Big Machine Music general manager (and Laura’s publisher) Mike Molinar joins the podcast to talk about his philosophy on songwriter-publisher relationships. Mike shares his advice to young songwriters, the nitty-gritty of publishing deals, and how understanding the structure of those deals is the vital to your success.

Mike Molinar brings over twenty-five years of experience as a music publisher and advocate for creatives to lead the publishing vertical of HYBE America and the sister company of the Big Machine Label Group.

Molinar, who was named one of Billboard’s Country Power Players each of the last three years (‘20-‘22), oversees all aspects of BMM which was named 2021 Publisher of the Year by the Association of Independent Music Publishers Nashville. BMM has been ranked as a Billboard Top 10 Hot Country Publishing Corp for six years running.

With offices in Nashville and Santa Monica, BMM’s roster includes the 2023 nominee for the inaugural Grammy Songwriter of the Year (non-classical) Laura Veltz, as well as hitmakers Jessie Jo Dillon, Geoff Warburton, Ryan Hurd, Matt Dragstrem, Sara Davis, Eric Paslay, Brett Young and Maddie & Tae, among others. The catalog features such global hits as “abcdefu”, “The Bones”, “10,000 Hours,” “In Case You Didn’t Know” and 11 #1 hits co-written and recorded by Luke Combs.

Molinar was named one of the 2021 Nashville cohorts for Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program. He is currently serving his 2nd term on the board of the National Music Publisher Association as well as a member of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) board. He also serves as a board member for the Academy of Country Music, Music Health Alliance and sits the Country Music Hall Of Fame Education Council. Molinar was named a Rider Scholar while attending Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 1998 where he was inducted into the College of Media and Entertainment’s Wall of Fame in 2021. He is a graduate of Leadership Music (2015) and a member of the CMA, ACM, AIMP and Recording Academy.

Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Molinar is a second generation immigrant of Mexican descent. He and his wife, Amanda, are proud parents of two young boys.

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