Grand Ole Opry Plans Tribute To John D. Loudermilk

Pictured in March at the tribute to Loudermilk at the Franklin Theatre. (L-R): Peter Cooper, John D. Loudermilk, Dixie Graves

The songs of the late John. D. Loudermilk will be honored with a special segment dedicated to his music at the Grand Ole Opry on October 3. Artists scheduled to appear during the tribute include John Jorgenson, Herb Pedersen, Deborah Allen and J2B2 with special guests Jon Randall and Beth Hooker, all of whom were part of A Tribute To John D. Loudermilk, a live album released September 15 on Vector Recordings. 

The album project was recorded March 24, 2016 during a concert at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee, and a film of the concert will be released this fall as a PBS special. Loudermilk was on hand to see the tribute when it was recorded, before passing away in September at the age of 82.

Loudermilk was the composer of such American classics as “Tobacco Road,” “Abilene,” “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye,” “Waterloo,” and “Indian Reservation,” and his songs have been recorded by the Allman Brothers, Edgar Winter, Jefferson Airplane, the Animals, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Casinos, the Everly Brothers, Petula Clark, Perry Como, Brenda Lee, Roy Orbison, Sammy Davis Jr., the Box Tops, Rick Nelson, Eddy Arnold, Barbara Mandrell, George Jones, Bobbie Gentry, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Doc Watson, Anne Murray, Conway Twitty, Willie Nelson, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Nina Simone, Norah Jones, Jay Z, Kanye West, and more. 

Jorgenson, Pedersen and Allen will sign copies of the album in the Opry Shop immediately following their performances.

Miranda Lambert To Kick Off 2018 With 23-City Livin’ Like Hippies Tour

Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert is launching her Livin’ Like Hippies Tour beginning in 2018. The 23-city tour will kick off January 18 in Greenville, SC and will hit Atlanta, L.A, Phoenix, San Diego, Kansas City, and more through March 24.

Named from the lyrics of Lambert’s song “Highway Vagabond” which appears on her 24-song, double album, The Weight Of These Wings, the tour also features special guest Jon Pardi. In addition to Pardi, Lambert has also tapped Brent Cobb, Turnpike Troubadours, Lucie Silvas, The Steel Woods, Sunny Sweeney, Ashley McBryde and Charlie Worsham to perform on select dates.

Tickets for eight of the shows go on sale October 6 (bold below) and can be purchased at LiveNation.com or Ticketmaster.com. Citi is the official pre-sale credit card of the Livin’ Like Hippies Tour, and Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday prior to the general public on sale through Citi’s Private Pass program.

Livin’ Like Hippies Tour Dates:
1/18/2018 – Greenville, SC Bon Secours Arena (Jon Pardi and Brent Cobb)
1/19/2018 – Orlando, FL Amway Center (Jon Pardi and Brent Cobb)
1/20/2018 – Atlanta, GA Infinite Energy Center (Jon Pardi and Brent Cobb)
2/1/2018 – Tacoma, WA (Jon Pardi and Turnpike Troubadours)
2/2/2018 – Spokane, WA (Jon Pardi and Turnpike Troubadours)
2/3/2018 – Eugene, OR (Matthew Knight Arena Jon Pardi and Turnpike Troubadours)
2/8/2018 – Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center (Jon Pardi and Lucie Silvas)
2/9/2018 – Fresno, CA Save Mart Center (Jon Pardi and Lucie Silvas)
2/10/2018 – Los Angeles, CA The Forum (Jon Pardi and Lucie Silvas)
2/15/2018 – San Diego, CA Viejas Arena (Jon Pardi and Lucie Silvas)
2/17/2018 – Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena (Jon Pardi and Lucie Silvas)
3/1/2018 – Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena (Jon Pardi and The Steel Woods)
3/2/2018 – Lexington, KY Rupp Arena (Jon Pardi and The Steel Woods)
3/3/2018 – Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center (Jon Pardi and The Steel Woods)
3/8/2018 – Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center (Jon Pardi and Sunny Sweeney)
3/9/2018 – Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Arena (Jon Pardi and Sunny Sweeney)
3/10/2018 – Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena (Jon Pardi and Sunny Sweeney)
3/15/2018 – Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena (Jon Pardi and Ashley McBryde)
3/16/2018 – St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center (Jon Pardi and Ashley McBryde)
3/17/2018 – Kansas City, MO Sprint Center (Jon Pardi and Ashley McBryde)
3/22/2018 – Newark, NJ Prudential Center (Jon Pardi and Charlie Worsham)
3/23/2018 – State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center (Jon Pardi and Charlie Worsham)
3/24/2018 – Winston Salem, NC Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Jon Pardi and Charlie Worsham)

*Bold indicates ticket on sale date of October 6.

