Laura Veltz Extends Publishing Deal With Big Machine Music

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Laura Veltz. Photo: Darling Juliet

Laura Veltz has signed a long-term extension of her publishing deal with Big Machine Music.

Veltz has achieved numerous milestones during her nearly eight-year tenure with the company, crafting six No. 1 hits: “What If I Never Get Over You” (Lady A), “The Bones“ and “I Could Use A Love Song” (Maren Morris), “Lonely Eyes” (Chris Young), “Drunk Last Night” (Eli Young Band) and “Speechless” (Dan + Shay), which earned her first Grammy Awards nomination for Best Country Song. “The Bones” continues to shatter the record for most consecutive weeks held by a solo female artist at 19 weeks-and-counting atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, long after its multi-week reign on both Country and Hot AC radio.

Veltz’s current singles include Kelly Clarkson’s Hot AC hit “I Dare You,” which was translated into five different languages and features artists from across the globe, Morris’ “To Hell and Back,” The Voice winner Danielle Bradbery’s “Never Have I Ever” and an upcoming single from Lava/Republic Recording artist somegirlnamedanna. Her songs have also been recorded by Miranda Lambert, The Highwomen, Reba McEntire, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Ryan Hurd, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Kane Brown and more.

“Laura is a rarity among rarities in terms of craft, commerciality and caring for her fellow humans,” said BMM General Manager Mike Molinar. “As we have seen multiple times now, her talents are boundless and translate across audiences. We feel privileged that we get to continue supporting her and her music for many years to come.”

She is currently nominated for three 2020 AIMP Nashville Awards including Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year (“The Bones”) and Publisher’s Pick (“To Hell and Back”).

“Big Machine Music and Mike Molinar were both there for my first hit and I am so lucky to have had them in my corner ever since. I’m grateful and excited to partner up again for the next chapter of my life,” said Veltz.

Carrie Underwood To Release Christmas Album ‘My Gift’ This Fall

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Carrie Underwood will be celebrating the upcoming holidays this year with a special gift for her fans, her first-ever Christmas album, My Gift, which will be released globally on Sept. 25. The album will include a combination of beloved traditional favorites as well as original material.

“I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album and it’s been a long time coming,” said Underwood. “I knew this would be my next music project after wrapping my tour last year, and I think it’s turned out to be the perfect time for an album like this, in this period of such personal and spiritual reflection. For me, it’s more important than ever to focus on the true meaning of Christmas in a project like this. Even though it has been a tough year for all of us, sometimes I feel like the greatest realizations can be inspired by the most difficult times, and make us more grateful for the things we do have and for what truly matters.”

Underwood teased the holiday release during her virtual fan club party this summer, and has shared a trailer for the album which includes footage from the recording studio, the album cover photo shoot, and a personal message about how she arrived at the title. Pre-orders of the My Gift CD with exclusive merchandise are available, and the album will also be released on vinyl on Oct. 30, with pre-orders for vinyl available soon.

On My Gift, Underwood welcomes a stellar list of musical collaborators, led by Grammy-winning producer, mixer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Greg Wells. The album features a world-class orchestra, led by the pre-eminent arranger, composer, and conductor David Campbell, and was mixed by 14-time Grammy- winning mixer Serban Ghenea.

HARDY, Thompson, McAnally Take Top 3 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart

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HARDY maintains the No. 1 position on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, after surpassing Craig Wiseman (No. 5) last week for the pinnacle spot.

Josh Thompson moves up to No. 2, with credit on songs “One Margarita” (Luke Bryan), “Ain’t Always The Cowboy” (Jon Pardi), and “Be A Light” (Thomas Rhett featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban). Shane McAnally takes the No. 3 spot with credit on “The Other Girl” (Kelsea Ballerini x Halsey), “Hard To Forget” (Sam Hunt), “Nobody But You” (Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani), “One Night Standards” (Ashley McBryde), “Cheatin’ Songs” (Midland), “Champagne Night” (Lady A), and “Some People Do” (Old Dominion).

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.

Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

2020 Country Radio Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony Postponed

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The 2020 Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction and Dinner ceremony has been postponed to an undisclosed date and time, the Country Radio Broadcasters announced Monday (July 20).

The annual event, initially scheduled for June 24, then re-scheduled for Sept. 3, is now on hold due to ongoing uncertainties surrounding the spread of COVID-19.

CRB/CRS Executive Director RJ Curtis commented, “The health and safety of our inductees, attendees, and sponsorship partners will always be of the utmost importance when planning any CRB event. We will properly honor the Country Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2020 at a future date to be announced. Moving forward, CRB staff will be focusing our attention on a memorable and successful CRS 2021.”

As previously announced, the 2020 Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees include three off-air radio broadcasters and three on-air radio personalities. The off-air honorees are Jim Duncan, Victor Sansone, and George Beasley. The on-air honorees are Tim Wilson, Chuck Edwards, and Mark “Hawkeye” Louis.

