MusicRow Weekly (News, Charts, More…)

/by

The latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly brings a flurry of industry achievements, strategic shifts and milestone celebrations. Click here to see the full edition.

Big Loud Records and Mercury Records have jointly named Wes Donehower as Senior Vice President of A&R.

Songwriters took center stage in New York last Thursday (June 12), as Ashley Gorley was formally inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Gorley, one of country music’s most prolific hitmakers, joined an illustrious class that included The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons, George Clinton, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Mike Love of The Beach Boys, and Tony Macaulay. The evening also honored Stephen Schwartz with the Johnny Mercer Award and Gracie Abrams with the Hal David Starlight Award.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has announced a special exhibit honoring Lainey Wilson. Opening July 18 and running through June 2026, the display will feature a curated selection of Wilson’s personal and professional memorabilia, including her childhood saddle, teenage journal, and iconic outfits from red carpets and milestone performances, such as her Grand Ole Opry debut.

Luke Combs has earned 34 new RIAA certifications, bringing his career total to more than 155.5 million certified units. This achievement places Combs second only to Garth Brooks in country music RIAA certifications.

Triple Tigers Records is doubling down on its promotional efforts with the launch of a second promotion team, Akando Music. Industry veteran JC Coffey has been appointed Senior Director of National Promotion at Akando and will lead the team’s day-to-day operations. Raffaella Braun, VP of Promotion at Triple Tigers, and Co-President Kevin Herring will provide executive oversight.

Kate Bowling has joined The Core Entertainment as Director of Creative, bringing her expertise to the growing company’s artist roster and creative direction.

Musicians On Call (MOC) has announced the addition of nine new team members as it scales its nationwide footprint. New hires include Hailey Gilleland (Director of Development), Kathryn Bennett (Director of Individual Giving), Katie Trent (Development Coordinator), Danys Coronel (Digital Content Manager), Christopher Anthony (PR & Talent Coordinator), Emiley Roye (Northeast Program Coordinator), Abby Tannler and Ella Hunt (Program Coordinators) and Delaney McBride (Executive Assistant).

On the publishing front, Liz Rose Music and Sheltered Music Publishing have partnered to sign Eric Paslay. Sydney Quiseng has inked a worldwide agreement with BMG, while Ryan Kohn has signed a global publishing deal with Concord Music Publishing in partnership with John Dennis’ InDent Music, marking another strong collaboration in the songwriting and publishing space.

Brothers Ocie and Wes Crowe, better known as The Crowe Boys, reached a career high on June 10 with their debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry stage.

Meanwhile, Go West Creative has promoted Jeremy Vaughn to Director of Entertainment & Experiential, expanding his leadership role within the company’s growing live entertainment and brand experience initiatives.

This week also features a look at 100 Years of Grand Ole Opry, a new hardcover book offers fans and industry insiders a deeper understanding of the institution that helped shape country music itself with Craig Shelburne. Grammy-nominated songwriter Sandy Knox also talks about Weighting: My Life If It Were A Musical, a first-of-its-kind audiobook musical set for release June 24.

In addition, the latest MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart is included. Nate Smith takes the No. 1 spot with “Fix What You Didn’t Break.” Explore more chart data here.

The MusicRow Weekly is delivered every Friday, featuring Nashville’s top music industry news, exclusive interviews, song reviews, radio and songwriter charts and more. Sign up for free here.

Madison Hahnen
Latest posts by Madison Hahnen (see all)