Industry Pics: Luke Bryan Concludes Sixth Annual Crash My Playa

Pictured (L-R): Lee Brice, Charles Kelley (Lady Antebellum), Luke Bryan, Brad Tursi, (Old Dominion), Dustin Lynch, Jonathan Fordin & Dan Berkowitz with CID Presents. Photo: Ethan Helms

Luke Bryan finished his sixth consecutive sold-out Crash My Playa event in Mexico’s Riviera Cancun area over the weekend. Bryan headlined two of the event’s four nights, which also included headliners Jason Aldean and Old Dominion. Others performing throughout the weekend included Dustin Lynch, Lee Brice, Scotty McCreery, Granger Smith, Jordan Davis, Jon Langston, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack, Kendell Marvel and DJ Rock.

Bryan also took advantage of the stunning locale to film a music video that will be released after his new album Born Here, Live Here, Die Here, which drops April 24.

Pictured (L-R): Jason Aldean, Charles Kelley, Luke Bryan. Photo: Ethan Helms

Pictured: Dustin Lynch. Photo: ALIVE Coverage

In Pictures: Warner Music Nashville’s Grammy Gold

Pictured (L-R): Dan Smyers, Blake Shelton and Shay Mooney attend the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party at Hollywood Athletic Club on January 23, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Warner Music)

Warner Music Nashville celebrated all of its Grammy nominees during a pre-Grammy party at the Hollywood Athletic Club on Thursday, Jan. 23.

WMN duo Dan+Shay went on to win Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Speechless” during the Sunday evening Grammy ceremony, marking back-to-back wins in the category (they took home the same honor the previous year for “Tequila”). The duo’s “Speechless” was also nominated for Best Country Song.

Fellow WMN artist Blake Shelton was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance (“God’s Country”) and performed “Nobody But You,” his latest single featuring Gwen Stefani. Ashley McBryde also scored two nominations, for Best Country Solo Performance (“Girl Goin’ Nowhere”) and Best Country Song (“Girl Goin’ Nowhere”).

Pictured (L-R): Ashley McBryde and Blake Shelton attend the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party at Hollywood Athletic Club on January 23, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Warner Music)

Pictured(L-R): John Esposito, Scott Hendricks, Shay Mooney, Blake Shelton, Max Lousada, Gwen Stefani, Dan Smyers and Ashley McBryde attend the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party at Hollywood Athletic Club on January 23, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for Warner Music)

Industry Pics: ASCAP, Lauren Alaina, Kalie Shorr

ASCAP Celebrates Alabama Music Hall Of Fame Inductees

Pictures (L-R): ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell, Gary Baker, Backstreet Boys’ Kevin Richardson. Photo by Ken Shelton.

ASCAP and Nashville music industry friends traveled to the Muscle Shoals area on Saturday, Jan. 25 to celebrate Alabama Music Hall of Fame 2020 inductee Gary Baker and fellow inductees Mervyn Warren, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, and Elton B. Stephens.

Shoals songwriter Baker was inducted by friends Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys. Baker moved to Muscle Shoals more than 40 years ago to write songs, and his hits include the Grammy-winning “I Swear,” made famous by both John Michael Montgomery and All 4 One, and “I’m Already There,” recorded by Lonestar.

Pictured (L-R): Tower Community Bank’s John Briggs, past Alabama Music Hall of Fame inductees David Briggs and Spooner Oldham, hit songwriter Chris Tompkins, ASCAP’s Mike Sistad.

 

 

Lauren Alaina Announces New EP During ‘Today Show’ Visit

TODAY Show host Jenna Bush Hager (Left) and guest host Jerry O’Connell (Right) welcome Lauren Alaina (Center) to set to perform her latest single “Getting Good.” Photo: NBC

Lauren Alaina recently announced her upcoming six-song EP, Getting Good, will be released March 6. She made the announcement during an appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show, where she also performed her single “Getting Good.”

 

 

Kalie Shorr Visits WSM/Circle’s Coffee, Country and Cody

Pictured: Shorr, WSM’s Charlie Mattos, WSM’s Bill Cody, WSM’s Jo Smith. Photo: 117 Entertainment

Kalie Shorr visited WSM and Circle’s Coffee, Country and Cody recently to perform two songs off her debut album Open Book and promote her “Too Much to Say” Tour, which visits Nashville’s Exit/In on Friday, Jan. 31.

SOURCE Hall Of Fame Awards Set For August

The 18th Annual SOURCE Hall of Fame Awards have been set for Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020 at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville.

