Mike Molinar - Barbara Cloyd - Songwriter, Host of Bluebird Open Mic Writers Night

MIKE MOLINAR
With over thirteen years experience with some of Nashville’s leading independent publishers and premiere songwriters, Mike Molinar has maintained a steady focus on effective songwriter representation and career development. In the process, he has secured song placements on Country Music’s biggest artists including George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Terri Clark, Joe Nichols, Lonestar, Randy Travis, Rodney Atkins, and Mark Wills, among others.

With business partner, Martha Earls, Molinar founded Effusion Entertainment, a music publishing and consultation company. Together, they co-publish artist/songwriter Greg Bates with Super 98 Music, the publishing arm of Big Machine Records. Effusion also publishes producer/songwriter Aaron Scherz with Wide Open Music Group. Effusion consults and represents Wide Open Music Group (featuring hit songwriters Derek George, Chuck Jones, and Bryan White, among others), and the Elevation Music Publishing catalog.

Previously, Molinar and Earls co-founded and served as Creative Principals of Elevation Music Publishing where they built a catalog of over 700 songs with staff songwriters Jim Collins, George Teren, Mike Mobley, Aaron Scherz and Mike Lane. Elevation songs have been recorded by Country Music’s biggest artists including Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, Rodney Atkins, Montgomery Gentry, Jewel, Jamey Johnson and a duet between Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield, among many others.

Molinar began his career as Creative Manager with Reba McEntire’s Starstruck Writer’s Group in 1997, representing such writers as David Malloy (BMI Writer of the Century), Liz Hengber (“And Still,” “Forever Love”), Sunny Russ (“Perfect Love,” “How Was I To Know”), Byron Hill (“Fool Hearted Memory”) and the catalog of Mark D. Sanders (“It Matters To Me”).

In 2000, Molinar was named Creative Director for Cal IV Entertainment, and played an integral role in the placement of Cal IV copyrights on over 45 million albums. During this time Molinar’s pitches included “She’ll Leave You With A Smile” (George Strait’s 50^th #1 hit) and “I May Hate Myself In The Morning” (Lee Ann Womack’s CMA Single Of The Year in 2005), each penned by Odie Blackmon, and more recently, Jim Collins’ “It Just Comes Natural” (George Strait multi-week #1). Molinar is also credited for signing ASCAP writer Marla Cannon-Goodman (“The Fool,” “Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo”), and shaping the breakout career of 2008 ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, Dave Berg (“Stupid Boy,” “If You’re Going Through Hell”).

Molinar serves as a frequent panelist and clinician for MTSU, Belmont University, Nashville Songwriter’s Association International and others. He is also a member of the ACM, CMA and the Recording Academy.