Sitting Down with Country Music Executive, Joe Galante

Joe Galante is a prominent force and leader in the Nashville music scene, as well as the music industry at large. The native New Yorker is credited with bringing many dominant country artists, including Waylon Jennings and Dolly Parton, to the world stage. At 32, Galante became the head of RCA’s Nashville division, making him the youngest person to head the Nashville division of a major record company. In 2007, he was named chairman of Sony Music Nashville where he worked until his retirement in 2010. It goes without saying that Joe Galante is highly accomplished, and his contributions were rightfully acknowledged with his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2022. 

Joe Galante and I sat down to discuss any and all things music. We spoke on his career, his time in Nashville, the state of country music today, and advice he’d pass along. Wise, inquisitive, and insightful - Joe has a lot to offer on the inner workings of the music industry, as well as to steps in which to improve upon it. Read all about it below. 

Photo by: Getty Images

OK: Growing up, was music a large part of your life?

JG: Oh yeah, like most young people, music was my life. It was an electric time. I grew up when everything was coming from England, like the Beatles, and you had great American rock and roll at the same time. So it was a fabulous time, it was absolutely part of my life. 

OK: Despite not growing up in the time of this music’s creation, I also grew up listening mostly to these artists being played within my house and in the car, so I can only imagine growing up with that surrounding you and how impactful that was. Was there an artist in particular that was notably influential for you? 

JG: No, it was mostly the sounds. It was the sound of the generation, everything from Woodstock to Civil Rights - so all of that echoed.

Alabama with Joe Galante (second from left) and Dick Clark (holding plaque), 1986.

Photo by: Country Music Hall of Fame

OK: You’ve been a leader in your industry for quite some time. Of all that you’ve done, what has been your favorite?

JG: I think the A&R job. It’s a lot more personal and a lot more emotional. Sometimes you get to realize the dream alongside the artists themselves, and there are other times that it just doesn't work out. It can be victory and defeat at the same time.

OK: Did you tend to enjoy the parts of the job that were more on the creative side, more on the business side, or a combination of the two? My impression of A&R has always been that it leans more creative. 

JG: Yes, but you know, A&R on itself isn’t sufficient because the reality is that no artist is a natural fit. It takes people to get that person through. So having the business side, I was able to put the resources behind various artists in a different way than if I were not running both chairs. 

OK: Of all the artists that you have signed, which has been a favorite of yours?

JG: Kenny Chesney. 

OK: What makes Kenny Chesney stand out to you?

JG: I guess it was the way he approached the relationship. We became like brothers and he put as much into the relationship as I did, and it benefitted both of us. There were other artists too, like Martina McBride. It’s a two way street - sometimes the artist doesn’t want to do the work and, while they may have the music, if they don’t want to put in the hard work that becomes very frustrating for other people.

OK: Have you found that that tends to be the case for most artists? The ones that work the hardest and want to be integrated behind the scenes achieving the most success, as compared to the ones that are banking on talent alone?

JG: I think it takes a lot of people and it really takes having the right team. Communication is absolutely crucial for this, because it’s all about the execution. Sometimes you have an artist who’s got the right music, but it’s a terrible team. And unless the music is just overwhelming, it creates some difficulties. And there are examples that I think back to where you sit and go, they could have been more if they had had this person / this team / done xyz.

Photo by: Country Music Hall of Fame

OK: Right, I’ve always heard that this industry is built upon the connections you make and the relationships you foster, so that all makes sense. I read that you had some trepidations in coming to Nashville from New York, seeing as how you’re a native New Yorker. What caused you to ultimately love Nashville? 


JG: The people. I mean, it’s a true community here. People are constantly going and visiting each other, and it’s easy to get in touch with the songwriters, publishers, whoever - it really is a community. You spend a lot of time together. 

OK: Definitely. Shifting gears a bit, I read an interview from 2012 in which you were asked about YouTube as a revenue source, and how at the present moment it did not prove to be a substantial revenue stream in the music industry. Today in 2023, what role do you think YouTube and social media as a whole has in the overall revenue? 