The annual awards honor and induct a select group of women into the SOURCE Hall of Fame who have made a significant impact on the Nashville entertainment industry. Inductees for 2020 will be announced soon. Info on how to purchase tickets, partnerships, and program ads will be released in the upcoming weeks.

The SOURCE Awards were established in 2003 to honor and pay respect to the women who helped shape and build upon Nashville’s entertainment industry. Founded in 1991, SOURCE is the longest running organization for females in the music industry in Nashville and is dedicated to fostering relationships and opportunities for its members through continuous education, networking, and community service initiatives.

Mary Forest Findley Returns To BBR Music Group

Pictured (clockwise from top left): Findley, Coen, Powers, Peoples, Corrado

BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville has promoted one staffer and hired four new employees.

Mary Forest Findley has returned to the label group, as Director, Southeast Promotion for Stoney Creek Records.

Additionally, Jen Coen has been named Director, Brand Partnerships, while Tyler Corrado joins as Manager, Social Media and Fan Engagement, and Kelsey Peoples joins as Office Manager for the Nashville office. Sarah Powers has been named Executive Assistant to Jon Loba.

Findley previously worked as a manager at Red Light Management. She also served as VP, Sales/Marketing for Country Aircheck, and previously worked at BBR Music Group from 2013-2015 as VP, Marketing. She reports to Byron Kennedy, VP, Promotion for Stoney Creek Records.

Corrado previously worked in independent artist management/development/strategy, and was the co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer for a Nashville-based fan engagement platform. Corrado reports to BBR Music Group’s VP of Marketing, JoJamie Hahr.

Peoples joins BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville serving as the newly appointed Office Manager for the Nashville office. For the past five years, Peoples worked independently for clients in New York City, Kansas City, and Nashville providing office management, HR and accounting services. Peoples will report directly to BMG, VP of Operations, Ulrike Benn.

Powers is a recent graduate from MTSU where she earned a B.A. in Marketing. While attending MTSU, she interned with Lightning 100 and Live on the Green’s Marketing, Promotion, and Strategic Partnership departments. Additionally, she assisted Scott McGhee at One Degree Entertainment, as well as interning under Brooke Sanders for the CRB team focusing on Strategic Partnerships.

Jay DeMarcus’ Red Street Records Hires Mark Lusk, Promotes Don Koch

Mark Lusk, Don Koch

Jay Demarcus‘ Red Street Records has announced a round of hirings and promotions.

Mark Lusk has joined as President/General Manager, while Don Koch has been promoted to Exec. VP, Creative/A&R.

Prior to his work at Red Street Records, Lusk served as President/General Manager for INPOP Records, where he oversaw projects including the Gold-selling Newsboys: God’s Not Dead, Newsboys Greatest Hits, and other top projects. Lusk is a partner with INPOP Studios. He spent six years with Warner Music Group, first as VP, Marketing for Atlantic Records in Nashville. He then took the reins as Sr. VP for Marketing for Word/Curb/Warner Brothers, where he helped spearhead Randy Travis’ 2003 chart-topping single “Three Wooden Crosses” and Travis’ album Rise and Shine, which earned a Grammy for Best Country Gospel Album. Lusk also served as Director, Marketing for Lifeway’s Broadman & Holman.

“We are bursting at the seams here at Red Street Records, and we are growing faster than I ever could’ve imagined,” DeMarcus says. “With that, I am so excited to have Mark Lusk enter into his new role as our President/General Manager. Mark is a proven veteran of the music industry, and his vast knowledge and expertise will be an exciting, extraordinary addition to our executive team. We are honored to have him. With these changes, Don Koch is promoted to Executive Vice President of Creative/A&R.”

Lusk says, “I’m proud to be joining the entire Red Street team. I’ve known Jay DeMarcus for many years and have always admired the way he walks out his faith in the public arena. And Don is an iconic producer and songwriter with an impressive legacy for writing and creating great music. The possibilities of this label are limitless and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute.”

Cambria Mackey, Taylor Day, Mary Thorsby

Additionally, the label has added several support staff, including Cambria Mackey, who will lead the Social Media and Digital Marketing department, and will also serve as Artist Development Manager. Taylor Day has been added as Marketing & Media Buying coordinator, and Mary Thorsby has joined as Executive Assistant.

DeMarcus launched Red Street Records in 2018; the label has since signed artists including Avalon, Lauren JamesReagan Strange and Cade Thompson.

Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Lady A, Kane Brown Among iHeartCountry Festival Lineup

Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Dustin Lynch, Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Jon Pardi, Chase Rice, Bentley’s ’90s country-immersed group Hot Country Knights, Bobby Bones and more will perform on the upcoming iHeartCountry Festival May 2. The one-day festival held at Frank Erwin Center in Austin will livestream exclusively on livexlive.com and broadcast live across iHeartMedia’s country stations in their local markets and at iHeartRadio.com.

