Industry Ink: CMA Kixstart, FBMM, IVPR
CMA Opens Submissions For Second Annual KixStart Program

Pictured (L-R): Garth Brooks met with KixStart artists Jameson Rodgers,Travis Denning and Kassi Ashton in January during a music business education day at CMA that also included a lunch with Kix Brooks and one-on-one round robin-style meetings to learn more from leaders at companies such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify and YouTube. Photo Credit: Caitlin Alexander/CMA
The CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship is currently accepting submissions for its second class of recipients. The year-long program is designed to provide emerging artists with unique professional and educational opportunities to help build a solid business foundation in the country music industry. Artists can visit CMAworld.com/KixStart to view the application and eligibility requirements. Deadline for application submissions is Friday, May 31 at 11:59 PM/CT. The program for the second class of KixStart scholarship recipients will begin in October.
Since being selected in the fall of 2018, the inaugural CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship recipients—Kassi Ashton, Travis Denning and Jameson Rodgers—have had the opportunity to perform around the world and gain a knowledge of the music business by meeting with some of the industry’s top professionals.
Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy Promotes Three
Business management firm FBMM (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.) has promoted Keri Fulks and McCall Johnson to senior account assistant and Laramie Lomanto to account executive.
“We are proud to have talented, skilled people like Keri, McCall and Laramie as a part of the FBMM family,” said Jamie Cheek, president and owner of FBMM. “These women are stellar examples of what it looks like to be committed to serving our clients with excellence and integrity. Our leadership team is proud to recognize their hard work and watch them continue to excel in their careers at FBMM.”
IVPR Adds Senior Publicist

Sarah Bennett
Sarah Bennett has joined IVPR as a senior publicist in Nashville. As a University of Georgia alumni with degrees in both Journalism and Music Business, Bennett moved to Nashville in 2017. She has helped plan and run media for festivals and conferences across the country. She also works as a freelance journalist, and has been published in outlets including Paste, Vinyl Mag, and Ampersand Magazine.
Nashville-based artist and festival PR firm IVPR boasts a client list that includes Luck Reunion, MerleFest, DelFest, High Sierra Music Festival, Sam Bush, Del McCoury Band, Sierra Hull, Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, Griffin House, Radney Foster, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kelsey Waldon, Rising Appalachia, The Travelin’ McCourys, and more.
Bennett can be reached at Sarah@ivpr.co.
- CMA Honors Robert Deaton With Chairman’s Award - December 4, 2020
- Nashville Symphony, Nashville Musicians Association Reach Agreement - December 4, 2020
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