Sony Music Nashville Signs Joey Hendricks

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Joey Hendricks. Photo: David Bradley

Sony Music Nashville has signed singer-songwriter Joey Hendricks. The Washington state native will release his debut major label track, “Yours or Mine,” on Friday, July 24.

“All I’ve ever wanted to do was make music,” Hendricks says. “I’m so grateful that Sony saw something in me, and that I get to continue living out this crazy dream with such a great team around me.”

Hendricks moved from Anacortes, Washington, to Nashville in 2017. He signed a publishing deal with Parallel Entertainment, led by Tim Hunze, who encouraged him to record his own songs.

Citizen Vinyl Record Pressing Plant To Open In Asheville

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Citizen Vinyl, a new boutique vinyl pressing plant and record store that also features a bar/cafe, will open in the former Citizen-Times building in Asheville, North Carolina in September.

Once home to the daily paper’s printing facility and offices, the site will soon become North Carolina’s first on-site pressing plant. Founded by veteran music producer Gar Ragland, Citizen Vinyl is keeping all shipping and manufacturing in-house, and will be able to fulfill low-volume orders at a budget friendly price and still maintain the bandwidth to execute large scale label projects.

Sharing the ground floor with the presses will be a fully-stocked record store, an intimate performance and lounge space and Session, a bar/cafe co-created by local culinary mainstays Susannah Gebhart of OWL Bakery and Graham House, formerly of Sovereign Remedies.

The building’s third floor once played host to Asheville’s historic WWNC, which was once considered the most popular radio station in the United States. In 1927, the station hosted live performances by Jimmie Rodgers shortly before he went to Bristol, Tennessee and made his first recordings. In 1939, the station featured on its Mountain Music Time segment the first live performances ever by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, the aggregation that marks the beginning of Monroe’s creation of a new sound called “bluegrass.”

CEO Gar Ragland has set up shop in the former station’s Studio A where he continues in his roles as music producer and mixer, label head of NewSong Recordings, and organizer and co-founder of the internationally recognized NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition.

Photo: Courtesy Citizen Vinyl

BMG Production Music Acquires Dynamic Music

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BMG Production Music has acquired Los Angeles and London-based production music library, Dynamic Music, which has had a sub-publishing agreement with BMG since 2018.

Since 2018, Dynamic Music has seen its revenues double, and has secured more than 100 hours of music use across global television and radio stations, from more than 30,000 usages.

Dynamic Music was co-founded in 2014 by David Felton, Will Mills and Sharooz Raoofi, with Rachel Menzies joining as Director and overseeing day-to-day operations. Dynamic’s catalog includes albums penned by The Shapeshifters, Kid Massive, and Birdee, and spans genres including hip-hop, synthwave, neo-classical, indie and folk and more.

John Clifford, EVP & Global Managing Director at BMGPM, said, “As BMGPM continues to grow, build and innovate with the best providers of production music in the world, bringing Dynamic Music into the fold of the company is an organic transition and recognition of the team’s exceptional work.”

Menzies added, “It’s been an honor to grow and market the Dynamic catalogue over the years. I couldn’t imagine a better home for the business than with the brilliant team at BMGPM.”

Sharooz Raoofi also added, “Dynamic Music is dedicated to creating cutting-edge and forward-thinking music for media. The acquisition by BMGPM is a hugely exciting milestone in the journey of our business and for our team of writers. Its future is in great hands.”

Radio Programming Veteran Kenny Jay Joins Big Loud

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Kenny Jay

Big Loud has filled a newly-created role of National Director of Radio Marketing, as Kenny Jay joins the team. Jay will report to Stacy Blythe, VP, Promotion.

In the new role, Jay will develop, execute, and optimize radio marketing strategies as an extension of the radio promotion team. During Jay’s 23-year career in radio, he most recently served as a PD for WUSN/Chicago and KMNB/Minneapolis. He has also led radio stations in Savannah, Georgia (WUBB), Minneapolis, Minnesota (KMNB), Seattle, Washington (KMPS), and Chicago, Illinois (WUSN), and has also earned accolades including multiple Radio Ink and Billboard top programmer awards.

“When it comes to delivering hit records, I’ve watched this team develop into one of, if not the most, consistent labels in country music,” Jay says. “My previous radio stations and I believed in their artists from the start, and I’m excited to work for such a forward-thinking company. Thank you to Seth [England], Joey [Moi], Craig [Wiseman], and Stacy [Blythe] for the amazing opportunity to join this talented roster of promo executives!”

“When the opportunity arose to have Kenny join our team, the invitation was extended without hesitation,” Blythe says. “Kenny and I have ‘grown up’ in this business together – often sharing similar philosophies that now can be joined into one purpose and execution. We are looking forward to adding his expertise to our efforts in delivering hit records to country radio!”

