Industry Ink: ASCAP, WME, Wasserman Music, Joe Nichols, Clay Walker, CMHOFM, More

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ASCAP Takes Over 6th & Peabody For CMA Fest Showcase

Jennifer Hart. Photo: Erik Philbrook/ASCAP

ASCAP took over 6th & Peabody on Friday (June 6) to showcase its rising artists during CMA Fest and underscore ASCAP’s ongoing efforts to champion music creators at every stage of their careers. The lineup featured Remy Garrison, Jordan Fletcher, Beck & Call, Jennifer Hart, Maddie Lenhart, Mara Connor, Josh David and Blackwater Draw.

 

WME Wraps CMA Fest Events

Dasha with WME Agents at the Chevy Riverfront Stage. Photo: Jon Plarr

WME wrapped its CMA Fest events with over 240 performances from 119 WME clients throughout the week.

WME kicked off the week with its annual Losers Live concert series at Losers Bar & Grill in Midtown. Spanning three nights, the event featured a dynamic mix of artists, including Rodney Atkins, Lee Brice, Easton Corbin, Priscilla Block, Craig Morgan, Matt Stell, Payton Smith, Meghan Patrick and more. On June 4, WME Partners Becky Gardenhire, Aaron Tannenbaum, Jay Williams and Joey Lee were recognized at Billboard’s 2025 Country Power Players event. WME client Ashley McBryde served as co-host of the CMA Fest primetime TV special, taped at Nissan Stadium throughout the week. Across downtown, Lanie Gardner, Ashley Cooke, Mark Wills and so many more lit up official CMA Fest Stages.

 

Wasserman Music Hosts First Annual CMA Fest Party

Wasserman Music Staff. Photo: Kurt Heinecke

Wassmerman Music hosted its first annual CMA Fest party this year. The organization saw 20 of its artists showcased throughout the weekend, including Wynonna Judd’s Girls Night Out at Ascend Amphitheater featuring Noah Cyrus, The War and Treaty, and Madeline Edwards, Blake Shelton headlining Saturday at Nissan Stadium, plus additional showcases by Max McNown, Sam Barber, Margo Price, Abbey Cone, Cameron Whitcomb, Waylon Wyatt and more.

 

Joe Nichols Celebrates Platinum Certifications At Fan Club Party

Pictured (Left Photo): Joe Nichols Day-to-Day Manager Mike Nash; Joe’s daughter Ashelyn Nichols-Stewart; Joe Nichols; RIAA SVP of Media Relations, Gold + Platinum Program Erin Burr; Brown Sellers Brown’s Director of Artist Relations Kendra Whitehead / Pictured (Right Photo): Joe Nichols, Brown Sellers Brown Founder Benny Brown

Joes Nichols recently celebrated his four RIAA-Platinum Certifications for his singles “Sunny and 75,” “Yeah,” “Brokenheartsville” and “Gimmie That Girl.” Additionally, he received a double-Platinum certification for “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.”

Nichols gave away an official Platinum plaque to one member of the audience and one to his long-time label head, Benny Brown.

“I’m grateful to the RIAA for this honor, and to everyone I’ve worked with over the years but, sales and streams are really about my fans and how they’ve reacted to the music,” says Nichols. “That support honestly means the world to me and is what inspires me every day. So, being presented with these plaques at my fan party made it extra special, and I love that we organized an extra plaque for me to give away to one of the fans in a lucky draw. Tonight, I’m feeling pretty darn lucky myself, too.”

 

Clay Walker’s ‘She Won’t Be Lonely Long’ Receives Double-Platinum Certification

Clay Walker’s 2009 single, “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” has been certified double-Platinum by the RIAA, with over two million sales and streaming equivalents.

Walker recently released “Cowboys In Heaven” and has more new music to be announced soon. The Texas native recently appeared on the Drifting Cowboy Podcast, discussing his career and influences like George Jones and Merle Haggard as well as his upcoming role as Randy Travis in his feature biopic.

 

CMHOFM Hosts CMT Next Women Of Country Showcase

Pictured (L-R): Lanie Gardner, Kat Luna, Alexandra Kay, Dasha and Mōriah. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum hosted a showcase on Friday (June 6) featuring Dasha, Lanie Gardner, Alexandra Kay, Kat Luna and Mōriah. The showcase featured artists involved in CMT’s Next Women of Country franchise, which launched in 2013 and highlights up-and-coming country artists.

