Creative Nation
Creative Nation is a Nashville-based independent music publishing, artist development, management, and record company founded in 2011 by Grammy-winning songwriter Luke Laird and Beth Laird, serving professional songwriters and recording artists.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Creative Nation does
Creative Nation is a Nashville-based independent music company founded in 2011 by Beth Laird and Luke Laird, operating four integrated service lines: Publishing, Artist Development, Management, and Records. The firm represents a roster of professional songwriters and recording artists, with a quality-over-quantity philosophy emphasizing selective signings and long-term career development. Its catalog includes 24 No. 1 songs, more than 60 radio singles, and Grammy-recognized cuts including 'Humble and Kind' (Tim McGraw), 'Girl Crush' (Little Big Town), and 'Space Cowboy' (Kacey Musgraves), with placements extending into pop via Harry Styles' 'Watermelon Sugar' and P!nk's 'Try.'
The company generates revenue primarily through music publishing royalties, sync licensing, and management fees from its songwriter and artist roster, supplemented by record label revenue from artist development releases such as Kassi Ashton's 'Made From The Dirt' on MCA Nashville. Distribution flows through major record labels, streaming platforms, and a direct-to-consumer merchandise storefront (CN Hat, CN Mug, Ranger Station candle collaboration) where all proceeds benefit Preston Taylor Ministries. The firm maintains a strategic partnership with Pulse Music Group to extend catalog reach.
Creative Nation operates as a privately held, founder-controlled entity with an 8-person team based entirely in Nashville. There is no external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiary structure. Distribution is concentrated in the United States, though end-audience reach is effectively global through streaming and radio.
Creative Nation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Creative Nation
- Legal name
- Creative Nation
- Website
- https://creativenationmusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Creative Nation is a Nashville-based independent music publishing, artist development, management, and record company founded in 2011 by Grammy-winning songwriter Luke Laird and Beth Laird, serving professional songwriters and recording artists.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Creative Nation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Publishing
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230), Record Production and Distribution (51225)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB), Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF), Songwriting & Composition (Topliners, Co-writers, Camps) (MPAIABAA), Music Producers & Production Teams (MPAIAHAB)
Keywords
Where Creative Nation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Creative Nation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Music Publishing: Revenue generated from publishing rights, royalties, and sync placements for songwriters represented by the company
- Management Services: Artist management services generating fees from career development and representation
- Record Label: Record production and release revenue through artist development and record deals
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including hats, mugs, and candles with proceeds benefiting Preston Taylor Ministries
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CN Hat |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CN Mug |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CN x Ranger Station Candle |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Creative Nation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Creative Nation is a full-service Nashville-based music company providing publishing, artist development, management, and record label services to professional songwriters and recording artists. The company signs songwriters to publishing deals, develops recording artists, manages careers, and produces records under one integrated roof. Creative Nation also operates a direct-to-consumer merchandise store whose proceeds benefit Preston Taylor Ministries.
Product overview
Creative Nation is a music publishing and artist management company offering four core services: Publishing, Artist Development, Management, and Records. The company serves songwriters and artists through these integrated service lines. Founded in Nashville in 2011 by Beth and Luke Laird, the company also operates a merchandise store selling branded items including the CN Hat, CN Mug, and CN x Ranger Station Candle (with proceeds benefiting Preston Taylor Ministries).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Music Publishing Music publishing service that nurtures the unique talents and careers of songwriters, administering publishing rights, collecting royalties, and securing sync placements for represented songwriters.
- Artist Development Artist development service that develops artists and provides them a place to hone in on their artistry, supporting recording artists with creative and career development.
- Artist Management Artist management service that provides strategy and opportunities for artists, representing them in career planning and industry deal-making.
- Records Record label service that creates great records with incredible artists, handling production, release, and distribution of artist recordings.
- CN Hat Branded merchandise hat sold directly to consumers at $30 per unit, with proceeds benefiting Preston Taylor Ministries.
- CN Mug Branded merchandise mug sold directly to consumers at $20 per unit, with proceeds benefiting Preston Taylor Ministries.
