Investigative reporter to cover music industry for Tennessean

Nate Rau, a reporter on the investigative team at The Tennessean in Nashville, is moving to the business section to cover the music industry.

Rau writes, “Reporting on the music business in Nashville is akin to covering the auto industry in Detroit or Wall Street in New York. Each of those industries is essential to its city’s success, and each has influence and appeal that is truly global. But, Detroit comes with its ugly bankruptcy and Wall Street comes with its pervasive corruption. Nashville comes with Loretta Lynn and the Ryman.

“A few weeks ago over coffee, I told an important government official that I was moving from the investigative team to the business team to cover the music industry.

“Her first reaction was one of surprise.

“‘I thought you called me here because you were going to tell me about some massive records request,’ she said.

“A reporter has carved out the proper reputation if bureaucrats view a coffee meeting as the precursor to a public records request. But she also wanted to know why I would want to make the switch.

“The answer is that while I loved my time as an investigative reporter, especially when the work involved important stories such as patient deaths at the state’s largest drug rehab center or the effect of concussions on child athletes, my life is consumed by music.

“You know those talented songwriters peppered throughout every corner of Middle Tennessee? I met an exquisitely beautiful and amazingly talented one at a birthday party and persuaded her to marry me four years ago.”

Read more here.