DISClaimer: Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Mags Top New Releases

It’s a country-rocking day here at DisClaimer.

Ashley McBryde, Luke Combs, newcomer Chuck Edson and Darius Rucker and his pals are all offering tempo tunes for your summer playlists.

So are Disc of the Day winners Dierks Bentley & Brothers Osborne, as well as DisCovery Award winner Mags.

Rock on, citizens.

RYAN SIMS/American Things
Writer: Ryan Sims; Producer: Justin Gray; Publishers: none listed; High 4
– There is something muffled and cloudy about this sound. He has a rather raspy vocal delivery to start with, and a mix this muddy doesn’t enhance it in the least. The abundant, rocking electric guitar and too-busy drumming are also demerits.

DIERKS BENTLEY & BROTHERS OSBORNE/Burning Man
Writers: Luke Dick/Bobby Pinson; Producers: Ross Copperman & Jon Randall Stewart; Publishers: Emileon/Little Louder/Songs of Kobalt/New Writers of Sea Gayle/Not a Track Guy/ClearBox Rights, BMI; Capitol (BMI)
– A frothing inferno of excitement. Fiery, intense, furiously rocking, blazing, fabulously sweaty and brilliant. If this isn’t a No. 1 country summer hit, I’ve never heard one.

MAGS/Strong Enough
Writers: Mags McCarthy/Michael Anthony/Ryan Martinez; Producer: Michael Anthony; Publishers: none listed; Emerald Fields
-Upbeat in the face of heartbreak. He might be splitting, but she’s a tough cookie. “You took my time, but not my heart.” A stuttering, nervous rhythm track and a propulsive arrangement underscore her survivor mood.

 

ASHLEY MCBRYDE/Radioland
Writers: Ashley McBryde/Autumn McEntire/Chris Roberts; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publishers: Songs of Song Factory/Catch This, BMI/ASCAP; Atlantic (track)
– The joys of living in the heavenly audio of the family’s car radio. The peppy production and her sunny delivery put a big ol’ smile across my face. This is one dreamy, dynamite performance. Play the heck out of it.

SHENANDOAH/That’s Where I Grew Up
Writers: Neil Thrasher/Ashley Gorley/Kelley Lovelace; Producer: Jay DeMarcus; Publishers: Sony-ATV/Warner-Chappell/BMG Rights Management, no performance rights listed; BMG/WMG
– Marty’s voice can still melt solid rock. And given a solidly country lyric this powerful and heartfelt, this band still stands head and shoulders above the rest. This is lump-in-throat stuff. It also blows the earlier Kenny Chesney version of the song right out of the water.

LUKE COMBS/She Got The Best Of Me
Writers: Luke Combs/Rob Snyder/Channing Wilson; Producers: Scott Moffatt; Publishers: Big Music Machine/50 Egg/Straight Dimes/Little Extra Songs and Such/No Cats Round Here/Kobalt/Heart Scarred/Super LCS/Warner Tamerlane, BMI/ASCAP; River House/Columbia (track)
– His hearty singing voice has never sounded better. The song is a super hooky heartache lament with plenty of oomph in the tempo. He’s a mighty, mighty man.

 

CHUCK EDSON/Let’s Go For A Ride
Writer: Chuck Edson; Producer: David Hammonds; Publisher: none listed; Charles Eugene Edson (track)
– The throbbing, steady tempo sets the “outlaw” mood from the get-go. His drawling, urgent delivery of the wanderlust-biker lyric is solid. A little bit of echo would give the vocal a “wet” quality it needs to be more effective.

SHOOTER JENNINGS/Rhinestone Eyes
Writers: none listed; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: none listed; Low Country Sound
– And speaking of outlaws, here’s a strummy, jangling, toe-tapping evocation of that era from a man who grew up in it. Unless I miss my guess, that’s his mom Jessi Colter singing harmony. Classic sounding.

DAVID FRIZZELL/MARTY HAGGARD/Lefty, Merle & Me
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Nashville America
-More nostalgia. This time recalling honky-tonk great Lefty Frizzell and working-man poet Merle Haggard. Both singers phrase like their illustrious relations, but with more vibrato. The arrangement is languid and perhaps a tad too slow. The Hawaiian steel is super.

 

DARIUS RUCKER & THE TROUBLEMAKERS/Straight To Hell
Writer: Kevin Kinney; Producer: Ross Copperman; Publisher: Universal Songs of Polygram, BMI
– The Troublemakers are Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley. The four whip up a bad-boy, rebel-rousing, honky-tonk sound. The religious right might bristle at this celebration of sin. But it sure is catchy.

