Music Industry Icon Joe Galante Establishes a First-Time Endowment for Leadership Music

Nashville, TN (2-25-2021) – Joe Galante,one of the 12 founders of Leadership Music^©, has established an endowment for the organization, the first of its kind for the non-profit in its 32-year history. The endowment will be known as the Joe Galante Leadership Music Preservation Fund and will ensure financial stability for the organization for years to come.

The initial gift of $500,000 has the potential to be a $1 million endowment for the organization, thanks to Mr. Galante’s offer to match dollar-for-dollar contributions up to $250,000. Christian/pop music star and humanitarian Amy Grant and Universal Music Nashville CEO Mike Dungan, both alumni of Leadership Music, will serve as co-chairs of the campaign.

A longtime record executive and iconic business leader, Galante commented that he feels a strong and viable Leadership Music is vital to retaining an outstanding pool of leaders in the music industry. “A year before Covid hit, I was at a Leadership Music retreat,” he remarked. “The board was asked how we could ensure, going forward, that future leaders would always be guaranteed best practices for education, connection and leadership.

“In that moment the answer emerged – build an endowment,” he continued. “More recently with the pandemic leveling our business, I realized the urgency of the endowment and the need to act now, not only for the future of the organization but the future of our music business and its yet-to-emerge leaders.”

Galante pointed out that he was fortunate to be guided in his career by leaders who built the country music business – people such as Frances Preston, Irving Waugh, and Jerry Bradley, among others. “The time they spent teaching and connecting me to others allowed me to grow and learn. That was a gift of enormous value.

“When the Founding Council of Leadership Music came together, led by Jim Ed Norman, it continued that process – silos were connected, and the organization helped Nashville…and the music industry…develop a deep bench,” he emphasized.  “Over the years, I have seen members of my staff, colleagues and friends, and people I didn’t even know, become leaders in our field as a direct result of their Leadership Music experience, reinforcing my belief in this organization and its goals.”

Amy Grant, co-chair of the campaign, emphasized that not only was it her love for the organization that led to her involvement, but the fact that she has always been impressed with Joe’s generosity in the areas that matter to him. “Vince and I treasure our friendship with Joe, and my Leadership Music journey was unparalleled, so I instantly wanted to be involved in honoring both the man and the organization. Joe has such a huge heart and has given so generously to cancer research, animal welfare, music education and entrepreneurship, among many others. I am so pleased to join forces with Mike and Joe on this special endeavor.”

Co-chair Mike Dungan added: “As any of the more than 1200 graduates will attest, Leadership Music is a one-of-a-kind industry accelerator. An eye-opening, life-changing, career-bending experience constructed to build lifelong friendships and working relationships. Leave it to the one-of-a-kind Joe Galante to see to it that this organization has the financial stability to keep going long into the future. Now it is up to all of us to accept Joe’s challenge and match these funds. I’m honored to have been chosen to co-chair this effort.”

Joe Galante arrived in Nashville from RCA New York in 1974, and 40 years later, established a well-earned reputation for modernizing the Nashville music industry. He became the youngest man to lead a major Nashville label when he took over as head of RCA Nashville in 1981. In 1990, he was named president of RCA Records in New York, returning to Nashville four years later as chairman of the RCA Label Group/Nashville, encompassing the RCA and BNA labels and adding the Arista Nashville imprint later. In 2002, he also added Provident Label Group, the leader in Christian music. Four years later, welcoming Columbia Nashville as its fourth imprint, the label group became Sony BMG Nashville, adopting the Sony Music Nashville name in 2009. In April of 2010, Galante announced his decision to step down from his post as chairman of Sony Music Nashville. Across a remarkable tenure, Galante helped launch the careers of Alabama, Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Dave Matthews, Wu Tang Clan, SWV, The Judds, Lonestar, Martina McBride, K.T. Oslin, Kellie Pickler, Carrie Underwood, Keith Whitley, Chris Young and many more, while his leadership bolstered the careers of such superstars as Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert and Brad Paisley.

Leadership Music was founded in 1989 by 12 music industry executives who had graduated from Leadership Nashville. They included, in addition to Galante, Rick Blackburn, Tony Brown, Tom Collins, William Denny, Dale Franklin, Bruce Hinton, Bill Ivey, Joe Moscheo, Jim Ed Norman, Tandy Rice, and Roger Sovine. They recognized that there was something unique to the Nashville music community—a sense of camaraderie—and there was a need for a program designed to ensure and protect the dialogue and relationship-building within the Nashville music community. Although initially Nashville-centric, over three decades, the organization has grown to encompass more than 1,200 leaders from across the country in virtually every facet and genre of the music industry, as well as community leaders, including two Nashville mayors, a Tennessee Congressman, and a Metro Nashville deputy chief of police.

Leadership Music isa Nashville-based, nationwide non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization providing programs designed to further communications and understanding among facets of the entertainment business and to assist established leaders in their roles as decision makers.  The eight-month program explores how all elements of the industry operate, individually and cooperatively from record labels, artist management, music production, songwriting, music publishing, media, new technology, marketing and more.  

Contact:
Judi Turner, judi@leadershipmusic.org
Deb Barnes, debbarnes@leadershipmusic.org