Downtown Music Publishing Expands To Nashville; Appoints Steven Markland As Vice President Of A&R

New York, NY (February 5, 2014) - Steven Markland has joined Downtown Music Publishing (Downtown), where he has been appointed as Vice President of A&R and will establish Downtown's first office in Nashville, as announced today by Justin Kalifowitz (Founder/President of Downtown).

In his new role, Markland will sign and develop emerging and established songwriters, acquire catalogs and work closely with Downtown's creative teams in New York and Los Angeles to create new opportunities for the Company's writer roster. He will report to Kalifowitz and Downtown's Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Bergman.

A 25 year veteran of the music publishing industry, Markland has discovered and nurtured some of the most talented songwriters in Nashville including Brett James and Jeffrey Steele, who won multiple ASCAP, BMI and NSAI "Songwriter of the Year" awards as well as the two-time 2014 Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves (Country Album of the Year, Country Song of the Year).

Prior to joining Downtown, Markland served as Vice President of A&R, Nashville at Warner/Chappell Music, a position he held since 2009. Previously, Markland was tapped to open Windswept Publishing's Nashville office in 1996, under Markland's leadership the company earned over 50 ASCAP and BMI "Most Performed Songs" awards. From 1993 to 1996, Markland was Director of Creative Affairs at Patrick Joseph Music. A native of Ohio, Markland began his career in the music industry as an intern at RCA Records while attending Belmont University in Nashville.

"For over two decades, Steve has proven to be a tireless champion of songwriters," said Kalifowitz. "As we expand our business to Nashville, home to one of the most vibrant songwriting communities in the world, Andrew and I couldn't be more delighted to welcome such a passionate and talented executive to our team."

For Downtown Music Publishing on the web, please visit: http://shorefire.com/client/downtown-music-publishing

About Downtown Music Publishing:
Downtown Music Publishing is one of the leading rights-management firms in North America. The company's catalog spans over 60,000 titles including the works of such diverse writer/artists as The Beatles, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, The Kinks, Hans Zimmer, Motley Crue, Seal, Ellie Goulding, and Neon Trees.