Kelsea Ballerini To Receive Vanguard Award At 55th ASCAP Country Music Awards

ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, will present Kelsea Ballerini with the ASCAP Vanguard Award at the 55th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards. The awards celebration, which honors the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed country songs of 2016, will take place at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville on Nov. 6.

“From the moment she released her debut single, Kelsea Ballerini’s fearless songwriting and gifted vocals have made her one of the most exciting new artists in country music,” said John Titta, ASCAP Executive Vice President, Membership. “By combining pop and country sounds with thoughtful, emotionally honest lyrics, she has unapologetically forged her own creative path to success and gained millions of fans along the way. We are thrilled to honor her with the ASCAP Vanguard Award.”

The Vanguard Award recognizes the impact of outstanding ASCAP members on musical genres that are shaping the future of American music. Previous recipients include Chris Stapleton, Walk the Moon, St. Vincent, fun., The Civil Wars, Third Day, Band of Horses, Sara Bareilles and more.

Black River Entertainment artist Ballerini earned three consecutive platinum-certified No. 1 singles from her debut album, For The First Time, including “Love Me Like  You Mean It,” “Peter Pan,” and “Dibs.” She either wrote or co-wrote every track on the debut project.

Ballerini earned two most-performed song awards at the 2016 ASCAP Country Music Awards, for “Dibs” and “Love Me Like You Mean It.”

Ballerini’s sophomore album, Unapologetically, will release Nov. 3.

As previously announced, the 55th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards will also present the ASCAP Founders Award to Rodney Crowell, as well as awards for ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year and Publisher of the Year. The evening will feature live performances of some of the top five most performed songs by the award-winning songwriters and/or the artists who recorded them.

In Pictures: Thomas Rhett, AIMP, Alex Williams, Connie Smith, Bobby Bare, Devin Dawson, Hunter Hayes

 Thomas Rhett Celebrates No. 1 Album at iHeart Radio Music Festival

Pictured (L-R): The Valory Music Co.’s George Briner, iHeart Media’s Rod Phillips, John Sykes and Tom Poleman, Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, Thomas Rhett, iHeart Media’s Bob Pittman and Bobby Bones, G Major’s Virginia Davis, Big Machine Label Group’s Mike Rittberg. Photo: Courtesy Valory Music Co.

Thomas Rhett celebrates his chart-topping album Life Changes at iHeart Radio Music Festival with members of his label and management teams, and representatives from iHeartMedia.

 

AIMP Celebrates Third Annual Songwriter Series In Nashville

Front row, from left: Class of 2017 songwriters Ross Ellis, Sarah Turner, Hannah Ellis, and Daniel Ross. Back row, from left: Dale Bobo (Big Deal Music), Brad Peterson (Regions Bank), Rusty Gaston (THiS Music), AIMP Nashville Executive Director John Ozier (ole), AIMP Nashville Treasurer Ree Guyer (Wrensong Music), and Class of 2017 songwriter Michael Hardy.

 

BMLG’s Alex Williams Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut

Pictured (L-R): Jeff Lysyczyn, Big Show Music Co.; Gina Keltner, Grand Ole Opry (Sr. Talent Manager); Alex Williams, Big Machine Records artist; Julian Raymond, Big Machine Label Group (VP of A&R/Producer); Jim Weatherson, Big Machine Label Group (General Manager); Matt Malcolm, WME Nashville (Agent).

Big Machine Records artist Alex Williams made his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday, Sept. 23. He performed “Old Tattoo” and “Hellbent Hallelujah” from his album Better Than Myself.

