Warner Chappell Music Takes “Triple Crown” With ASCAP, BMI, SESAC Award Wins

/by

Ben Vaughn

For the first time, Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has taken home the triple crown at Country Music Week. The company was lauded as Publisher of the Year at the ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC awards. It marks the seventh consecutive year that WCM has landed the win at the ASCAP awards and the second consecutive year at the BMI awards. Overall, Warner Chappell songwriters earned a record-breaking 56 awards across the three major performing rights organizations award shows.

Several Warner Chappell songwriters also celebrated big wins this week; Warner Chappell writer Nicolle Galyon was named as a BMI Songwriter of the Year (in a tie with Ross Copperman); Dan + Shay’s “Tequila,” co-written by Warner Chappell songwriters Dan Smyers, Jordan Reynolds and Galyon, was named BMI Song of the Year; while Brothers Osborne were honored with the ASCAP Vanguard Award.

Ben Vaughn, CEO and President of Warner Chappell Nashville, said: “To quote one of the biggest songs of the year, we’re speechless! In all seriousness, we are so grateful for this recognition. It’s an unforgettable moment in WCM’s history. We are so proud of our amazing songwriters who are the most genuinely talented people on the planet, and who bring passion and heart to everything they do. I’m also grateful to Guy [Moot] and Carianne [Marshall] for their unwavering support of our efforts here in Music City, and of course to the dedicated WCM team who put in the work, day in and day out, to make sure songwriters are being heard.”

“This momentous achievement is a testament to our songwriters and the groundbreaking work Ben and his team are doing over in Nashville. There’s no doubt country music is thriving, and WCM is in command, shaping the future of the genre and redefining what success looks like,” said Guy Moot, Co-Chair and CEO, WCM, and Carianne Marshall, Co-Chair and COO, WCM. “As Warner Chappell Nashville continues to discover, sign, and nurture the best and brightest talent in the city, they’ve shown everyone what is possible when you combine hard work, creativity, and true dedication to the music and our songwriters. A huge congrats to all.”

Adam Vodofsky Elevated To APA Vice President Of Tour Marketing

/by

Adam Vodofsky has been promoted to Vice President of Tour Marketing at APA.

Vodofsky, who previously served as director in that capacity, recently celebrated his fifth anniversary with APA where he now oversees the marketing needs of a large, diversified roster of music and comedy touring clients including Judas Priest, Smokey Robinson, Ingrid Michaelson, Bryce Vine, CAKE, Social Distortion, and more. He is also deeply involved in the day-to-day supervision of all tour-related activities, including press announcements, ticketing and various artist VIP programs.

“Adam has done a tremendous job spearheading our tour marketing operations across the Concerts division,” commented APA Co-Heads Steve Martin, Bruce Solar and Steve Lassiter in a joint statement. “We’re very pleased to award his hard work, expertise and tenacity with this well-deserved promotion.”

Vodofsky joined APA in 2014 as a tour marketing agent working out of the agency’s Los Angeles headquarters before his promotion to director in 2016. He relocated to Nashville earlier this year where he added a number of APA’s Music City-based clients under his oversight, such as Travis Tritt, Rodney Carrington, and The Charlie Daniels Band.

Kelsey Waldon, Katie Pruitt, Tristen, Devon Gilfillian Among Newly-Named SXSW Performers

/by

The South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) has announced a second round of Showcasing Artists invited to perform at the 34th annual event, set for March 16-22, 2020 in Austin, Texas.

Among the newly-announced performers are Nashville artists Kelsey Waldon, Katie Pruitt, Tristen, and Devon Gilfillian.

Waldon recently signed with John Prine’s Oh Boy Records and released the album White Noise/White Lines in October. In 2018, Pruitt released the live EP Ourvinyl. She has been named NPR’s Slingshot Artist for 2019 and was also featured on All Song’s Considered for her song “Grace Has A Gun,” and has opened tours for Anderson East and Ruston Kelly. Tristen recently released “Dream Within A Dream,” based on the classic poem from Edgar Allan Poe. She released the project Sneaker Waves in 2017, and has toured with artists including Vanessa Carlton and Robyn Hitchcock. Gilfillian had an opening slot on Brothers Osborne’s tour earlier this year, and performed as part of the Pilgrimage Festival.

SXSW is where the entertainment, technology, and media industries converge, and the Music Festival gives forward-thinking minds the inspiration to shape the future of the creation, performance and business of music.

