CMA Foundation Helps Teachers Via Unified Voices For Music Education Initiative

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The CMA Foundation is helping music teachers to connect and share resources with the launch of the online collective Unified Voices for Music Education.

The new initiative will help teachers to provide resources through focus groups, lesson plans and other ideas to use as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CMA Foundation is hosting and offering the resources, while teachers guide and implement the collective.

“The future of music education will look very different as we approach this upcoming school year,” states Tiffany Kerns, CMA Foundation Executive Director. “At the CMA Foundation we work to support music teachers from across the country by providing valuable resources that can help advance their careers and classrooms. Unified Voices for Music Education is our way of bringing educators together through a teacher-led forum where they can share, create and collaborate to better help their students during this time.”

The CMA Foundation is currently seeking music education professionals to submit future teaching practices for UVfME, which will help provide meaningful instruction and lesson plans for music teachers as they resume classes in the fall. These plans will be shared broadly with CMA Foundation grantees, education partners and the UVfME collective during the summer months. An example of a future teaching practice can be found here.

To submit a future teaching practice and/or receive details throughout the program about lesson plans, concepts and online meetings, educators can sign up to join the collective by visiting CMAfoundation.org/voicesformusiced. Submissions are due July 20.

2020 MusicRow Awards Category Profile: Producer of the Year

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Following Tuesday’s (July 7) announcement of this year’s nominees for the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards, we take a look at the MusicRow Producer of the Year category. Nominees conjured up some of country music’s most innovative projects during the eligibility period of April 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020.

The MusicRow Awards will be announced virtually among multiple MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. Presenting Sponsor of the 2020 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.

Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.

Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribed members. Voting is now open and closes on July 17 at 5:00 p.m..

To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow member here.


Dave Cobb merged critical and commercial success with his work on albums by The Highwomen, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen, and the upcoming Lori McKenna project. Tapping into the creative vibes at his homebase of historic RCA Studio A, Cobb continued crafting the cool sounds that helped him become MusicRow Awards Producer of the Year in 2018 and 2016.

Ross Copperman led a diverse group of artists to studio success, ranging from pop-leaning songstresses Kelsea Ballerini and Gabby Barrett, to radio mainstays Dierks Bentley and Kenny Chesney, to newcomers King Calaway. Copperman co-produced Barrett’s smash debut single “I Hope,” which helped her earn two MusicRow Awards nominations. With a string of hits as a writer, Copperman is also in the running for Male Songwriter of the Year.

Scott Hendricks continued his hitmaking run as producer for Dan + Shay, Blake Shelton and Michael Ray. His studio skills earned several hit singles during the eligibility period, including Shelton’s “Hell Right,” “Nobody But You” and “God’s Country,” and Dan + Shay’s “All To Myself.” Hendricks’ work helped yield an Artist of the Year nomination for Dan + Shay and a Discovery Award nomination for newcomer Trea Landon.

Dann Huff, a three-time and reigning MusicRow Awards Producer of the Year, returns to the nominations with another impressive list of credits. Among the No. 1 records he produced are Lady A’s “What If I Never Get Over You,” Brett Young’s “Here Tonight,” Eli Young Band’s “Love Ain’t,” and Thomas Rhett’s “Remember You Young” and “Beer Can’t Fix” (ft. Jon Pardi). Adding to Huff’s tally are projects by Brantley Gilbert, Brooks & Dunn, Kane Brown, Midland, Riley Green, Runaway June and Seaforth.

Jay Joyce leaves fingerprints all over this year’s slate of MusicRow Awards nominees, including producing projects by Artist of the Year nominees Ashley McBryde and Miranda Lambert. He also produced Song of the Year nominees “One Night Standards” (McBryde), “Bluebird” (Lambert), and “Monsters” (Eric Church). Joyce steered recent recordings by Brandy Clark, Brothers Osborne, Lainey Wilson, LANCO, Tenille Townes and Declan McKenna. Joyce was voted MusicRow Producer of the Year in 2017 and 2015.

