Hank Williams Jr. was surprised with a plaque this month to commemorate over five decades of success. He accepted the recognition during a tour stop in Austin, Texas, on Saturday (Aug. 13).

With his 37th studio album, It’s About Time, Williams achieved the highest peak position of his career with a No. 2 debut on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart when the project was released earlier this year.

Members of management and his NASH Icon Records/BMLG label home were on site for the presentation. Spotify’s John Marks was also on hand to share that Williams would be added to the New Traditions/Country Heroes playlist.

Keith Urban was the center of an exclusive performance and interview surrounding the Capitol Records Nashville star’s eighth studio album Ripcord. The gathering was presented by the Recording Academy’s Nashville Chapter and held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Wednesday (Aug. 17),

The three-hour event began with a cocktail reception before guests were welcomed to the Ford Theater by host, CMT Sr. VP of Music Strategy Leslie Fram. Urban gave thoughtful insight to the project’s influences, songwriting and production for the packed audience of VIP industry players.

Central to the conversation was Urban’s interest in musical collaboration.

“The only difference between this record and any other record is I didn’t dis ideas,” recalled Urban. “I thought, ‘Well, let’s try it. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But let’s give it a shot.’ It’s not rocket science. We’re not saving the world. We’re just getting laid!”

As a young artist, Urban received the boost of confidence he needed to move to Nashville after Warner Bros. executive Mary Martin replied to his correspondence in 1989. Many walls lay in Urban’s way, but a well-received gesture from Cliff Audretch, then an executive at Sony Music Nashville, inspired him. “He said, ‘You’re really unique. Just remember it will be your biggest curse until it becomes your greatest blessing.’ That one phrase that one night from that one man was enough to carry me through everything.”

By the 2016 release of Ripcord, those years of struggle had forged musical sensibilities that Urban has come to rely on.

“My theory about why artists are always frustrated, is we hear everything it isn’t because we know what we’re trying to do with a song,” said Urban. “For me it takes a long time to hear a record I’ve done for what it is, because I have to forget what I was trying to do. I was really happy with the end result of [Ripcord] much quicker than previous records.”

Producers Dann Huff and Nathan Chapman helped Urban realize his vision. Each producer joined Urban on stage for performances of their contributions to Ripcord.

Before “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Huff praised the star, saying, “I’m very blessed to have this relationship because you know who you are and you’re not afraid to say no. What it does is it helps [me] grow too. It’s affected me in everything I do. It’s a masterclass to learning how to produce records with a good bud.”

Chapman was welcomed for “Break On Me.” Chapman praised Urban for providing early inspiration, adding, “When I really opened my eyes and ears to study records to learn how to make them, Golden Road [from 2002] was a huge influence for me.”

Recording out of Nashville was also important for Urban in the making of his most recent records, specifically Fuse and Ripcord.

“What I found is you’ll be in town working with a programmer and they’ll be like, ‘I can program like [Michael Elizondo],’ said Urban. “I’m like, ‘Well, I might just see if I can work with Mike.’ And my experience has been when I go and work with somebody else—I had this with Mike—I’ll have to be like, ‘Give me what you do. Play me something like I’m not from Nashville!’

“What I keep reaching for—what I’m really interested in—is finding someone, say a Nile Rodgers for funk guitar playing. He does what he does, and I do what I do, but I’m trying to find what we do. That third thing sometimes doesn’t happen. But I love getting the chance to work with so many different people who are willing to try to find that place where it really synergizes.”

Ripcord features not only a collaboration with fellow country star Carrie Underwood, but also rapper Pitbull. Urban clarified his desire to reach for a specific sound he envisioned with the latter artist.

“We had recorded ‘Sun Don’t Let Me Down,’ and we just left a musical breakdown about 3/4 the way through, and we just left it there. That was the song finished, done. I was listening to Pitbull’s XM station and every time I heard his voice I thought he would be really good on that song. It seemed like such a bizarre idea for me. I just wanted Pitbull to do something on this song. If he didn’t dig it, then it would have stayed without anybody.”

The event ended with a performance of Ripcord‘s third single, “Wasted Time.”

“I love that I get to do this,” concluded Urban. “I love making records and writing songs. It doesn’t feel any different to me than it did at the beginning, except that I now get the chance to work with a lot of different people that I would have not been able to work with before. I feel like the most blessed, luckiest guy to get to do that.”