Joe Walsh, Jimmie Allen, Reese Witherspoon, More Added To CMA Awards Show Lineup

/by

Additional performers and presenters have been announced for tonight’s 53rd Annual CMA Awards telecast. Joe Walsh joins Dierks Bentley alongside Sheryl Crow, Chris Janson and John Osborne for a special performance honoring Kris Kristofferson, the 2019 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Additional presenters include Jimmie Allen and Cody Johnson, Good Morning America contributor Lara Spencer, Walsh, and actress/producer Reese Witherspoon.

Carly Pearce and Michael Ray will host the CMA Awards Pre-Telecast, where the CMA Musician of the Year will be presented to the winner. In addition, the CMA Music Video of the Year and CMA Musical Event of the Year winners will be recapped, having been announced this morning live on Good Morning America. The CMA Broadcast Awards winners will also be recognized during the pre-telecast.

Dolly Parton Launching Limited-Run SiriusXM Channel

/by

Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings Radio, an exclusive, limited-run SiriusXM music channel, will launch Nov. 18, SiriusXM and Netflix have announced.

The Dolly-centric channel will showcase music from Parton’s wide-ranging career, and will coincide with the release of Netflix’s Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, an eight-episode anthology series showcasing the stories, memories, and inspirations behind Dolly Parton’s most beloved songs which is set for release on Friday, Nov. 22. The channel will feature exclusive insights and stories from Parton, along with artists she has influenced.

SiriusXM’s Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings Radio kicks off on Monday, Nov. 18 at 12:00 p.m. ET and runs through Nov. 27 on channel 62 on SiriusXM radios, the SiriusXM app and web player.

Parton will guest host tonight’s (Nov. 13) CMA Awards alongside host Carrie Underwood and fellow guest host Reba McEntire. Parton is also set for several collaborations on the show, including a gospel medley with for King & Country, and Zach Williams. She will also perform a show-stopping opening number alongside Underwood and McEntire, as well as Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Crystal Gayle, The Highwomen (comprised of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires), Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, Tanya Tucker and Gretchen Wilson, each performing iconic country songs for a monumental decades-spanning medley.

Bobby Karl Works The Room: Dwight Yoakam, Nicolle Galyon, Ross Copperman Take Top BMI Country Honors

/by

BMI VP, Creative Jody Williams, Dwight Yoakam, and BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

BOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM

Chapter 639

Country music great Dwight Yoakam was in the spotlight at this year’s BMI Awards Banquet on Music Row (11/12).

The new Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee was presented with the organization’s President’s Award at the BMI ceremony. His songs were sung by Jon Pardi (“Guitars, Cadillacs”), Bob Weir with Margo Price (“Fast As You”) and the sensational, harmonizing Highwomen backed by Jason Isbell (“A Thousand Miles From Nowhere”).

Video tributes were offered by Paige Levy, Billy Bob Thornton, Eric Church, Peter Cooper, Jim Ed Norman, Ken Burns, Emmylou Harris and Marty Stuart.

“Awards…remind me of how lucky I am to make a living doing what I love,” said Yoakam. “I wrote primarily because these were things I needed to say.

“Thank y’all and to everybody who played the songs tonight.”

Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group. Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images for BMI

Warner Chappell was another big newsmaker of the night. Its Warner-Tamerlane arm won Publisher of the Year. Astonishingly, the company published or co-published 24 of the 50 most performed BMI songs of the year. The BMI win made it a clean sweep of all three performance-rights organizations this week, since the firm also won at SESAC on Sunday and at ASCAP on Monday.

BMI’s Songwriter of the Year award was a tie between Ross Copperman and Nicolle Galyon. “I’m so thankful every day of my life,” said Ross. “And thank-you, BMI, for everything you do for us.”

Galyon’s co-written “Tequila” was named Song of the Year. She movingly recalled first coming to the BMI banquet and watching from outside as the driver for Greg Oswald. Then she attended as a “plus one” on the arm of her award-winning songwriter husband Rodney Clawson. Then she started writing songs and winning BMI awards, herself. So it was a long trip to the stage to accept Songwriter of the Year.

“Coming to this night has been a metric of how I measured my career,” said Nicolle. “I have stars in my eyes.”

BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neil, Shay Mooney and Dan Smyers of Dan + Shay, Nicolle Galyon, BMI’s Mike Steinberg, Warner Chappell’s Ben Vaughn, BMI’s Mason Hunter and BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI

So did we all. This banquet offers more celebrity spotting than any other event during Country Music Week. Bill Anderson, Abby Anderson, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Chris Young, Chris Janson, Chris Lane, Rhett Akins, Rodney Atkins, Rob Crosby, Robert Earl Keen, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Jake Owens, Mac Davis, Big Kenny, Dustin Lynch, Little Big Town, Clay Walker, Kelsea Ballerini & Morgan Evans, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, John Oates, Bobby Braddock, Keith Urban, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Russell Dickerson, Mitchell Tenpenny, Cole Swindell, Eric Church, Scotty McCreery, Billy Burnette and Dwight’s fellow 2019 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Larry Gatlin were working the room.

