Nina Carter has been promoted to Associate Director, Writer-Publisher Relations, in Nashville. Carter moved to Nashville last year from BMI’s Atlanta office, where she was heavily involved with the planning and execution of the BMI Hip Hop and R&B Awards, local showcases, and South by Southwest offerings.

While in the Nashville office, she has been a key component of the success of the Eastside Sounds showcases, Maui Songwriters Festival, and Mountain High Music Festival, in addition to managing relationships with songwriters. Her new role will see her signing and providing service to writers in indie, rock, hip hop, film and TV, and country, as well as providing new showcase opportunities for artists in these genres.

“Nina Carter is a dynamic individual with creative and organizational skills that make her a perfect fit for our department,” says Jody Williams, Vice President, Writer-Publisher Relations, Nashville. “She came to us after working for three years in BMI’s Atlanta office. For the last six months she has assisted Mark Mason in planning and executing the many events our department produces. She has a great ear for all kinds of music and is a tremendous help to emerging and established songwriters.”

Carter is an Athens, Georgia, native, and graduate of the University of Georgia Music Business program. She began as an intern for the historic Georgia Theatre, following the tragic fire in 2009, to assist with fundraising and event management. After graduating from UGA, Carter went on the road with Atlanta-based company Shimon Presents to promote, recruit and manage volunteers onsite at music festivals like Bonnaroo, Hangout Festival, Wakarusa, All Good and Electric Forest Festival. She lived in Austin, Texas, for two years, where she worked for South By Southwest as Music Panels Coordinator and Special Projects Assistant.

In July 2012, Carter relocated to Atlanta to work in Writer-Publisher Relations at BMI, where she has been an invaluable part of the team ever since. She is a lively member of the music community, leading the Nashville chapter of the non-profit organization We’re hEAR For You, whose mission is to increase awareness of noise-induced hearing loss, hearing loss prevention and the use of earplugs among the music community.

Reba McEntire, Alison Krauss, Buddy Miller, Larry Gatlin, Jessi Colter, and Shooter Jennings have been added to the concert taping for The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson on March 16 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Previously confirmed artists include Dierks Bentley, Ryan Bingham, Rosanne Cash, Eric Church, Emmylou Harris, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Darius Rucker, Hank Williams Jr., and Lee Ann Womack. Kristofferson will perform with a number of special guests throughout the evening.

A final block of seats is now available at Ticketmaster and at the Bridgestone Arena box office.

T.J. Martell Foundation is the official charity partner of the show.

Keith Wortman is creator and executive producer of the show. Grammy Award-winner Don Was will serve as music director and will lead an all-star band. The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson will be filmed and recorded for multi-platform distribution throughout traditional media (worldwide broadcast, music and digital).

Sam Hunt Joins 2016 Carnival LIVE Lineup

Sam Hunt will perform two shows as part of the 2016 Carnival LIVE lineup. He will appear on stage while the ships Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Splendor are docked in Cozumel on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20, respectively. Comedians Jim Gaffigan and Chris Tucker are also confirmed for Carnival LIVE performances. Tickets range from $30 to $75 for general admission. VIP tickets are available for $100 to $250 and offer seating in the first five rows, a photo opportunity with the artist and a commemorative concert pass.

 

Kristian Bush Releases “Say Yes to the Dress” Theme

Kristian Bush has written, recorded, and released the song “Forever Now (Say Yes),” which is the new theme for TLC’s hit series, Say Yes to the Dress. Coming up later in the season, Bush will make a cameo appearance to help his guitar tech’s fiancée, classic country girl Evyn, find the perfect dress. Bush’s first trip to Kleinfeld Bridal (where the show is set) and an inside look at the magic of wedding dress shopping inspired him to write the song. Bush is currently working on his first album for BBR Music Group’s Wheelhouse Records.

 

Kellie Pickler Will Be Inducted Into North Carolina Music Hall of Fame

Kellie Pickler will be among the 2016 inductees into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Oct. 20 in Kannapolis. Pickler is from Albemarle. Other inductees include rock band The Avett Brothers, beach music pioneers Band of Oz, late funk guitarist Chuck Brown, old-time string band Rhiannon Giddens & The Carolina Chocolate Drops, late jazz musician Percy Heath, folk musician and storyteller David Holt, and The Temptations’ Ron Tyson.

 

Dan + Shay Confirmed For Good Morning America

Dan + Shay will perform “From The Ground Up,” on March 18 on ABC’s Good Morning America. Written by Chris DeStefano and the duo’s Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, the romantic new single is the first song to be released off their forthcoming album due out later this year via Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville. The release comes as a follow up to their No. 1 hit, “Nothin’ Like You,” which was honored with a nomination for favorite country song from the Radio Disney Music Awards.

The American Country Countdown Awards will return on May 1, airing on FOX at 7 p.m. ET.

FOX, Cumulus Media, and dick clark productions have re-teamed to bring the three-hour live awards show to fans. During the previous American Country Countdown Awards show, Jason Aldean was named Artist of the Year, while Luke Bryan took home Male Vocalist of the Year, and Miranda Lambert took home Female Artist of the Year.

American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks celebrates its 43rd year as America’s longest-running country music countdown show on radio. Since launching in 1973, the radio show now airs on more than 280 radio stations in 155 markets.

This year’s host, performers, and location will be announced in the coming weeks.

Nashville-based Gibson Brands has had its credit downgraded by Moody’s, lowering the brand’s corporate family rating (CFR) to Caa1 from B3, due to poor sales of its 2015 guitar models, high leverage, risk associated with the consumer electronics business, and high turnover among senior financial management. The downgrade also reflects the risk that the company may not be able to meet near-term financial commitments, according to Moody’s.

“The downgrade reflects the weak performance and the resulting very high leverage and also the additional financial obligations Gibson incurred from its agreement with a consumer electronics supplier to settle overdue payables and the stress it puts on company’s liquidity profile,” said Kevin Cassidy, Senior Credit Officer at Moody’s Investors Service.

Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman/CEO Gibson Brands, released the following statement:

The company has posted quarterly results for our quarter ending December 2015 that were materially better than they were for the prior year. While we experienced a soft reception to our 2015 products, we have since introduced our improved 2016 product line that is performing extremely well both in sales to retailers and sell through to consumers globally. We feel we are on an upward trend, poised for an excellent year and are confident of the future.

We also recently brought on board an outstanding new CFO after our former CFO left to start a new business. We feel the addition of a world-class CFO who has a global background with several major companies has significantly improved our capabilities in this area.

We tripled the size of our business one year ago and have been integrating a substantial new business. It is not unusual to have some speed bumps in the integration process of a major new global entity. We believe we are progressing well and are very excited about this coming year.

As part of our continued commitment to Nashville and American manufacturing, we continue to hire people and expand. We also hope to start manufacturing consumer audio products in our Nashville manufacturing campus within the year.

According to Moody’s, Gibson Brands needs to generate cash flow to address its $36 million financial obligations to a consumer electronics supplier by December 2016, as well as its subsequent $62 million obligation by December 2017. Over the longer term, an upgrade could be considered if Gibson improves and sustains its operating performance.

Gibson Brands Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, and globally distributes premium musical instruments, consumer and professional audio and video products, information products, and related accessories. The company’s product offerings are marketed under a portfolio of brands including Gibson, Philips, Epiphone, Kramer, Baldwin, Onkyo, KRK, and Stanton.