Dr Jeff Cornwall

Submerge Media is an example of the new breed of music business entrepreneurs who are finding success in the shadow of struggling industry giants.

“Submerge Media is a full-service media company that strives to be an all inclusive media provider for its clients by offering what an in-house creative service department would offer. By integrating a consistent design throughout each medium, Submerge provides their clients professional, recognizable, and unique branding.”
Craig Countryman (video), Josh Davis (audio), and Chip Hayner (graphic and web design) had all been active as independent contractors in the music industry in Nashville while students at Belmont University. While in school they had gained respect for each other’s work and had, from time to time, referred clients to each other. Their original plan was to develop a referral system to support each other as they became established in the industry. But, they began to believe that a company that could integrate audio, video and design services from a single source would be able to offer the music industry the same consistency as when these services had been performed in-house before the recent cutbacks in the music industry.
By bringing audio, video and web-based graphics together in one company, they intended to stand out from the large number of independent contractors working on Music Row in Nashville. They would be able to provide a single “look” to a client’s entire media package and eliminate the hassle of coordinating the various components that comprise the entire music “product.”
Craig, Josh and Chip graduated from Belmont University in May of 2004 and on June 1, 2004 Submerge Media was officially formed as an S-Corporation. The three founders had something else in common beyond their passion for the music industry. All three wanted to build a business that reflected their Christian faith in the work that they performed for each client and they are growing and building their business with a culture that was based on their shared values. However, they do not want to limit their customer base by specializing in the Christian segment of the industry music. They work in all music genres, while keeping true to their Christian faith.
Since all three of them were initially working out of their homes, one of the biggest challenges they faced was communication and coordination of their work. They met face-to-face every Monday and had daily contact by phone, email and text messaging to schedule jobs and discuss business issues. A local coffee house served as their favorite meeting place.
But, increasingly they recognized the need to move into a shared office space. Although these working arrangements had kept their overhead low, it was beginning to create personal strains for each of them and was creating noticeable inefficiencies in their work together. While billable hours were critical for creating cash flow, they also needed time to work on the business. They found that these two demands were often in conflict.
So, in January of 2005 Submerge Media moved into common space that includes a studio for audio production. By finding space away from Music Row (the heart of the industry in Nashville), they were able to stay within their budget. And, by combining a small SBA loan and careful attention to bootstrapping to equip and furnish their new space, they could offer the level of quality that their clients expect from them.
Since moving into their new space, Submerge Media has experienced continued growth in sales and improved operating efficiencies. They seem to have discovered a balance between the need every start-up has to keep overhead low, while at the same time assuring that they have the tools and space they need to be a quality player in the Nashville music industry.