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder were present as well. They offered a spirited rendition of “Rocky Top.” The Boudleaux & Felice Bryant song was given BMI’s inaugural Evergreen Award. The late tunesmiths are also being honored this year with an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Next year marks the centennial of Boudleaux’s birth.

Sons Del Bryant and Dane Bryant accepted the BMI honor with Del recalling how their parents came to write the song. Lamar Alexander, Dolly Parton and Peyton Manning offered video salutes to “Rocky Top.”

Pictured: (Back row, L-R): Jason Gantt, Chris Stevens, BMI’s Mason Hunter, Rob Snyder, JP Williams, Channing Wilson, Riley Green, Hardy, Morgan Wallen, Leslie Roberts, Mark Holman, Blake Chaffin, Morgan Evans, Lindsay Rimes, Chase McGill. (Front, from L-R): Erik Dylan, Rob Williford, Will Weatherly, Brad Clawson, Jody Williams, Tofer Brown, Jeff Middleton attends as BMI presents Dwight Yoakam with President’s Award at 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI)

One outstanding feature of the gala was that there were an impressive 20 songwriters receiving their first BMI Awards – Riley Green, Ryan Hurd, Michael Hardy, Morgan Evans and Morgan Wallen, for starters.

The other first-time honorees were Jeff Middleton, Will Weatherly, Jason Gantt, J.P. Williams, Rob Snyder, Channing Wilson, Blake Chaffin, Brad Clawson, Phillip LaRue, Chase McGill, Erik Dylan, Lindsay Rimes, Rob Willford and Mark Holman. Also receiving his first BMI country songwriting award was Chris Stevens, although he has many big CCM hits to his credit.

There were a bluezillion songwriting greats in the room. Among them were Layng Martine Jr., Jeff Stevens, Jody Stevens, Even Stevens, Steve Dorff, Sherrie Austin & Will Rambeaux, Craig Wiseman, Bob DiPiero, Dan Couch, Jeffrey Steele, Chuck Cannon, Lee Thomas Miller, Gerry House, Liz Rose, Laura Veltz, Billy Montana, Dallas Davidson, Carson Chamberlain and Tom Douglas.

BMI’s Mike Steinberg, Ross Copperman, BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill, and BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI

Presiding over the BMI honors were Mike O’Neill, Jody Williams, Mason Hunter and Leslie Roberts. Jody was given a hail-and-farewell tribute section, since he is leaving BMI to return to song publishing in 2020.

We dined on tender, medium-rare beef medallions served on buttery potato puree with roasted brussel sprouts and cherry tomatoes. Bottles of wine from the Kix Brooks Arrington Vineyards were offered on every table.

As always, the venue was the BMI parking garage on Music Row, transformed into a banquet venue. The décor was minimalist this year – black-on-black walls & ceiling with mirrored pillars. Fuschia spotlights surrounded the stage, as did mini klieg lights. Tables wore green or black cloths with centerpieces of hot pink roses, green hydrangea, flowering kale and exotic greenery.

Industry notables schmoozing mightily included Jerry & Connie Bradley, Clay Bradley, Steve Moore, Steve Lowery, Mike Vaden, Michael Knox, Mike Dungan, Michael Molinar, Michael Campbell, David Conrad, David Crow, David & Susanna Ross, John Ingrassia, Jim Free, Joe Chambers, Dayton Duncan, Butch Baker, Ken Levitan, Lisa Harless, Roger Sovine, Rose Drake, Kerry O’Neill, Erv Woolsey, Heath Owen, Duane Clark, Randy Talmadge and Randy Goodman.

Amanda Shires, Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile and Natalie Hemby of The Highwomen perform onstage. Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images

Not to mention Autumn House-Tallant, Hank Adam Locklin, Marion Kraft, Phil Graham, Rod Essig, T.K. Kimbrell, Kos Weaver, Byron Gallimore, Tracy Gershon, Pat Higdon, Rob Beckham, Stephanie Wright, Anastasia Brown, Phyllis Stark, Bill Denny, Derek Crownover, Bobby Cudd, Cindy Watts, Perry Howard, Mary Del Scobey & Horton Frank, Jessie Willoughby, Arturo Buenahora, Brad Kennard, Leslie Fram and Kyle Young.

