Big Machine Records has reignited their partnership with John Force Racing NHRA drivers Brittany Force and Courtney Force throughout the 2018 race season. Recently nominated for an ESPY Award for Best Driver, Brittany is NHRA’s reigning Top Fuel Champion. Sister Courtney is leading the 2018 points championship with four victories and seven No. 1 qualifying spots.

The powerhouse record label sponsored Courtney’s Chevrolet Camaro SS funny car at the 2017 Auto Club NHRA Finals to promote Big Machine Records’ 10-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift’s sixth studio album reputation. Courtney recently appeared on the CMT Music Awards to introduce Sam Hunt’s performance.

“Teaming up with fastest family in motorsports is a natural for Big Machine,” said BMLG President/CEO Scott Borchetta. “John Force is the biggest star the drag racing world has ever seen and daughters Brittany and Courtney are real racers and big stars in their own right. Our combined efforts to expose our music and spirits in the NHRA world while bringing more entertainment opportunities and exposure for John, Brittany and Courtney in our world is a true win-win. See you in Victory Lane.”

“It’s great to have Big Machine Records back on board with John Force Racing,” said CEO of John Force Racing and 16-time champion John Force. “We’ve done a lot of exciting things with them with that Taylor Swift car last season and my daughter Courtney Force going to the CMT Awards just a couple weeks ago. They were with my daughter Brittany Force when she won the 2017 championship last year. They’re a great partner with us and with Advance Auto Parts so we’re happy to have them back.”

“I’m excited to be teamed back up with Big Machine Records,” added Brittany. “We had them on our Monster Energy dragster when we won the championship last year and I’m excited to see what we can make happen this year. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season with my Monster Energy team and Big Machine Records. We’ll be looking for our second win this season and we’re hoping to get it done soon with Big Machine Records on board.”

Courtney commented, “Our Advance Auto Parts team and everyone at JFR is so excited to welcome back Big Machine Records to the team. We’ve had such a great relationship with them and I had so much fun working with them on a specialty Taylor Swift reputation Funny Car that I got to race at Pomona last year. This season, they gave me the opportunity, with Advance Auto Parts, to be a presenter at the CMT Awards in Nashville. That was such an incredible experience and I love that, while working with Big Machine Records, it allows us the opportunity to cross over two different worlds of rock n’ roll & drag racing. We look forward to the future possibilities with them & hope to have them back in the winner’s circle with us many more times this season.”

Shane Owens has released his latest musical project, It’s A Southern Thing. It contains six tunes, including his hit single, “Lie,” which just hit the top 40 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart.

“I’m a traditional country singer, and I’ve never strayed away from my roots,” Owens says. “It’s a little bit tougher at radio nowadays, but we’re trying to do our part to keep country music alive. Whether you’re from out on the west coast all the way to the east coast down to Florida, we all have a little southern in us.”

It’s A Southern Thing Track Listing:
1. Love To Try Them On (Galen Griffin, Coby Greer)
2. Lie (Brian Callihan, Wayne Underwood, Trent Tomlinson)
3. Working Man (Tony Stampley, James Holmes)
4. Honky Tonk Girl (Tommy Barnes)
5. Here Without You (Brad Arnold, Chris Henderson, Matt Roberts, Robert Harrell)
6. It’s A Southern Thing (Bob DiPiero, Tim Nichols)

It’s A Southern Thing is available for streaming on iTunes and Spotify. You can pre-order a physical copy of the project, available July 13, at shaneowenscountry.com.

The Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival and Blackberry Farm have teamed up to provide a special, elevated experience for festival goers with The Grand Champion Experience pass. This marks the first time that Blackberry Farm will take their staff and experiences outside the property to create a one of a kind partnership with Pilgrimage, which takes place Sept. 22-23 at The Park at Harlinsdale in Franklin, Tennessee.

The Grand Champion Experience will offer up meet and greets with artists, farm-to-table bites from Blackberry’s Executive Chefs Cassidee Dabney and Sarah Steffan, a mixology experience that evolves through the day, and stage-front viewing. Additional signature experiences will include Mediation Moments with Wellness Lifestyle Expert Hope Parks, Sabering School with Director of Food and Beverage Andy Chabot, Fly Fishing Lessons with Activities Manager Alex Quick, and more.

“We love sharing great music and incredible experiences with our guests,” said Mary Celeste Beall, Blackberry Farm Proprietor. “This partnership is a really exciting opportunity to bring a taste of the Farm off property and invite new friends to enjoy learning from our talented artisans.”

Passes are on sale now for the festival, which will include performances by Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Lionel Richie, Brandi Carlile, Counting Crows and more.

AIMP Nashville held the Creating A Home For Music On YouTube event on June 27, at ASCAP’s Nashville office. The event featured a presentation from Lindsay Rothschild, Songwriter & Publisher Relations Lead in North America for YouTube, and Eric Knapp, Music Publishing Partnerships (North America) for YouTube, that provided a look at how YouTube is helping songwriters and producers showcase their portfolio of work to connect with fellow musicians and fans. Attendees gained an understanding of how rights management works on YouTube and learned about strategies and resources they can use to build a presence on the platform.
 
 

Steve Moakler made his debut performance at Time Square’s Opry City Stage on Friday, June 22, where he performed alongside Barry Dean and Luke Laird. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lori McKenna was a surprise guest as well.
 
 

Inspired by Country Music Hall of Fame member and lifelong ASCAP songwriter Don Schlitz, who performs every week at Room In The Inn, ASCAP features songwriters to perform at the shelter once a month throughout 2018, while ASCAP staff volunteer to serve the guests. In June, the series featured hit songwriter Trent Willmon and songwriter-artist Chancey Williams. ASCAP’s Suzanne Lee and Robert Filhart, and Carnival Music’s Emily Furman and songwriter-artist Hailey Whitters, served the Room In The Inn guests alongside staff and volunteers.
 
 

Emerge hosted a special Pride Q&A and screening with star of TV Land’s Younger, Nico Tortorella on Wednesday, June 20. The conversation was moderated by host of CMT Hot 20 Countdown, Cody Alan. The two discussed the show, gender/sexual identity, and All of It Is You, Nico’s new book of poetry.

 
 

Award-winning songwriter Phillip White, singer-songwriter Susan Ruth and artist/musician David Myhre journeyed from Nashville, Tennessee to Scottsville, Kentucky, to participate in The Center for Courageous Kids’ (CCK) “Highway to Healing” program during Blood Disorders, Oncology and Juvenile Arthritis week.

 
 
Grand Ole Opry Stars Dailey & Vincent returned to the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Thursday, June 21, and for the fifth time in a row performed before a sold-out audience.

Bobby Bones has made a second trip to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list as his new book Fail Until You Don’t: Fight. Grind. Repeat debuts at No.1 on the list after the book’s June 19 release. In between sold-out comedy shows for his Red Hoodie Comedy Tour, Bones appeared at several book store events with hundreds of fans showing up and breaking store records.

The book is a primer on how to fight your way through failures to achieve success, and is Bones’ second book to top the New York Times list, following his debut memoir Bare Bones: I’m Not Lonely If You’re Reading This Book. His latest book features anecdotes from some of his famous friends who open up about their own missteps, including Brooklyn Decker, Charlamagne Tha God, Andy Roddick, Chris Stapleton and more.