Industry Ink: Corey Kent, Nashville Briefing, AIMP, CMHOF

Corey Kent Hit “Wild As Her” Certified Platinum

Corey Kent, Sony Music Nashville, Triple 8 Management and Combustion Music celebrate Kent’s smash hit single “Wild As Her” with a plaque commemorating R.I.A.A. certified Platinum status at SMN’s headquarters

Corey Kent recently celebrated his single “Wild As Her” reaching an RIAA Platinum certification with his teams from Sony Music Nashville, Triple 8 Management, and Combustion Music. Kent released “Wild As Her” on March 4, 2022, shortly before signing with Sony Music Nashville’s RCA Imprint.

For his rock-infused country sound, Kent draws inspiration from The Eagles, Keith Richards, Turnpike Troubadours and more. He has two albums out now—From The West LP and ‘21—both released via Combustion Music. With headlining and festival credits logged, Kent has been the supporting act for artists including Parker McCollum, Cody Johnson, Chase Rice, and more over the years.

Nashville Briefing Celebrates 30 Under 30 Honorees

Pictured (L-R): Will Tenney (SunPop), JJ Farrell (Jump Global), Nick Maiale (Jump Global), Blair Miller (Chaos Creators), Zak Kuhn (Nashville Briefing), Avery King Harris (Elicity PR), Megan Pekar (Loeb & Loeb), Ali Patton. Photo Credit: Hannah Kik

The Nashville Briefing held its 30 Under 30 Celebration for some of the most powerful people in Nashville under age 30. Attendees ranging from Rock and Roll Hall of Famers to successful young artists and executives joined the party at The 8th Room on Feb. 15. The music industry newsletter, in its third year of publication, presented this night alongside Stem.

“Last week we gathered many leaders in Nashville’s music industry to celebrate the next generation in the business, shine a spotlight on them and build community,” says Zak Kuhn, founder & CEO of The Nashville Briefing. “Three years in, being included on our 30 UNDER 30 list has already had so many benefits from networking, to creating new opportunities, to being more visible in the industry. We’ve built a community of honorees that […] continue supporting each other’s careers. I also want to thank Stem for all they are doing in Nashville and for being an amazing partner to the next generation.”

Some notable attendees included John Oates (Hall & Oates), Judah Akers (Judah & The Lion), Yelawolf, Copeland Isaacson (Head of Artist Partnerships – YouTube Nashville), Blake McDaniel (Agent, CAA), Spencer Crandall, Johnny Cloherty, (CEO, Songfluencer) Carla Turi (Editor, Spotify), Roxy King (A&R Director, Universal Music Publishing Group), Zach Farnum (117 Entertainment), Andre Herd (Director of A&R, APG), Rocky Block (songwriter, Big Loud) and duo Temecula Road (Warner Music Nashville).

AIMP Hosts “Things You Didn’t Know You Needed To Know” Panel

Pictured (L-R): Courtney Crist (Anthem Entertainment), Brent Daughrity (Anderson Benson), Ree Guyer (Wrensong Music), Greyson Stephens (Big Machine Label Group), Trina Smith-Dort (Me Gusta Music), Emily Boardman (River House Artists)

The Association of Independent Music Publishers Nashville Chapter hosted a panel, “Things You Didn’t Know You Needed To Know,” on Feb. 17. This panel, moderated by Trina Smith-Dort (Owner, Me Gusta Music), tackled the collection of publishing royalties and the protections of copyright insurance.

Brent Daughrity (Partner, Anderson Benson) and Grayson Stepehens (Sr. Director of Royalties & Finance, Big Machine Label Group) were the event’s featured panelists.

AIMP, whose primary focus is to educate and inform music publishers about the most current industry trends and practices, hosted this event at the CMA offices in Nashville.

CMHOF Opens New Dick Curless Legacy Exhibit

Pictured (L-R): Terry Chinnock (Curless’s daughter), Peter Guralnick, Jake Guralnick, Michael Gray and Chuck Mead. Photo courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum celebrated the new exhibit, “Dick Curless: Hard Traveling Man From Maine,” this weekend with a special performance and discussion program.

This exhibit traces the life and legacy Dick Curless, including his hit song “A Tombstone Every Mile” and through his final album, Traveling Through. “Dick Curless: Hard Traveling Man From Maine” features instruments, stage wear, and personal artifacts courtesy of the Curless family and is open through January 2024.

As the featured speakers for the evening, co-curator of the exhibit, Peter Guralnick, was joined by his son, Jake Guralnick, who produced Curless’ final album. The night also saw a tribute to Curless performed by Chuck Mead of BR549. Both the discussion and performance were filmed and will be available for streaming on the museum’s website.