“Now in its seventh year, the iHeartCountry Festival has undoubtedly become one of the most anticipated nights in country music,” said Rod Phillips, EVPP of iHeartCountry. “With an incredible roster of country music’s most popular artists, this year’s show will once again exceed listeners and viewers expectations, as the event broadcasts across our iHeartCountry stations nationwide and livestreams exclusively on LiveXLive.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, Feb. 7 via TexasBoxOffice.com.

Laura Veltz Surpasses Ashley Gorley On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart

Laura Veltz has passed Ashley Gorley to hit the top spot on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, with co-writer credits on “The Bones” (Maren Morris), “To A T” (Ryan Hurd) and “What If I Never Get Over You” (Lady Antebellum). Gorley occupies the No. 2 position.

Josh Osborne moves up to No. 3, Luke Combs advances to No. 4 and Jimmy Robbins to No. 5.

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.

Weekly Register: Little Big Town’s ‘Nightfall’ Dawns At No. 1

With the group’s latest full-length album, Nightfall, Little Big Town has debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, with the project moving 31K in total consumption in its debut week, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Powerhouse Luke Combs takes the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, with What You See Is What You Get moving 23K and This One’s For You moving 16.5K, respectively.

Dustin Lynch‘s latest, Tullahoma, debuts at No. 4 this week, with 16.4K. Blake Shelton‘s Fully Loaded: God’s Country rounds out the Top 5 with 16K.

Recent Grammy winners Dan+Shay continue to dominate the country on-demand streaming chart this week with their Justin Bieber collab, “10,000 Hours.” The track earned 10.9 million streams in the past week.

The remainder of the Top 5 on-demand streaming country songs also remains the same as last week.

Maren Morris‘ “The Bones” stays at No. 2 again this week, earning 7.4 million streams. Old Dominion‘s “One Man Band” is at No. 3, with 6.4 million streams this week. Luke Combs’ “Even Though I’m Leavin'” is at No. 4 with 5.9 million streams this week, and Gabby Barrett‘s “I Hope” is at No. 5 with 5.6 million streams.

SOLID Elects New Board

Pictured (L-R, back row): Amanda Quinton, Sean Fallon, Ryan Cunningham, Matt Alese, Jordan Lipsey, Rachel Guttmann, Darcie Van Etten, Amy Kadish, Lisa Peterson, Justin Tomlinson; (L-R, front row): Ellen Larson, Luke Pierce, Avery King, Nathan Pyle, Victoria Chaitoff, Brian O’Neil

The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) has announced its board for the organization’s 23rd year. The Executive Board will be comprised of President Nathan Pyle (Monument Records), Vice President Avery King (Elicity Public Relations), Treasurer Luke Pierce (WORKS Entertainment), and Secretary Victoria Chaitoff (Warner Music Nashville).

Committee Chairs for 2020 are as follows:
Ambassadorship Chair: Skyler Clark-Hamel (WME)
Ambassadorship Co-Chair: Sean Fallon (Indian Moon)
Communications Chair: Jordan Lipsey (615 Strategy & Leverage)
Communications Co-Chair: Matt Alese (Grayscale Marketing)
Community Outreach Chair: Ellen Larson (APA)
Community Outreach Co-Chair: Lisa Peterson (Collective Artist Management)
Education Chair: Amanda Quinton (Quinton Digital)
Education Co-Chair: Justin Tomlinson (RCA Inspiration)
Music Market Chair: Amy Kadish (Wiatr & Associates)
Music Market Co-Chair: Rachel Guttmann (Stephanie Taylor Law, PLLC)
Music Market Co-Chair: Darcie Van Etten (Country Radio Broadcasters)
Social Chair: Ryan Cunningham (NSAI)
Social Co-Chair: Mollie Jones (Paradigm)

“The excitement continues in 2020 following two consecutive record-breaking years,” said Pyle, who is serving his third term on the Executive Board and his first as president. “Not only are we taking on the challenge of meeting the achievements of the previous two years, but we’re continuing to expand all SOLID has to offer with the introduction of SOLID Shares.”

The SOLID Alumni Board also announced its new president and board members. The board will be led by President Brian O’Neil (Constellation Management) and includes the following members: Liz Rogers (Anacrusis Songs), Rachel Glidden (WMA), Sam Alex (Sam Alex Productions) and Collin Trudan (Ramsey Solutions).