Leadership Music is now accepting applications for its Class of 2018. The organization has made some changes to the application process, upping the period for applying by one month. The eight-month, Nashville-based program begins in October and is designed to expose participants to every phase of the music industry and build channels of communication between established leaders, while exploring the challenges facing the music industry. Leadership Music will accept applications online through Feb. 28.

Chosen participants attend an initial orientation and alumni welcome reception in September, an Opening Retreat in October, followed by six all-day sessions once a month, ending in May with graduation at Closing Retreat. For the second year, three program days will be held on Tuesday and three on Friday. One-time tuition for the program is $1,000. Application forms, program dates, policies and FAQ’s are available at leadershipmusic.org/apply.

“We continue to experience an increase in applications to the Leadership Music program in record numbers, and we are gratified at the level of interest,” said Debbie Schwartz Linn, Executive Director. “So many factors enter into selecting the next, as we say in Leadership Music, ‘best class ever.’ Ideally, that means a class comprised of passionate, balanced and diversified professionals, who are, individually and collectively, the best and brightest leaders in their field and represent all segments of the music industry across the country.  We are fond of saying at Leadership Music, the class you are in is the class you were meant to be in.”

Thirty Tigers rings in the New Year by announcing a number of promotions and additions to the Nashville office. Robert Knotts, formerly Director of Digital Sales has been promoted to VP of Digital Strategy. In this newly expanded role, Knotts will oversee all digital monetization and marketing efforts on behalf of Thirty Tigers Distribution. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Knotts has been with Thirty Tigers since 2014.

Nathan Nicholson joins Thirty Tigers Music Publishing as Head of Creative. In his role Nicholson will oversee the development of Thirty Tigers music publishing efforts. Current clients include Massachusetts based indie-folk band Darlingside as well as Nicholson’s first signing, Dave Pahanish, who has co-written hits for Keith Urban, Toby Keith and Jimmy Wayne. Thirty Tigers Music Publishing is administered by independent stalwart Wixen Music Music Publishing.

Jay Steele joins Thirty Tigers Management as Day to Day Manager working with Jason Isbell, John Moreland and St. Paul & the Broken Bones, under the supervision of Traci Thomas. Steele brings 10 years of diverse music industry experience. Thomas Young will assist Thomas and Steele with day to day operations. Young graduates from Middle Tennessee State University this spring.

In addition, Thirty Tigers announces the promotions of Thomas Flood and Zach Bevill from the roles of Project Managers to the newly created roles of Senior Project Managers. In these new roles Flood and Bevill will oversee four project managers and help lead the project management marketing and organizational efforts.

Christopher Dornbusch, formerly Special Projects Manager, has been upped to Director of Operations, where he will assist in overseeing the financial and procedural aspects of the business.

This year, Thirty Tigers’ releases will include new albums from Jason Isbell, LeAnn Rimes, Lupe Fiasco, Big & Rich, CeCe Winans, Aaron Watson, Son Volt and Dead Man Winter. 2016 was a record breaking year for Thirty Tigers with releases from Santana, country outlaw Wheeler Walker, Jr., Blackberry Smoke, The Mavericks, the Grammy nominated Lori McKenna and a partnership with Oh Boy Records which included a new album from John Prine.

Thirty Tigers is a music marketing, management, distribution, and publishing company based in Nashville, Tennessee. Thirty Tigers Distribution has served as a label infrastructure for a vast client base including The Avett Brothers, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Chase Rice, Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Trampled By Turtles, Santana and many others. Based in Nashville with offices in North Carolina, New York, LA and London, Thirty Tigers is distributed by RED Distribution.

Willie Nelson is gearing up to release his first album of all-new recordings since 2014 with God’s Problem Child.  The new Legacy Recordings album is due out April 28, the day before Nelson’s 84th birthday. God’s Problem Child features 13 new songs, seven recently written by Nelson and longtime collaborator and producer Buddy Cannon. Cannon’s 92-year-old mother Lyndel Rhodes also penned a song for the project, “Little House On The Hill,” and became a viral sensation last October when a video of her hearing Nelson sing her song for the first time circulated on the internet. 

The album’s title track was written by Jamey Johnson and Tony Joe White, and includes vocals by both as well as the legendary Leon Russell. An old friend and musical compadre, Russell was the first person to sign “Trigger,” Willie’s mythic guitar.

Nelson pays tribute to his outlaw comrade, the late Merle Haggard on the project’s closer, “He Won’t Ever Be Gone,” a song penned by Gary Nicholson. Haggard’s final album was 2015’s Django and Jimmie, a musical collaboration with Nelson.

Nelson’s seventh Legacy collection, Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, is up for a Grammy later this month in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category. The album debuted atop both the Top Current Jazz chart and the Top Traditional Jazz chart following its release in February 2016.  Nelson has won 11 Grammys over the course of his career.

God’s Problem Child is available on CD, 12″ vinyl LP or digitally, and exclusive fan product offerings can be purchased at pledgemusic.com/willienelson.