THE OTHER NASHVILLE SOCIETY
There is more than one genre in music city.
WHO WE ARE
Today’s Music City is more diverse musically than it was 10 years ago, and will be even more diverse 10 years from now. Our country music friends have done an amazing job of telling their stories and building their community, and they will continue to do so. But, there is a glaring lack of a gathering point for those of us that don’t fit into that community. This includes creators and industry professionals in the city’s Pop, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Soul, Emo, Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz, Orchestral, Electronic, and Christian music scenes. The Other Nashville Society was created to be our gathering point.
In many ways, TONS was born out of frustration. The five co-founders each had their own difficult experiences trying to navigate the often fragmented non-country music communities in Nashville. Why was there not one clear organization for everyone else? Why were there not events where we could all come together? Why is it only country artists are over the loudspeakers welcoming us to the Nashville International Airport?
So, one evening in February 2017, Josh Collum and Ally Venable talked about those questions and their possible solutions over drinks. Within a week, Ally had introduced Josh to Katie Fagan, who had just moved from LA to open Prescription Songs’ Nashville office, and Mark Abramowitz, who had moved from NYC a year earlier to be Sony ATV’s Pop A&R in town. Josh brought singer/songwriter Holley Maher into the fold to add a creator’s perspective. In March of 2017, the five soon-to-be co-founders met together for the first time at a coffee shop, and within two months, The Other Nashville Society was born.
Today, TONS has over 1,500 members.
FOUNDERS
Co-founder and Partner at Sorted Noise, a synch licensing company that has made or licensed music for TV shows such as Mad Men, Glee, Breaking Bad, Big Bang Theory, This Is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, and Pretty Little Liars, and for brands such as Nutella, IKEA, and DKNY. Before Josh moved over to the “dark side,” his band Secrets in Stereo’s songs were used in film, TV, and advertising over 150 times, and racked up over a quarter of a billion views on YouTube.
Ally is a vibrant and energetic entertainment professional, who thrives on helping develop artists and brands to their full creative and commercial potential. Currently at Mandolin, her goal is to advocate and help Artists develop, grow and provide strategic insights to their fan databases. Focusing on the importance of Artists owning their first party data and helping translate the two worlds to each other has led to Ally facilitating database growth up to 43%. Brokering deals with artists like Miguel, Gayle, For King & Country, Ben Folds, Turnstile, Lainey Wilson and with companies like Red Light, Rocnation, Why&How, and more. During her time at Iconic Entertainment, she was part of the management team for Kelsea Ballerini, LeAnn Rimes, Levi Hummon, Joel Crouse, and J. Human. She was particularly instrumental in the success of Kelsea Ballerini, from inception to four #1 hit records and a Grammy nomination. Ally also co-founded TONS (The Other Nashville Society), a trade and social organization for alternative music & arts in Nashville. Her passion for music, creativity & advocating for others is the heartbeat of who she is.
Originally from Indiana, Fagan has been a musician and fan since she was a kid. After studying vocal performance in college, she moved to Los Angeles, where she got her start in the industry as an intern in the A&R department at Warner/Chappell Music Publishing. Eventually, in 2011, she got her start at Prescription Songs as an assistant to Dr. Luke, where she got to see great songwriting and collaboration happen firsthand. This role filled her with a desire to work even more closely with songwriters and she eventually transitioned to the A&R role she holds today. Fagan has signed and serviced a number of hit songwriters over the years, including Joy Oladokun, Malibu Babie, Soaky Siren, JT Daly, Sarah Hudson, Cirkut, and FRENSHIP, among a host of others. She has had a hand in multi-platinum singles and top 10 hits, most recently including the Billboard Hot 100 #1 debut for an early signing of Fagan’s, Malibu Babie, who co-produced “Super Freaky Girl” by Nicki Minaj alongside fellow Prescription writers and producers Aaron Joseph, Vaughn Oliver, Lunchmoney Lewis and Dr. Luke. This success along with her co-production on Megan Thee Stallion’s single “Her” dubbed Malibu Babie as the first and only female producer to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.
