Industry Ink: BMI, Alabama’s Randy Owen, SESAC

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BMI Reveals Performers For 24th Annual Key West Songwriters Festival

BMI has revealed the performer lineup for the 24th annual Key West Songwriters Festival, presented by BMI. The event is set for May 8-12.

For the seventh year in a row, BMI and Sony Music Nashville will set up shop on Duval Street Saturday night for a free block party featuring Arista Nashville recording artist Brad Paisley and RCA Nashville recording artist Ryan Hurd. Big Loud recording artist and Key West veteran HARDY will return to the festival Wednesday night to kick off the festivities at the Sunset Pier. This year’s confirmed performers include BMI Country ICON Dean Dillon, Liz Rose, Jeffrey Steele and many more.

“Every year, BMI spends a lot of time and attention putting together the Key West lineup to make sure the fans get a taste of what all our songwriters have to offer and we’re so excited about the quality of this year’s lineup,” said Mason Hunter, AVP Creative, Nashville. “We are especially thankful to Sony for once again bringing down an incredible lineup of artists for the Duval Street Party.”

 

Alabama’s Randy Owen Honored By Boy Scouts Of America

ALABAMA’s Randy Owen accepts the Boy Scouts of America’s Heart of an Eagle Award. Pictured (L-R): Randy Owen, Judge Mal Street (retired)

Alabama frontman Randy Owen was honored by the Boy Scouts of America this past Wednesday (March 20) at the organization’s American Values luncheon held in Anniston, Alabama.

Anniston’s local Boy Scouts chapter, the Choccolocco district, presented Owen with the Heart of an Eagle Award, a special recognition given to individuals who show compassion for their community through leadership, character and integrity.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the Boy Scouts of America,” says Owen. “I admire the great people who make scouting a wonderful lifetime experience for our state and country.”

Much of Owen’s time is spent helping others through his humanitarian efforts, such as launching St. Jude Country Cares for Kids, an annual radiothon fundraising event that has garnered more than $800 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He received the Ellis Island Award for his charity work with St. Jude.

 

SESAC Celebrates Monthly Songwriters Series At The Bluebird

Pictured (L-R): SESAC Manager, Creative Services ET Brown, John Wesley Satterfield, Ray Wylie Hubbard, SESAC Manager, Creative Services Lydia Schultz, Dillon Carmichael, Michael Whitworth.

SESAC celebrated songwriters on March 20 during their monthly SESAC Songwriter Series at the Bluebird Cafe. This month, featured songwriters included Dillon Carmichael, Ray Wylie Hubbard, John Wesley Satterfield, and Michael Whitworth.

Rising Women On The Row Spotlight: 5 Questions With BMLG’s Sandi Spika Borchetta

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Sandi Spika Borchetta

MusicRow Magazine’s eighth annual Rising Women on the Row event will be held Tuesday, March 26, at Omni Hotel Nashville.

This year’s honorees include Sandi Spika Borchetta (Big Machine Label Group, Sr. VP Creative), Janine Ebach (Curb|Word Music Publishing, VP), Kelly Janson (Kelly Janson Management, Manager), Meredith Jones (Creative Artists Agency, Agent), Lenore Kinder (Paradigm Talent Agency, Agent), and Jennifer Turnbow (NSAI, Sr. Director of Operations).

Leading up to the event, MusicRow is spotlighting each honoree with a brief Q&A.

Sandi Spika Borchetta oversees all visual elements for the Big Machine Label Group including more than 25 music video releases in 2018 alone, which garnered seven No. 1 CMT clips. Big Machine Label Group music videos overseen by Borchetta have garnered over 4.5 billion views. With more than two decades of experience in the music industry, she may be most noted for designing Taylor Swift’s 2009 “Love Story” gown, in addition to Reba McEntire’s “Red Dress,” worn during the 1993 CMA Awards and revived at the 2018 ACM Awards, now a part of the permanent collection at the Country Music Hall of Fame. That artistry recently found her inducted in the Tennessee State Museum Costume and Textile Institute for design work with additional artists including Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Rogers, LaToya Jackson, Carly Pearce and Sheryl Crow. Honored in 2014 as Billboard’s Women in Music. Charitably, she oversees the Music Has Value brand and Fund, which was part of the 2017 Starkey Hearing Foundation Humanitarian of the Year honors, and serves on the board of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. She additionally contributes to the TJ Martell Foundation, American Cancer Research, City of Hope, MusiCares, and General Mills’ Outnumber Hunger initiative.

MusicRow: What is the biggest lesson on leadership you have learned in your career?

Luck is 95% HARD WORK…encourage your team to stay focused and work hard. Select good people. Don’t be afraid of someone more talented than you to be on your team.

Help others achieve their goals, their course of action, and to believe in themselves and their future. Teach others to write down goals but most importantly etch them onto the inside of your eyelids. Every day, every hour…every time you blink… there they are… etched on your eyelids! Recognize the finish line and celebrate success with your team….then hit “repeat.”

MR: Who has been one of your biggest mentors and what has he or she taught you?

I was fortunate to tour and work side by side with Reba McEntire for over 13 years as her designer and stylist. Reba has been a huge influence in my life in many ways. Her drive, work ethic, down-to-earth nature and ability to make everyone feel comfortable is the best in the business. I appreciate and love her so much.

Scott Borchetta is a significant mentor. One of his notorious mottos is, “Start with crazy and work backwards.” He encourages you to think big and don’t stop trying until you have exhausted all avenues! I love our life, working relationship, and journey together.

MR: Describe a time that you took a big risk in your career, and how did it pay off?

Every time I pitch a creative idea, I’m taking a risk! Designing creative elements required within the entertainment industry means constantly pitching ideas. I’ve never been afraid to dedicate time and money toward a project I believed in, and I’ll work endless hours to make it work. It means putting your heart, mind, and talent on the line. One of my favorite risk-taking challenges is designing custom garments for film, music videos, live performances, red carpets, and award shows. Many factors contribute to the success such as lighting, staging, fit, materials, motion. It all has to work together. You’re putting your skill on the line and risking acceptance. Success of a production, be it a live performance, music video, etc., is magical. The payoff is priceless not just for myself, but for the entire team, the artist and fans. Creating visual collateral is very rewarding and if done right, your art lives forever within videos, film, packaging, photographs. I enjoy the risk, the challenge, and the opportunity to work with talented performers and our amazing team at Big Machine Label Group to create experiences that touch hearts and contribute to entertainment and music history.

MR: As Nashville continues to grow and evolve, what changes in the music industry excite you the most?

Production companies and various trades I deal with outside of Nashville now believe that our creative teams here are just as strong and talented as they are anywhere. Nashville has always had amazing video directors, directors of photography, photographers, stylists, glam teams, graphic designers. Now, with Nashville booming, production teams from other cities believe it and everyone wants to move and work here! Nashville is hot. It’s always been a special place to the country music industry but now it has the attention of the world. It’s very exciting to see the growth and talent of new business platforms. The accelerated speed of networking, social media, and content sharing is very exciting and presents an open highway to creatively invent new methods to share music and art.

MR: Favorite Nashville place to hold a business meeting/lunch?

Honestly…my favorite place is the backyard at our house! The history of the architecture is very surreal and enchanting! Bring food in and breathe the fresh air! I also love Taco Mamacita. I’m a sucker for chips and salsa.

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

Cassadee Pope Adds U.K. Dates To CMT Next Women Of Country Tour

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CMT’s Next Women of Country Tour will embark on shows outside of the United States for the first time this year. Headliner Cassadee Pope will lead five shows in the U.K. starting in May, marking her first U.K. headlining shows as a solo artist. She will also make a USO performance in Germany on May 11, in honor of Military Appreciation Month in the United States.

These tour dates will support her new album Stages, which released in February. Pope is currently on tour with Maren Morris on her Girl: The World Tour, and will kick off her 11-date headlining CMT Next Women of Country tour on April 11 in Pope’s home state of Florida.

For more, visit cassadeepope.com.

