Jason Turner has lived on all sides of the music business. He has performed with a number of bands, promoted artists for Warner Bros. Records, and managed the comeback of a major country group. Now he blends his knowledge of the music industry with his Stetson legal education as an entertainment lawyer.

Any single facet of his young career is impressive, and his combined experience has generated invitations from musical artists around the country for Turner to manage their careers.

As a music business major at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., he worked for two years as a promoter for Warner Bros.’ country artists to secondary markets throughout the United States. In this role, Turner coordinated radio station interviews, pre-concert events, and other marketing activities for performers including Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. “I got to see the inner workings of a major record label, and I was able to meet the key people in the Nashville music business at the age of 20,” said Turner, who hopes to eventually start his own artist management company.

“I liked being in the background, knowing I had a hand in the artist’s career, that something I did was helping them to reach their dreams,” said Turner, whose most exciting moment was when he informed country artist Chad Brock that his single reached No. 1 on the charts. “It was (Brock’s) first No. 1 record as an artist, and my first No. 1 record at Warner Bros., and we found out together at the Opry.”

After the AOL/Time Warner merger, Turner left the record label to focus his energy to performing “on the keys” with best friend Autumn McEntire (Reba’s niece). While working with McIntyre, he performed at historic Ryman Auditorium, the original home to the Grand Old Opry, a highlight of his career. He has also performed with artists from a variety of other formats, including pop, R&B and gospel.

Turner’s undergraduate professors inspired him to pursue a career in entertainment law, and he remained connected to the music industry while at Stetson. In 2003, as co-manager of the country group 4Runner, Turner directed the creative aspects of the group’s comeback, including the negotiation of a performance in a 2004 Christmas movie starring Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. “My experience on the Client Skills Board became valuable,” he said. 4Runner performed the song in the movie, which required coordinating a synchronization license for the movie, soundtrack and music video, as well as complying with SAG guidelines.

Through law school, he continued to work in entertainment. He performed with a praise band at a local church, coordinated a Tampa concert fundraiser, and clerked for a Tampa law firm that handled cases in entertainment law. Turner graduated in May 2004, and he now works as an associate with Lassiter, Tidwell, Davis, Keller & Hogan PLLC in Nashville.