Martina Poster, Matchless Debuts, Mullins Video, Lyric Advances

As CMA Music Festival draws near, workers install the final components of the GAC wrap on the Sommet Center’s glass tower. A 50 foot tall Martina McBride will welcome fans to next week’s event.

Shawn Pennington, formerly of Dale Morris & Associates, has launched his own artist management and consulting company called Matchless Management. Details, including the client roster, are pending. The Pittsburgh, PA native spent close to 10 years with Morris, working closely with such artists as John Rich, Big & Rich, Randy Owen, and Cowboy Troy. He can be reached at scpenn@me.com or (615) 491-8285.

Megan Mullins’ new video “Long Past Gone” has been added to GAC, CMT and CMT Pure. The shoot took place on California’s Pacific Coast and was created by Feewill Films in association with Picture Vision Pictures. Directed by Curt Apanovich, produced by William Shockley, David Bennett and executive produced by John Small of Picture Visions, the clip was filmed with the RED camera. Mullins is on Stoney Creek Records, a Broken Bow Records imprint.

LYRIC Financial announces it has begun funding advances for writers and publishers who have agreements with major publishers UMG, Warner Chappell, EMI and Sony. The company is now working with mechanical royalty revenue streams in addition to performance royalties. Lyric founder Eli Ball stated, “While mechanical royalties are not as strong as they once were, they are still a significant source of income to many writers and publishers. We have worked diligently to create the same simple, safe and transparent process as we have for performance royalty advances.” www.lyricfinancial.com