Tyler Rich To Hit West Coast For Rather Be Us Tour

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Tyler Rich has announced he will hit the road next month for tour dates along the West Coast for his Rather Be Us Tour, inspired by his current single of the same name. The Valory Music Co. artist will launch the tour with his debut performance at The Troubadour in Los Angeles on March 19. Monument Records’ Teddy Robb will be joining the dates.

“I’m pumped to kick off my first ever headlining tour back to where it all started for me; it’s been too long!” Rich said. “I’m bringing my dude Teddy Robb so rally your friends and let’s show him how we do it on the West Coast with the Rather Be Us Tour.”

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. CT this Friday, Feb. 7 at TylerRich.com.

Rather Be Us Tour Dates:
March 19 – Los Angeles, CA / The Troubadour
March 20 – Las Vegas, NV / Stoney’s Rockin’ Country
March 21 – Wheatland, CA / Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
March 22 – San Bernardino, CA / The Brandin’ Iron
March 24 – San Diego, CA / Moonshine Beach
March 25 – Paso Robles, CA / BarrelHouse Brewing Co. – Brewery and Beer Gardens
March 26 – San Jose, CA / Club Rodeo
March 28 – Portland, OR / Ponderosa Lounge & Grill
March 29 – Tacoma, WA / Steel Creek

Celebration Of Life For David Olney Set For March 9

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David Olney. Photo: Scott Housely

A Celebration of Life for songwriter David Olney will take place on Monday, March 9 at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the event will begin at 6:30 p.m. sharp.

The event for Olney, who died Jan. 18 during a performance in Florida, is free and open to the public. It will include music and spoken segments recognizing his life as a husband, father, brother, and friend, as well as the author and performer of works including “Roses,” “1917,” “Deeper Well,” and hundreds of others.

A Nashville resident since 1973, Olney had songs recorded by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Del McCoury, Steve Young, Steve Earle, and more, as well as released 20-plus solo albums and toured extensively worldwide.

Industry Ink: Jon Pardi, Verge Records, Red Street Records

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Sony/ATV’s Rusty Gaston Celebrates No. 1 With Jon Pardi Hit

Pictured: Dane Schmidt, Josh Van Valkenburg, Rhett Akins, Jessi Alexander, Bart Butler Producer, Katie Kerkhover, Pardi, Ryan Gore Producer, Andi Gilberti, Mya Hansen, Anna Weisband, Rusty Gaston, Tom Luteran, Ben Hayslip

Sony/ATV Nashville recently celebrated its first No. 1 under the new leadership of Rusty Gaston, with Jon Pardi‘s recent chart-topper “Heartache Medication.”

Verge Records Signs Jay Allen

Jeff Tobias (project manager), Chris Allen (a&r), Mickey Jack Cones (president/coo), Jay Allen, Emmanuel Zunz (ceo), Ken Madson (general manager), Casey Childers (project manager)

Verge Records has inked an exclusive worldwide recording and publishing agreement with singer-songwriter Jay Allen. Allen moved from Iowa to Nashville in 2013 and signed his first pub deal in 2014. SiriusXM named Allen a “Highway Find” in 2017 for his song “Sounds Good To Me,” co-written with Lindsay Rimes and Phil Barton. In 2018, Allen went viral when he released “Blank Stares,” a song he and Jason Nix wrote for his mother, who died at age 54 from early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Verge Records President/COO Mickey Jack Cones says, “We are extremely excited to sign Jay as one of the first on our roster. As a flagship artist, he not only exemplifies what a true artist is through his writing and vocal abilities, he has the work ethic of a ‘stallion,'” referencing the name of Allen’s band, “and an unparalleled passion to succeed. Verge has an exclusive partnership with ONErpm utilizing its global presence to leverage opportunities for their roster and a radio trigger for tracks that reach set streaming and video metrics.

“Jay has an undeniable authenticity that is the foundation for everything he does. We’re extremely excited to be working with Verge Records and Mickey Jack to bring Jay’s music to the masses,” says Ken Madson, General Manager of ONErpm.

Allen’s first six single releases are slated for delivery to all digital outlets individually over the next 12-18 months.

 

Red Street Records Signs Jason Crabb

Jay DeMarcus‘ Red Street Records has signed Jason Crabb, says a rep from the label. Crabb was previously signed to Daywind. Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox was featured on Crabb’s recent Grammy-winning project Unexpected.

