Weekly Register: Luke Combs Tops Country Albums, Streaming Songs Charts

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Luke Combs tops both the country albums chart and the country streaming songs chart this week, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Combs’ This One’s For You tops the country albums chart with 25K, while his recent No. 1 radio single “Beautiful Crazy” continues atop the country streaming songs chart with 9.8 million streams this week.

On the country albums rankings, Florida Georgia Line‘s latest, Can’t Say I Ain’t Country, falls from No. 1 to No. 2 this week with 22K. Kacey Musgraves‘ Grammy-winning Golden Hour remains at No. 3 for a second week, following a jump to No. 1 in the days immediately following her award wins. Dan + Shay‘s self-titled project continues at No. 4 with 14K, while Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller stays at No. 5 with 12K.

Following Combs on the country streaming songs chart at No. 2 is Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” with 7.5 million streams. Dan + Shay take the next two slots, with “Tequila” at No. 3 (7.2 million) and “Speechless” at No. 4 (7.1 million). Brown’s “Heaven” rounds out the Top 5 with 6.9 million.

Clint Black And Trace Adkins Reveal The Hits. Hats. History. Tour

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Two country music mainstays, Clint Black and Trace Adkins, will make a return to the stage together as part of the Hits. Hats. History. Tour this summer. Pre-sale tickets go on sale Tuesday (March 5), with all remaining tickets going on sale Friday (March 8) at 10 a.m.

The Hits. Hats. History. Tour kicks off May 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina and travels to nine different cities through Aug. 9, with additional dates to be announced in the coming weeks. Terri Clark, John Berry and Craig Campbell will appear as special guests on select dates of the tour.

“It’s been a few years since Clint and I shared the stage,” said Adkins. “Since then, we have both been fortunate to have added a few more hits, and hats to our collection. Looking forward to this!”

“Trace and I toured together back in the ’90s and I’m really looking forward to sharing the stage with him again!” Black added. “He’s a lot of fun and a real pro.”

In addition to the Hits. Hats. History. Tour, Black will launch his Still Killin’ Time 30th Anniversary Tour in March to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his triple-Platinum, seminal album, Killin’ Time.

Adkins is also on the road this summer as part of his current Don’t Stop Tour 2019 as well as with Blake Shelton as part of his Friends & Heroes 2019 Tour, which concludes March 23 in New York.

Hits. Hats. History. Tour dates:
May 2 – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre – Charlotte, NC*
May 3 – Suwannee River Jam – Live Oak, FL^
May 4 – The Bowl – Sugar Hill, GA*
May 5 – CCNB Amphitheatre – Simpsonville, SC*
June 6 – White Oak Amphitheatre – Greensboro, NC<
June 8 – Foxwoods Amphitheatre – Mashantucket, CT<
June 9 – Bank of New Hampshire Amphitheatre– Gilford, NH<
August 8 – Smart Financial Centre – Sugar Land, TX<
August 9 – H-E-B Center at Cedar Park – Cedar Park, TX<

*Features John Berry
^Features Craig Campbell
<Features Terri Clark

For more information and tour dates, visit traceadkins.com or clintblack.com.

Clint Black Still… Killin’ Time 30th Anniversary Tour dates:
3.8.19 – Norman, OK – Riverwind Casino
3.9.19 – Kansas City, MO – Ameristar Casino KC Star Pavillion
3.15.19 – Evansville, IN – Aiken Theatre
3.16.19 – Northfield, OH – Hard Rock Live
3.22.19 – St. Petersburg, FL – Mahaffey Theater
3.23.19 – Fort Pierce, FL – Sunrise Theatre
3.24.19 – Naples, FL – Hayes Hall
3.29.19 – Waterloo, NY – Del Lago Resort & Casino
3.30.19 – Rising Sun, IN – Rising Star Casino Resort
3.31.19 – Bristol, TN – Paramount Center for the Arts
4.12.19 – Westbury, NY – Theatre at Westbury
4.26.19 – Hinckley, MN – Grand Casino Hinckley Event Center
4.27.19 – Wisconsin Dells, WI – Crystal Grande Music Theatre
5.3.19 – Live Oak, FL – Suwannee River Jam
6.20.19 – Manhattan, KS – Country Stampede
6.21.19 – Dubuque, IA – America’s River Festival
6.23.19 – Chicago, IL – Country LakeShake Festival
7.20.19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days
7.24.19 – Helena, MT – Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds
8.23.19 – Mitchell, SD – Corn Palace Festival
9.7.19 – Eldon, MO – Shawnee Bluff Vineyard
9.26.19 – Minot, ND – Norsk Hostfest
10.8.19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theater