JG: Today, the total amount of compensation paid is very impressive. The amount of compensation paid per artist is not as impressive. It’s the same thing - the top 10% make the money, and you have more and more people coming into the pipeline splitting the pie, and so the slice is getting a little bit smaller depending on what the level of success is. 

OK: It’s definitely a convoluted topic that needs straightening out. In the environment that we’re living in right now, most organizations are making concerted efforts to put diversity front and center. Do you believe there’s a lack of diversity in country music? 

JG: Tell me, how do you define diversity?

OK: I suppose in a few different ways. Racial diversity, sexual diversity, gender diversity. You can take the question in any which way you’d like. 

JG: Well, you know, I’m sitting here in my office, and I’m looking at a bunch of plaques, and there are people up there like Martina McBride, Dolly Parton, and Carrie Underwood. We have legendary females in this genre. Is the percentage the same as the American population? No. Has it ever been? Is there a reason? It’s the reality of the format of what the consumer wants. In the pop world, the numbers are higher for women, but there are much younger girls that are desiring for that, and so that’s the market. But the opportunity is there for anybody. Going back to Charlie Pride, despite being black, he made it through easily at that time. I don’t think that there is a barrier to entry in country music, it’s a matter of the consumer. I could have a song that I find to be the greatest thing in the world, put it out there, and it doesn't work. If we got 85% of the radio stations and DSPs playing something, yet very few people streamed or bought it, that’s not the fault of the DSPs or radio stations. I think that every label and publisher is trying to find a balance. I will tell you, there are more women executives and people of influence on a creative side than there have been since I came to Nashville. It’s a hard one to answer in that sense that, is there a barrier from us creating more diversity now? No. Are people trying? Yes. Are we at the perfect point? No. And it just takes time. You know, as more people are successful like Jimmie  Allen - more people go “Oh, I can be that!” It’s all about young people seeing someone that they can emulate. It’s finding the right artists that connect with the consumer, which then gives you a  better balance and allows more young people to want to be a part of country music. 

OK: That’s an interesting point because It feels so easy to yell at the largest corporations when you see any sort of diversity disparity, but you’re right that it really does start at the consumer level. It’s on the consumer to support, listen, and download songs made by artists that they wish to see thrive. 

Clockwise from top left: Joe Galante; Ken Stilts, the Judds’ manager; Wynonna Judd; and Naomi Judd, 1987.

Photo By: Country Music Hall of Fame

JG: I think you need those heroes too, regardless of who you are. You always hear of that performance in which people accredit older artists for being their inspiration to getting here. That’s what you need. 


OK: Definitely. A common thread in your story, and in your success in general, is that you went with your gut. Did you experience many moments of self doubt in your decisions or capabilities?


JG: There are always going to be those moments when you’re running a company. There’s so many decisions every day. People’s careers and futures depend on what you do. There’s constantly going to be questions and doubts. If you have the courage of your convictions and keep pushing through, you also need to be looking at the feedback. The effort has to be commensurate with your belief or idea. If it doesn't react in a positive way, you either have to retool, or you have to let it go. Time is the greatest commodity, the most precious thing you have, and it's wasted. That’s the problem. 


OK: Can you elaborate on that a bit? 


JG: Anytime you sign an artist, from the moment you sign them, it’s like an hourglass tipping over. The grains of sand fall out and that is time and money. But the less intentional you are, you may have somebody that’s very similar to a Zach Bryan, but you’re six months too late - you have to be diligent about it. 


OK: Alongside the stance on time and how to approach that, were you given any advice that really stuck with you that you’d be willing to pass along?

JG: Yeah, you know, I think you need to read everything you possibly can. If you’re going to enter into this industry, you need to know about the areas you want to be in and even in the areas you don’t want to be in. You shouldn’t be concerned with just doing your job, but also what you are doing above your job to make the company know that you’re adding more to it. You need to figure out who your mentors are along the way that will help you grow. And listen. There is so much going on around you that you can learn from. 

OK: That’s great advice and I wholeheartedly agree, even in my time within the music business so far it has served me well to know even a little bit about each part of the puzzle. Well, I want to thank you for your insights and thank you again for taking the time to speak with me, it really means a lot. 

JG: You’re welcome, take care!