 

Sam Hunt Heads To The Southside With New Album, Summer Tour

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Sam Hunt has announced his sophomore project SOUTHSIDE will be out April 3 on MCA Nashville. The album will feature his current Top 5-and-climbing hit “Kinfolks,” the introspective ballad “Sinning With You,” and more, and is the first full album of new music from Hunt since the release of his Grammy-nominated, triple-Platinum-selling debut, Montevallo.

Released in 2014, Montevallo produced four No. 1 singles and five Platinum and Multi-Platinum-selling hits including “Leave the Night On,” “House Party,” “Take Your Time,” “Break Up In A Small Town” and “Make You Miss Me.” Hunt’s smash hit “Body Like A Back Road” shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and remained there for an unprecedented 34 consecutive weeks, shattering the record for most weeks atop the nearly 59-year-old chart. “Body Like A Back Road” was also the No. 3 most-downloaded all-genre song of 2017. Since Montevallo’s release, Hunt has accumulated over 6.85 billion global streams and has earned 22 million RIAA certified units.

In addition to the April 3 new album release, Hunt will hit the road on The Southside Summer Tour 2020 with special guests Kip Moore, Travis Denning, ERNEST and a DJ set by Brandi Cyrus. The tour kicks off May 28 in Charlotte and visits over 40 markets including Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Birmingham, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego and more. Citi is the official presale credit card for tour, and Citi cardmembers can purchase presale tickets through Citi Entertainment from Feb. 11-13.

Circle Launches In Nashville On WSMV

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Circle has announced its launch in several cities, including Nashville. Circle will broadcast on WSMV channel 4.5, via antenna. The company has also added Meredith Corporations stations including Atlanta, Phoenix, St. Louis, Kansas City and Mobile.

Circle, which was created in partnership with Opry Entertainment Group, is broadcast via an over-the-air digital multicast network and through cable television providers. Circle launched on Jan. 1 of this year, with 16 original shows, such as Opry Live, Bluebird Cafe Sessions, and shows spearheaded by Craig Morgan, Phil Vassar and Dailey & Vincent, among others. In addition to Meredith Corporation, Circle is available in 56 markets via Gray Television and in markets including New York and Los Angeles via an agreement with CBS Television.

 

Joey McCarthy Named A&R/Creative Manager For Fourward Music

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Joey McCarthy has joined Fourward Music as A&R/Creative Manager. McCarthy, who has years of experience in music and brand marketing, will be working out of the management company’s Los Angeles office.

“Joey is an incredibly talented, hungry and honorable executive who has seamlessly fit in the company culture immediately,” said Fourward Music founder and CEO Will Ward.

“Joey brings a lot of knowledge and excitement to the Fourward Music Team,” adds Fourward President Shannan Hatch. “He has connections in multi-genres and is well respected. We are creating a unique team on the business side as well as the creative space and feel Joey is the perfect addition to help create an even more diverse roster.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with someone as accomplished as Will,” said McCarthy. “Fourward has done an incredible job at signing emerging talent, which makes this a really exciting time to join the team. I look forward to contributing to the growth of Fourward music under Will and Shannan’s leadership.”

McCarthy also brings with him two up-and-coming DJs to join the Fourward roster. Seventeen-year-old DJ/producer TOMOS and London-based DJ/producer Aaron Hibell. TOMOS recently released his debut single with Red Music, which featured Jake Miller and quickly earned its way onto Radio Disney, where it stayed for 12 consecutive weeks. Hibell has had official remixes for Diplo, Sia, Lennon Stella, 3LAU and others and started producing at age 18. He is currently working on his debut EP.

 

Weekly Register: Luke Combs Tops Country Albums Chart

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Luke Combs. Photo: Jim Wright

Luke Combs tops this week’s country albums chart with What You See Is What You Get at No. 1 with 23,609 in total consumption, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Blake Shelton‘s Fully Loaded: God’s Country is at No. 2 with 21,220 in total consumption.

Combs’ This One’s For You is at No. 3 with 16,991. Morgan Wallen’s If I Know Me jumps from No. 6 to No. 3 with 12,448 units moved. Dan + Shay‘s self-titled effort rounds out the Top 5 with 11,961 units moved.