- CN x Ranger Station Candle Custom candle collaboration with Ranger Station sold at $40 per unit, with all proceeds benefiting Preston Taylor Ministries.
Quantifiable outcome
- 24 No. 1 songs
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Creative Nation
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Creative Nation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Creative Nation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.
- Pulse Music GroupmajorCreative Nation works with Pulse Music Group as an amazing partner. Pulse Music Group is a music publishing and recordings company.
- Preston Taylor MinistriesmajorAll proceeds from Creative Nation's merchandise store benefit Preston Taylor Ministries. They collaborated on a custom candle with Ranger Station to celebrate their partnership with Preston Taylor Ministries.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Creative Nation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pulse Music Group: Independent music publishing and recordings company; explicitly named as a strategic partner of Creative Nation and operates the same integrated publishing + recordings model, making it the closest direct peer in the Nashville-independent publishing space.
- Big Loud (Big Loud Records / Big Loud Publishing): Nashville-based independent music company combining publishing, records, and management for country songwriters and artists (Morgan Wallen, Jake Owen, etc.). Directly comparable to Creative Nation's full-service Nashville model and target segment.
- Round Hill Music: Independent music publishing company acquiring and administering song copyrights across multiple genres; comparable as a publishing-focused peer competing for the same type of catalog and songwriter signings.
- Spirit Music Group: Independent music publisher focused on catalog acquisition and song copyright administration across country, pop, and R&B; comparable as a similarly scaled indie publisher competing for the same songwriter talent and sync placements.
Broad incumbents
- BMG: Major global music publisher and recordings company with deep country/Nashville operations. Beth Laird has prior BMG experience, and BMG represents the larger, well-capitalized incumbent competing for the same songwriters Creative Nation targets.
- Warner Chappell Music: One of the three major music publishers globally with extensive country and pop rosters; directly competes with Creative Nation for top songwriters while offering global sub-publishing infrastructure Creative Nation accesses through partners.
- Sony Music Publishing: World's largest music publisher with deep Nashville country operations; the dominant incumbent in the country publishing space where Creative Nation competes for writer signings and sync opportunities.
- Concord Music Publishing: Independent major publisher with substantial country and pop catalogs; comparable as a larger independent with the resources and catalog breadth Creative Nation lacks but the same indie-non-major positioning.
- peermusic: Largest independent music publisher globally with strong Nashville presence; comparable as a long-established independent publisher competing in the same country songwriting space.
Emerging players
- Anthem Entertainment / Anthem Records: Independent Canadian music company combining publishing, recordings, and management; comparable to Creative Nation as a similarly sized integrated music company, with Travis Wood (CN songwriter) noted for Canadian #1s suggesting some cross-border relevance.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Creative Nation social profiles
Digital presenceCreative Nation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Creative Nation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Creative Nation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Creative Nation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Creative Nation
What does Creative Nation do?
Creative Nation is a full-service Nashville-based music company providing publishing, artist development, management, and record label services to professional songwriters and recording artists. The company signs songwriters to publishing deals, develops recording artists, manages careers, and produces records under one integrated roof. Creative Nation also operates a direct-to-consumer merchandise store whose proceeds benefit Preston Taylor Ministries.
Is Creative Nation a public or private company?
Creative Nation is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Creative Nation founded?
Creative Nation was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Creative Nation based?
Creative Nation is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Creative Nation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Music Publishing is the primary driver. The others are management Services, record Label and merchandise Sales.
Who are Creative Nation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pulse Music Group, Big Loud (Big Loud Records / Big Loud Publishing), Round Hill Music and Spirit Music Group. Broad incumbents are BMG, Warner Chappell Music, Sony Music Publishing, Concord Music Publishing and peermusic. Anthem Entertainment / Anthem Records is listed as an emerging player.
Does Creative Nation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Creative Nation.
What industry is Creative Nation in?
Creative Nation's product category is Music Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAGAA, Full-Service Artist Management, with a secondary code of MPAIABAB, Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing). Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 2741.