Industry Ink: Grammy Museum Mississippi, Combustion Music, More

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Grammy Museum Mississippi Adds Three New Members To Board Of Directors

The Grammy Museum Mississippi has added three new members to its Board of Directors, including Betsy Aguzzi of the Mississippi Limestone Corporation, music publicist/entrepreneur Zach Farnum and artist manager Gaines Sturdivant. Aguzzi, Farnum and Sturdivant have been elected to three-year terms. The Board of Directors is responsible for governance, oversight and major decision-making for the Grammy Museum Mississippi, and establishing a strategic plan so that the Museum can fulfill its educational mission.

“We are thrilled to welcome Betsy Aguzzi, Zach Farnum and Gaines Sturdivant to our Board of Directors,” says Emily Havens, Executive Director of Grammy Museum Mississippi. “Each of these talented new members are experts in their individual fields and will be exceptional additions to our Board. We’re looking forward to working with them and the rest of our Board to continue to enhance our music education programming and other inspiring events that we offer here at Grammy Museum Mississippi for the next several years and beyond.”

 

Combustion Music Celebrates 11th Annual Hope Town Music Festival

Pictured (L-R): Nicole DeNardin, Assistant Administrator for ECC; Olivia Patterson-Maura, Executive Director of FRIENDS; Troy Pritchard, HTVFR Chief; Cha Boyce, Deputy Director of FRIENDS; Chris Farren, Founder of Combustion Music and Combustion Music Hope Town Music Festival; and Chris Knowles and Jim Todd of HTVFR. Photo: Courtesy of Combustion Music

Combustion Music celebrated its 11th annual Combustion Music Hope Town Music Festival in Elbow Cay on Dec. 6-8, raising over $400,000 for three local charities: Every Child Counts (ECC), Friends of the Environment and the Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue. This year’s three-day festival featured performances by hitmakers Kendell Marvel, Chris DeStefano, Chris Farren and Payton Smith, and many other special guests, including local favorites Donella and Journey Higgs and her father. The annual festival was established by Combustion Music Founder and President Chris Farren, who has owned a home on the island for over 20 years.

“Each year, I worry that we might have overstayed our welcome, and that my great friends and writers from Nashville, as well as the hundreds of festival goers, are a bit tired of giving…Boy, am I glad my worries were unfounded again this year,” shares Farren. “Once again, everyone stepped up, and we raised a boatload of money…and had a bunch of fun doing it. Thank you to everyone involved!”

 

Kristina Murray Inks With Normaltown/New West Records

Kristina Murray. Photo: Schuyler Howie

Kristina Murray has signed to Normaltown/New West Records and will release her new project Little Blue on May 9. The nine-song set was produced by Misa Arriaga (Kacey Musgraves, Wyatt Flores) and Rachael Moore (T Bone Burnett’s longtime engineer). Murray has announced a new tour in support of Little Blue. Prior to her album release celebration on May 9 in Nashville, she will appear at this year’s SXSW Music Festival in Austin.

 

Green Hill Productions Expands Relationship With The Piano Guys

The Piano Guys

Primary Wave Music is expanding its partnership with The Piano Guys as Green Hill Productions, a member of Sun Label Group, acquires a additional stake in the group’s master catalog. As part of this growing relationship, Green Hill will continue working with The Piano Guys through a new distribution deal.

The Piano Guys (pianist Jon Schmidt, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, videographer Paul Anderson and music producer Al van der Beek) have amassed over two billion YouTube views and topped Billboard charts across multiple genres.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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