CMT Next Women of Country Tour Dates (U.K.)
May 9: Bristol, England; The Fleece
May 10: Liverpool, England; Arts Club
May 11: Germany; USO Private Performance
May 12: Birmingham, England; O2 Institute 3
May 13: London, England; O2 Academy Islington
May 15: Glasgow, Scotland; King Tut’s

Ashley Gorley At No. 1; Maren Morris Enters Top 10 On Top Songwriter Chart

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Round Hill Music’s Ashley Gorley is at No. 1 this week on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart for the fourth consecutive week, with seven charting songs propelling him, including: Chase Rice’s “Eyes On You,” Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You,” Dierks Bentley’s “Living,” Eli Young Band’s “Love Ain’t,” Lee Brice’s “Rumor,” Luke Bryan’s “What Makes You Country,” and Dustin Lynch’s newest single “Ridin’ Roads.”

Kevin Welch follows Gorley at No. 2 with the independently-written “Millionaire,” recorded by Chris Stapleton.

Shane McAnally and Brett James maintain their positions this week at No. 3 and No. 4. “There Was This Girl” co-writers Riley Green and Erik Dylan fill in No. 5 and No. 6.

Maren Morris jumps up 57 spots to No. 9 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, with the success of her new album, GIRL. Co-written songs “A Song For Everything,” “Girl,” “The Bones,” and “All My Favorite People” support her rise.

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.

 

Tape Room Music, Dennis Entertainment Ink Pub Partnership

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Pictured (Top Row, L-R): Savana Santos, Sami Bearden, Sam Backoff; (Bottom Row, L-R): Tape Room’s Kelly Bolton (VP of Creative), Blain Rhodes (GM), Ashley Gorley (CEO), Dennis Entertainment’s Charly Salvatore (Dennis Entertainment), John Dennis (President), Stephanie Taylor (Attorney)

Songwriter/producer Ashley Gorley has teamed up with industry execs John Dennis and Charly Salvatore to sign Avenue Beat to an exclusive publishing deal with their respective companies, Tape Room Music and Dennis Entertainment. The joint-venture marks the trio’s first publishing deal and is the first partnership between Tape Room Music and Dennis Entertainment.

“Blain, Kelly, and I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Avenue Beat. They are not only amazing vocalists and producers with their own sound, but they are first and foremost songwriters. Their songs are full of fresh ideas and melodies with an honest perspective. We are pumped to have them as part of the Tape Room family!” said Tape Room CEO Gorley.

The trio of childhood friends from Illinois includes Savana Santos, Sam Backoff and Sami Bearden. In 2016, the group moved to Nashville and have spent the past three years writing and crafting music.

“Charly and I are thrilled to work with such an immensely talented group of people. We wanted to surround Avenue Beat with a team that could share our vision and help take them to the next level both creatively and musically. We aimed high and thankfully Ashley and his team recognized how special Avenue Beat is. Ashley, Blain, and Kelly have been amazing to work with,” remarked Dennis, owner of Dennis Entertainment.

Signed to Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Avenue Beat will head out on the road with Mason Ramsey as direct support on his 2019 How’s Your Girl & How’s Your Family spring tour.

Maddie & Tae Unveil Details For New EP ‘One Heart To Another’

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Maddie & Tae have revealed some details about their upcoming EP One Heart To Another, which is due out April 26 on Mercury Nashville. The duo’s Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye co-wrote four of the five tracks on the project, which tells stories of love, loss and redemption and is a snapshot of more music to come from the two later this year.

“This is much more than just a new project for us. It has been our light at the end of tunnel for the past two years. It is about two best friends experiencing the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, and everything in between together. We hope our fans hear the vulnerability, heart break, strength, truth and passion we’ve poured into this. This is only the beginning,” said Marlow.

The EP features the flirty “Friends Don’t,” the woeful heartbreaker “Die From A Broken Heart,” (which has tallied over 23 million streams already), the swaggering, hip hop-inflected anthem “New Dog, Old Tricks,” the spunky “Tourist In This Town,” and the vulnerable title track “One Heart To Another,” which rounds out the boldly honest collection.

“The journey to create this project was long, but beautiful,” added Dye. “We put our heads down and tried to be the best artists we could be. And to us that looked like writing lyrics from a very honest place and sharing them with the hopes that someone out in the world feels less alone. So here is One Heart to Another. From our hearts to yours.”

Along with promoting the new project, the duo is gearing up to hit the road with Carrie Underwood as part of her Cry Pretty Tour 360, kicking off May 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

One Heart To Another Track List 
1.  Friends Don’t (Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, Jon Nite, Justin Ebach)
2.  Die From A Broken Heart (Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, Jonathan Singleton, Deric Ruttan)
3.  Tourist In This Town (Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, Barry Dean, Jimmy Robbins)
4.  One Heart To Another (Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, Jonathan Singleton, Deric Ruttan)
5.  New Dog Old Tricks (Laura Veltz, Jesse Frasure, Emily Weisband)

CMA Presents International Awards In Australia

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Pictured (L-R): Co-Director of CMC Rocks & CEO of Potts Entertainment Jeremy Dylan; Maven Manager Ken Outch; Luke Combs; Travis Collins; Cam; CMA Vice President of International Relations and Development Milly Olykan; Head of ABC Music & Events Natalie Waller. Photo: Brodie Rocca/CMA

While in Australia this week for CMA’s touring series, Introducing Nashville and the CMC Rocks music festival, a selection of Country artists and music industry executives received international awards on behalf of the Country Music Association.

Country artist Ashley McBryde and CMA Vice President of International Relations and Development, Milly Olykan, presented Chugg Entertainment Managing Director Susan Heymann with the CMA Jo Walker Meador International Award backstage at CMC Rocks with the entire festival team in attendance, including Co-Director of CMC Rocks & CEO of Potts Entertainment Jeremy Dylan, who is the son of the festival’s founder and former CMA Board member, the late Rob Potts. The CMA Jo Walker Meador International Award recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual advocating and supporting Country Music’s marketing development in territories outside the United States.

Luke Combs and Cam presented Australian Country artist Travis Collins with the CMA Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award backstage at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney prior to Comb’s show on his sold-out Australian tour. The CMA Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award recognizes outstanding achievements by a Country Music artist signed outside of the United States who has furthered the popularity of country music as well as brought attention to the Country Music format in their foreign based territory. Collins also opened for Combs in Sydney. This year, the award was presented to two acts, the other recipient being British Country duo Ward Thomas, who received their award from Cam earlier this month while she was in London for a CMA Songwriters Series show during the C2C: Country to Country festival.

Additional 2019 CMA International Award recipients include BBC Radio 2 Radio Host Baylen Leonard, who was presented the CMA International Country Broadcaster Award earlier in March by Bob Shennan, BBC Director, Radio & Music and CMA Board member, during CMA’s U.K. Task Force meeting in London. CMA also awarded Kacey Musgraves with the International Artist Achievement Award prior to her performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

The CMA International Awards honor industry executives and artists who have supported and made a difference towards the growth and promotion of Country Music in the international market place. Nominees are recognized in five categories acknowledging their dedication and efforts in growing opportunities for Country Music in their local territories.

Pictured (L-R): Chugg Entertainment Executive Chairman & CMC Rocks Co-Director Michael Chugg; Uncommon Cord Founder & CEO Matthew Lazarus-Hall; Spotify Global Head of Country Programming John Marks; Chugg Entertainment Managing Director Susan Heymann; CMA Vice President of International Relations and Development Milly Olykan; Ashley McBryde; Warner Music Nashville Chairman/CEO John Esposito; Apple Music Nashville’s Jay Liepis. Photo: Lachlan Douglas/CMA

Country Music Hall Of Fame To Honor Keith Whitley With Nashville Memorial Concert

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Keith Whitley

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will honor the 30th anniversary of the passing of country icon Keith Whitley with an all-star tribute concert set for Tuesday, May 9 at the CMA Theater in Nashville.

Hosted by Lorrie Morgan and Whitley’s son Jesse Keith Whitley, the show will feature performances from Garth Brooks, Tom Buller, Mark Chesnutt, Larry Cordle, Caleb Daugherty, Kevin Denney, Wesley Dennis, Joe Diffie, Corey Farlow, Carl Jackson, Cory and Dustin Keefe, Tracy Lawrence, Jesse Keith Whitley, Mark Wills, Darryl Worley and Trisha Yearwood.

Whitley died May 9, 1989, from alcohol poisoning. He was 33.

Whitley’s first solo album, A Hard Act To Follow, released in 1984. During his brief career, he put 19 songs on the country charts, and earned five consecutive No. 1 singles with tracks like “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” “I’m No Stranger To The Rain” and “When You Say Nothing At All.”

