How To Make It in Country Music from Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith's Manager

This week Ari sits down with Simon Tikhman, the co-founder of The Core Entertainment and The Core Records. The Core Entertainment first made waves as an artist management company, guiding the careers of major country stars like Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith. After demonstrated success in management, The Core Entertainment partnered with Universal Music Group to launch The Core Records.

During this episode, Simon and Ari discuss the careers of The Core Entertainment’s breakout artists, Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith. Simon explains how both artists achieved success in drastically different ways—Nate landed his record deal at age 36 after grinding for many years in Nashville, while Bailey broke out on TikTok in his early 20s. Simon outlines the value in each of these paths and explains how Nashville treats artists differently if they have found success the traditional way versus through social media. This episode also goes into detail about what the Nashville country music scene looks like today, the nuances between Nashville labels and coastal labels, and the ins and outs of artist management. If you’re curious about how to break as a country artist in 2025, this episode is for you.

instagram.com/thecoreent

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of Country Radio
04:58 Simon Tikhman's Journey to Artist Management
16:19 Building The Core Entertainment and Nashville Connections
24:12 Nate Smith's Breakthrough in Country Music
33:53 Bailey Zimmerman's Rise as a New Artist
35:21 The Rise of Bailey Zimmerman
41:10 Navigating the Music Industry
44:47 The Importance of Labels in Country Music
52:08 The New Paradigm for Country Artists
56:51 Social Media's Role in Artist Development
01:06:42 Defining Success in the Music Business

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

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