Did you think I was going to exit this column without mentioning the drastic weather for this stellar event? It was unseasonably, bitterly cold that night. The usual outdoor red carpet arrivals were moved into the BMI lobby.

Women sought refuge from the cement garage in the ladies room inside the BMI building. The organization had instructed them to dress warmly, but many wore lightweight evening gowns and cocktail dresses nonetheless.

Jon Pardi performs. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

Space heaters ringed the perimeter of the event space. We lucked out, since our table had one on either side and was one of the few without a window at its back. All of the tables were provided with multiple warming blankets, presumably to be shared.

Even so, as the temperature plunged below 20 degrees, a mass exodus occurred to the BMI lobby, where brandy, coffee and desserts were offered.

BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay and BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Nicole Hocking, Luke Combs and BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Katelyn Jae, Kane Brown and BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill. Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Luke Bryan and BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Liz Rose and BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

Ricky Skaggs performs. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Karen Fairchild, BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill and Phillip Sweet. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Carrie Underwood and BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill. Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for BMI

Kacey Musgraves, Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus Celebrate Early CMA Award Wins

/by

Three early CMA trophy winners were announced Wednesday morning (Nov. 13) via Good Morning America.

Kacey Musgraves‘ “Rainbow” won Music Video of the Year. The clip was directed by Hannah Lux Davis. Musgraves is nominated in three categories this year, also up for Female Vocalist of the Year, and Song of the Year (“Rainbow”). Musgraves previously won the CMA Song of the Year in 2014 with “Follow Your Arrow.” Last year, her album Golden Hour was named Album of the Year at the CMA Awards; the album would go on to also win the all-genre Album of the Year honor at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ record-breaking hit “Old Town Road” won the CMA’s Musical Event of the Year honor. In July, the track made chart history, spending 17 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, making it the longest-running No. 1 hit in the history of the chart, and besting a previous tie set by the 1995 hit “One Sweet Day” from Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, as well as the 2017 hit “Despacito” from Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (ft. Justin Bieber), each with a 16-week reign. The track was produced by YoungKio, Trent Reznor and Atticus Matthew Ross.

The 53rd Annual CMA Awards will be held this evening (Nov. 13), airing live on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

On The Row: Chris Bandi Looks To Break Through With “Man Enough Now”

/by

Chris Bandi. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Chris Bandi is ready to make his breakthrough at country radio with his single “Man Enough Now,” which he co-wrote with Jason Massey and Jason Duke.

He signed with RECORDS, a joint venture label between Barry Weiss and Sony Music Entertainment. “Man Enough Now” will head to radio in January, and the track has already earned more than 60 million streams on Spotify.

“I was thinking about a relationship I had been in in college and some things I wouldn’t do now that I had done then,” he says of writing the song. “I brought this title in about ‘If we were in a relationship now, I would probably get a few things right because I’m man enough now.’ They put it on Spotify and it’s changed my life.”

During a recent visit to the MusicRow Magazine offices, he performed “Man Enough Now,” and even when a guitar string broke during his performance, he powered through. He also played “They Make Whiskey,” and noted he expects to release an EP early next year.

Bandi began writing songs in high school and joined a band. “They would write all the music and they would send me MP3s and I would write all the lyrics for it.”

While in college at the University of Mississippi, this Missouri native began making regular trips to Nashville, ultimately relocating to Music City about six years ago. He began pursuing a music career in earnest in college.

“My worst job was working as a server at a restaurant in college,” he recalled. “Then I figured out you have a lot more fun and make a little more money making music in the bars. I started playing all the bars in Oxford, Mississippi.”

He was inspired by artists such as Eric Church and Luke Bryan who performed shows in Oxford.

“They were singing about trucks and dirt roads and things I could relate to,” Bandi recalls. “High school football, and the lyrics were great, so I started focusing on writing songs like that. I signed with BMG in 2016 as a writer. Mom and dad say I have a day job now,” he quipped.

This month, Bandi joins Laine Hardy on tour.

Chris Bandi with MusicRow owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Chris Bandi with MusicRow staffers.

Brantley Gilbert, Lindsay Ell Reach Radio Chart Pinnacle With “What Happens In A Small Town”

/by

Brantley Gilbert, Lindsay Ell. Photo: Joseph Llanes

Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell reached the top of the radio charts this week with their current single “What Happens In A Small Town” which reached the pinnacle of both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart.

The track is from Gilbert’s Fire & Brimstone (The Valory Music Co.), and features Ell on both vocals and guitar.

“Her name is just synonymous with hard work and how much time she puts into her craft,” Gilbert told MusicRow during an interview detailing Fire & Brimstone. “She’s the real deal, has a great voice and just a guitar slinger. I mean, the way she plays makes me want to put my guitar in the case and never play it again.”