Whitley got his musical start in bluegrass, performing alongside Ricky Skaggs as part of Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys. He would go on to play with J.D. Crow and the New South before moving to Nashville and landing a deal with RCA. His 1988 sophomore album Don’t Close Your Eyes and  I Wonder Do You Think Of Me, which released following Whitley’s death in 1989, were both certified Gold.

The show will begin at 7 p.m. on May 9. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 29 at 10 a.m. CT at cmatheater.com.

Rising Women On The Row Spotlight: 5 Questions With Paradigm’s Lenore Kinder

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MusicRow Magazine’s eighth annual Rising Women on the Row event will be held Tuesday, March 26, at Omni Hotel Nashville.

This year’s honorees include Sandi Spika Borchetta (Big Machine Label Group, Sr. VP Creative), Janine Ebach (Curb|Word Music Publishing, VP), Kelly Janson (Kelly Janson Management, Manager), Meredith Jones (Creative Artists Agency, Agent), Lenore Kinder (Paradigm Talent Agency, Agent), and Jennifer Turnbow (NSAI, Sr. Director of Operations).

Leading up to the event, MusicRow is spotlighting each honoree with a brief Q&A.

Lenore Kinder is at the helm of the touring careers of Kacey Musgraves, Tori Kelly, Weyes Blood, Lucie Silvas, Anna Moon, Elise Davis, TAELA, and LUME. In addition to managing the live aspect, she strategically identifies opportunities in film, TV, branding, and other avenues that elevate her clients’ repertoire. Prior to transitioning to the agency side, Kinder gained 10 years-experience as a talent buyer for AEG Presents & Messina Touring Group. She garnered a number of accolades, including Pollstar’s Rising Star award, and ACM’s Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year recognition, curating North American tours for Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini and The Lumineers. She is also responsible for growing the tours of Mumford & Sons, Adele, and Imagine Dragons from clubs to arenas in the Southeast region. Kinder accelerated her career with a move to Nashville in 2006 after serving as Director of Operations at local Knoxville, Tennessee venue Blue Cats.

MusicRow: What is the biggest lesson on leadership you have learned in your career?

It is an acquired skill that requires being mentally and emotionally available to your team. You have to know when to lead, and when to step back to allow them to shine. Good leaders are not always at the front of the room, but they’re always leading the charge.

MR: Who has been one of your biggest mentors and what has he or she taught you?

From my promoter perspective, Louis Messina is someone that I look up to professionally – he empowers his team to “be the boss.” His employee retention is second to none – he is a curator of dreams not only for his clients, but also for his staff.

From my agent perspective, Jonathan Levine has been such an inspiring leader to work with and alongside. His tenacity and compassion for his clients, staff and family are unparalleled – he’s a force and I’m deeply honored to learn from the best.

My wife is another mentor – she leads with courage and kindness. Leading from fear is a lonely place to be…

MR: Describe a time that you took a big risk in your career, and how did it pay off?

Making the leap from promoter to agent didn’t feel like a huge risk professionally, but the internal change was profound. It pushed me to think outside of the box in all areas of life. I feel deeply honored to represent the clients I’ve amassed in such a short time. I like to believe my renewed perspective has helped bring them success.

MR: As Nashville continues to grow and evolve, what changes in the music industry excite you the most?

DIVERSITY; ideas that generate from a silo mentality are merely self-fulfilling prophecies. Art has no boundaries and therefore the people representing it shouldn’t either.

MR: Favorite Nashville place to hold a business meeting/lunch?

Joe’s Crab Shack

 

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

Ashley McBryde, Luke Combs, LANCO Earn Early ACM Wins

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Ashley McBryde, LANCO, and Luke Combs are already Academy of Country Music award winners leading up to the show on Sunday, April 7, airing live from Las Vegas. McBryde earned the title of New Female Artist of the Year, while Combs earned New Male Artist of the Year. LANCO earned the New Duo or Group of the Year honor.

Country superstar Carrie Underwood, who has just been announced as a performer on the awards show, made personal phone calls to McBryde, Combs and LANCO, surprising them with their wins.

Heading into the awards show, Combs is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year, while McBryde landed a second nomination, in the Female Artist of the Year category. LANCO is also nominated for the overall Group of the Year honor at the upcoming awards show.