Dasha recently released her single “Not at This Party” in early 2025. Last year, Gardner released her self-written debut album, A Songwriter’s Diary, and is featured on Thomas Rhett’s recent single, “What Could Go Right.” Kay released her debut album, All I’ve Ever Known, in 2023, and plans to release a follow-up record in 2025. Luna released her first solo EP, That Girl, earlier this year. Mexican-American musician and actress Mōriah wrote and produced her 2022 EP, Curtain Call, and in 2024 released English and Spanish versions of her single, “Hasta Mañana.”

 

Turnpike Troubadours Appears On CBS Mornings

YouTube video

Turnpike Troubadours appeared this past weekend on CBS Mornings’ “Saturday Sessions” in support of their widely acclaimed new album, The Price of Admission. The band delivered a powerful three-song performance, featuring album standouts “Heaven Passing Through,” “Nothing You Can Do” and “On The Red River.” In conversation with Anthony Mason, lead singer Evan Felker also spoke about the band’s origins, their creative process and the passion that continues to drive them.

Watch the full interview here.

 

SOLID Hosts Annual Music Row Madness Fundraiser

SOLID’s Community Outreach Chairs Layne Faltinsky and Leigh Ferro. Photo: Morgan Jergens

The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) held its competitive fundraising event, Music Row Madness, at Eastside Bowl on May 17 benefitting its 2025 SOLID Shares partners. This year, teams from FBMM, CAA, Maverick, Curb, Reliant, UTA and Found Sound Media bowled to support nonprofits Thistle Farms, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Special Olympics, Hope On The Row and Equal Access, raising nearly $9,000.

“It’s truly a privilege to raise significant contributions each year for such deserving causes, all while cultivating community and having a blast doing it,” says SOLID President, Zach Green. “Our accomplished, driven board of directors continues to up the ante on our programming, and I applaud all of the participants and our hard working volunteers who made this fundraiser a success.”

After an evening of bowling and fundraising, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy (FBMM) took the top spot on the podium.

 

Women Of Country Hosts Inaugural CMA Fest Networking Breakfast

Pictured (L-R): Equal Access (EA)’s Tiffany Provenzano, EA artist Valerie Ponzio, The Women Of Country Founder Nicole Marchesi, EA’s Chantrel Reynolds, EA artist Julie Williams. Photo: John Joseph.

The Women of Country hosted its inaugural CMA Fest Women’s Networking Breakfast on June 7. The event was created as an opportunity for their large community of female artists and industry members to connect and refresh during their busy CMA Fest weekend. Presented by Studio Bank and Memoir Residential, the event had approximately 150 attendees.

Partnering with ASCAP, Equal Access and Lucky Money Entertainment, the event included performances from Jillian Dawn, Camille Parker, Jenna Paulette, Valerie Ponzio, Jenna Feeney and Julie Williams.

The Women of Country looks to make the event an annual tradition.

 

Caroline Owens Inks With Main Attraction Management

Caroline Owens.

Caroline Owens has signed an exclusive booking contract with Main Attraction Management.

The Billy Blue Records and Billy Blue Publishing artist is set to release her debut project later this year.

“We are honored to represent such a shining talent,” shares Laura Mainer of Main Attraction Management. “Caroline’s authenticity and presence light up every room she walks into. She brings a rare emotional honesty to her performances that stays with you long after the last note. We can’t wait to help bring her music to audiences across the country during the 2026 touring season.”

 

Bandit Lites Adds Three To Team

Pictured (L-R): Zach Bell, Lane Gill, Shane Mullet

Bandit Lites has added three people to its teams including Zack Bell as Production Fabrication Coordinator, Lane Gill as Production Fabrication Technician and Shane Mullet as Lighting Technician. Bell and Gill join the Nashville team, while Mullet will join the headquarters in Knoxville.

“Shane brings several years of experience and an industry-specific education to the table,” says Client Representative/Production Manager Giff Swart. “In addition to being a lighting tech through his college education, he has toured and worked events as a freelance technician. He has a positive attitude and friendly demeanor. These are all very important traits for the types of events we produce.”

“Zach and Lane are the definition of work ethic,” adds Jake Tickle, Bandit Lites VP of Business and Innovation. “I consistently challenge them to invent better ways to store, transport and repair and they always rise to the challenge. These gentlemen are a remarkable team and bring energy to everything they touch.”

Lauryn Sink
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