How Rusty Gaston Became Sony Music Publishing Nashville's "Chief Encouragement Officer" | Ep. 19

Our guest this week is the legendary music publisher and song champion Rusty Gaston, CEO of Sony Music Publishing Nashville. Rusty spent 24 years building an independent publishing company (THiS Music) before a call from Jon Platt (SMP's worldwide chairman) changed the trajectory of his career entirely, and he's spent the last six and a half years leading the largest home of country music publishing on the planet, informally known around town as the Chief Encouragement Officer.In this episode, Rusty gets honest about the loneliness that can come with leadership, the rare friendship he had with a "competitor" at another major publisher, and the real math behind commercial songwriting: why it's a game won by perspiration more than inspiration. He breaks down his philosophy on encouragement as a job description, his belief that there's no song too good to find its way in today's world, and tells the story of how Way Maker, a worship song written by one woman in Nigeria, became a global movement. He also opens up about his path from a teenage performer at Six Flags to a defining meeting in Nashville, and what he hopes to pass down to the generations of his family he'll never meet.Whether you're chasing a publishing deal, trying to figure out what it means to lead with humility, or just want to hear someone talk about the power of a song like they've never lost the wonder of it, this one will stick with you. We're endlessly grateful Rusty made the time.Be sure to check out his podcast, Thank a Songwriter, available everywhere you listen!00:00 – Welcome & Intro: Rusty Gaston, CEO of Sony Music Publishing Nashville02:56 – Overview: From Independent Publisher to Sony CEO03:24 – "God's Plan Is Bigger Than Your Plan": Leaving THiS Music04:37 – The Cold Call From Jon Platt That Changed Everything06:07 – Moving to Nashville in 1996 & Sony's Country Music Legacy07:21 – Leadership, Loneliness & the Rare Friendship With a "Competitor"12:37 – Culture Building, Other-Centered Leadership & What Publishers Do14:37 – Songs That Have the Power to Change the World15:05 – Launching the Thank a Songwriter Podcast18:39 – Why No Great Song Gets Left Behind Today20:32 – Kix Brooks, the Seven Human Emotions & Where His Optimism Comes From26:08 – A Third-Grade Memory That Sparked His Love of Music27:17 – Falling in Love With Records & a Teenage Performer at Six Flags30:13 – Learning the Word "Intern" & the Full Circle Meeting That Brought Him to Nashville32:23 – Finding a Mentor Who Opened the Filing Cabinet33:35 – His Advice for the Next Generation of Songwriters34:15 – Perspiration Over Inspiration: The Numbers Game of Hit Songwriting36:42 – Becoming CEO of Sony Music Publishing Nashville in 202037:10 – Purpose vs. Hustle & the Death of Ego41:59 – The Book of Psalms & Becoming the "Chief Encouragement Officer"49:04 – The Songs That Changed His World: Alan Jackson & Way Maker54:10 – Happy Birthday, Seven Generations & the Legacy He Wants to LeaveFollow Rusty Gaston:InstagramFollow The Bilby + Ella Show:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Our Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Hill:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Willie:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram