AIMP Nashville Awards Nominees Announced

The Nashville Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) has announced the nominees of the fifth annual AIMP Nashville Awards.

Five independent music publishers and 10 songwriters each received more than one nomination, including publishers Big Machine Music, Big Yellow Dog, Creative Nation, Kobalt Music, and SMACKSongs, as well as songwriters Barry Dean, Jessie Jo Dillon, HARDY, Ryan Hurd, Ashley McBryde, Matt Stell, Laura Veltz, and Allison Veltz Cruz.

An in-person ceremony had been slated for April 27, 2020 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony will not be rescheduled or held virtually; instead, winners will receive their awards via mail.

Voting runs from July 20-24, with the winners to be announced the following week. Those who would like to vote must visit aimp.org/register by July 23 to either ensure their membership is in good standing or sign up to become an AIMP Nashville Chapter member.

“While this is not how we envisioned this year’s AIMP Nashville Awards, we still want to honor the work of the fabulous songwriters, artists, and publishers in our community who deserve to be recognized,” said Ree Guyer, Vice President of the AIMP Nashville Chapter and Co-Chair of the AIMP Nashville Awards. “This is an unprecedented situation but not one we can’t overcome. We hope to see everyone in person again soon.”

“While we wish we could bring the Nashville community together at the Ryman this year, we’re still excited to honor the hard work of our local independent publishers and songwriters,” said John Ozier, President of the AIMP Nashville Chapter. “In times like these, we need music even more than ever. These companies and individuals are doing their part to keep people entertained during this unpredictable time, and they must be celebrated.”

Last year’s winners included HARDY, Aaron Eshuis, Leslie Roberts, “Made for You” (penned by Benjy Davis, Joey Hyde and Neil Medley), Luke Combs, Jessie Jo Dillon, Celia Froehlig, and more.

The full list of nominees for 2020 are:

AIMP Publisher of the Year
Big Machine Music Publishing
Kobalt Music
Curb Word Entertainment
SMACKSongs
Peer Music
Downtown Music

AIMP Rising Songwriter of the Year
Allison Veltz Cruz
Alysa Vanderheym
Hunter Phelps
Jameson Rodgers
Jennifer Denmark
Sam Sumser

AIMP Rising Artist-Writer of the Year
Hailey Whitters
Kylie Morgan
Matt Stell
Runaway June
Ryan Hurd
Tenille Townes

AIMP Songwriter of the Year
Ashley Gorley
HARDY
Luke Combs
Laura Veltz
Hillary Lindsey
Jordan Schmidt

AIMP Artist-Writer of the Year
Ashley McBryde
Brothers Osborne
HARDY
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Old Dominion

AIMP Song Champion of the Year
Alex Heddle
Brad Peterson
David Israelite
Greg Gallo
Lee Krabel
Stephanie Cox

AIMP Publisher’s Pick
– “God And Country Music” (Barry Dean, Lori McKenna, Luke Laird) independently published by Creative Nation. Recorded by George Strait.
– “One Night Standards” (Ashley McBryde, Nicolette Hayford, Shane McAnally) independently published by SMACKSongs, River House, Canned Biscuit Songs. Recorded by Ashley McBryde.
– “Seeing Other People” (Emily Falvey, Jason Afable, Matt McGinn) independently published by SMACKSongs, McGinntellectual Property, Rarespark Media Group. Recorded by MacKenzie Porter.
– “Small Town Hypocrite” (Caylee Hammack, Jared Scott) independently published by Plaid Flag Music. Recorded by Caylee Hammack.
– “To Hell And Back” (Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Laura Veltz) independently published by Big Machine Music, Big Yellow Dog, Revelry, Kobalt Music. Recorded by Maren Morris.
– “Wish For The World” (Aaron Eshuis, Joe Clemmons, Ryan Hurd) independently published by Big Machine Music, Mojo Music & Media. Recorded by Ryan Hurd.

AIMP Song of the Year
– “10,000 Hours” (Dan Smyers, Jason Boyd, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jordan Reynolds, Justin Bieber, Shay Mooney) independently published by Big Machine Music. Recorded by Dan & Shay and Justin Bieber.
– “Beer Never Broke My Heart” (Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs, Randy Montana) independently published by Big Machine Music, 50 Egg Music. Recorded by Luke Combs.
– “Heartache Medication” (Barry Dean, Jon Pardi, Natalie Hemby) independently published by Creative Nation, Song Factory, Pulse Nation, MV2 Entertainment. Recorded by Jon Pardi.
– “One Man Band” (Brad Tursi, Josh Osborne, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen) independently published by Wrensong Entertainment, Anthem Entertainment, Twelve6 Entertainment, SMACKSongs. Recorded by Old Dominion.
– “Prayed For You” (Allison Veltz Cruz, Ash Bowers, Matt Stell) independently published by Big Deal Music, Wide Open Music, Endurance Music. Recorded by Matt Stell.
– “The Bones” (Jimmy Robbins, Maren Morris, Laura Veltz) independently published by Big Yellow Dog, Big Machine Music, JRM Publishing, Round Hill Music. Recorded by Maren Morris.