Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitch Ballard.
Hi Mitch, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Music has always been a big part of my life. As a kid, instead of watching TV at night, I was in my bedroom listening to music. While listening to the songs, I would read the liner notes on the album cover and started becoming familiar with the songwriters, musicians and record producers. In 5th grade, I learned to play trumpet then guitar when I was 12. My junior year in high school, I became a DJ at the local radio station. My senior year, I joined my first band, playing the local teen club, and started writing songs. Playing in bands, writing songs and working on-air at various radio stations continued through college. After graduating University of North Texas, I moved to Nashville to write songs and work in the business end of music. My 27 years in Nashville afforded me the opportunity to work with many incredible artists either touring, management or writing songs. Some of the artists I worked with include Colin Raye, Lonestar, SheDaisy, Billy Joe Royal, Nelson and one of my musical heroes BJ Thomas who I was fortunate enough to play guitar with on the Grand Ole Opry a dozen times and produce two albums released by Curb Records. From 2016 to 2019, I worked with Glow Motion Technologies on tours for Drake, Tom Petty, Twenty One Pilots, Ariana Grande and four Super Bowl halftime shows (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5). In the Fall of 2018, BMI announced their plan to open a new office in Austin. I had been looking for a strategic move back to Texas to be closer to family, and in February 2019 I was the lucky person chosen to open the Austin office. BMI is the largest performing rights organization in the world and represents over 60,000 songwriters and music publishers in Texas alone.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The music business is an incredibly tough business. The competition is strong and you have to work very hard every day. Some of the best songwriters and musicians live in Nashville. And, when you move there, they are who you are competing against. Over my 27 years living there, I saw hundreds of people move to town only to leave after a year or two. I think that I was just hard-headed and determined enough to stay until I found opportunities. Also, one big challenge when you are touring is the fact that you are on the road sometimes up to 250 days a year. You miss a lot of weddings, birthdays, holidays and other special times in the lives of your friends and families.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am in a creative position as Executive Director of the BMI Austin office. My day-to-day consists of working with artists and each interaction can be a different experience. I work with well-known, established artists as well as consult with new artists and look for new talent as well. BMI collects performance royalties for songwriters (radio, TV, streaming, etc.) so we are an integral part of their income stream as an artist. We also provide opportunities for artists through our stages at ACL Fest, Lollapalooza, Hangout Fest, CMA Music Fest as well as our Spotify playlists and other digital outlets which are opportunities that are unique to BMI as a PRO and makes us a stand out in our area of the music business. What I am most proud of is finding a new artists and helping provide opportunities to help them become successful and the opportunities I have been afforded to work and become friends with many of my musical heroes and influences.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
No matter what business you choose, building a strategic and large professional network is key. Who you know, first, is integral in getting your career off the ground and advancing it to higher levels. Meet as many people as you can and keep in touch with them. In my early twenties, I was not good a following up with people in the music business that I met and feel that I missed some opportunities because of that.
Contact Info:
- Email: mballard@bmi.com
- Website: www.bmi.com
- Instagram: mitch_ballard
- Twitter: mitchballard
