We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mimi McCarley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mimi, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

I’ma Go Giver. At my core, I believe in helping people because no matter who you are, what you do, or what level you occupy, we all need help. Heck, I need help!

I’m thankful because I am in the business of helping people, particularly independent music creators and creative entrepreneurs who may not have the resources, network, access, and knowledge to launch a career in the sync industry. Through Collab Music Network, I support songwriters, artists, producers, engineers, and aspiring music business professionals by providing access to a professional studio, network, and resources, as well as music business education and publishing and label support. I give a lot to music creators because I value them and what they contribute to life through the gift of music. I am building the most impactful pipeline to placements for independent creatives that allow them to reap the benefits of publishing and label support while maintaining their ownership in a non-exclusive environment.

This business is expensive so there are a lot of underserved creatives who deserve the opportunity to make a sustainable living from their music abilities.

Just last year, I started working with a very talented singer-songwriter who had just moved to Nashville. She had never made money from her artistry and music talents due to lack of resources and access. After one year of supporting and empowering her with access to resources and network, she has just received her first national brand and TV placement. There is undoubtedly no other circumstance where she would have garnered that success in a short period of time without someone to help her establish a plan and provide the support to accomplish it.

I also serve the underserved and underrepresented through We Own Now, an organization and lifestyle brand that exist to close the racial wealth gap by uplifting and amplifying stories that promote black ownership. We believe ownership is the key to closing the racial wealth gap. We empower owners and aspiring owners with access to resources to start and/or continue their ownership journey. We took 13 Hip Hop recording artists to DC, empowering them on the racial wealth gap by taking them to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, on Capital Hill to use their voice and power to convene with their state representatives about policies that will help close the racial wealth gap in their respective states, the White House’s Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to provide local and federal resources, and the US Chamber of Commerce to have face time with the most powerful business group in the world.

Nashville is not Just Country Music is a lifestyle brand that exist to celebrate Nashville’s diverse music community. Music City is primarily known for Country and Gospel music; however, there is a diverse community of music creators who create multi-genre music and are not adequately being served. We provide networking and performance opportunities, as well as connecting the dots for music creators that often times feel left out of the Nashville’s economy. We have served over 300 artists with performance opportunities at major Nashville venues as well as over 1,000 creatives have gathered and connected at our networking mixers.

I served because it is my privilege and honor to do so, and again, we all need help, I am very passionate about the work I do every day and the people I work and serve with. I believe in people, in their hopes, in their dream, in their vision…so I don’t take for granted the fact that I get to participate and impact their journey. I operate in purpose and I serve the music creators and people around me very well!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Prior to 2015, when I started Collab Music Network, I worked in Insurance and Financial Service industry for about ten years. I am a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University’s Recording Industry Management. I am songwriter first. Matter of fact, Collab Music Network was birthed out of the needs and void I experienced as a songwriter.

Collab Music Network is an independent music publishing company and network for songwriters, producers, engineers, and artists to develop commercially viable catalog for synch placements. We are a one-stop shop for music supervisors with quality hip hop, urban pop, and infused genres of soul, funk, and country. We have 100% administration rights. We appeal to music supervisors who enjoy the artistic value of collaboration, quality music, professional music creators, pre-cleared catalog with deliverables and properly tagged music.

Music creators flock to us because they receive the support and benefits of a publisher and label, maintain ownership, gain a music business coach, and access to a community of like-minded music creators in a non-exclusive environment. Ultimately, we have the most fair and equitable ecosystem and are revolutionizing the way publishers and labels partner with creatives. It is extremely competitive to join our production team. We believe in development, doing the work and team wins. We are hyper collaborative and a supportive community.

I am most proud of creating an ecosystem and business model that I believe in and truly provides support to the music creators I partner with. I am proud of my production team who have worked diligently and followed my leadership, and are now beginning to reap the rewards of placements and launching careers in the sync industry. This year has started off well with a national brand and a TV placement so we are off to a great start.

I am inspired by people who believe in themselves, have vision, and are willing to do the work, as well as people who love and serve people well. I enjoy using my skills and talents to partner with independent creatives, businesses, and organizations who are impactful and will leave the world in a better place than they found it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I am in Nashville surrounded by music publishers and amazing songwriters. I didn’t have the capital to sign a great songwriter, or the resources and network to create viable opportunities yet. However, I had vision and purpose. Even with limited capital, vision and purpose gave me the grit I needed to overcome every obstacle.