Don’t Stop Tour Dates:
April 4 – Bologna Performing Arts Center – Cleveland, MS
April 5 – IP Casino – Biloxi, MS
April 6 – Oxford Performing Arts Center – Oxford, AL
April 11 – Country Thunder – Florence, AZ
April 12 – Peppermill Concert Hall – West Wendover, NV
April 13 – Peppermill Concert Hall – West Wendover, NV
April 27 – Pearl River Resort – Choctaw, MS
May 3 – Suwannee River Jam – Live Oak, FL
May 17 – Effingham Performance Center – Effingham, IL
May 18 – J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts – St. Louis, MO
May 19 – Niswonger Performing Arts Center – Greeneville, TN
May 24 – Shooting Star Casino – Mahnomen, MN
May 25 – Prairie Knights Casino & Resort – Fort Yates, ND
May 26 – Tree Town Country Music Fest – Forest City, IA
June 13 – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Tulsa, OK
June 15 – Kansas Star Casino – Mulvane, KS
June 20 – The Paramount Huntington – Huntington, NY
June 21 – Penn’s Peak – Jim Thorpe, PA
June 22 – Hollywood Casino – Charles Town, WV
June 27 – Country USA – Oshkosh, WI
June 28 – Jack Cincinnati Casino – Cincinnati, OH
July 2 – San Diego County Fair – Del Mar, CA
July 3 – Alameda County Fair – Pleasanton, CA
July 5 – LRS Music Festival – Paulina, OR
July 6 – Montbleu Resort Casino – Stateline, NV
July 10 – America First Event Center – Cedar City, UT
July 12 – Chumash Casino – Santa Ynez, CA
July 18 – Great Jones County Fair – Monticello, IA
July 20 – Country Thunder – Twin Lakes, WI
July 26 – Shawnee Bluff Vineyard – Eldon, MO
July 27 – United Wireless Arena – Dodge City, KS
July 28 – Paramount Theater – Denver, CO
July 30 – Sweetwater County Fair – Rock Springs, WY
July 31 – Montana State Fair – Great Falls, MT
August 3 – Inn of the Mountain Gods – Mescalero, NM
August 17 – Chase County Fair – Imperial, NE
August 22 – Genesee County Fair – Mount Morris, MI
September 10 – Spokane County Interstate Fair – Spokane, WA
September 14 – Blue Gate Theater – Shipshewana, IN
November 13 – Royal Caribbean Poll Deck – Key West, FL

Ashley Gorley Back To No. 1 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart

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Ashley Gorley is back to No. 1 this week on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, with Shane McAnally at No. 2 and Kevin Welch at No. 3.

Brett James follows Welch at No. 4 with Carrie Underwood’s “Love Wins” and Cody Johnson’s “On My Way To You.” Luke Combs is at No. 5 with his most recent No. 1 “Beautiful Crazy” and “She Got The Best Of Me.” Riley Green and Erik Dylan move into the top 10 with Green’s “There Was This Girl.”

The first female songwriter appears at No. 38 with Kelsea Ballerini. After experiencing the Grammy effect and being at No. 19 on last week’s chart, Kacey Musgraves drops to No. 46 this week.

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, published every week, uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.

Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

ole’s VP, Creative John Ozier To Exit

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John Ozier

ole’s VP, Creative John Ozier is set to exit the company on March 31 to pursue a new opportunity with music publisher Reservoir.

Tim Hunze, Sr. Director, Creative in ole’s Nashville division, will take on expanded responsibilities, including leading the day-to-day operations of ole’s Nashville Creative team and label activities. Hunze was previously co-founder and managing partner of Parallel Music Publishing, acquired by ole earlier this year. Parallel songwriters under his management achieved No. 1 hits including: The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two,” Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It,” Justin Moore’s “Till My Last Day,” Michael Ray’s “Kiss You In The Morning,” and Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” Randy Houser’s “Like A Cowboy” which went to No. 2 at country radio.

Lauren Lieu, Senior Creative Coordinator, and Alexandra Tamashunas, Creative/Label Services Coordinator, will report to Hunze in his expanded capacity.

Additionally, ole has announced Gilles Godard has been appointed to Sr. VP, Publishing, and will report to ole CEO Helen Murphy. Godard will work closely with Murphy in developing and executing ole’s new growth strategy for publishing worldwide and working with key songwriters and catalogs. Godard, who has been with ole since 2006, was previously VP, Corporate Affairs and Development.

Ozier noted, “I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition of my duties to Tim under the leadership of Gilles. I will be working with the team at ole until my planned departure on March 31, to ensure our songwriters and our artists also have a seamless transition.”

Murphy said, “I would like to thank John Ozier for his many contributions to ole Nashville over the years, and I wish him the best of luck in the future.

“Gilles has been, and continues to be, an integral part of ole’s success in growing our overall publishing business worldwide. The relationships he has developed with the creative community reflect his tremendous passion and energy for creating and protecting songs and songwriters. It is my pleasure to promote him to the well-deserved position of SVP, Publishing. I look forward to the continued success of our Nashville operation under the guidance of Gilles and Tim, and I am pleased to see Tim take on an expanded role in operations. Tim has an incredible creative track record and is well respected in the industry. I am excited to have him and his catalog with ole.”

Godard noted, “I am absolutely thrilled to have this opportunity as SVP and look forward to working closely with Tim and the entire Creative team as we write the next chapter of success here at ole. The future always exceeds the past!”

Ben Folds And Violent Femmes Team For Summer Tour

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Ben Folds and the Violent Femmes are launching a summer co-headlining tour, set to begin July 28 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The tour includes a stop at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on Aug. 9.

Ticket pre-sale begins March 5, and all remaining tickets will be released to the general public on March 8. VIP Packages will also be available featuring a pre-show Meet & Greet and a Q&A with Folds, and a signed copy and excerpt readings by Folds of his soon-to-be-published memoir A Dream About Lightning Bugs. A Life Of Music And Cheap Lessons.

For over a decade Folds has performed with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras, and in 2017 was named as the first ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. In addition to touring, Folds is an avid photographer, a member of the prestigious Sony Artisans of Imagery, and completed an assignment in 2017 as a photo editor for National Geographic. He was recently featured in a mini-documentary by the Kennedy Center’s Digital Project on his photographic work.

More than 30 years into their careers, the Violent Femmes will spend 2019 touring extensively and have announced a new album set for release in late summer.

For a full list of tour dates, visit benfolds.com.

‘And The Writer Is…’ Podcast Returns For Fourth Season

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A new season of the acclaimed podcast And The Writer Is…, hosted by Ross Golan, is slated for April 1. The announcement was made during a special podcast episode which dropped today (March 4) featuring songwriter Jake Davis, the winner of the podcast’s first-ever songwriting competition. Among the guests appearing on the podcast’s fourth season are Shane McAnally, Matt Ramsey, and Kip Moore.

And The Writer Is… Season 4 will kick off April 1 with Jon Bellion, who in addition to his solo work has penned tracks with Eminem, Rihanna, Jason Derulo and many others. Other songwriters featured this season include Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Teddy Geiger, X Ambassadors’ Sam Harris, Skylar Grey and Pricilla Renea, to name a few.

Golan also announced that he and podcast co-producer, GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Joe London, will be taking And The Writer Is… on the road to SXSW in Austin, Texas the week of March 11. They will be recording an interview with Fugees founding member Wyclef Jean at a SXSW official session on Thursday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m. located at the JW Marriott’s Brazos Room, which will be aired during the upcoming season. Golan will also be leading a SXSW session on the topic of “Song Math” on March 15, as well as acoustically performing his concept album The Wrong Man, which comes out on Interscope later this year. The special performance will take place at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin on Wednesday, March 13.

“I’m honored to sit down with a new lineup of some of the best songwriters in the world. These people are artistic geniuses, ambitious entrepreneurs and most importantly, the life blood of the music industry,” said Golan.

Season 4 Guests Include:
  • Jon Bellion
  • Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie)
  • Skylar Grey
  • Kip Moore
  • Sam Harris (X Ambassadors)
  • Greg Wells
  • Brian Lee
  • Pricilla Renea
  • John Shanks
  • Matthew Ramsey (Old Dominion)
  • Teddy Geiger
  • Warren “Oak” Felder
  • Shane McAnally
  • Wyclef Jean (recorded at SXSW on 3/14)

Kings of Leon Join Azoff’s Full Stop Management

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Kings of Leon

Nashville band Kings of Leon have exited their longtime management company, Ken Levitan’s Vector Management, and have signed with Irving Azoff-owned company Full Stop Management, MusicRow has confirmed.

They are managed by Andy Mendelsohn, who joined Full Stop in February after leaving his previous position at Vector Management. During his 17-year stint at Vector, Mendelsohn served as Kings of Leon’s day-to-day manager.

The band released their most recent album, WALLS, in 2016. Band members include Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill, and Nathan Followill.

Azoff’s roster includes Bon Jovi, Harry Styles, Meghan Trainor, and Mark Ronson, who recently collected an Oscar for his work on “Shallow,” from the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga movie A Star Is Born.

UMPG Signs Claire Wright

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(Seated L-R) Kent Earls, UMPG Nashville Executive Vice President/General Manager; Claire Wright; Autumn House-Tallant, Red Light Management. (Standing L-R): Austen Adams, Dickinson Wright, PLLC; UMPG Nashville’s Missy Roberts, Senior Creative Director; Cyndi Forman, VP of Creative; Travis Gordon, Senior Creative Director; Noah McPike, Dickinson Wright, PLLC. Photo: UMPG

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) announced that singer-songwriter Claire Wright has been signed to an exclusive publishing deal.

Based in Nashville, Wright is a native of Northern California. To create her signature sound of positive music that makes people feel good, Wright’s writing style mixes sunny West Coast vibes, her rural roots and her philosophy that life should be enjoyed. Her influences include Sugar Ray and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Kent Earls, UMPG Nashville Executive Vice President / General Manager, said, “Claire is full of positive light and shares that glow through her songs. It’s very rare to meet someone with such an identity and vision for not only her music but herself. We’re excited to help bring her songs to the world.”

Wright shared, “When I walked into the UMPG Nashville building for the first time, I knew there was something special about to happen. They understood my songs and my vision in a really refreshing way. They are a massive powerhouse in the publishing world yet when you walk into the office, it’s like coming home. I look forward to making history with these amazing folks!”

Wright is managed by Red Light Management and is represented by CAA.

BREAKING: Amy Grant Tapped As Featured Speaker For ‘Rising Women’ Event

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MusicRow is thrilled to announce Amy Grant as the featured speaker at MusicRow‘s Rising Women on the Row breakfast on Tuesday, March 26 at 8:30 a.m. at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

Guests will be treated to insights from Grant during an on-stage interview with MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson.

The previously announced Rising Women on the Row honorees for 2019 are Sandi Spika Borchetta (Big Machine Label Group, Sr. VP Creative), Janine Ebach (Curb | Word Music Publishing, VP), Kelly Janson (Manager, Kelly Janson Management), Meredith Jones (Creative Artists Agency, Agent), Lenore Kinder (Paradigm Talent Agency, Agent), and Jennifer Turnbow (NSAI, Sr. Director of Operations).

Tickets can be purchased here.

City National Bank, Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group, and Loeb & Loeb are the Presenting Sponsors for the 2019 Rising Women on the Row event.

Conventional wisdom has it that Amy Grant put Contemporary Christian Music on the map, becoming the first CCM artist to have a Platinum record, the first to hit No. 1 on the pop charts, and the first to perform at the Grammy awards. Since then, Grant has been strumming her way through a thirty-plus year adventure as a singer-songwriter, author, television host, and speaker.

Early on, Grant’s iconic voice became instantly recognizable in both the Christian and pop worlds. Over the years, she has sold more than 30 million albums world-wide, including three multi-Platinum, six Platinum, and four Gold. Her chart performance has also been consistent throughout her career, boasting six No. 1 hits, 10 Top 40 pop singles, 17 Top 40 adult contemporary tracks and multiple contemporary Christian chart-toppers. In recognition of such success, Grant has received six Grammy awards and 26 Dove awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a star on the Music City Walk of Fame. Additionally, she was most recently inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

Amy Grant

Stepping out from behind her guitar, Grant found herself hosting the NBC prime time series Three Wishes in 2005, bringing her into millions of living rooms across America every Friday night. The people she met and stories she collected proved to be great inspiration for creating new music and even writing a book. Two years later, Grant’s first book, Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, was published. She continues to share her stories with audiences all over the country as a keynote and inspirational speaker.

In April 2016, Grant celebrated the 25th anniversary of her first pop hit, “Baby Baby,” with a worldwide release of a new version of the song featuring pop sensation and fellow Capitol Music Group recording artist Tori Kelly. Growing her popular Christmas brand, Grant then released Tennessee Christmas in October 2016, her first all-new Christmas album in nearly 20 years. She looks forward to national arena symphony Christmas tours each November and December with long-time friend Michael W. Smith, as well as an annual Christmas residency at the world-famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with her country superstar husband Vince Gill.

Grant resides with her family in Nashville, Tennessee, and is widely known for her philanthropy and tireless involvement in local causes and charitable organizations. Her own organization, The Helping Hands Foundation, has afforded her the opportunity to identify needs around her and the resources to help meet them, which has proven to be the sweetest reward of all.

Dierks Bentley’s Seven Peaks Music Festival To Include Maren Morris, Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi

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Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley and Live Nation have announced the lineup for the second annual Seven Peaks Music Festival, to be held in Buena Vista, Colorado on Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30-Sept. 1).

This year’s performers include Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Jon Pardi, Mitchell Tenpenny, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ryan Hurd, Steep Canyon Rangers, The War and Treaty, Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack. In addition, Friday’s Hot Country Night, which was an instant highlight in the festival’s inaugural year, will host Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence, Diamond Rio and Deana Carter with a special performance by Bentley’s own Hot Country Knights.

“I am so happy and grateful we get to come back to Buena Vista for the second Seven Peaks Music Festival,” said Dierks Bentley. “And I know I speak for everyone that has worked so hard to make this festival a reality when I say that. Even with the huge success of the first year, no one is taking anything for granted. If anything, we are all working harder than ever to make sure this year meets and exceeds the expectations of our returning ‘Peakers’ and completely blow away our first-time festival goers.”

“What I love about Seven Peaks is that this festival felt special from the beginning,” said Brian O’Connell, President of Country Touring at Live Nation. “It also instantly felt like we were all in this together to build something with longevity, from the fans out in the campgrounds, to the artists and teams working together backstage. Working with Dierks and his team, it is a truly collaborative partnership and there’s a lot of respect there. I’m so ready for us to continue to grow this festival, the mountains are calling!”

With other stages to be announced in the coming weeks, passes will go on sale March 15 at 10 a.m. MT at sevenpeaksfestival.com.