 

Connie Smith, Dave Cobb, Bobby Bare and Lloyd Green Share Stories From Studio B

Pictured (L-R): Museum Editor Peter Cooper, Country Music Hall of Fame Member Bobby Bare, Country Music Hall of Fame Member Connie Smith, Lloyd Green, and Dave Cobb. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images.

Bobby Bare, Dave Cobb, Lloyd Green and Connie Smith recently gathered at Historic RCA Studio B to share their perspectives on working at the Home of 1,000 Hits for a sold-out program. The studio celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

 

Devin Dawson, Hunter Hayes Perform For CAA’s Whiskey Jam Takeover

Pictured (L-R): Shane Tarleton (SVP Artist Development, WMN); Hunter Hayes; Devin Dawson; Cris Lacy (SVP A&R, WMN); Matt Signore (COO, WMN); Tim Foisset (VP Streaming, WMN)

Atlantic Records / Warner Music Nashville recording artists Hunter Hayes and Devin Dawson took the stage Monday night (Sept. 25) at CAA’s annual outdoor Whiskey Jam takeover. Dawson played a dynamic set including his Top 30 and climbing single “All On Me” to a packed crowd outside of Losers bar in Nashville, while Hayes closed the night with one of his signature guitar-shredding performances.

Producer’s Chair: Paul Worley

By James Rea

Don’t miss five-time Grammy recipient Paul Worley on The Producer’s Chair, Thursday, Sept. 28, at World Music Nashville at 7 p.m.

In a modest one-room office, on Music Square East, Paul Worley with nothing more than a cell phone, a coffee-maker, a desk, a couch and a guitar is finally doing the “only” thing he wants to do…artist development.

He has no staff, no full-time personal assistant, no full-time production assistant, no interns, no partners, no studios to run, no publishing staff and no label staff, to enhance his productivity (as he puts it). As a matter of fact, Worley laughingly admits that, he doesn’t get nearly the amount done in one day, that he used to…and he’s loving every second of his new-found freedom.

When you’ve worn all the hats as successfully as Worley, one would think picking one would be difficult, but not so. Worley’s a family man. He and his wife Karen, a violinist whom he met on a Martina McBride session, have two children (ages 15 and 12), along with Worley’s older children from a previous marriage (now 40 and 37) and three grandchildren. Worley’s eldest son Nick has a studio at The House of Blues in Berry Hill. So when you think about it, what could possibly be more fulfilling for Worley than being able to provide a real “Yellow Brick Road” for bright, driven, young talent and watching them fulfill their dreams?

From his 20-year, 13 album relationship with Martina McBride, through The Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum, The Band PerryBig & RichPam TillisNitty Gritty Dirt BandCollin RayeSara EvansBlake SheltonHighway 101Carolyn Dawn JohnsonCindy ThompsonJohn AndersonGary MorrisMarie OsmondNeil DiamondEddy RavenLisa BrokopDesert RoseEmmylou HarrisHank Williams Jr. and Willie Nelson, right back to Gospel artist Cynthia Clawson, Riders In The Sky, Burl Ives and Tennessee Ernie Ford, Worley’s production discography garnered five Grammys, countless CMA and ACM Awards and a healthy number of Producer of the Year Awards.

His first No. 1 single was Eddie Raven’s “I Got Mexico” and as his production discography grew, Worley partnered up with famed drummer Eddie Bayers and built The Money Pit (studio) in 1984. Some of the artists who recorded at the Money Pit were McBride, Evans, Big & Rich, Pam Tillis, Bruce Hornsby and Kid Rock. The studio sold in 2004, then later, in association with Skyline, Worley and his partners built studio number two, Shabby Row. But historically, The Money Pit is where Worley first met Clarke Schleicher (pronounced Sly-sher), who has been at the desk with Worley for the past 30 years.

Then Worley went on to become a vice president at Sony BMG from 1989 -1997.

I got a call to go work at Tree Publishing Company with songwriters like Harlan Howard and Curly Putman, Don Cooke and Kix Brooks before he started making albums. CBS bought Tree and Sony bought CBS and I was there during that transition. After a few years at Tree, Sony wanted to make a change in their executive structure and I was right there making hit records for everybody else, so they took me in over there.”

