CMT’s Next Women Of Country Gather During CMA Fest

CMT’s Next Women of Country showed fans what girl power is all about when Brooke Eden, Clare Dunn, Lauren Alaina, Margo Price and Tara Thompson joined together for a showcase at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum this past CMA Festival.

CMT launched its “Next Women of Country” campaign in 2013 as a way to give more attention and airplay to emerging female country artists across all screens. Several Next Women alumnae—Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, Maren Morris, Cassadee Pope and Ashley Monroe included—have achieved both commercial and critical acclaim. Since 2015, CMT expanded the franchise with its first-ever female-powered tour and has featured such artists as Brandy Clark, Jana Kramer, Jennifer Nettles, Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsay Ell and Tara Thompson

Pictured (L-R): Tara Thompson; Lauren Alaina; Leslie Fram, SVP of Music Strategy, CMT;
Brooke Eden; Clare Dunn; Margo Price; Abi Tapia, Senior Manager of Public Programs, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Jason Aldean Films Inaugural ‘CMT Concert Of The Summer’

CMT joined Jason Aldean this past weekend for the filming of the inaugural CMT Concert of the Summer documentary special, which takes fans inside and backstage at one of this summer’s biggest tours, Aldean’s Six String Circus Tour, filmed during the Live Nation LakeShake Windy City Country Music Festival in Chicago.

Pictured (L-R): Chris Parr, Manager, Spalding Entertainment; Margaret Comeaux, CMT VP Music and Events Production; Jason Aldean; John Hamlin, Executive Producer, Switched on Entertainment

Kenny Chesney, Meghan Trainor Set For Macy’s July 4th Celebration

Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney and Meghan Trainor will join 5 Seconds of Summer to perform during the 40th annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular. The show will broadcast live on NBC from New York City, and will include more than 56,000 pyrotechnic effects.

The 25-minute synchronized light show will be choreographed to music from Broadway performer Jennifer Holliday and the United States Air Force Band.

The show will begin at 8 p.m. ET.

Brett Eldredge Debuts New Video At Chicago’s Wrigley Field

Brett Eldredge premiered the music video for his new single “Wanna Be That Song” last night (June 21) at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The baseball-themed video was filmed recently at the ballpark. In addition to premiering the video, Eldredge threw out the first pitch and lead the crowd in the ceremonial “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch.

Pictured: Brett Eldredge with members of his team from Warner Music Nashville and Long Shot Management.

Provident Music Group/Sony Music Entertainment Promotes Ben Howard

Ben Howard

Ben Howard has been promoted to Executive VP of Provident Films. He previously served as Sr. VP for the company’s film division. Howard manages partnerships with movie partners including The Kendrick Brothers (War Room), The Erwin Brothers (Woodlawn), and more.

Producer Seth Mosley’s Full Circle Academy Presents Music Makers Bootcamp

Seth Mosley

Full Circle Academy presents the first Music-Makers Bootcamp, dedicated to producers, artists and songwriters in the Nashville area.

Pictured (L-R): Craig Shelburne, Molly Hannula, Troy Stephenson, Mark Chesnutt, Sherod Robertson, Jessica Nicholson, Eric T. Parker

Mark Chesnutt has never lived in Nashville but he’s catching up with friends in the country music industry this week to talk about his upcoming album, Tradition Lives.

Chesnutt says he relied on producer Jimmy Ritchey to round up the new material. Asked how long it takes to decide whether or not to record a song, Chesnutt quickly replied, “As soon as I hear it. If I let it play all the way through, then that’s a good sign.”

It took three years to find and record the songs for Tradition Lives, Chesnutt said. He noted that a renewed interest in country music – in addition to releasing a new album and maintaining longtime friendships with talent buyers – has kept his phone ringing. Although he’s been playing about a hundred dates a year, he expects that number to increase. Right now he’s booked for about 175 shows for 2016.

Following a visit to MusicRow on Tuesday afternoon (June 21), he was scheduled for an on-air interview and performance with SiriusXM. On Wednesday he’ll sing on the Grand Ole Opry. His new single is “Oughta Miss Me By Now.”

Tradition Lives is Chesnutt’s first new album since 2010. It is being released by Row Entertainment and distributed by BFD through RED distribution.

Still based out of Beaumont, Texas, Chesnutt remains one of the notable country singers of the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1999, he charted 20 Top 10 hits, including eight No. 1 singles such as “Brother Jukebox” and “Almost Goodbye.” For the duration he recorded for MCA Nashville and sister label Decca Records. He won the 1993 CMA Horizon Award for new artists.

Tradition Lives includes “Never Been to Texas,” a song he wrote with Roger Springer and Slugger Morrissette years ago that he had never recorded. (However, Chesnutt did grab a two-week No. 1 hit with their composition, “It’s a Little Too Late.”) The bonus track is “There Won’t Be Another Now,” a song written by Red Lane and recorded twice by Merle Haggard.

Chesnutt had never performed the song before he and Ritchey decided to record it acoustically, just for the sake of having it around. After Lane and Haggard passed away, Chesnutt believed it belonged on the album. “[Jimmy] played guitar and I sang it—and we kept it until the album was done,” Chesnutt said. “When Merle and Red both died, we said, ‘Let’s stick it on there and make it a tribute.'”