Luke Bryan will release an EP of all new music titled Farm Tour…Here’s to the Farmer on Sept. 23.

Although the upcoming shows will mark the entertainer’s eighth annual Farm Tour, this is the first time Bryan has released a Farm Tour EP.

Tickets for the Farm Tour 2016, which is presented by Bayer, go on sale to the general public on Friday (June 24).

During last year’s tour, Bryan performed for over 110,000 fans during the eight-city run. A portion of the ticket proceeds are granted for local college scholarships to students from a farming family or a student that is an agriculture major within the communities the tour plays. Additionally, Bryan and Bayer make a presentation to a local farmer onstage in each city of the Farm Tour.

Bayer Presents Luke Bryan Farm Tour 2016

October 5: Gaston, South Carolina; Culler Farms
October 6: Greenback, Tennessee; Maple Lane Farms
October 7: Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Highland Farms
October 8: Monroeville, Indiana; Spangler Farms
October 12: Batesville, Mississippi; FT Farms
October 13: Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Ogden Ranch
October 14: Centralia, Missouri; Stowers Farm
October 15: Effingham, Illinois; Mid America Motorworks

Mickey Guyton Sings At Hall Communications Awards Banquet

Front row: Mickey Guyton, Hall Communications President Art Rowbotham, Hall Communications Board Chairwoman Bonnie Rowbotham, Hall Communications Executive Vice President Bill Baldwin. Back row: BMI’s Jessica Frost and Hall Communications CFO Janet Hamm.

BMI presented a special performance by Capitol Recording artist and BMI singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton at the 32^nd annual Hall Communications Awards Banquet held Saturday, June 4 at the Hilton Hotel in Mystic, Connecticut. Guyton performed a number of songs including “Better Than You Left Me,” from her self-titled debut EP, as well as her newest single, “Heartbreak Song,” which was released to radio June 3. Hall Communications, Inc. is a family owned company which operates 21 AM and FM radio stations in Florida, the Mid-Atlantic and New England states.

Americana Honors & Awards Ceremony Names House Band

Buddy Miller at the 2015 Americana Honors & Awards. Photo: Erika Goldring/ Getty Images

Buddy Miller is set to return to lead the Americana All-Star House Band for the upcoming Americana Honors & Awards ceremony, which will take place Sept. 21 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The all-star band will include Dave Cobb, Stuart Duncan, Fred Eltringham, Matt Rollings, Don Was, and The McCrary Sisters to play alongside those nominated for awards this year.

SESAC Writer Matt Willis Signs With Diamond Eye Music

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Diamond Eye Music’s Chris Burch, Willis, Diamond Eye Music’s Alyssa Adams & Callie Benjamin, and SESAC’s Liz Cost. Photo: Peyton Hoge

SESAC-affiliated artist/songwriter Matt Willis has signed with Diamond Eye Music for publishing representation. Willis moved to Nashville from Navarre, Ohio, in 2008 to pursue a full-time career in songwriting. His song “Backseat Driver” was recorded by William Michael Morgan for the singer’s debut on Warner Bros. Records.

Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Alabama Shakes and Sturgill Simpson will headline Farm Aid 2016. The music and food festival will take place at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, on Sept. 17.

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Jamey Johnson, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Carlene Carter and Insects vs Robots are also on the bill.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Monday (June 27).

“Folks are educating themselves about where and how food is grown—they’re hungry for the truth,” said Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson. “Family farmers bring us good food, protect our soil and water, and strengthen our country. The Farm Aid concert is a day for us to honor that truth and keep working for family farmers.”

“Music and food have an incredible power to bring people together,” said Farm Aid executive director Carolyn Mugar. “Farm Aid is a day that illustrates the diversity and strength of the Good Food Movement. At Farm Aid 2016, we’ll join forces and raise our voices for a farm and food system that is good for people and communities, not just for the profits of a few.”

Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid’s annual concerts raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food.

Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $50 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

Blind Boys of Alabama, Lera Lynn, Holly Williams, Robbie Fulks, Jon McLaughlin and more will be part of the Musicians Corner lineup for its Summer 2016 season, which will launch Saturday, Aug. 6. Additional summer season shows will follow on Aug. 13, 20, 27, and Sept. 3.

