WE DRUMMED UP SOME QUESTIONS
FOR DOWNTOWN'S MOLLY NEUMAN

Downtown Music Holdings Chief Marketing Officer Molly Neuman has a fascinating CV; in addition to her role as president of Songtrust, it includes years of playing drums for bands like Bratmobile and writing the zine that helped shape the "riot grrrl" movement. With such a zesty background, she brings a fresh take to her role at Downtown, which of late has focused on artist services. She was kind enough to answer a few of our questions, though doing so probably felt like a ride in the nerdmobile.

You spent four years at Songtrust, most recently as president. What drew you to Downtown?
When [Executive Chairman, Downtown Music Holdings] Justin Kalifowitz called and asked if I'd be interested in talking about a role at Songtrust, it was an unequivocal yes. I had a pretty short wish list of people I wanted to work with, and he was one of them.

The position at Songtrust built on the work I'd been doing at Kickstarter advancing opportunities for music creators to receive direct support from their communities. My advocacy and policy experience at A2IM before that was also complementary to Songtrust’s mission to provide more access and opportunity to songwriters and publishing rightsholders. I'm so proud of the work and progress we've made over the last four years and the growth we've seen for songwriters both at Songtrust and in the industry as a whole.

When Andrew Bergman, Downtown's CEO, floated the idea of transitioning to a new role at Downtown, it felt like the perfect time. Things are changing for all music rightsholders, and Downtown is in a unique position to provide services to every profile of creator and the businesses that support them; we’re able to support artists’ careers from their very first release through superstar status without taking any ownership of copyright—and that needs to be better understood in our industry so we can grow and provide more opportunities for long-term, sustainable music careers. This is an exciting and crucial challenge I'm so happy to be taking on.

Downtown made a major pivot by selling its owned copyrights to focus solely on the artist-services business. What motivated this move? How has it changed your daily experience?
The number of large-scale transactions for music-publishing rights has been dominating industry headlines in recent years. While Downtown's story is built on the traditional recorded-music and publishing businesses, the opportunities to acquire best-in-class companies operating in music-rights services have proven to be the way for us to grow and best serve creators and music businesses. We're glad to show that we can be successful across many client types without owning IP, and we hope our example can help change the industry as a whole in this regard.

The space has become crowded with entities touting services for artists—what is the “unique value proposition” of Downtown’s offerings?
Downtown is unique in that we have the capacity to support every profile of music creator via our various businesses, which serve their needs across every revenue stream and rights type. We do this without requiring clients to give up ownership or creative control of their works, and we make it possible for our clients to scale with us without the burden and cost of changing providers and with the multi-sector expertise and technological prowess that enables us to grow with our clients and the music business as it evolves.

Do you feel your independent background helps you in your new role?
I still consider being a punk rocker a fundamental part of my identity. I might look like a suit from the outside, but I absolutely believe in the power of art and creativity and that those who create the work should be able to call the shots and chart their own course. So I have a hard time accepting the status quo on most fronts in the music business. I think this is an asset as we consider how our industry can and will change and how Downtown can best move the power center toward creators. "Music is like air—we can't live without it" might be a cliché, but it's also true. We work in a necessary industry with room for countless different approaches. I'm so proud to be part of a company I think can be a truly positive force for change.