Several BMI singer-songwriters performed during weekend one at the Austin City Limits Festival, at the BMI stage. The festival is held over two weeks, from Sept. 30-Oct. 2, and Oct. 7-9. This year’s lineup features more than 130 artists.

BMI Presents Larry Gatlin With “Million-Air” Awards

Larry Gatlin accepted two BMI Million-Air Awards during his sold-out concert at the Franklin Theater in downtown Franklin on Saturday (Oct. 8). The honor is given to songwriters, composers and publishers whose songs accumulate over one million U.S. broadcast performances.

BMI’s Perry Howard presented the awards to Gatlin for writing “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You)” and “Broken Lady,” both of which were hits for Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers. Both singles have surpassed two million radio spins, taking them to the next level of the Million-Air Award. Gatlin has previously received Million-Air Awards for “All The Gold in California,” “I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love” and “The Lady Takes the Cowboy Everytime.”

 

Blue Tile Music Aligns With New Duo, Towne

Country pop-rock duo Towne has signed a publishing and artist development deal with creative investment firm Blue Tile Music. As a division of Blue Tile Media Partners, Blue Tile Music empowers artists through creative funding mechanisms and hands-on assistance, helping them launch and sustain their careers.

The signing follows the release of Towne’s debut EP, Games We Play. The duo consists of Steevie Steeves and Jon Decious. They initially crossed paths at Skip Ewing‘s Horse and Writer Seminar in Wyoming where they immediately connected musically. They are managed by Rusty Harmon at Harmon Music Management.

 

Skyline Music Rebrands As Skyline Artists Agency

After more than 25 years as Skyline Music, the boutique booking agency is rebranding as Skyline Artists Agency. The company’s roster of 60 artists includes Roger McGuinn, Poco, Atlanta Rhythm Section, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Smithereens, The Motels, Zoe Keating, Darlingside and MarchFourth.

“We have always existed to serve a select group of artists,” said Skyline Founder and President Bruce Houghton. “But in the digital age, doing that effectively means going beyond just booking a date. Our name change to Skyline Artists Agency reflects that important shift, as well as our ongoing work beyond music and in music tech.”

The company also publishes music tech/music industry website Hypebot.com.

Shania Twain will receive the Artist of a Lifetime award at this year’s CMT Artists of the Year event. The 90-minute special will be taped at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville and air on Oct. 20 at 9 p.m. ET.

This year’s CMT Artists of the year are Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan and Thomas Rhett. These artists collectively dominated the last 12 months ruling CMT’s platforms and country radio, scoring chart-topping album and singles, and selling out arenas around the country.

Additionally, CMT will honor rising star Kelsea Ballerini with the second annual Artists of the Year “Breakout” Award. Additional performers, presenters, and special guests will be announced at a later date.

With more than 75 million albums sold worldwide and U.S. sales topping 34.5 million, Twain remains the top-selling female country artist of all time. Her 1997 release Come On Over has sold more than 15.65 million copies making it the No. 1 top-selling country album, the No. 1 top-selling album (all genre) by a female, and the No. 2 best-selling album overall in Soundscan history.

Numerous country artists are taking part in the CMA Awards’ golden anniversary by recording CMA Award-winning songs and sharing them on YouTube for their fans.

The 45 artists participating in this retrospective include former CMA Awards nominees and winners John Berry, T. Graham Brown, Deana Carter, Mark Chesnutt, Easton Corbin, Billy Currington, Billy Ray Cyrus, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Jo Dee Messina, John Michael Montgomery, Lorrie Morgan, Eric Paslay, Collin Raye, Shenandoah, Ricky Skaggs, Josh Turner, Steve Wariner, Amanda and Tyler Wilkinson, Mark Wills, and Lee Ann Womack; in addition to rising artists including Lauren Alaina, Kane Brown, Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Michael Ray, Scotty McCreery and Drake White.

 

The covers are featured at forevercountry50.com, with at least one new song being added each day through Wednesday, Nov. 2, when the 50th annual CMA Awards air live on ABC Television Network.

 

“This is a great opportunity for the fans to experience and discover the rich heritage of the format by hearing these classic songs performed by contemporary and legendary artists,” said Damon Whiteside, CMA Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships.

 

Among the covers included in the project are Song of the Year winners “There Goes My Everything,” which was the first Song of the Year in 1967; “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” Song of the Year in 1970; “Always on My Mind,” Song of the Year in 1982; “When I Call Your Name,” Song of the Year in 1991; and “I Hope You Dance,” which won Song of the Year in 2000.

 

The project is an extension of “Forever Country,” which features 30 former CMA Award-winning acts performing three country standards: John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again,” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”