I spoke with music creators confidently about my vision to build an independent boutique music publishing company. I spoke with potential business partners about my plans. I spoke with engineers about creating an ecosystem where they would have master ownership. Some people believed and got on board and some people didn’t. I always worked with what I had and was developing myself professionally throughout the whole process.

As a lyricists, my first obstacle was to find a musician or producer that could help me finish my songs. I didn’t know how to record or anything so I used to record myself singing acapellas of my songs on my ipad and iphone. If I messed up, I would have to start all over. Don’t laugh. I don’t know why I wasn’t using Garage Band at least.

Kissed a lot of frogs, but eventually God provided a raw talented producer/musician who had the willingness to learn and take this journey with me. We’ve grown together over the years.

This business is so expensive. Studio costs were eating me alive so I had the thought to purchase a studio. My family downsized our home to make the financial sacrifice for me to pursue the music business endeavor more seriously. After moving from a 4,000 square foot home to a 1200 square foot apartment to save money, we found a house. And low and behold. There was a detached 1200 square foot recording studio built on the property.

As soon as we moved in, my husband and I gutted that studio out. I remember sitting in the naked four walls and crying from the realization that God had provided me a place to record and continue to pursue my music. It was on now

However, I didn’t have any studio equipment nor did I know the first thing about studio equipment. A friend called me one day and told me a studio that was going out of business and was selling his whole set up. I called that guy that day. Went to his studio the next day and within one week, paid that man $12,000 to invest in the equipment. I purchased everything, even stuff I didn’t need. I didn’t care though. Everything was working and I could record except for I didn’t know how to work the equipment or even set it up. God provided again. A friend of mine connected me to a producing engineer that helped me in my studio. That was the early days of Collab Music Network Studio. We were popping. I worked with so many artists, producers, etc. I was living the dream. I still remember finishing my first record that had commercial value and quality. I hired a professional vocalist. I was vocal producing. It was addictive. I love working with artists and songwriters. That producer engineer and I went on a catalog spree. We finished about 40-50 records together but he had his own thing going and eventually our partnership didn’t make sense anymore. But I am eternally grateful for that experience with him.

There was something missing. The production was improving but we were missing the main ingredient, committed singer-songwriters. In 2021 and 2022, I absolutely knew what I was looking for in a creative. By this time, I made a choice to be fully on the business side and to build a scaleable business. I just didn’t know how to do that so I joined business cohorts to gain the knowledge, resources, and tools I needed to be successful.

Overall, I had vision and purpose. I wanted to do something that I didn’t know how to do, but that’s what learning is for. I had to learn every aspect of this business in real time as I was building. I’ve accomplished a lot in a little time but I’m just getting started. When all the things start clicking and coming together that when you are getting started. I am thankful for my journey and the people I’ve encountered, whether it was for a season or we still rocking today.

My ability to not let anything stand in the way of me fulfilling the vision I see so clearly everyday is what makes me resilient. Not lack of knowledge. Not fear. Not failure. Not the lack of resources or capital. Not the right team. Nothing will stop me. I get up everyday. I work diligently and manifest my vision. I put more support in place for the creatives I partner with and support. Please believe…Mimi McCarley and Collab Music Network will be a household name.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The old folks at church used to say “Time is filled with swift transitions.” Well, business is too. I have had to pivot so many times since I started Collab Music Network. Primarily due to my own ignorance. As I gained knowledge, I implemented. I started off as a songwriter but soon saw the void in the marketplace to support songwriters as a black female music publisher. I’ve had to pivot away from business partnerships that were not equitable. I’ve had to pivot away from music creators that were mutually beneficial to work with. I’ve had to pivot in business models that weren’t profitable. I had to go back to work a couple of times because I ran out of money as I was trying to figure things out. To even start this business, I had to pivot from security and stability to pursue my dreams. Honestly, only my husband knows the changes and adjustments I’ve had to make. But I will do what I have to do. I don’t have an ego. I have a vision and it will come to pass.

Contact Info:

• Website: Collab Music Network website is under construction but I included websites of my other businesses in the Other section
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mimimccarley/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iammimimccarley
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iammimimccarley/
• Other: https://weownnow.com/ https://www.ninjcm.com/about

Image Credits
(left to right) Thalia “Muziqueen” Ewing, Mimi McCarley Derek Minor, Phebe Meyer, Mimi McCarley, Art Hooker, Mark Rogers We Own Now at the White House’s Office of Faith Based and Community Partnerships US Chamber of Commerce – Propaganda, Mimi McCarley, and Rick Wade Mimi McCarley