Five years later, Worley became Chief Creative Officer at Warner Bros. Records in 2002, marking his second major label position. With that experience, Worley can offer a unique perspective which even fewer producers can bring to artist development.

In 2004 hit songwriter/artist career manager Wally Wilson and two other partners, teamed with Worley and founded Skyline Records and Skyline Music Publishing, whose catalog today boasts the works of Hugh PrestwoodJimmy YearyThe HenningsensJon StoneKelleigh BannenTay BartonLisa BrokopAdam BrowderDon CookMichael DaveyGeorge DucasJeremy EasleyJen FosterJames HarrisonSara HazeRandy HouserTammy HylerBrandon KinneyJacob LydaKelsey MathewsKim McleanHudson MoorePaul NelsonTerry RadiganChick RainsKevin WelchEmma White, and Skylar Wilson, in addition to earning countless BMI and ASCAP Awards.

But let us not forget that beneath all of the aforementioned accolades and roles, Worley is a musician, whose career really started to take hold when he became a part of Jim Ed Norman‘s rhythm section. Norman moved to Nashville from Los Angeles, to lead Warner Bros. and he took a chance on some new young guys—Eddie Bayers, Dennis Burnsides, Michael Rhodes, Sonny Garrish, Marshall Morgan, Rafe Van Hoy, Steve Gibson and others—so it wasn’t long before Worley got ‘the producer bug’ from logging all those hours in the studio.

Worley is also a ‘Nashville Son.’ He sang in the youth choir in church, taught himself how to play guitar, played in bands throughout university and graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in philosophy. Get the picture?

Today, Worley is one of the hottest talent scouts in the biz, and the complexities of discovering, developing and producing new talent are where Worley’s passion lies. Worley set out to be a star and he became one…offstage. And, no doubt, his stable of future stars couldn’t be in better hands.

– – –

The Producer’s Chair: Can you share your vision of artist development?

Paul Worley: Every artist has their own path and is their own treasure. They need to be joyful in the process, even when they don’t feel as if they’re getting anywhere. If you’re not experiencing joy, I don’t want to be a part of it.

Negativity and self doubt come at you, as an artist, from the outside. You have to learn to manage those. If you take them on and import them and make them part of your personality, you’ll fail—or even if you succeed, you’ll be miserable. And I’m not interested in either one of those outcomes.

When you find an artist, who pays for their development?

The money comes from various sources. Record companies, publishers, managers, backers, artists’ families. Sometimes there is no money in the beginning, just talent and a lot of “want to.”

If a great singer comes to you who doesn’t really have the passion for songwriting, does that deter your interest in them?

No, it doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is someone who doesn’t write, but who feels that they have to. You spend all your time sticking them in rooms with people, watering down what would be otherwise, great songs, instead of going, ‘Hey, relax. Let’s go around town. We’ve got the world’s best songwriters. Let’s go cut some great songs.’ I don’t care if you write or don’t write but I do care if you don’t write and think you do.

Do you outsource parts of your artist’s development?

Sure … My primary focuses would be the studio side of it. The ‘who are you’ side of it. And along with that goes the vocal development. They kind of go hand in hand. Obviously ‘live’ development has to happen and I help them find the right people to work with. I give them advice on all aspects of the business because over the years I’ve learned a lot about the business. Quite often I help them get with a manager. But I don’t do the nuts and bolts of live music anymore. There are people who are better at it than I am. There are also a lot of great people who know social media. I don’t even have Facebook.

Considering your background, is management something you’ve considered?

I kind of wrestle with the idea, of being a manager. Being a manager is a hell of a job, that is, a 24/7 job. But I have a lot of perspective and advice and contacts. I would be more in-tune with being a part of a management company than part of a record company and do artist development under that umbrella. But I haven’t found anyone yet that wants to do that.

Would you say we’re in a singles market again and does that change the A&R strategy?

Yes and yes. When all you’re doing is cutting singles, you’re completely constricted in terms of trying to define anything about an artist that might have unique, lasting implications. You can’t really explore outside of the confines of the structure and form of singles. I have found, again and again, that the real gold is to be found by exploring the full range of the artist’s vision, talent and emotions. Those things are most often what define big, lasting careers.