Will Hoge Surveys Political, Cultural Realities On ‘My American Dream’

Will Hoge

Nashville singer/songwriter Will Hoge returns with a new album, My American Dream, on Oct. 5. The release features eight songs of political commentary, turning a critical eye on today’s crisis of conscience and culture.

The first track completed for the album is “Thoughts & Prayers,” a song inspired by recent mass school shootings and the response from politicians. Throughout the album, he delves into the situations of homeless heartland workers (“My American Dream”) and immigrants crossing the border (“Illegal Line”).

“At the end of the day, that’s really what folks are after, is just to be treated with some respect,” he says. He knows how fragile life can be, having been left in critical condition by a scooter accident 10 years ago. “I was on the brink of things being a disaster. I started to see how quickly, even someone who’s working hard, can end up in a situation and not see a way out.”

Recorded in Nashville at Sound Emporium, Hoge incorporated his touring band into his permanent lineup, including Thom Donavan (lead guitar), Chris Griffiths (bass) and Allen Jones (drums). Hoge oversaw production, while producer Ray Kennedy (Steve Earle, Ray Davies) was enlisted for mixing duties.

Hoge’s My American Dream tour starts Sept. 18 in Washington DC. Prior to that, he will perform at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville. In October, he joins Social Distortion for a U.S. run.

My American Dream Track Listing:

Gilded Walls
Stupid Kids
Still A Southern Man
Oh Mr. Barnum
Thoughts & Prayers
My American Dream
The Illegal Line
Nikki’s A Republican Now

Downtown Music Publishing Nashville Announces Six New Hires, Promotions

Pictured (L-R): Matt Turner, Natalie Osborne

Downtown Music Publishing has announced a round of hirings and promotions in its Nashville office.

Matt Turner, formerly of Big Loud, has joined Downtown as Sr. Director, A&R, where he will oversee management of writing sessions and opportunities for the Nashville roster, securing song placements for Downtown’s songs and signing/developing songwriters. Turner’s career also includes time at ole.

“We are so excited to have Matt Turner at Downtown Nashville,” said Steve Markland, Senior VP of A&R, Nashville. “Matt brings very valuable and rich experience from his time at Big Loud Music. He is a champion of writers and will add a fantastic balance to our team.”

Natalie Osborne has been promoted to Director of A&R. She was hired in September 2015 as Creative Coordinator/Admin. Assistant, and was promoted to Creative Manager in 2017.

Additional new hires including Garrett Stephenson as office coordinator, Caylan Hays as Sync Licensing Assistant, and Kyle Coker as copyright assistant. Katie Roth has been promoted and joined the A&R team as creative coordinator.

MusicRow spoke with Osborne about her promotion and about some of the recent developments at Downtown Music Publishing.

MusicRow: What has the learning curve been like as you progressed through those roles?

Osborne: I was Downtown’s first intern, and we really had to figure it out as we went. I remember in the very beginning, it was simple things like using Google Calendar to manage writers’ schedules as a Creative Coordinator. But then it was learning all the details of publishing, in going from an assistant role into a more creative role. The great thing about Steve Markland is that he always gives me the freedom to prove myself creatively. While I was a coordinator, he said to come to him with new ideas or pitch ideas of writers to consider signing.

MR: Downtown has focused on having country and pop artists do a lot of collaborating, and one of your best-known signings has been Fancy (Jake Hagood). How has that affected what you do?

Our other offices in London, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, and Amsterdam have supported us so much. While they might have more of an outreach in the pop world, their support is very important. They are always sending us songs and asking, “Would this song work in your world?” Or, “Is this writer somebody you think we should send to Nashville?”

While we live in Nashville, there is a pop industry growing here. It’s definitely a goal of mine to diversify our roster. My heart is in country music, but there is so much great music here in Nashville and I want to be a champion for those who might have a bit of a harder time because they are not your standard country writer.

With Fancy, I saw him open for Emily West like six years ago. It completely stopped me in my tracks. You just couldn’t take your eyes off of him and he had everyone laughing and he was getting standing ovations after every song. We became good friends over the years and I’ve always been a fan of what he does.

MR: You were also very involved in launching the Kendell Marvel Honkytonk Experience.

I go to those shows because we work with Kendell, but also because they are so fun. Kendell writes with Keith Gattis a lot and Keith was like, “You are one of the best country singers I know, you should do a record.” He also pulled songs from years ago that he had written with Chris Stapleton. The album was rockin’ and it was Kendell and Keith were like it would be fun to do this. Kendell is really connected, and it just came together organically.

