Family-Owned peermusic Celebrates 75 Years

The small city of Bristol in eastern Tennessee seems an unlikely location for the launch of one of the most legendary music publishing firms. It was there, however, in August 1927, that Ralph Peer (1892 - 1960) helped launch the modern country music industry when he supervised, for Victor Records, the first recordings by future superstars Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family. Instead of being paid in money, Victor allowed Peer to take the publishing rights for any original songs he recorded on the trip. Those were the copyrights that formed the basis for the company that is celebrating its 75th anniversary, known today as peermusic but founded in 1928 as Southern Music. In 2003, the company, still family-owned, is renowned for the depth of its catalogue, particularly in the fields of country and Latin music, and for its global reach with 36 offices in 27 countries.

Left to right: Chairman and CEO Ralph Peer II, peermusic's President and ASCAP Board member Kathy Spanberger, Vice President of Latin Operations Ramón Arias, and Vice President of peermusic/Nashville Kevin Lamb.

Ralph Peer II, the current Chairman and CEO of peermusic, says his father's innovation was "to be open-minded and to seek new opportunities, particularly new markets." That approach freed him from a lot of commercial shackles. While his father was probably motivated by commercial considerations, "what came out of it was the introduction of several different styles of music that otherwise wouldn't have been preserved or brought to the public -- the first one being what we now call Country music; later the same approach worked to develop Latin music into a worldwide popular genre."

How did the first Ralph Peer establish his connection with Latin music? "It isn't enough just to say that my father became convinced of the importance of Latin music. In 1939 or 1940, my parents actually moved to Mexico City and lived there for four years," says Ralph Peer II. Peer I also had a special relationship with one of the greatest of all Mexican songwriters, Agustin Lara ("Granada," "Noche de Ronda" and "Solamente Una Vez").

Flip ahead to the 21st Century. Ramón Arias, Vice President of peermusic's Latin operation, has seen a revitalization of the publisher's fortunes in the Latin field. "There were some years when there was a lack of focus on the contemporary catalogue. But I like to think that lack of focus ‘went away' in the 1990s," he says. He points to the success of peermusic writers such as Donato Poveda, who was honored for two of the top the Latin "Pop" Songs of the Year at the most recent ASCAP El Premio ceremonies, and Mari Lauret. Arias sees a trend in the growth of self-contained Latin acts such as the rising Colombian singer-songwriter, Juanes.

The peermusic country catalogue has many of the brightest lights from the genre's Golden Age -- in addition to Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family, peermusic also boasts the late Floyd Tillman and Lefty Frizzell, among others. And Peer's back catalogue contributed six songs to the multi-platinum soundtrack phenomenon, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Kevin Lamb, Vice-President of peermusic/Nashville, is as proud as anyone of peermusic's country legacy, but he's got his eyes on the future. Among his signings are Robert Ellis Orrall, Rick Carnes and Diamond Rio's Dan Truman. "I still believe if you walk in with a good strong song," says Lamb, "somebody's gonna jump on it. It may take you a while but eventually they're gonna jump on it."

Kathy Spanberger, a publisher member of ASCAP's Board, is peermusic's President. Like Ralph Peer II, she looks at both the details and the big picture. With the downturn in sales of pre-recorded music, Spanberger admits that "We've had to be a lot more cautious than we have in the past about new signings, and more aggressive in other areas of income: synchronization, print and performance. And we try to utilize our songs in other areas, whether it is ring tones or video games." She is delighted with accomplishments such as peermusic's acquisition of the U.S. rights to the great Hoagy Carmichael catalogue. But what comes through most clearly is her pride in what sets peermusic apart: "The way we compete is that we provide real personal attention. There's a great ratio of signings to staff. And there's someone there to return your calls, and there isn't a high turnover at the organization. The ability to have an ongoing, long-term relationship with your writers is very important, and that really has set us apart."