A 25-year veteran of the music publishing industry, Steve Markland has discovered and nurtured some of the most talented songwriters in Nashville including Brett James, who was named as the ASCAP "Songwriter of the Year” twice; Jeffrey Steele, who won multiple BMI and NSAI “Songwriter of the Year” awards; Randy Houser, Michael Hobby of A Thousand Horses; and two-­time 2014 Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves. Prior to joining Downtown, Markland served as VP 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, he 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.