Industry Ink: Donna Duarte, Hailey Whitters, Black CMA/Black Opry, More

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Donna Duarte Retires From Sony Music Nashville

Donna Duarte.

Music industry veteran Donna Duarte has retired from Sony Music Nashville after 31 years in the business.

Duarte’s career began at Capitol Records Nashville before taking her to Virgin Music Group. In 2001, Joe Galante hired her as an Executive Assistant to the Chairman. Duarte went on to serve the following Chairmen through her recent retirement.

She is looking forward to traveling and spending more time with her family and friends going forward.

Duarte can be reached at [email protected].

Hailey Whitters’ ‘Everything She Ain’t’ Goes Platinum

Pictured (L-R): Shay Mooney, Hailey Whitters and Dan Smyers. Photo: Aubrey Wise.

On Friday (Aug. 11), the rising country star Hailey Whitters was surprised on stage by Dan + Shay with her first-ever platinum plaque for her hit single “Everything She Ain’t.” The RIAA certification follows her rapid ascent after winning New Female Artist of the Year at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in May, where she performed the song during broadcast.

Last month, Whitters released her I’m In Love EP. Billboard named her their July 2023 all-genre Chartbreaker as “Everything She Ain’t” spent 66 weeks on their Country Airplay chart, and she marked her first appearance on the Hot 100 chart in May.

This September, Whitters will hit the road with Eric Church on his “Outsiders Revival Tour,” followed by a run of dates supporting Luke Bryan‘s “Country On Tour.”

CMHOF Hosts Black CMA, Black Opry Program & Performance

Pictured (L-R): Valierie Ellis Hawkins, Frankie Staton, Denitia, Joe West, Holly G, Tanner Davenport and Angela Stefano Zimmer. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

This weekend, the Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum hosted a conversation and performance with Frankie Staton from the Black Country Music Association, Black Opry Revue Founder Holly G and Black Opry Revue Co-Director Tanner Davenport. The museum’s writer-editor Angela Stefano Zimmer led the conversation about the organizations’ histories, their impact within the music industry and their future goals.

The Black Country Music Association was founded by performer Cleve Francis in 1995, and has been led by songwriter and performer Staton since 1996. They built community by hosting showcases in Nashville and educated fans about country music’s Black performers in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The Black Opry continues that work, spotlighting Black Americana, blues, country and folk artists and connecting Black fans. Founded in April 2021 by Holly G, a country music fan from Virginia, the organization that as has grown into a national performance series, the Black Opry Revue.

The museum’s program featured performances fromStaton, Denitia, Valierie Ellis Hawkins and Joe West as support for the museum’s “American Currents: State of the Music” exhibit. It was filmed and will premiere at a later date as part of the museum’s Live at the Hall digital program series.

Grayscale Marketing Expands Team With New Talent

Geoffrey Nisol & Connor Zinn

Grayscale Marketing has added two new members to their growing team.

Geoffery Nisol has come aboard as the firm’s new Operations Coordinator. Bringing an MBA from EMD School of Business in Marseille, France, Nisol possesses bilingual proficiency and a wealth of project management expertise gained through global endeavors with Revenue River and AXA.

“Joining Grayscale provides me with the chance to be part of a team I’ve long admired. I am eager to contribute to our organization’s expansion and ensure optimal satisfaction for our valued clients,” Nisol expresses.

Connor Zinn joins the ranks of Grayscale Marketing as a Social Media Strategist. Zinn is in the final stages of completing his MBA at Lipscomb University and is a distinguished Veteran of the U.S. Army, having held leadership responsibilities throughout his military career.

“I am thrilled to step into a new industry, collaborating with a dynamic and motivated team led by exceptional leadership. I look forward to pioneering AI and automation solutions for our team and clients as well as sharing in the experiences they enjoy,” says Zinn.

Grayscale Marketing’s CEO, Tim Gray states, “It’s a pleasure to witness our team continuously expand and evolve. Over the past two years, we’ve witnessed a remarkable 300% surge in our staff, and this growth is yielding positive outcomes across our new family of enterprises. These valuable additions to our team will enable us to surpass client expectations and enhance our standing as the premier event marketing agency in the country.”

Lightning 100 Wins Eighth Station Of The Year Award

Pictured (L-R): Lightning 100’s Rev. Keith Coes, Lt. Dan Buckley, Tom Hansen and Gary Kraen

Nashville’s independent radio station, WRLT Lightning 100 won the Station of the Year award for their eighth consecutive year at the 2023 JBE Triple A SummitFest Awards. Lightning 100’s Lt. Dan Buckley was also named Program Director of the Year and Rev. Keith Coes took home Music Director of the Year.

The winner of the annual awards is chosen by peers in the music industry. This year, awards were presented during a special SummitFest ceremony in Boulder, Colorado.

As the independent voice of Nashville radio for over 30 years, Lightning 100 has remained local, sustainable and community-oriented. The station does many things that are contrary to the norms in the radio programming business starting with how they select the music we hear on air. It’s a collaborative process and everyone on staff gets a vote, playing only their favorite songs with a spotlight on local, independent artists.

“We have the best staff, in the best city in America. We couldn’t imagine doing this anywhere else or with anyone else. You are such an important part of what we do. Please keep listening and we’ll all keep winning,” stated Buckley, Lightning 100 Program Director. “Special thanks as well to our fearless President, Lester Turner Jr., who’s sole ownership and support of WRLT lets us work our dream job and make the community we live in a better place.”

“While I’m always thrilled to congratulate the award winners, I wish we could just give awards to everyone who works in Triple A for their dedication to local radio and artist development,” said Jack Barton, Founder  of Jack Barton Entertainment and the JBE Triple A SummitFest. “In an era that emphasizes centralization and chasing quick results, it’s an honor to work with a group of professionals so dedicated to authenticity and hard work, who are driven by passion above all else.”

Caela Griffin
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