A HANDFUL OF QUESTIONS FOR DOWNTOWN’S SARAH MCCANN

Downtown Music Publising’s freshly anointed SVP of International Creative Sarah McCann brings a rich array of experience to the newly created post, and is ideally qualified to aid creators from all over the globe in building and sustaining their careers. The L.A.-based exec probably wishes she could find a destination farther away from us. Nonetheless, we somehow got her to agree to answer a few of our annoying questions.

Say a bit about the “international” part of your title—how has songwriting become more of a global pursuit in the current era, including but not limited to COVID? How are you leveraging those opportunities?
International exposure has been vital to the success of creatives I’ve worked with. In my early days at Advanced Alternative Media alongside Beka Tischker, we had songwriters and artists like Julia Michaels, Mozella, Lindy Robbins, Coffee and Trey Campbell taking trips to the U.K., Sweden and France—meeting with international A&Rs, building bridges with local artists and, most importantly, finding inspiration in new places, perspectives and sounds.

For many creatives, this is more of a “next step” in their career as storytellers—but some have found that their true place is abroad, excelling in new environments. COVID has made this more important than ever. Logistically, it’s actually made collaborating globally a bit easier, with all the necessary technology already in place. But as most creatives will attest, nothing compares to the real thing: being in the studio, feeding off the exchange of raw, live energy when creators get together and collaborate in person.

What do you consider the most significant challenges facing ex-U.S. writers who hope to have success here, and how might those be surmounted or offset?
The challenge is having to essentially re-start their careers. Most ex-U.S. creatives I’ve encountered are already highly successful in their homelands. Some are Grammy winners with Top 10 hits and thriving careers but little to no name recognition in the U.S. In our market, it can be hard to get exposure and crack the charts; it generally takes about three years to start seeing momentum and getting placements. Trying to stay positive through that can be difficult. Some last, but others don’t. Even when you're a master of your craft, sometimes that's literally the only thing you have to hang onto—so you must.

What do you consider the most creative aspect of your quarantine?
Working with clients on artist projects and coming up with concepts, tracklists and photos has put a positive spin on these crazy times. I’ve loved seeing independent artists really own their authenticity in every aspect. Seeing visual creativity surge to another level has been great as well. Visuals, set design, choreography are all essential, and quarantine has only intensified the need for that kind of creative content. But taking a step back from the grind and re-evaluating what really matters to me personally and professionally has been most rewarding.

How has the discourse surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion impacted popular music, and what do you predict for the future of the industry? Music is global and created by people of all races and walks of life. Today’s pop music is a combination of sounds, but it doesn’t pay homage to their cultures and origins. The most successful white artists reference Black music and collaborate with Black artists. Everyone’s inspiring each other, but we need representation for those artists the systems in place weren't set up to protect; we need executives who have great perspective regarding the messages of those artists, who understand their value and give them the same opportunities. What’s going on in society is happening in every aspect of American culture. As a Black woman, I understand my responsibility to actively change that. I believe empathy and creativity go hand in hand. And I do see more of us getting our voices heard and represented!