“We have not hosted events in August since 2010,” said John Tumminello, Executive Director. “We’re bringing back summertime music in the park with an incredible lineup of talented artists.”

Saturday, Aug. 6 will feature performances from Blind Boys of Alabama, AJ Ghent Band, Matt Brown and Dwan Hill. Aug. 13 will include a lineup of Lynn, McLaughlin, The Sisterhood (Alyssa Bonagura & Ruby Stewart), and The Daybreaks.

Williams, Tony Lucca, Christian Lopez Band and Mocha will perform Aug. 20, while Aug. 27 features the Logan’s Roadhouse Presents-ASCAP Artist Showcase, featuring Ruby Amanfu, Fulks, The Bundys and more.

Andrew Ripp and Vanderbilt Melodores are among the performers slated for Sept. 3.

Events will take place each day from noon to 5 p.m. in Musicians Corner’s permanent home in Centennial Park, and will include food trucks, Dogville activities and services, local artisans, Musicians Corner Pub, and Kidsville activities.

Musicians Corner’s Spring 2016 season continues on Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25 with performances from The Jayhawks, Dom Flemons, Griffin House and more.

A number of Nashville’s top songwriters and recording artists have banded with musicians from all genres to urge lawmakers to reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The call to action is part of an ad that is running in Washington D.C. magazines The Hill, Politico, and Roll Call. The DMCA was enacted in 1998.

Under the DMCA, record labels and publishing companies are responsible for approaching website owner/operators to take down pirated music that they have illegally made available on their sites. It was signed into law during the era of dial-up internet and static websites, a time before music streaming and downloads had a dominant impact on the sale of music.

Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Jack White, Liz Rose, Luke Laird, Brett James, Kings of Leon, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Kip Moore, Kacey Musgraves, Shane McAnally, Martina McBride, Hunter Hayes and Vince Gill are among those who have added their names in support. More than 180 songwriters and artists have called for a reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act through the letter. Several artists signed a petition on April 1 regarding the same subject.

Nineteen music industry organizations join the artists in support and include: A2IM, AFM, ASCAP, Azoff Music, BMI, Global Music Rights, Kobalt, NARAS, NMPA, NSAI, RIAA, SESAC, Sony/ATV, Sony Music, SoundExchange, Universal Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell and Warner Music Group.

“This is a historic moment in the music business,” says Irving Azoff, chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment. “This diverse group of artists coming together illustrates that this is a movement, which should not be underestimated.  In all my years, this is the only time I can remember everyone—artists, songwriters, managers, labels, publishers, PROs—agreeing and collectively calling for change.  This is just the beginning.  The entire industry is united and committed to pursuing a fair resolution. We are fighting for the future.”

The petition comes as many major labels are in discussions to renew their licensing deals with YouTube. The U.S. Copyright Office is also studying the DMCA’s safe harbors, while the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee is reviewing copyright law.

The ad reads:

DEAR CONGRESS:THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (DMCA) IS BROKEN AND NO LONGER WORKS FOR CREATORS

As songwriters and artists who are a vital contributing force to the U.S. and to American exports around the world, we are writing to express our concern about the ability of the next generation of creators to earn a living. The existing laws threaten the continued viability of songwriters and recording artists to survive from the creation of music. Aspiring creators shouldn’t have to decide between making music and making a living. Please protect them.

One of the biggest problems confronting songwriters and recording artists today is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This law was written and passed in an era that is technologically out-of-date compared to the era in which we live. It has allowed major tech companies to grow and generate huge profits by creating ease of use for consumers to carry almost every recorded song in history in their pocket via a smartphone, while songwriters’ and artists’ earnings continue to diminish. Music consumption has skyrocketed, but the monies earned by individual writers and artists for that consumption has plummeted.

The DMCA simply doesn’t work. It’s impossible for tens of thousands of individual songwriters and artists to muster the resources necessary to comply with its application. The tech companies who benefit from the DMCA today were not the intended protectorate when it was signed into law nearly two decades ago. We ask you to enact sensible reform that balances the interests of creators with the interests of the companies who exploit music for their financial enrichment. It’s only then that consumers will truly benefit.