Creativity always breaks through. So just as people say, ‘We’re not going to be needing any females,’ here comes Maren Morris and Carly Pearce. You can’t stop them. Not any more than you could stop Reba and Martina and Faith and Shania. They’re comin’. We all have to just soldier on through. I think you’ve got to record a lot of songs to really jumpstart a great career.

Are the artists you’re currently developing more Americana or country?

I’m very fond of Americana. A lot of the music that I make fits more that than mainstream country music today. I’m not a programmer-based producer. I use programming as an element or a tool, but it’s not my foundation. But I like producing any kind of music that grabs my soul.

What do you think has to happen to change the ‘Fair Pay’ situation, for copyright owners?

Time. The continued rise of competition in the marketplace will create opportunities for the writers and publishers to increase their revenues. I worry about my brothers and sisters who are musicians. And I worry about the engineers and the people who maintain studios. I worry about that tribe. They’re suffering, and they are disappearing.

Are you still playing on projects you produce?

I try to. I want to do more of that. I got away from doing that for the last few years but I’m getting back into it. I like it, and I think I have a certain thing that occasionally adds a flavor that nobody else adds.

If you were to give your best advice for new artists, what would it be?

It takes a certain amount of dreaming to be an artist. I think the best advice would be: Once you make your decision to follow your dream, put it in perspective. Don’t forget that it’s important, but stop dreaming and start working. Be flexible and open to what the career and the universe and the world brings you. It’s not all up in your head, it’s in your heart. So let your heart do the work for a while. It’ll be a lot richer experience. For me, I dreamed that I was going to be an artist and I’m so grateful that it didn’t turn out that way. The career that I got was far better for me.

How about some advice for young producers?

I got a job sweeping floors. And the second phase of that job was making tape copies and my third was “Oh, can you sing? Come over here and sing a jingle.” And the fourth was, “Hey, I got a wedding singer band, can you play Friday and Saturday nights?” The fifth was, “Oh, you can play! Can you sit in this room and help cut these demos?” Then it was, “The engineer was on a bender last night and we’ve got a session, can you engineer?” And the answer was always, ‘Yes.’ That first job sweeping floors paid me $50 a week and I had a college degree. And I wasn’t living off $50 a week. I had two other jobs and I wasn’t sleeping, but one thing led to another. You’ve just got to put yourself there. And by the way, my story isn’t materially any different than that of everyone else I know. Just be there, and be grateful. As Harlan Howard used to say when he heard somebody belly-aching: ‘Well kid, nobody sent for ya.’

Stranger Friends To Release Debut EP In October

Music duo Stranger Friends, which includes Nashville songwriters Jamie Floyd and John Martin, will release their self-titled, five-song debut EP on Oct. 20.

Floyd grew up as the daughter of performing musicians in West Palm Beach, Florida, and landed her first record deal at 11 years old. While working as a waitress, she co-wrote the title track to Ashley Monroe’s Grammy-nominated The Blade.

A native of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Martin played football for Baylor University while continuing to write songs. He received his first-ever cuts in Nashville on Garth Brooks’ No. 1 country albums Man Against Machine and Christmas Together (with Trisha Yearwood).

After being asked to write one song for the Burt Reynolds movie, Dog Years, Stranger Friends ultimately placed 12 songs and even appeared in the movie, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. A few days later, their original song, “Yet to Come,” won the award for Best Original Song at the Nashville Film Festival. The film and soundtrack album will be released in 2018.

To celebrate the EP release, Stranger Friends will play a free show at Nashville’s The Back Corner on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m.

 

Harry Styles Releases Studio Version Of “Girl Crush”

Harry Styles. Photo: Harry Styles/Facebook

Two days after covering Little Big Town‘s “Girl Crush” at a live show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, ex-member of British boy band One Direction, Harry Styles, has released a studio version of the Nashville hit.

Styles’ team announced the studio release on Sept. 27, via Facebook, having been recorded at London’s Metropolis Studios and released as a Spotify Single, from Erskine Records Limited, under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Written by Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose and Lori McKenna, “Girl Crush” was originally released by Capitol Nashville quartet Little Big Town on their 2014 effort, Pain Killer. The breakout single has gone on to win MusicRow‘s 2015 Song of the Year honor, followed by CMA’s Song and Single of the Year that same year and 2016 Grammys for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Country Song.

