interview series focusing on music entrepreneurs who have the potential to become future global business powerhouses. This time, we met with Range Music Publishing Director Casey Robison and A&R Vice President Sam Drake. Trail Blazers are powered by TuneCore.
In less than a year since its founding, Range Music Publishing has scored a string of major radio and US chart wins for its growing songwriter clientele.
Sean Cook, a representative for the unit, which is part of the Range Music and Media Partners ecosystem, said Shaboozey co-wrote the current Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
It also celebrated the win with “Lil Boo Thang,” by Cooke’s other co-writer Paul Russell, which peaked at No. 5 on the Top 40 radio chart. Writers Geoff Warburton and Tyler Dopps had No. 1 hits on country and dance radio with songs by Tyler Hubbard and Loud Luxury, respectively.
Range Publishing is managed by UMPG and led by Casey Robison, who attributes the early success to the team’s hands-on approach and the ambition of the creatives who work with them.
“Our biggest draw is the services we can offer and finding the writers and artists we’re looking for,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s about finding people who share a vision of what you want as your career progresses. That’s what it all comes down to.
Casey previously served as Co-President and Partner at Big Deal Music, where he learned how to build a full-service publishing company from the ground up. He joins him as Vice President of A&R, following seven years at Sony Music Publishing.
Range Media was founded four years ago and provides services across music management, film, TV, sports, digital and branding. Robinson said the service is a key part of keeping the publishing sector competitive.
“We do see an opportunity in the market to build and grow a full-service independent publishing company within the Range ecosystem,” he said.
“We do see an opportunity in the market to build and grow a full-service independent publishing company.”
Casey Robinson
He added: “Range is a dynamic company with multiple verticals and [it’s made up of] It’s a vibrant community of creatives working with amazing artists in music management and creators in film, TV, branding and sports.
“The writers we contract can tap into all these different resources to build lasting careers. That really sets us apart.
Cook and Shaboozey are examples of cross-pollination of talent at the firm: Both are co-managed by Range partner Jared Cotter.
Range founding partner Matt Graham said the publishing arm was on the cards from the start.
“When we started Range in 2020, it was always our intention to build a publishing business,” Graham said. “It took us a while to find the right people to lead this effort, and we feel lucky that we didn’t rush it. Sam and Casey are really the ones to help bring this vision to life and really point us in the direction of the next great independent publishing business.” suitable candidate.
Here, we chat with Robison and Drake about their ambitions, their approach to A&R and working with creative talent, as well as some big questions about the music business and publishing as a whole.
What are your ultimate ambitions for Scope Publishing?
Casey Robinson: Our vision was to build a full-service independent publishing company that could compete with the best publishers in music. I think we will always be a boutique store where we can really deliver service and focus, but at the end of the day, our ambitions are high.
SAM, can you define your approach to A&R and getting the most out of the creative talent you work with?
Sam Drake: For us, the way to do that is to sign top talent. We’re looking for creatives who share a very similar vision to ours, whether that’s in terms of partnerships, collaboration, strategy or the overall creative process. We’re looking for a common thread that connects all the creatives we work with to the larger community of songwriters. We want to work with writers and producers who are receptive to the idea and want to be active partners and become a larger part of the Range ecosystem.
It is said that creating and sustaining a career in music is more difficult than ever today due to fierce competition. What are your thoughts on this?
Casey Robinson: Being a creative, finding inspiration and being able to profit from it has never been easier. But I do think there are a lot of opportunities in the ever-changing music landscape. This is both exciting and challenging. If you are a writer and artist with a certain perspective and want to build your own team, and you make the right decisions and find people with similar perspectives, you can create a great partnership. This makes it much easier to be successful and be able to sustain that inspiration.
What are some of your strategies for using song to cut through the noise?
Casey Robinson: We are part of a larger community that we are building with knowledge, talent, and songwriters and artists that continues to grow and curate.
Sam Drake: This is the traditional A&R approach, but with all the other aspects added in Range. This is really our frontier and our bandwidth. We have a custom roster and we plan to keep it that way. As we grow, so will our A&R staff. That’s our biggest advantage: actually having the time and bandwidth to be a great partner.
Sam, what is the most exciting thing about working in publishing today?