On the on-demand streaming country songs rankings, “10,000 Hours” from Dan+Shay and Justin Bieber continues to top the chart, 11,144,281 streams. Maren Morris‘ “The Bones” is at No. 2 with 7,554,740 units streamed. Old Dominion‘s “One Man Band” is at No. 3 with 6,582,381 units streamed. Combs’ “Even Though I’m Leaving” is at No. 4 with 6,060,569 units streamed.

Gabby Barrett‘s “I Hope” rounds out the Top 5 with 5,736,893 units streamed.

FBMM Promotes Four Staffers

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Flood, Bumstead, McCready and McCarthy Inc. has promoted four staffers to senior account assistants, including Brian Huff, Iva Lowe, Zoey Miller and Schuyler Winans.

“We take pride in our team of bright and well-rounded employees,” said Julie Boos, owner and business manager at FBMM. “Brian, Iva, Zoey and Schuyler dive in every day eager to serve our clients with excellence. They’ve all gone above and beyond, and are incredibly deserving of this promotion.”

Huff joined FBMM in May 2018, having previously worked as an accounting intern at Great Minds in Washington, D.C. He also has experience in marketing and development through internships with Story District, Strathmore and Live Nation. He graduated from American University, where he received two bachelor’s degrees, one in music and the other in business and entertainment, with concentrations in arts management and music performance.

Lowe joined FBMM in June 2017. Before joining FBMM, she interned for Farris, Self and Moore, and also worked in the records office at the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith. She holds two bachelor’s degrees – one from Middle Tennessee State University in recording industries with a focus on music business, and another from the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith with a major in vocal music performance and a minor in sociology.

Miller came to FBMM in February 2018 with a background in the entertainment industry. Prior to FBMM, she worked as an independent contractor at Country Music Television for the CMT Awards, CMT Crossroads and CMT Artists of the Year event. She also worked for LEO Events and Premier Global, where she was responsible for different administrative duties such as tracking company purchases and updating accounts payable, accounts receivable and personnel records.

Winans came to FBMM in June 2018 with nearly two years of finance and data experience. Prior to joining the FBMM team, he worked as a financial adviser at AXA Equitable, where he helped clients plan for retirement, create investment plans and select life insurance coverage. He also worked as a data analyst at IPREO, a Nashville software company, where he compiled financial data.

Chris Bandi Signs With RECORDS

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Pictured (L-R): Scott Safford (Safford Motley PLC), Ash Bowers (Wide Open Music), Chris Bandi, Barry Weiss (RECORDS), Brendan Rich (Wide Open Music)

Singer-songwriter Chris Bandi has inked a deal with RECORDS, a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and record exec Barry Weiss. Bandi recently released the single “Man Enough Now,” which he co-wrote with Jason Massey and Jason Duke. The track has earned more than 72 million on-demand audio and video streams and will impact country radio Feb. 18.

Bandi was introduced to RECORDS via Ash Bowers and his Wide Open Music team. Bandi is also working with Keith Gale and Good Company Entertainment to work country radio.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Ash Bowers and Keith Gale as we look to make Chris Bandi the country breakout story of 2020 with his hit ‘Man Enough Now’ just as we did as a team with Matt Stell on ‘Prayed For You,’” said Weiss. “Chris is a great singer/songwriter and we’re already developing a fantastic body of work.”

Bandi is currently on tour with fellow Wide Open Music and RECORDS artist Matt Stell.

CMA Research: Daily Country Music Listenership On The Rise

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According to new research commissioned by the Country Music Association, the percentage of country music listeners who tune in daily has increased slightly over the past six months, from 25% in May 2019, to 27% by the end of 2019.

“The fact that Country Music is garnering more daily listeners means we are connecting more frequently with our audience,” says Karen Stump, CMA Senior Director, Market Research. “We’re converting casual listeners to more engaged listeners.”

The research also shows that the upward shift in daily listening is more pronounced among country music listeners aged 18-34, and those 50-64. Satellite radio emerged as the platform with the most growth in daily usage among country listeners, while the levels of daily country music listening remained steady on other platforms.

The average country music listener also spends approximately 50% of their music listening time tuning in to the country genre, with non-country genres taking up an equal amount of listening time, though these shares vary by demographic, platform and geography.

The research is based on a sample of more than 12,000 music listeners over the age of 18. The data was collected monthly beginning in 2019.

These stats are released via the CMA’s newly-launched product Trend Watch, which offers a monthly look into the behaviors of country music consumers. The tool is exclusive to active CMA members.