Meet Lance Cowan

We were lucky to catch up with Lance Cowan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lance, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

For years, as a songwriter, I had difficulty being objective about my work. That’s a tough one. It’s hard to step back from what you pour your heart into and believe that what you’ve done is worthy. So for years, I’ve kept my songs, pretty much, to myself, despite encouragement from my family and friends, many who are in the music business and deal with so-called critics’ darlings.

Finally, in 2024, I took the shot and released an album. Though I was really just wanting a calling card to open doors and opportunities for more venues, my now-manager secured a distribution deal almost immediately. Then he sent copies of my album to critics. Because I know how critics work – I’ve been a publicist for 30 plus years – I was very nervous about what kind of response we’d get.

Turns out my sweating and anxiety was for naught. Reviews were stunning. So much so that I released a second album this year. Those tough critics – who are just as happy to say something negative as they are positive (that’s why their opinion matters) – did nothing but praise both records. It’s been extremely validating. It’s given me confidence to play before live audiences. I know the songs are good. It’s not just me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’ve been fortunate over the past three decades to work with some of the best songwriters and artists in America. I’ve worked with Joe Ely, Lyle Lovett, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, New Grass Revival, Scotty Moore, Nanci Griffith, The Kentucky HeadHunters, Michael Martin Murphey, Guy Clark, David Bennett Cohen and many many more. I’ve lived vicariously through these wonderful musicians, and many I still count as my friends.

Behind the scenes, I worked on my songwriting, learning from all those folks while also getting behind the scenes opportunities to watch up close guys like Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Robert Earl Keen and many more. It’s been an exciting life.

The very cool thing is that many of my past clients, like Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Pat Flynn, The Kentucky HeadHunters, Sam Bush, Dan Dugmore, etc., are incredibly supportive of my “new” career as a singer / songwriter. On my first album, Pat Flynn and Sam Bush played on several tracks. Dan Dugmore produced two tracks, and joined me on my new record, as did Pat and Vinny Santoro. Billy and Chip Davis, who have worked with bands like Alabama and Dolly Parton, have bent over backwards to help out!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Certainly my background as someone who has worked behind the scenes in the entertainment business have given me a good grasp of how the business works – though the model is changing every single day. I know how to deal with egos and that’s certainly helped, and I’ve been able to find real kindness and friendship in an industry that doesn’t necessarily reward that.

One of the best lessons I learned came from the legendary Joe Ely. Briefly, I had really made a radio programmer mad – can’t remember how I did it – but before he slammed the phone down, he shouted “I’LL NEVER PLAY ANOTHER JOE ELY RECORD AS LONG AS I LIVE!!!” I called Joe to tell him what I’d done, bracing myself to be fired as I hemmed and hawed for several minutes. After I finished, there was a pause. Joe quietly said “Bake him a pie.” “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” I said. “No one can be mad at you when you bake them a pie.” It was great advice. I sent the guy a sincere apology and a box of Christie Cookies and we got along great until he retired. So I learned that if you make a mistake, own it and apologize sincerely. I’d pass that advice on to anyone.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

As I mentioned earlier, the music business today is totally different than when I first began in the late 1980s. The importance of creatives has been diminished soooo much by the public that believes it’s okay to not pay for music opting instead to stream everything rather than purchase a CD. Plus there’s a glut of artists releasing records because anyone can do it on their home computer. Promotion has become about Tik Tok and other Social Media, and the competition to get noticed on a project is harder by the day. It’s a challenge for my clients and we’re constantly trying to find new avenues.

The only thing I know to do is keep doing what I’m doing. As a publicist, I work with artists I believe in. That only helps my credibility as a publicist. As a songwriter / artist, I try very hard to keep to a high standard with my own music. I’m trying to learn to be a better performer too, and that’s all something I’m sure I’ll work on the rest of my life.

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