I believe the first show, Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss were the special guests and that brought a lot of attention to the people of Nashville and the music fans here. So each month, it was like, ‘Who can we get up there?’ I set him and Natalie Hemby up to write so we had her as a featured guest. It’s been really fun seeing the evolution of it. You just never know who is going to show up—although I do, usually.

MR: How do you see the role of A&R developing going forward?

I see A&R playing even more of a role in bringing genres together. I want to work with writers I’m passionate about and I feel that way about our entire roster. I feel really lucky to have landed at a company like Downtown that is small, where we all get to work together, but it is a global company with so much outreach and the ability to travel to all these other cities. Songwriters Without Borders came about after we planned a trip to C2C and hosted a writer’s round. It went over so well, we had our writers writing with writers in those cities, that we thought we should do more of that.

Mike Farris Project ‘Silver And Stone’ Set For September

Mike Farris is set to release his latest album, the earthy and personal Silver & Stone, on Sept. 7 via Compass Records. The title track refers to his wife Julie’s wedding ring, and the album is a celebration of their 23 years of marriage and her steadfastness in sticking by him through his years struggling with addiction and alcoholism.

Produced at Nashville’s Compass Sound Studio by Compass Records co-founder, Garry West, the collection features 12 tracks, including a cover of Bill Withers’ “Hope She’ll be Happier.” Among the album’s standouts are Joe Bonamassa‘s searing solo on “Movin’ Me” (Bonamassa became a fan and friend while opening for Farris’ band Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies in the 90’s), and “Golden Wings,” written for his son, Christian.

Farris is also hitting the road in support of the new project, visiting cities through the end of November including Sacramento, Lexington, Chattanooga, Charleston, Seattle, and more.

Silver And Stone Track Titles:
1. Tennessee Girl
2. Are You Lonely For Me Baby?
3. Can I Get a Witness?
4. Golden Wings
5. Let Me Love You 
Baby
6. Hope She’ll Be Happier
7. Snap Your Fingers
8. Breathless
9. Miss Somebody
10. When Mavis Sings
11. Movin’ Me
12. I’ll Come Running Back To You 

Dolly Parton Receives Public Service Award At L.A. Press Club Gala

Dolly Parton and Lester Holt pose prior to receiving their LA Press Club honors. Photo: Gary Leonard

Dolly Parton was honored with the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award by the Los Angeles Press at the 60th SoCal Journalism Awards Gala in LA on Sunday evening.

The event, held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, highlighted Parton’s philanthropic efforts of her Imagination Library, the book gifting organization that has mailed over 100 million books to children in Australia, Canada, the U.K. and U.S., as well as her Smoky Mountains Rise telethon, which raised more than $12.5 million dollars for her My People Fund and provided financial assistance to victims of the massive wildfires that impacted Gatlinburg, Tennessee in 2016.

The awards gala, which was attended by over 500 journalists and media executives, also honored NBC News’ Lester Holt, LA Times Business Editor Kimi Yoshino and Saudi Arabian Blogger Raif Badawi. Holt received the Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement, Yoshino the President’s Award for impact on media and Badawi the Daniel Pearl Award for courage and integrity in journalism.

Parton is currently working on a collaboration with Linda Perry on the upcoming soundtrack for the film Dumplin’. Perry produced the album and produced and wrote the film’s score, and Parton is executive producer. Together, they co-wrote six new songs for the project. Dumplin’ , starring Jennifer Aniston & Danielle MacDonald, is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Julie Murphy, about a girl who struggles to find herself.

On The Cover: MusicRow Awards 2018

MusicRow Magazine releases its annual MusicRow Awards issue today (June 28). The latest issue honors the winners of the 30th annual MusicRow Awards, who were celebrated during an industry party on Wednesday (June 27).

The event was held at BMI’s Nashville office; BMI’s Nashville Creative Team, led by Jody Williams, graces the cover of this year’s MusicRow Awards Issue.

This issue also delves into country music’s ever-expanding overseas presence, as well as the state of musician royalties in 2018. Warner Music Nashville’s Shane Tarleton is profiled in this issue, as is Tyler Mahan Coe‘s popular country music history podcast, Cocaine & Rhinestones.

Additionally, Anderson Benson’s Brent Daughrity and Miller Insurance Services’ Jonathan Sale discuss contingency insurance in today’s touring market.