Styles recorded the live studio version in addition to another title, “Two Ghosts.” Hear the Spotify Singles, online: smarturl.it/HS-SpotifySingles

UMG Nashville Earns OMMA Award For Digital Marketing Excellence

Pictured (L-R): Tony Grotticelli UMGN; Ryan Carter Parachute Media; Heather Vassar UMGN; Sam Frawley Parachute Media; Dawn Gates UMGN; Kristin Knight Parachute Media; and Elise Kelly Parachute Media

The UMG Nashville Digital Marketing team recently earned their first-ever Online Marketing Media and Advertising Award for Josh Turner’s Deep South Instagram takeover campaign.

Partnering with Parachute Media, UMG engineered the award-winning initiative that consisted of a six square Instagram takeover of Josh Turner’s Deep South album cover, in which each square played a video that highlighted a unique aspect of his new record. The campaign helped boost the album to a No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

UMGN’s Digital Marketing Team members who curated and managed the campaign, Tony Grotticelli and Heather Vassar, won the award in the Online Marketing category of Entertainment: Games, Movies, Music, Sports, and TV. The team was also one of three finalists in the Sports/Live Events category running against ESPN and Netflix, with Netflix winning the category.

The OMMA Awards have been a cornerstone for marketing and advertising achievements throughout the past decade, recognizing and honoring the most innovative and successful campaigns of the year.

Bill Miller Adds Southern Turf Building To Nashville Real Estate Holdings

Bill Miller closed on the historic Southern Turf building in Nashville yesterday (Sept. 26), marking his fourth acquisition in the downtown area in the last three years. The four-story building located at 222 Fourth Avenue North is on the National Register of Historic Places because of its location in Printers Alley Historic District. Built in 1895, this Queen Anne-style building was built by bookmaker Marcus Cartwright  and over the years was home to saloons, gambling halls and the former home of The Tennessean newspaper.

“Today we take ownership of the legendary Southern Turf building; one of the most aesthetically-significant, architectural Crown Jewels in downtown Nashville,” says Miller. “It’s a pleasure and an honor to add this important property to our portfolio.”

The Southern Turf building currently houses Miller’s latest business acquisition, Skull’s Rainbow Room, in which he acquired a majority interest in June. This acquisition brings Miller’s holdings to 73,872 square feet of commercial property in downtown Nashville.

Miller’s Icon Entertainment Group also owns and operates the Johnny Cash Museum, Patsy Cline Museum, Nudie’s Honky Tonk, Music City Threads, and Skull’s Rainbow Room.

CMT Greenlights Plans For ‘Music City’ Docu-Series

CMT has announced plans for a new eight-episode docu-series, Music City, which follows a group of emerging artists chasing their dreams in the music industry, while balancing demands in their personal lives. The series is slated to premiere early next year as a companion series to CMT’s  Nashville, which returns for new shows in January.

The docu-series is created and executive-produced by Adam DiVello, creator of shows including Laguna Beach and The Hills. Music City reunites CMT and Lionsgate, who partnered last year to bring the fan-favorite series Nashville to CMT.

“Music has always played a huge role in the storytelling process of my past series,” said creator/executive producer DiVello, “and with Music City, we’ll take that element to another level, as we document the real-life struggles, heartaches, and drama of those chasing their dreams of stardom. Nashville is such an exciting city and I can’t wait to share with the world the stories of this incredibly talented cast we’ve put together.”

“After a banner year of growth, we’ve enlisted one of the industry’s most influential and talented producers to help guide our ever-expanding fanbase deeper inside our beloved hometown,” said Frank Tanki, General Manager of CMT and TV Land. “Like its sister series, Nashville, Music City will spotlight a group of young artists as they grapple with love, life and the pursuit of their dreams through the incomparable lens of the creator of some of the most memorable series of the last 20 years. We welcome all the fans of Laguna Beach and The Hills that are now our target audience into the world of Music City, and CMT as a whole.”

Details on cast members for Music City will be released in the coming weeks.