Warner Music Group and Sony Music will offer their artists a portion of profits if they sell their stakes in Spotify, according to Music Business Worldwide.

Warner Music Group CEO Stephen Cooper first announced that if it sells its equity interests in Spotify, Warner will pay a portion of its proceeds to its artists. The artist portions would apply to situations where Warner hasn’t paid its own cash for equity stakes in a digital service.

“As there is an ongoing debate in the media regarding how artists should be paid for use of their music on streaming services, we wanted to take this opportunity to address the issue head on,” said Cooper during an earnings call. He pointed out “the main form of compensation we receive from streaming services is revenue based on actual streams,” and added, “there are some services from which we receive additional compensation.”

“There are equity stakes in some streaming services for which we have not paid,” he continued. “Although none of these equity stakes have been monetized since we implemented our breakage policy, today we are confirming that in the event we do receive cash proceeds from the sale of these equity stakes, we will also share this revenue with our artists on the same basis as we share revenue from actual usage and digital breakage.”

Warner is estimated to own between two and three percent in Spotify, according to Music Business Worldwide.

Sony Music has also stepped up to offer a similar deal to its artists, according to Music Business Worldwide.

“As we have previously shared with our artists and their representatives, net proceeds realized by Sony Music from the monetization of equity interests that were provided to Sony Music as part of the consideration for a digital license will be shared with our artists on a basis consistent with our breakage policy,” Sony said in a statement to Music Business Worldwide.

Sony holds a reported six percent holding of equity in Spotify, according to Music Business Worldwide.

Spotify is expected to make its initial public offering (IPO) in the next 12 months.

The report does not make mention of songwriter copyrights benefitting from the deals.

Chase Rice has issued a new single, “Whisper,” to digital retailers. He co-wrote the track with Chris DeStefano and Jon Nite.

“Whisper” will go for adds at country radio on Feb. 29. Influenced by dubstep, “Whisper” is the lead single from an upcoming album expected later this year via Columbia Nashville/Dack Janiels Records. Rice and DeStefano co-produced the new music.

Rice’s prior album, Ignite the Night, was released in 2014. His hits include “Ready Set Roll” (which earned a platinum certification) and “Gonna Wanna Tonight.” He received an ACM nomination earlier this week for New Male Vocalist of the Year.

“Personally, I believe my writing has evolved since we put out the last album and it’s been a hell of a ride so far, so this one will have a more mature sound to it. ‘Whisper’ is an example of that, having some of those different production elements that push the music beyond where we’ve been before,” Rice said.

Dan + Shay single

Dan + Shay have sent the first single from their upcoming album to country radio. “From the Ground Up” will go for adds on Feb. 22.

Signed to Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville, the duo received their third consecutive nomination for ACM Vocal Duo of the Year earlier this week. Their hits include “19 You+ Me,” “Show You Off,” and “Nothin’ Like You.” They have released a new music video for “From the Ground Up,” directed by Shaun Silva and shot just outside Nashville.

“‘From The Ground Up’ is a song that started with a conversation about our grandparents and the love that they shared for the 65-plus years that they were married,” Dan Smyers explained of the single he wrote with Shay Mooney and produced with Scott Hendricks. “It tells the story of the life that they built through their power and dedication to each other, and the perseverance to endure whatever would come their way.”

Mooney continued, “We put our hearts and souls into every word and every note of this song, and we just hope that it’s as special to our fans as it is to us.”

No release date has been announced for the new album. The duo will open Darius Rucker’s tour dates this spring.

The Swon Brothers surprised fans with an independently-released, six-song EP titled Timeless on Friday (Jan. 29). It’s the first collection of new music from the duo since their self-titled 2014 debut on Arista Nashville.

The brothers contributed to the songwriting and played most of the instruments on the album. Production duties were shared with Derek George and bandmate Joe Henderson. Former contestants on The Voice, The Swon Brothers are best known for their hit, “Later On.”

“I don’t think we set out to create a certain sound for this record,” said Colton Swon, “But we did set out to let what we were feeling be heard, and we kind of really put our brains and minds to work and asked, where do we live, where do we feel comfortable singing, and what makes us shine the most? It really embody’s our heart and soul. Plus we had the opportunity to co-write every song on this new EP and it makes a real difference for sure.”

“Artists naturally evolve over the years and people’s sounds naturally change a little bit, but I think we’ve found a musical sweet spot, where we like to sing and play, and at this time it just happens to be capturing music with a little soulful flair,” said Zach Swon. “We put of ourselves into this record, recording much of it in our home studio and playing instruments on the majority of the tracks. A lot of love went into this record, and we hope our current fans like it and that we make some new ones because of it.”

Track listing for Timeless
1. “Just Another Girl” (Zach Swon, Colton Swon, Jordan Schmidt and Cole Taylor) Produced by Derek George and The Swon Brothers
2. “Nobody” (Zach Swon, Colton Swon, Micha Wilshire and Rick Ferrell) Produced by Joe Henderson and The Swon Brothers
3. “Throwback” (Zach Swon, Colton Swon and Derek George) Produced by Derek George and The Swon Brothers
4. “Timeless” (Zach Swon, Colton Swon, Chris Roberts and Jason Gantt) Produced by Joe Henderson and The Swon Brothers
5. “Killing Me” (Zach Swon, Colton Swon and Chris DeStefano) Produced by Derek George and The Swon Brothers
6. “You Got Somebody” (Zach Swon and Micha Wilshire) Produced by Joe Henderson and The Swon Brothers

Dierks Bentley. Photo: Jim Wright

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will explore the life and career of Dierks Bentley with the exhibit Dierks Bentley: Every Mile a Memory. Presented by Citi, the exhibit opens March 4 and runs through Sept. 6. Stage wear, guitars, song manuscripts, photos and more items from Bentley’s personal collection will be on display in the museum.

To celebrate the launch of the exhibit, the museum will host a special appearance by Bentley on March 12 at 2 p.m. in the museum’s 800-seat CMA Theater. Bentley will discuss his career and perform a short acoustic set. The program will be hosted by museum editor Peter Cooper.

“It’s crazy to be considered for something like this,” Bentley said. “The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is home to the most revered and influential country artists of all time. Just being in the building as a visitor is humbling, but to actually be featured in one of the museum’s exhibits is something I never would have believed if you’d suggested it back when I started chasing this dream down on Broadway. I’m going to have to go down there to see it for myself to really make it sink in.”

“A master of reinvention, Dierks continues to confound our expectations with music that resonates, both commercially and critically,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “Every mile, every day, every song in Dierks’ remarkable career creates new memories for him and for his fans. I know our visitors will enjoy getting a peek inside some of those memories.”

The March 12 museum program, featuring Bentley in conversation and performance, is included with museum admission and free to museum members. The program will be streamed live at countrymusichalloffame.org/streaming.