Single copies of MusicRow Awards are available for purchase online (www.musicrow.com) for $20, and are included with yearly subscriptions at no additional cost.

Artist Growth, Pinnacle Financial Partners Launch Program To Streamline Access To Touring Capital

Artist management platform Artist Growth has teamed with Pinnacle Financial Partners to launch a new financing program for entertainers, which will offer streamlined access to capital.

This tour financing program marks the first offering arising from Artist Growth’s strategic partnership with Nashville-based Pinnacle Financial Partners, announced in May.

The program allows agencies to upload event routing and confirmed guarantees into Artist Growth. Pinnacle will then approve an advance ranging from thousands of dollars to millions, based on tour dates, guarantees, insurances terms and more. This allows artists to get capital quickly, without the need to submit personal financial documents generally required for a bank loan.

The lending program will remain in pilot through at least the third quarter, available only to a small number of invited users. Full access to Artist Growth clients is expected in the fourth quarter.

“Our mission has always been to help artists manage and grow thriving businesses, and as capital is at the center of all business, it is a natural service for us to provide to our clients,” says Matt Urmy, Artist Growth’s founder and Chief Strategy Officer. “This program brings friction-free access to cash to any artist at a participating agency that is touring. Sometimes an artist’s tour support budget from the label runs out, and opportunities are lost due to a shortage of cash on hand, or artists have to enter agreements that limit their options in order to access the funding they need. We believe that if artists are working hard on the road playing for their fans, access to capital should not be a problem in today’s industry.”

“This is exactly what we wanted to accomplish when we partnered with Artist Growth,” says Andy Moats, Pinnacle’s head of music, entertainment and sports. “It’s an extension of the work we’ve done for years to support artists and help them bring their music to the fans. The speed and agility offered by Artist Growth will expand our reach by matching our lending capabilities to the unique needs of musicians on the road. It’s a nontraditional business model, and we’ve built our reputation on understanding that and tailoring our processes to them so we can meet their needs. Our industry expertise combined with the Artist Growth platform is a powerful combination.”

 

 

 

 

In Pictures: 2018 MusicRow Awards

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

The 30th annual MusicRow Awards were celebrated Wednesday (June 27) at BMI’s Nashville office.

This year’s winners included producer Dave Cobb, Luke Combs (Breakthrough Artist of the Year), Devin Dawson (Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year), Emily Shackelton (Breakthrough Writer of the Year), and the artists and writers behind the hits “Most People Are Good” (recorded by Luke Bryan) and “Drunk Girl” (recorded by Chris Janson).

“Drunk Girl” was written by Janson, Scooter Carusoe and Tom Douglas. “Most People Are Good” was penned by Josh Kear, Ed Hill, and David Frasier.

The event also honored the 2018 All-Star Musicians, including winners Nir Z (drums), Derek Wells (guitar), Dave Cohen (keys), Mike Johnson and Russ Pahl (tie in the steel category), Russell Terrell (vocals), Aubrey Haynie (fiddle), Justin Niebank (engineer), and Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass).

For a full recap, read Robert K. Oermann’s writeup.

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow Magazine

Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow Magazine

Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow Magazine

Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow Magazine

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

MusicRow Awards 6-27-18 © Moments By Moser Photography

Industry Salutes Nominees And Winners At 30th Annual MusicRow Awards

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, Luke Combs. Photo: © Moments By Moser Photography

Can 2018 MusicRow Awards Predict Country’s Future?

The 30th anniversary of MusicRow magazine’s awards was celebrated at BMI on Wednesday evening, June 27.

The Warner Music Group was a significant presence at the ceremony, as Atlantic artist Devin Dawson, Elektra/Low Country Sound producer Dave Cobb and Warner Bros. artist Chris Janson all claimed major accolades. Also in the MusicRow spotlight were such up-and-comers as artist-writer Luke Combs and songwriter Emily Shackleton.

MusicRow publisher/owner Sherod Robertson presided at the event. He noted that the awards are voted on by the periodical’s subscribers and that they often presage what happens in Nashville at its big fall awards galas.

Robertson then announced Cobb as this year’s Producer of the Year winner. The producer’s clients include Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Old Crow Medicine Show, Ashley Monroe, The Oak Ridge Boys, Anderson East, Lori McKenna, John Prine, Brent Cobb, Zac Brown Band, Brandi Carlile and the Randy Rogers Band.