The Nashville Predators are considering a wide range of updates to the Bridgestone Arena over the next 20 years, according to a report obtained by MusicRow.

Architectural design firm Populous prepared the report to explore the future of the venue at its existing site, with the amenities it needs to attract more millennials.

Proposed improvements include a hospitality tower at the 6th Avenue/Broadway entrance, to encompass a hotel, office, and residential space, as well as street-level retail and hospitality areas. The team store and visitors center would both be relocated. The 5th Avenue/Broadway area would include rooftop and street level hospitality areas, as well as a renovated event plaza.

Wider concourses, additional bathroom space and concessions spaces are also being considered as part of the intense renovations. The Predators stadium lease runs through 2028.

The Bridgestone Arena was built in 1996, and has a capacity of 17,113. The report considered other arenas of similar capacity, including Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida (19,092), which was built in 1996 and has been renovated. Other arenas that have also been renovated include American Airlines Center in Dallas, which was built in 2001 and has a capacity of 19,200. The report notes that Philips Arena in Georgia is currently undergoing renovations. The arena was built in 1999 and has a capacity of over 19,000.

According to the report, the next step is to  carry out an exterior/interior conditions assessment and inventory count, and to draw up a master plan with the ideas that will be most profitable for the space.

Brett Eldredge will release his first collection of holiday songs this fall, relying on classic and timeless material. The set will also feature an original song, “Glow.”

The album was recorded at Avatar Studios in New York with producers Rob Mounsey and Jay Newland.

“I’ve been inspired for this record from a very young age,” said Eldredge. “I dreamt of the day I could record all these classic songs that I’ve loved since I was a little kid. I recorded those classics in New York City and tried to give a tip of the hat to the ones that came before me—Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ray Charles—by adding that swing and that soul to the best of my ability. When it came to actually recording, I wanted to live in the experience. We hung Christmas lights in the studio in the middle of May and had musicians from the best bands in the world all in the same room—from horns to strings. Everyone was so inspired to make this classic record. I think it really shows in the songs and I can’t wait for people to hear that magic we found.”

The Country Music Association honored board member Bill Denny as the namesake and inaugural recipient of its J. William Denny Award on Tuesday (Aug. 16) during its quarterly CMA Board of Directors meeting in Nashville. The award is presented in recognition and appreciation of a lifetime of dedication, distinguished service, and meritorious contributions to the CMA Board of Directors. The honor can only be presented once a year and may honor a person living or deceased.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch the Country Music Association grow to international prominence while keeping focused on its primary function of promoting Country Music,” said Denny. “The music created by Nashville’s talented songwriters and musicians has brought global attention to ‘Music City’ and the CMA Board has always been a reservoir of bright, highly skilled and creative business people willing to spend their volunteer time to help the industry expand. I’m delighted to have this award named in my honor and I appreciate it very much.”

Denny joined the Board in 1961. He served as President in 1966 and Chairman in 1975 and has served on numerous committees. During his outstanding tenure, Denny contributed to the unprecedented growth of the organization, impacting the success of CMA’s many initiatives in the U.S. and abroad. He was named a lifetime Director in 1976.

Denny retired as President of Nashville Gas in 1998. He served on the Board of the parent company, Tennessee Natural Gas Lines, Inc., from 1978 until it was acquired by Piedmont Natural Gas, Inc. in 1985, at which time he became Corporate Vice President for Tennessee for Piedmont Natural Gas, and remained Division President of Nashville Gas. Prior to that, he was President and Chairman of Cedarwood Music Publishing Co., Inc. from 1962 until 1983, and owner of Hatch Show Print. He is currently the owner of Denny Properties, a real estate investment firm.

All future recommendations for recipients of this honor should be submitted to the CMA Awards and Industry Relations department. All submissions will be evaluated by the Awards and Recognition Committee and then presented to the Board of Directors for discussion and/or approval.

Additionally, SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe addressed the CMA Board of Directors at their quarterly meeting in Nashville on Tuesday (Aug. 16). During his keynote, Huppe addressed the ecosystem of the global music business and the need for industry-wide technology standards that enable efficient and accurate distribution of royalties.

SoundExchange has distributed more than $3.5 billion in performance royalties to U.S. artists and rights holders since its inception.