MusicRow Weekly (News, Charts, More…)

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This week’s edition of The MusicRow Weekly brings major milestones, career-defining deals, heartfelt farewells, and exciting industry shakeups. Click here to see the full edition.

Country superstar Luke Combs has been officially crowned the highest RIAA-certified country artist in history, with 168 million units sold.

Meanwhile, country legend Vince Gill is reaffirming his legacy with a groundbreaking lifetime recording deal with MCA. The partnership, which spans decades, will include an EP released every month for the next year. The series, titled 50 Years From Home, will blend new songs with reimagined catalog tracks that align with the project’s theme. The first installment, 50 Years From Home: I Gave You Everything I Had, drops Oct. 17 and will include the double-Platinum hit “Go Rest High on That Mountain.”

Another country icon, Alan Jackson, has announced plans for the final full-length concert of his touring career. “Titled Last Call: One More for the Road – The Finale”, the farewell show will take place on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. With a capacity crowd of over 50,000 expected, the night will be a fitting tribute to Jackson’s decades of influence. An all-star lineup, including Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack, will join him for the celebration, with more artists to be announced.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrated its 55th anniversary with a star-studded gala on Oct. 6, honoring seven new inductees. The Class of 2025 includes Steve Bogard and Tony Martin in the songwriter category; Jim Lauderdale and Brad Paisley in the songwriter/artist category; Don Cook in the veteran songwriter category; and Emmylou Harris in the veteran songwriter/artist category. The late JJ Cale was posthumously honored in the Legacy category, recognizing his lasting impact and influence as a NaSHOF-worthy candidate who is no longer living.

This week also saw the IEBA Annual Conference, which wrapped with its Honors & Awards Ceremony on Oct. 7. Brooklyn Bowl Nashville was awarded Club of the Year, while Bridgestone Arena took home Arena of the Year. Andrew Fortin of Neste Live! was named Fair/Expo Buyer of the Year, and Adam Weiser of AEG Presents earned the title of Promoter of the Year. Neste Live! also received recognition as Special Events/Corporate Buyer of the Year. The ceremony also celebrated the induction of two industry veterans, Alex Hodges and Chuck Morris, into the IEBA Hall of Fame.

In leadership news, Samantha Saturn, Chief Marketing Officer at SESAC Music Group, has exited the company after seven years of leadership.

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter made her much-anticipated Grand Ole Opry debut on Oct. 7.

Parker McCollum has renewed his global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music Nashville, while Brantley Gilbert has signed with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. Travis Wood has extended his publishing agreement with Creative Nation.

By Design, a modern music company has been launched by Josh Bailey, Jeremy Holley, Rod Riley and Josh Thompson. The company is part of a larger ecosystem that includes By Design (record label and publisher), Archetype Music (music rights acquisition), and Blueprint, a nonprofit supporting creators. The first artists signed to By Design are Frankie Ballard, Zoe Levert and Alex Jude.

Manager Autumn Ledgin has officially launched her own firm, Ledgin Management, with rising country artist Tucker Wetmore as the flagship act. The new company will work in strategic partnership with Red Light Management. Ledgin has played a key role in Wetmore’s rapid rise since 2023.

Songwriter Brinley Addington has inked a new publishing deal with SMACK.

Rachel Wein has joined MNRK Music Group as Senior Director of A&R, while Andrew Cohen has been appointed Senior Manager, Partnerships at Alltroo.

And finally, producer and songwriter Brandon Manley has signed a new publishing deal with Drumatized and EMPIRE Publishing, continuing his rise in the world of production and songwriting.

In addition, the latest MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart is included. Morgan Wallen maintains the No. 1 spot with “I Got Better.” 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
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