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, Dave Cobb. Photo: © Moments By Moser Photography

“I really feel honored to be here on Music Row,” said Cobb. “It’s an honor to be part of this Nashville music community, which is the best music community in the world.”

Cobb won over such fellow top-notch producer nominees as Dann Huff, Scott Hendricks, busbee and Jay Joyce.

In the Breakthrough Artist/Writer category, the nominees were Jordan Davis, Jordan Walker, Morgan Wallen, Russell Dickerson and winner Devin Dawson.

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, Devin Dawson. Photo: © Moments By Moser Photography

“This is bad-ass, man!” exclaimed Dawson as he took the stage. “I’ve never won anything! Anybody who knows me, knows that I LOVE songwriting. Artistry and songwriting go hand-in-hand for me. I was a Belmont student, and I remember reading in MusicRow about all the songwriters I wanted to be. So this is kind of ‘full circle’ for me.”

Luke Combs won the Breakthrough Artist Award over fellow nominees Kane Brown, LANCO, Midland and Carly Pearce.

“I moved here not even four years ago, with a dream like everybody else,” said the new Columbia/River House hit maker. “I stood in this crowd last year, hoping I’d get a chance to come up here and get one of these things one day.”

Photo: © Moments By Moser Photography

Next up was Chris Janson. He and cowriters Scooter Carusoe and Tom Douglas created “Drunk Girl.” It tied for Song of the Year honors with “Most People Are Good,” the Luke Bryan hit co-written by David Frasier, Ed Hill and Josh Kear.

Those two songs triumphed despite completion from such stellar compositions as “Cry Pretty,” “Life Changes” and “She Ain’t In It,” which were also nominated.

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, Rebekah Gordon, Emily Furman, Courtney Gregg, Ben Strain, Dale Dodson, Mike Whelan, John Ozier, Scooter Carusoe, Chris Janson, Tom Douglas, Tim Wipperman, Terry Wakefield. Photo: Moments By Moser/Bev Moser for MusicRow

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” said Janson. “This song really means a lot to me as a husband, a father and a Christian. I did this for my wife and kids, and I’m sorry for crying,” he added as he choked up. “I pray for every parent in here.”

The song’s message of respect, consensual behavior and honor is a deep one, and especially relevant in this “Me Too” era. Janson credited his cowriters for setting an example to him.

“This song was Tom’s idea; I saw the brilliance in it,” said Carusoe. “It took three days to write it, and I think it was worth it. I want to thank Warner Bros. and Chris for having the balls to put it out.”

“We’re grateful and humbled to be part of this,” added Douglas.

As for “Most People Are Good,” Frasier said, “This is an award that I have wanted for a long time. I guess I’m just a late bloomer. This [lyric] is something I’ve believed all my life. We were able to say stuff we actually believed in. And I think most people agree with us.”

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, Kerry O’Neil, Lauren Funk, Marghie Evans, Brian White, David Frasier, Whit Jeffords, Ed Hill. Photo: Moments By Moser/Bev Moser for MusicRow

“We just did this for ourselves,” added Hill. “We weren’t thinking of other people, of artists to record it. But by the grace of God, they did it, and it stayed No. 1 for a long, long time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime song, and it just kind of fell together that day.”

Co-writer Kear was on a family vacation. Publisher Kerry O’Neil accepted on his behalf.

Robertson pointed out that there were 17 people who wrote their first top-10 country hit during this past year, which he indicated is a sure sign that the genre’s future is bright. The accomplishment qualifies them for MusicRow’s 2018 Breakthrough Songwriter Award.

Photo: © Moments By Moser Photography

“This has been a 10-year journey for me in this town,” said winner Emily Shackleton, whose breakthrough hit was “Every Little Thing,” sung by cowriter Carly Pearce. “I love MusicRow, the publication. It’s how I cut my teeth learning about this industry.

“All I’ve ever wanted to do is write songs. Hearing my song on the radio for the first time is something I’ll never forget. I’m so grateful it was by a female artist, especially in this climate. Thank you for allowing me to have a female point of view. Thank you so much for believing in me.”

Emily Shackelton performs. Photo: © Moments By Moser Photography

Shackleton capped the event by performing “Every Little Thing” at the piano. Her rendition was every bit as affecting as Pearce’s.

The MusicRow awards are often predictors of CMA success for their recipients. Previous Breakthrough Artist winners who went on to win CMA awards include Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, The Band Perry, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum and Joe Nichols.