Tractors Member Jamie Oldaker Dies At 68

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Drummer Jamie Oldaker, best known to country fans as a member of The Tractors, passed away on Thursday (July 16) at age 68.

He had been battling cancer for several years and died at home in Tulsa, Oklahoma surrounded by his family. Oldaker was regarded as the foundation of “The Tulsa Sound” and is a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

His performing career began in the 1960s when he was still a teenager. He formed The Rogues Five, and the group had a local hit single with “Too Good for Love” in 1966. This led to opening concerts for such national acts as The Doors and Paul Revere & The Raiders.

After the group broke up, Jamie Oldaker became a member of Bob Seger’s band in 1971-73. He next joined Eric Clapton’s band, where he remained from 1974 to 1980. Oldaker played on Clapton’s “I Shot the Sheriff” (1974), “Wonderful Tonight” (1978),”Lay Down Sally” (1978) and several other big hits by the star.

He also forged a career as a Tulsa session musician. The drummer backed Leon Russell, New Grass Revival, The Bee Gees, The Bellamy Brothers, Stephen Stills, Asleep at the Wheel, Freddie King and Peter Frampton, among many others. He was briefly a member of the rock group Frehley’s Comet and also served a second stint in Clapton’s band (1983-86).

In 1988, Oldaker began collaborating with the musicians who became the country-rock band The Tractors. They played on demos by K.T. Oslin that led to her RCA recording contract. That same year, Oldaker encouraged fellow Oklahoman Ronnie Dunn to pursue a country recording career and entered him in the Marlboro Country Talent Search. Dunn won and recorded some solo singles. Tim DuBois, another Oklahoman, paired him with Kix Brooks and signed the duo to Arista Records.

In 1994, The Tractors signed with Arista, too. During the next five years, the group placed nine songs on the country hit parade, including ”Baby Likes to Rock It” (1994), “The Santa Claus Boogie” (1994), “The Last Time” (1997) and “Shortnin’ Bread” (1998). The group’s debut CD sold a million.
In recent years, Oldaker became active as a philanthropist. He spearheaded fund-raising efforts for museums and other cultural efforts. He founded his MOJO Festival in Tulsa to raise money for homeless causes.

Along the way, Oldaker learned about several areas of the music business, working in artist management and music publishing. He also became a record producer.

As a producer, he recorded an all-star album titled Mad Dogs & Okies. It featured songs written by his fellow Oklahomans. Participating on the record were Clapton, Vince Gill, J.J. Cale, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Tony Joe White, Bonnie Branlett and more. It was issued on Oldaker’s own Mint Blue Island label in 2005. Since then, Oldaker has played percussion on albums by John Arthur Martinez, Phil Collins, Peter Rowan and others. The Rogues Five reunited for benefit shows in 2015.

Funeral arrangements are unknown at press time.

Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam Postponed Until March 2021

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The 8th Annual Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam was set for Sept. 4-6, 2020 at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach, Florida, but increasing Coronavirus numbers nationwide have forced organizers to move this year’s event to March 26-28, 2021. Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and Lynyrd Skynyrd are still set to headline, and the rest of the previously announced lineup is still intact.

“We held out as long as we possibly could before making the decision to postpone this year’s Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam,” said Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady. “The excitement for the festival was amazing. We knew our Jammers wanted to get out and hear some great country music, but virus numbers are rising all over the country and we had to make this very difficult decision.”

Along with Lynyrd Skynyrd, artists Cody Jinks, Joe Nichols, Lindsay Ell, Jon Langston, CJ Solar and Frank Ray are scheduled for Friday, March 26, 2021. Cole Swindell, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jordan Davis, Tenille Townes, Shy Carter and Alex Hall will help Paisley round out Saturday’s lineup. Bryan, along with Brothers Osborne, Riley Green, Walker Hayes, Ryan Hurd, Shelly Fairchild and the Pepsi Southern Original winner will entertain on the final day.

“The safety of Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam artists, fans, vendors, staff and the residents of our wonderful city is our highest priority, no matter what’s going on,” said Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam COO Mark Sheldon. “We felt like we had a great plan in place to make this a safe event, but conversations with state and local officials, the health department and CDC confirmed this was the most prudent move for everyone involved. We look forward to seeing everyone in March!”

Jammers who have already purchased tickets to the 2020 Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam and are planning to attend the rescheduled event need to take no action. Those tickets will be shipped as normal and will be valid for the new dates. Refunds for tickets purchased through official Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam outlets will be arranged for those unable to attend in March 2021 and are available by filling out this Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam 2020 Refund Request form. Please allow 14 days for the refund to return to the card used at purchase.

Payment Plan customers who are planning to attend the March 2021 event, but have missed a recent payment or are unable to make the next payment due to stresses related to the current situation, Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam will pause their plan and customers will have the option to reinstate it when they are ready.