Doug Colton

Artist/Songwriter
Colton Entertainment, LLC

Doug Colton is the President and CEO of Colton Entertainment Group based in Nashville. Colton Entertainment is a full service independent music publishing and administration company. It also houses a production and label side and a management company.

The company developed through a joint-venture between Colton and Hall-of-Fame Songwriter and Publisher, Roger Murrah. Prior to forming Colton Entertainment, Colton was President of Murrah's legendary Murrah Music Group. Under Colton's direction, Murrah Music became the first Nashville independent to make the Billboard Top-Ten Publisher's List based on market-share. Murrah Music consistently had multiple songs in the charts and in 2008, was awarded with ASCAP's Song of the Year.

As President of Murrah Music, Colton's primary responsibilities included commerce strategies, legal and business affairs, deal restructuring and venture financing. Colton's duties also included the analysis and securing of potential catalog acquisitions, international relations, as well as A&R and development responsibilities with respect to the Pop/Rock, Latin and Urban music markets.

Colton is an attorney specialized in music publishing, copyright and intellectual property law. Before joining Murrah Music, he was in private practice working with the international entertainment firm of Sukin Law Group, P.C. headquartered in New York. He has represented a diverse array of clients such as Warner Chappell Music, the Estate of Elvis Presley, the Gershwin's, numerous international music publishers, and individual songwriters and artists.

Colton is a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, and holds a B.A in Communications from the University of Washington. Prior to attending law school, he was a songwriter and performer himself. This experience has given Colton a unique perspective, combining the legal and business aspects of the company with the creative fields of songwriting, recording, music publishing and entertainment. A major supporter of songwriter and publisher rights, Colton's accolades include authoring the Amicus Brief of the Nashville Songwriters Association International to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the 1998 U.S. copyright extension. Colton resides in Nashville with his wife, Amy.

Listen to "What Could've Been":

Listen to "Anybody Wanna (Radio Edit)":

Listen to "100 Steps":