Nashville country artist looks to Memphis to expand brand
A rising Nashville music artist has signed a small Memphis marketing firm to help polish his brand image.
Country singer Ryan Daniel hired Morris Marketing Group, a 12-employee firm located in Downtown Memphis.
Daniel, named the best country musician of 2016 by the Indie Music Channel, is the first musician represented by the four-year-old agency.
“It’s a bit unusual he went outside of Nashville (for a marketing agency), but he said he liked the fact we had fresh eyes and fresh ideas,’’ Morris Marketing founder Valerie Morris said. “We don’t take everyone as a client. But he sold me. I saw from the beginning he comes from an authentic engagement of passion.’’
Daniel was a U.S. Air Force career airman deployed to Afghanistan with a crew trained to arm aircraft. His musical career was launched about a decade ago after an audition with a large musical production.
Daniel, 40, of Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, left the service and began writing songs and singing for a living. He met Morris in 2016 on the day he sang the national anthem at the Memphis International Raceway. The 35,000-seat car race track near Millington is Morris Marketing’s client.
The Memphis agency released a statement announcing its new client.
Asked in an interview what he expected from the agency, Daniel said, “They believe in my music and they believe in my story. It’s not about how much money we can create. It’s about creating a great brand.”
Bringing on Daniel as a client won’t lead the agency to expand. Morris said the current staff can provide a full level of support for Daniel.
“We operate like a concierge service,” Morris said. “We’re like an extension of the family. We’re always there.”
Having a musician on board can widen the agency’s knowledge and open way for signing musicians outside the country genre, she said.
“I think they are the team I need that can take my brand to the next level,” Daniel said. “They can really up your digital game. They really put the wow factor on it.”
Daniel said he sings about his life experiences, including his mother’s assault by his father. She later remarried a career airman stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base on a crew refueling C-130 aircraft.
Living near Little Rock, Daniel played in the North Pulaski High School marching band and after graduation enlisted in the Air Force.
His recording of a country song was submitted to an elaborate Air Force musical production named Tops in Blue. When he was selected to perform in the production, which toured more than 20 nations, it gave him confidence to leave the service and launch a music career, he said.
Daniel’s repertoire lauds veterans and touches on his life experiences.
He writes and co-writes about a third of his songs. He caught the ear of country music star Garth Brooks, whose songwriter gave Daniel a Brooks song to perform.
“Over the past six, eight months, I’ve been touring nationally and getting national recognition,” Daniel said.
“What I’m trying to achieve is going to the next level. I hope I can sell out the big venues like Bridgestone (Arena in Nashville) and MGM Grand in Vegas.”