Industry Ink: Lindsay Rimes, Ben Hutto, Steve Smentek

APRA Honors Lindsay Rimes for 1,000,000,000 Streams on Kane Brown’s “Heaven”

Nashville-based songwriter and producer Lindsay Rimes has been honored by APRA AMCOS, the Australasian Performing Right Association and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society. Rimes has been added to The 1,000,000,000 List for co-writing Kane Brown‘s 2017 smash hit “Heaven.” This is the first country song, and the 35th overall, recognized for surpassing more than one billion streams across all major streaming services.

The track topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Canada Country chart. It is certified 6x Platinum in the U.S. and triple Platinum in Canada.

“I’m thrilled to have a billion streams for ‘Heaven!’ Thanks to everyone who listened to the song and APRA AMCOS for their continued support of Aussie writers abroad,” Rimes shares.

Originally from Sydney, Rimes focused on songwriting and producing after an injury curtailed his rugby career. He relocated to Nashville and co-penned Dylan Scott’s country hit “Hooked” with Morgan Evans and Seth Ennis at an APRA AMCOS SongHubs and quickly became an in-demand collaborator. Rimes’ credits include releases by Locash, Luke Bryan, Tyler Rich, and more. He was honored with an Overseas Recognition Award at the 2019 APRA Music Awards.

“Lindsay Rimes proved, once again, that he is a HITMAKER on any continent! ‘Heaven’ was a massive song for Kane Brown and country music, and we are proud to represent Lindsay in all of his successes!” adds Sony Music Publishing, Executive Vice President, Nashville A&R, Josh Van Valkenburg.

 

 

Ben Hutto Rises To Director Of Brands & Partnerships At Triple 8 Management

Triple 8 Management’s Ben Hutto has risen from artist manager to Director of Brands and Partnerships.

Hutto has secured brand and sponsor deals, with Triple 8 clients recently landing partnerships with EA Sports, Samsung, Microsoft, Shell, Citibank, Bud Light, ESPN, Journeys, Chipotle, Pizza Hut, Ford, Southwest Airlines and Wild Turkey, among others. He has been key in the company’s major successes in brand and sync opportunities including Judah & the Lion penning the Nashville SC theme song that plays in-stadium before every home game as well as Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors’ songs being featured in multiple award-winning ad campaigns.

“Ben and I actually met when he was in college–he was managing Judah & the Lion while they were all students at Belmont together,” notes Triple 8 Executive Partner Paul Steele. “I was so impressed by him and the band that I offered him a job the day he graduated, and it’s been a pleasure to work together ever since.”

“We love turning what may seem like one-off opportunities into career pillars for artists,” adds Hutto. “Our focus in that area with Judah & the Lion over the years is a major part of what has allowed them to grow their brand the way they have, so I’m excited to continue creating opportunity for all of our artists on the Triple 8 roster.”

 

 

Vibecity Music Publishing Signs Steve Smentek

Vibecity Music Publishing, a Nashville-based boutique publishing company owned by Clay Mills and Marty Dodson, has signed Steve Smentek to an exclusive staff songwriter deal.

A Chicago native, Smentek has been coming to Nashville on a regular basis to attend songwriting events and network, eventually joining SongTown. Smentek is currently working with a wide range of artists and co-writers.

“I’m really excited about Steve joining the VibeCity team. His tenacity for chasing down a hook and a great song is stronger than just about any writer I’ve worked with,” Mills says.

“Steve is one of the hardest working songwriters I know,” adds Dodson. “He continues to learn and grow as a writer and we are excited to see where his partnership with VibeCity can take us all.”

Dodson and Mills collectively have over 250 cuts and 12 No. 1 songs between them, including Kenny Chesney’s “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven,” Billy Currington’s “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” Darius Rucker’s “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” and Diamond Rio’s “Beautiful Mess.” They co-founded VibeCity in 2018, whose roster now includes Smentek, Josh Byrd, Kelly McKay and Jesse Slack.