Industry Ink: Dierks Bentley, ASCAP, Danielle Bradbery

Dierks Bentley’s Earns Platinum Status With “Living,” Celebrates 15th Anniversary As Grand Ole Opry Member

Dierks Bentley. Photo: Zach Belcher

Dierks Bentley added to his growing list of RIAA certifications recently, as his 19th No. 1 hit “Living” has been certified Platinum. He continues to be a dominant voice for the genre with over 6.4 billion streams.

Bentley also just celebrated his 15th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member with a performance that kicked off the Opry’s month-long 95th anniversary celebration.

ASCAP Nashville Hosts The ASCAP Foundation Christian Music Songwriters Workshop

Pictured (L-R, top row): ASCAP’s Lexi Miller, Stacey Willbur, Vaughn Hollingsworth, Katy Reynolds; (L-R, middle row) Jason Tucker, Corrine Simpson, Angelica Wilshire, ASCAP’s Kele Currier; (L-R, bottom row) Connell Cruise, Brooke Malouf, Scott Liebenow.

The ASCAP Foundation Christian Music Songwriters Workshop took place virtually on October 5 and 6. Organized by the ASCAP Nashville membership team, the workshop hosted eight up-and-coming Christian music writers and was led by music publishing veteran Stacey Willbur, currently VP Publishing/A&R at Full Circle Music. The two days of sessions included intensives on the craft of songwriting, how to objectively assess songs, expanding sources of inspiration, nurturing a creative community, marketing songs and an overview of music publishing. Willbur provided each writer with songwriting suggestions and marketing advice coupled with encouragement and her perspective on the Christian music industry.

Now in its 11th year, the workshop is part of an ongoing series designed to focus on the development and education of promising new songwriters.

Danielle Bradbery’s Achieves RIAA Gold Certification

Danielle Bradbery. Photo: Ford Fairchild

Danielle Bradbery has earned Gold status with “Sway,” from her sophomore album I Don’t Believe We’ve Met (BMLG Records). While 2020 has been a trying year for many artists, quarantine has given Bradbery time to create and expand her musical palette, releasing “Never Have I Ever” early in the year and now following it up with “Girls In My Hometown.”