Industry Ink: CMA Foundation, Ingrid Andress, AIMP Nashville, Brandon Whitley

Caitlyn Smith, Ingrid Andress, & Lainey Wilson Join Forces For CMA Foundation

Caitlyn Smith, Ingrid Andress, and Lainey Wilson will take over the Franklin Theater on Sept. 26 for an intimate evening of music. The trio will play in the round, sharing stories behind their award-winning songs and careers.

Tickets are on sale now with a portion of ticket sales benefiting the CMA Foundation, which helps every child gain access to music education in their schools and communities.

VIP Tickets are also available and include access to a pre-show Q&A with the CMA. Doors will open at 7 p.m. with showtime set for 8 p.m.

Ingrid Andress’ ‘Wishful Drinking’ Gets Gold Treatment

Pictured (L-R): Blythe Scokin (Co-Founder, rogue.), Rohan Kohli (Sr. Director A&R, WMN), Anna Cage (VP Radio, WMN), Shane Tarleton (EVP Artist Development, WMN), Ingrid Andress, Clark Tedesco (VP Artist Development, WMN), Mike Dupree (VP Creative Director, WMN), Torie Mason (SVP Strategic Marketing & Analytics, WMN), Tim Foisset (SVP Commercial Partnerships, WMN).

Prior to her Blue Sessions performance at The Basement in Nashville, Ingrid Andress was presented with a plaque commemorating the Gold certification of her current top 10 single “Wishful Drinking” featuring Sam Hunt. Andress’ Warner Music Nashville label-family was on hand for the celebration.

“Wishful Drinking” has garnered nearly 185 million streams worldwide after debuting at No. 8 on Spotify’s all-genre Top 10 USA Song Debuts Chart. The song is featured on Andress’ recently released sophomore album, Good Person, available everywhere now.

AIMP Nashville Chapter Hosts Syn Mock Pitch Event

Pictured (L-R): John Ozier (Reservoir; AIMP National Chair), Courtney Kruckeberg (Endurance Music Group; AIMP Nashville Admin Director), Heather Cook (peermusic), Liz Rogers (Anacrusis), ET Brown (SESAC), Wendy Duffy (Resin8), Emily Boardman (River House Artists; AIMP Nashville Treasurer)

The AIMP Nashville Chapter hosted a Sync Mock Pitch event at the SESAC offices in Nashville on Wednesday (Aug. 31).

A group of AIMP Nashville members were able to present pitches and receive feedback from professionals within the sync space. The judging panel was comprised of several members of the Nashville Film Festival Music Committee, including ET Brown, Heather Cook, Wendy Duffy, and Liz Rogers.

Brandon Whitley Inks With Dare Records

Brandon Whitley

Brandon Whitley has signed with DARE Records, helmed by CEO/Founder and Grammy-winning producer Michael-Anthony “Mooki” Taylor. The Georgia-born singer-songwriter will celebrate by releasing a new track, “Whiskey In Me,” on Sept. 16.

“After seeing how hyped the room was after my team at TruMuzik and I met with DARE Records, I knew they were the ones to help recreate that same reaction with the fans,” Whitley says. “Their energy and excitement about getting the song out matched mine, and that’s a huge deal when deciding to partner up at this level. We could tell we really had something! I’m just excited to give the world a chance to hear this new song and I’m pumped to have DARE Records on board to help make that possible and in a bigger way than ever before!”

Whitley’s hometown of Monroe, Georgia is nestled between college town, Athens, and the metropolis of Atlanta. As a result, his musical influences include elements of rock, blues and country, combining to form his unique sound.

Taylor notes, “Brandon Whitley’s ‘Whiskey In Me’ had me at the drop of that undeniable hook: ‘I just wanna love you!’ Having lived in Music City myself, and felt the pulse of the hottest in country music being created and released, I knew instantly that this song is a bona fide, Nashville-birthed hit! And not to mention… that voice!”