The magazine’s Song of the Year winners often graduate to the CMA winner’s circle, as well. Examples include “Humble and Kind,” “Girl Crush,” “I Drive Your Truck,” “If I Die Young,” “The House That Built Me,” “In Color,” “Whiskey Lullaby” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”

The annual MusicRow honors are also distinguished in that they are the only awards that salute the session musicians of Nashville. In fact, these are the accolades that launched the magazine’s annual awards giving 30 years ago.

Operations Director Eric T. Parker began Wednesday’s event by announcing these. They are based on a point system, according to how many top-10 albums the instrumentalists performed on.

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow Owner/Publisher Sherod Robertson, Mike Johnson, Derek Wells, Nir Z, Dave Cohen, Russell Terrell, Jimmie Lee Sloas, MusicRow‘s Eric T. Parker. Photo: Moments By Moser/Bev Moser for MusicRow

The 2018 winners were/are Derek Wells (guitar), Nir Z (drums), Dave Cohen (keyboards), Mike Johnson & Russ Pahl (a tie for steel guitar), Russell Terrell (background vocals), Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass), Aubrey Haynie (fiddle) and Justin Niebank (engineer). Cohen, Wells, Johnson and Nir Z were all first-time winners in their categories.

“As soon as I wanted to become a session musician, I wanted to hold one of these one day,” said Wells. “First of all, thank-you to MusicRow for even doing this. It’s one of the only awards for a session musician. I’m beyond honored.”

“This is the award that we all esteem, beyond what you know,” said Sloas. “We’re blown away by this privilege. Thank you so much.”

Robertson summed up the landmark anniversary by noting, “The very first MusicRow awards were held here at BMI in 1989. That was a pivotal year in country music. So here we are today to celebrate a new ‘class.’ Regardless of what happens to the buildings, Music Row will never go away.”

Editor note: Pick up a copy of the 2018 MusicRow Awards print issue at MusicRow.com to read more about the winners, and read exclusive editorial about the popular podcast Cocaine and Rhinestones. Musician royalty streams are discussed by AFM’s Dave Pomeroy and affiliate member Jonathan Yudkin. Red Light Management’s Shawn McSpadden discusses international success of country clients, while Warner Music Nashville’s Shane Tarleton is profiled in his new role as Sr. VP Artist Development. Privacy policies are discussed by Milom Horsnell Crow Kelley’s David Crow while contingency insurance is examined by Anderson Benson/Miller Insurance Services.

The Music Modernization Act Passes Senate Judiciary Committee With Unanimous Vote

On Thursday (June 28), the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to approve the Music Modernization Act, comprehensive legislation, including the CLASSICS Act, that updates music licensing laws for the modern streaming era.

The bill was amended to include increased oversight and ensure greater transparency in the operation of the Mechanical Licensing Collective. Additionally, amendments were accepted to promote communication between the Department of Justice and Congress regarding any future changes to the ASCAP and BMI consent decrees, as well as to educate copyright owners and songwriters as to the unclaimed royalties process that will be carried out by the new collective.

The Senate vote follows the unanimous approval by the House of Representatives of similar legislation, and paves the way for the legislation to be considered by the full Senate for passage. If passed by the full Senate, the House of Representatives will need to accept the Senate version before sending to the President for signature.

NMPA President & CEO David Israelite praised the vote saying, “Today’s vote is a huge step towards the Music Modernization Act becoming law. We are pleased that the MMA as approved by the Committee builds upon the fundamental compromise between music creators and digital services that will greatly benefit songwriters. With the many important stakeholders involved, it is no small feat for the MMA to have made it this far, and once the MMA is signed into law, songwriters will see more of the money they deserve from streaming services who currently operate off of laws from 1909 and consent decrees from 1941. We thank Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Feinstein, Senator Hatch, Senator Whitehouse, Senator Alexander, and all of the Senators who have supported MMA for their leadership in helping those behind the music and their steadfast commitment to updating laws that are egregiously behind the times. We look forward to seeing the full Senate pass the MMA.”

“We are grateful that the Senate Judiciary Committee has taken the next vital step to advance the Music Modernization Act,” said the RIAA’s President Mitch Glazier. “Music speaks to all parties, all people, in all places. And when a community comes together as we have done, with no segment getting everything they want but recognizing injustice and working toward a common goal, anything is possible. We welcome the momentum surrounding this bill and thank Senators Grassley, Feinstein, Hatch, Coons, Kennedy and all of the cosponsors, for leading the charge in the Senate to right a long-standing wrong with the CLASSICS Act. We look forward to Senate passage of the entire MMA, and this crucial bill finally becoming law.”