Sam Drake: This is twofold. The most exciting and challenging thing is the ever-changing aspect of the music industry. Your songs seem to come out of nowhere, although the process is longer than it seems. The economics of a song have changed, and that’s the challenging part. But having more content provides more opportunities for our writers. At the end of the day, everyone has enough time to wander around.
Kathy, do you have anything else to add?
Casey Robinson: The post-COVID streaming world we live in has inherent challenges. It became one of the greatest songs in the world. No one could have predicted this would happen.
Because of the confluence of factors in the market, it’s an incredible song, he’s an incredible artist, and the reality of streaming, it’s a great example of what’s going on today How the market works, it’s very different from the five to ten market. We see this all the time – an artist releases a song and it quickly resonates with millions of people around the world. This can only happen today.
Can you define the streaming landscape in the pandemic era? How has the pandemic impacted streaming?
Casey Robinson: During the pandemic, we’ve seen an acceleration of trends that were already happening. Whether more people watch streaming than listen to terrestrial broadcasts is partly because fewer people are sitting in their cars for long periods of time.
“There’s a trend of people getting their music from social media that was obviously very common before COVID-19, but now it’s fully established.”
It reinforces the trend of people streaming music instead of going to traditional channels to find music and talent.
We all spend a lot of time at home, and we’re all on our phones. People getting their music from social media is a trend that was obviously very common before COVID-19, but now, it’s firmly established. This is how most people now receive music and learn about new artists and entertainment in general.
Artificial intelligence is a big problem facing the music industry right now. Does this concern you?
Casey Robinson: Artificial intelligence brings huge opportunities. As we explore this new world, we will also face some challenges. It’s hard to predict what they will be, but I’m sure they will be there. I’m an optimist, so I’m always excited about the opportunities presented by this type of technology.
“When it comes to artificial intelligence, our greatest desire is that our songwriters are compensated fairly and that they are able to leverage artificial intelligence in ways that help rather than hinder the creative process.”
Sam Drake: When it comes to artificial intelligence, our greatest desire is that our songwriters are compensated fairly and that they are able to leverage artificial intelligence in ways that help rather than hinder the creative process.
Another big issue particularly affecting the publishing industry is SPOTIFY’s recent decision to reclassify its premium subscription tiers into bundles, resulting in a reduction in mechanical royalty payouts. What do you think of this move?
Casey Robinson: We are supporters and members of David Israelite and the NMPA, and our top priority is advocating for our songwriters and ensuring songwriters and publishers are paid fairly. We are really concerned about this move. We’re all waiting to see how this all really plays out and how it affects songwriter compensation.
How do you see the publishing industry developing in the future?
Casey Robinson: I think there will continue to be real opportunities for independents like us, whose model is based on delivering services and being great partners.
The business is constantly changing, and there are different publishers of different sizes, but as the publishing industry evolves, there will continue to be real opportunities for independent developers. This goes back to one of your earlier questions, what does it take for writers and artists to be truly successful. It has great partners who help support true art and creativity.
Why is now an especially good time to be an independent?
Casey Robinson: As we talked about before, because there’s so much music, so much content being released, there’s a real need for real partners and publishers that can really get involved and help nurture great talent and build creative networks. Pitching the songs and doing all the specific things that go into publishing is what really excites us.
Here’s a question for you two: What changes do you want to make in the music industry?
Casey Robinson: I want songwriters to get paid more. In music, everything starts with a song. Songwriters need to be paid fairly, and they need to be paid more for their work.
Do you want to get more specific about what it looks like to get paid more?
Casey Robinson: This is a negotiated price that is more favorable to the songwriter. This involves streaming rates and rates for different types of performances, whether public or streaming.
Sam Drake: This is about raising interest rates across the board. This is our number one goal and our biggest challenge, and I hope we can change that. David Israelite, the NMPA, and other amazing organizations are doing a lot to change that, and the future is indeed bright. We want to continue fighting for these rights.
As a company, you’ve had some early success in broadcast. How important is it to you as a format today?
Casey Robinson: Radio is still very important for writers and publishers. Although streaming is taking over, it remains a significant driver of revenue. One of the reasons we advocate for higher royalty rates is because a large portion of publishing revenue is driven by radio performance revenue. We need to see growth in these other areas to really help sustain songwriters and publishers.
Trail Blazers are powered by TuneCore. TuneCore provides technology and services for distribution, publishing management and a range of promotional services to self-published artists. TuneCore is part of Believeglobal music business