Gilbert wrote “What Happens In A Small Town” with Rhett Akins, Brock Berryhill and Josh Dunne and marks his fifth No. 1, following “Country Must Be Country Wide,” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” “Bottoms Up” and “One Hell of an Amen.”

“What Happens In A Small Town” is up for CMA’s Musical Event of the Year at Wednesday’s awards, on ABC.

CMT Announces Next Women Of Country Class of 2020

/by

Next Women of Country celebrate during the 2019 CMT Next Women Of Country Celebration at CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)

CMT announced the members of the 2020 Class of its Next Women of Country franchise earlier Tuesday (Nov. 12) at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater.

This year’s class of 11 artists includes Abbey Cone, Avenue Beat, Caylee Hammack, Gabby Barrett, Hailey Whitters, Kylie Morgan, Madison Kozak, Renee Blair, Sykamore, Tiera and Walker County. The announcement was made by event co-hosts Leslie Fram, SVP, Music Strategy & Talent, CMT, and country music superstar Martina McBride.

The class of 2020 marks a total of 75 female acts that have been named as part of the program since its inception in 2013.

Brandi Carlile accepted the 2019 CMT Next Women of Country “Impact Award,” an honor presented to a female artist that has impacted songwriting, recording, radio airplay, record sales, streams, media impressions, awards and touring in country music over the past year. The award was presented by singer-songwriter Brandy Clark (Class of 2016) and Change the Conversation co-founder Tracy Gershon.

Martina McBride, Leslie Fram, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark and Tracy Gershon attend the 2019 CMT Next Women Of Country Celebration at CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)

In a surprise appearance, Tanya Tucker appeared onstage as Carlile announced that Tucker will headline the upcoming CMT Next Women of Country Tour in early 2020. Supporting acts and cities to be announced. The 2020 tour is sponsored for the second consecutive year by Burlington Coat Factory.

Singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton began the event with a performance of “Sister,” performing with fellow Next Women of Country alumnae Clare Dunn (2014), Leah Turner (2018), Rachel Wammack (2018) and Tenille Townes (2018).

Notably, the leaders of several Nashville record labels–including BMLG’s Scott Borchetta, WMG’s John Esposito, Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman, BBR Music Group’s Jon Loba, and UMG Nashville’s Cindy Mabe.

John Esposito, Leslie Fram, Martina McBride, Jon Loba, Randy Goodman, Scott Borchetta, and Cindy Mabe at the 2019 CMT Next Women Of Country Celebration at CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)

Mabe offered an honest and inspiring speech about the current state and future for women in country music.

“We can all keep moving through and thinking that things have changed at the rate they need to change, and they haven’t,” Mabe said. “This platform and these artists today are so much more than a positioning statement that makes it to a press release this afternoon. This is about how we give a voice and a perspective to half the world. There is so much said about women not wanting to hear other women’s voices, but speaking for all the women that I know and raising two little girls of my own, and I can only speak for them, but they only want to hear female voices. You are the ones that show them the way. You are the ones that will dictate the next generation’s impact. You represent how they are felt and represented in the world and their feelings, and their thoughts and their voices and then show them that they matter. I think back to my childhood and I think how music spoke to me and I can say without a doubt that I wouldn’t be here without the voices of Dolly and the Judds, and Reba in my ear, because they raised me. On the eve of country’s biggest night, I can’t help but think about our sole female Entertainer of the Year nominee and the fact that Carrie Underwood wouldn’t exist without the impact of Martina McBride,” she added, to the applause of the crowd.

“The impact that her music made on Carrie as a little girl is what changed a whole generation and this is how it works and this is how each of you that are sitting in this audience need to understand your impact of where you go from here. I would be remiss to say that it’s going to be an easy way to get there, and you are all going to forge your own way and not all of them are going to look like radio. But we have artists like Kacey Musgraves that are showing there are now ways to you can expose new music to the masses and I think that if there is anything to say today, it’s that the women are bringing interesting, state of the art, cutting edge music and it doesn’t all fit in a box, that’s the truth of the matter. We will spend the next years figuring how how we get it exposed, one foot in front of the other, because great music should always rise and it’s not about fitting into a box. I’m speaking on behalf of Universal Music Group. We are committed—I can say I get out of bed every day and move it toward making women’s voices matter.” Mabe said.

Pictured (L-R): Renee Blair, Kylie Morgan, Ivy Dene, Sophie Dawn, Sykamore, Tiera and Madison Kozak attend the 2019 CMT Next Women Of Country Celebration at CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)