<\/p>\nLinden and Jennifer Lantz<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
Founders: Linden and Jennifer Lantz<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\u2022 Serve over 90 Middle and High Schools across Middle TN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022 Over 28 percent growth year-over-year since we opened our doors<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022 Generated over 100 5-star Google reviews in the last year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022 Expanded staff from 4 to 26 members since 2021<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022 5-time NAMM top 100 Dealer in the world<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Additional notes from the founder (Linden):<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I was the cover feature in Music INC magazine. I have presented at 3 NAPBIRT (National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians) Clinics across the US and Canada. I was a featured presenter at NASMD (National Association of School Music Dealers) on the importance of the instrument repair shop. I lead a team for 4 Repair Technicians, 3 Retail Associates, 2 Road Sales people, and 13 Lessons Teachers. I am on the board for WIT (Wester Iowa Technical College) and Music City Youth in the Arts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
CmdShft<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/div><\/div>
\n <\/p>\nRyan Findley<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/div><\/div>
\n <\/p>\nJarrod Cooper<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
Founders: Jarrod Cooper and Ryan Findley\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\u2022 Closing in on our company’s 7th anniversary, CmdShft remains fully independent of any investors; a truly bootstrapped company that consistently outperforms heavily funded competitors in the space<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022\u00a0Currently on pace in 2025 to have our best year ever, increasing gross revenues by 25% from 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022\u00a0Cut an immeasurable amount of time and cost by integrating AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the advancement of our proprietary music delivery, content management, and analytical technologies<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022\u00a0Expanded our service offerings for high-touch clients to include publishing admin, sync placement, and physical merchandise manufacturing and distribution<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022\u00a0Grew our team with strategic new hires and developed an in-house mentorship program for future music industry executives<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022\u00a0Continued our philanthropic endeavors through local industry organizations such as FAM (Family Alliance in Music), CMA Foundation Music Association Teachers of Excellence, Second Harvest’s Meet Music Row, and Juneteenth615<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Additional notes from the founders:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Focusing on the need for an artist-friendly solution, CmdShft has independently helped hundreds of artists distribute over 50,000 tracks, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue CmdShft was featured in Music Row Magazine and American Songwriter, highlighting the rise of independent distribution\/label services companies shifting the landscape of modern music business. Jarrod is an alum of Leadership Music; the distinguished national program based in Nashville, designed to create a forum in which music industry leaders can learn about all segments of the music business, and explore current issues affecting the industry. Ryan developed the industry’s first financial tool with the unique capability of automating the recoupment of expenses an artist or label incurs against their share of royalties. Ryan most recently created a technological solution for labels under the major distribution system to bypass specific restrictions put in place to keep content from participating in certain marketing opportunities on DSPs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
mtheory<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/div><\/div>
\n <\/p>\nCameo Carlson<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\u2022 Revenue Growth & Client Retention. Achieved double-digit year-over-year revenue growth, driven by expanded client services and new partnership opportunities. Maintained a client retention rate of over 90%, demonstrating the long-term value and trust in mtheory\u2019s services. Closed FY2024 with our biggest profit to-date.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022\u00a0Client success.\u00a0Helped 22 Artist Managers build their businesses across the globe. Helped more than 60 artists develop their careers through marketing and strategy.\u00a0Global Breakthroughs: Djo\u2019s viral hit \u201cEnd of Beginning\u201d surged to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the UK Singles Chart, while his follow-up single hit #1 on Billboard\u2019s Alternative Airplay \u2014 cementing his global crossover success. Mainstream Momentum Without Compromise: Tyler Childers\u2019 \u201cIn Your Love\u201d became his highest-charting single to date (#7 Hot Country Songs, #43 Hot 100), and Snipe Hunter debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts with minimal radio support \u2014 proving the power of authenticity and fan-first strategy. Chart-Topping Dominance: Jelly Roll\u2019s album Beautifully Broken debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, while he continued his streak of #1 country radio singles and earned multiple major industry awards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022\u00a0Graduated the 4th cohort of the Equal Access program.\u00a0Supported 5 artists and 5 artist managers from underrepresented demographics in country music by providing financial resources, training, and networking opportunities through our Equal Access Development Program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022\u00a0Entered the Chinese music market by leveraging artist participation in major Chinese TV shows, resulting in 50 percent increase in social media following in Asia for featured artists. New brand and tour opportunities under negotiation in China and Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2022 Expanded our presence in LA (on top of Nashville, NYC and New Orleans)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Additional notes from the founder:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I was honored to receive the 2024 Music Business Association Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement \u2014 one of the industry\u2019s highest honors for leadership and vision.\u00a0I was featured in the \u201cMy Music Row Story\u201d series (July\u202f30,\u202f2025), where I shared how I built mtheory into an artist-first company and launched initiatives like Equal Access to bring greater inclusion to country music.\u00a0I am being honored by Save The Music this year for advancing industry equity \u2014 honored alongside Lee Ann Womack and Old Dominion for our philanthropic leadership. I was elected to the Recording Academy\u2019s Nashville Board of Governors in 2025, where I\u2019m helping shape the future of our industry through advocacy, inclusion and strategic leadership. I was named a Nashville Business Journal<\/em> Woman of Influence<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nashvillepost.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s 2025 NEXT Awards will take place on Oct. 20. Ahead of the event, the\u00a0Nashville Post\u00a0will be featuring the\u00a0finalists\u00a0of each category in an ongoing series. The\u00a0Post\u00a0is a media sponsor for the NEXT Awards. Music, Sports, Gaming & Entertainment – Growth Finalists Bandwagon Music & Repair Linden and Jennifer Lantz Founders: Linden and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2083335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[390563],"class_list":["post-2083334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-entrepreneurs"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Showcasing-the-NEXT-Awards-music-sports-gaming-and-entertainment-growth.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2083334"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2083336,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083334\/revisions\/2083336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2083335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2083334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2083334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2083334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"FOUNDER](\"https:\/\/bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com\/nashvillepost.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/1\/43\/143ddf40-3456-4f44-9f46-c7d324dd6ba5\/68e95f0e21a61.image.jpg?crop=714%2C745%2C4%2C20&resize=150%2C157&order=crop%2Cresize)
\n <\/div><\/div>![\"FOUNDER](\"https:\/\/bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com\/nashvillepost.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/1\/e0\/1e01c7a0-6ade-434e-8163-3dd01e16b4a1\/68e95f0c432be.image.jpg?crop=713%2C713%2C6%2C51&resize=150%2C150&order=crop%2Cresize)
\n <\/div><\/div>![\"FOUNDER](\"https:\/\/bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com\/nashvillepost.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/d\/19\/d191642d-c505-4adf-847d-e4602abbef6c\/68e95f12016a1.image.jpg?crop=663%2C609%2C46%2C2&resize=150%2C138&order=crop%2Cresize)
\n <\/div><\/div>