Holley is pop songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and recording artist, and was one of the first artists signed to Sorted Noise’s roster. Over the course of her career in licensing, her songs have been placed in dozens of television shows and ad campaigns for brands like Nutella, Ikea, Cheerios, ModCloth, BirchBox, and Pandora Jewelry. When she’s not co-writing or recording in Nashville and L.A., Holley is busy running her stationery line & graphic illustration company Wink Wink Paper Co.
Mark is a Director of A&R at Nettwerk Music Group, where he’s signed and works with Wingtip, Max Frost, Katelyn Tarver, Lily Meola, and Bre Kennedy. He also spearheads co-writes and collaborations across the label and publishing rosters. Prior to joining Nettwerk, Mark Abramowitz spent four years at Kobalt Music Publishing overseeing the non-country publishing roster in Nashville. Some key signings and clients include Dawes, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Devon Gilfillian, Petey Martin, Trent Dabbs, Henry Brill, Steven Martinez, and current Nettwerk artists Mokita and Bre Kennedy. Previous to Kobalt, Mark spent seven years at Sony Music Publishing, initially starting in the NY office before relocating to Nashville in 2015, where he signed Noah Kahan and was an early champion of Tia Scola. Mark is also a co-founder of The Other Nashville Society, which is an organization that is dedicated to being a vocal advocate for the growing industry and music community that’s not focused on country music in Music City.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
WHAT WE DO
TONS TALKS
A few times a year, our membership comes together for laid back gatherings and conversations around the important topics of the day. We call these events TONS Talks, and they’ve featured hit songwriters, iconic recording artists, and the most important movers and shakers in the music and entertainment businesses.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
We’re always on the lookout for collaborations that elevate our membership. In the past, we’ve partnered with brands, companies, and organizations like Red Bull, Twitch, AWAL, Reeperbahn Music Festival, Music Biz, Soundstripe, Sound Royalties, CDbaby, Sofar Sounds, Bonnaroo, and WME.
MEMBERS ONLY FORUM
Our members-only private Slack workspace is the online gathering point for our community. Here you might find a news article about an important topic for our community, relevant show and event listings, an artist to keep an eye on, a profile on someone that just moved to town, a job opening, a poll question for our members, and more.
TESTIMONIES
"As [Nashville] grows, we don’t want it to outgrow us. By creating a community of like-minded and 'like-music-ed' peers, we can link arms and keep growing together, alongside what the city has been and is becoming."
Rachael Lampa Multi-Platinum selling, Dove Award winning recording artist
"I moved my family and business here a little over a year ago and I was pleasantly surprised to discover so many different artists with such diversity. There is definitely an awesome underlying hip-hop culture here, as well as R&B and pop! It's exciting to be a part of such a great city with huge potential and growth in its future."
Jim Jonsin Writer / Producer: Lil Wayne, Beyonce, Pitbull, etc.
"TONS has organized a special community in Nashville. as a recent transplant, it has been wonderful to connect with like-minded music lovers in a new city I am proud to call home. The group provides an important platform for creative people to share ideas and make new friendships, and that is a beautiful thing."
Alex Maxwell Live Nation
"Inclusion, not exclusion, makes the music community and our city more vibrant. That’s why we need TONS."
Joe Galante Co-Chair, Music City Music Council
"TONS brings together the New Nashville. It’s a welcoming space for creatives to connect and collaborate on all levels."
Nina Carter BMI Nashville
“Having been here for 3 years already, it amazes me that in such a small community of non-country movers and shakers there are still SO MANY people I have not even heard about yet. I’m so excited that TONS can help us all connect, create and develop into a strong group of “Others”!”
Boots Ottestad Writer / Producer: Andy Grammer, Robbie Williams, The Backstreet Boys, etc.
TONS OF LOVE
TONS puts on a series of events connecting Nashville’s movers and shakers in the music industry. A lot of you have asked how you can support our mission and vision, so, we created TONS of Love. You can do a one time payment of whatever amount you can afford, or an ongoing $5/mo subscription.
Disclaimer & Note: *** The other nashville society is a for profit business, this is not a philanthropic donation with tax benefits. This purchase supports our operations at TONS. ***
PARTNER WITH US
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