Scott Moffatt is the studio brains behind Luke Combs’ hit-making brawn. Together they have churned out multiple No. 1 hits, including “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “Even Though I’m Leaving” and the most recent “Does To Me,” which is in the running for MusicRow Awards Song of the Year. Additionally Combs is vying to retain his title as reigning Artist of the Year. This is Moffatt’s first MusicRow Awards nomination.

Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Trace Adkins To Star In Encore Drive-In Nights

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Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Trace Adkins are the first acts announced in the first show of an all-new drive-in movie theater concert series, Encore Drive-In Nights.

The series was launched by Encore Live fresh off the success of their smash hit June 27 ‘Garth Brooks: A Drive-In Concert Experience’ production. The Shelton show will air at theaters across the USA and Canada only on July 25. Tickets will be on sale July 14 at ticketmaster.com/encore-blakeshelton.

“This is such a great way to enjoy music with your family and friends and stay safe,” said Shelton. “I’m excited we’re getting the chance to perform a concert for fans and we’re going to go back and play old hits like “Austin,” newer songs like “God’s Country” and we might even introduce something brand new! So fill up those popcorn tubs and get ready for some country music!”

Fans will experience the Encore Drive-In Nights shows from the safety of their personal vehicles. Drive-in theaters hosting the Encore Drive-In Nights will adhere to CDC guidelines as well as all state and local health mandates. Staff will wear personal protective equipment and enforce at least six feet of space between cars. The series will also use contactless payment and ticketing systems and limit capacity in restrooms. Guidelines around concessions will be enforced to abide by individual state regulations.

“After the overwhelming response to Garth Brooks’ drive-in concert feature, we knew we had to launch Encore Drive-In Nights to provide music fans across the USA and Canada the chance to see their favorite artists in a cool new way,” said Encore Live Founder and CEO Walter Kinzie. “We can’t wait to bring music’s biggest stars to outdoor movie screens all across North America so that people can get back out there again and safely enjoy engaging in-person experiences.”

Drive-in theaters all across North America will air the Encore Drive-In Nights, and additional Encore Drive-In Nights performances will be announced in the coming weeks.

Ashley Ray To Release Autobiographical New Album ‘Pauline’ In August

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Singer/songwriter Ashley Ray is releasing her third album, Pauline, Aug. 14 on Soundly Music. Ray kicked off 2020 by receiving a Grammy nom for Best Country Group Performance for Little Big Town’s “The Daughters” — a Top 40 hit she co-wrote with Sean McConnell and Karen Fairchild.

Produced by McConnell, Ray’s Pauline is an autobiographical album rooted in experiences from the Kansas native’s own life. Raised by working-class parents, she left town after high school and relocated to Nashville, where she established herself not only as a solo artist, but also as a versatile songwriter. Pauline focuses on the lessons Ray learned back home in Kansas, with songs that tell true stories about life and love in Middle America.

“This record came to life by putting memories to music. I have my family to thank for their will to keep the ones we’ve lost alive through stories,” says Ray. “There’s not a BBQ, get-together, or holiday where we don’t talk about ‘the good ole days’ and the people we’ve lost. This record is my love letter to them, the ones still here, and the ones gone that we’ll see on down the road.”

Ray debuts the heart-wrenching new single “Just A House” on Friday, July 10. Inspired by the death of her father and the ensuing agony of watching her widowed mother attempt to maintain their family home on her own, “Just A House” is a daughter’s desperate plea in the aftermath of shattering loss.

“When I started playing the record for people, ‘Just A House’ was the song that people seemed to really relate to. It was like they saw themselves and could acknowledge their own stories in mine,” Ray says. “As a writer, that’s the ultimate gift and compliment. It blows me away that a plea, and a story about a loss so personal to me and my family, can inspire someone to tell me all about their own story of loss. No life is parallel with any other, but we all share the sadness of losing someone and not wanting to let them go.”

Pauline Track Listing:
1. Pauline
2. Lawrence, KS
3. Dirty Work
4. St. Patrick’s Day
5. Slurry
6. Warm Body
7. Just A House
8. Off The Wagon Again
9. Waiting
10. Rock N Roll

Musicnotes Expands Into Music City With New Office

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Musicnotes, Inc., which offers digital sheet music and is headquartered in Wisconsin, has announced its expansion into Nashville and is opening an office that will be led by Dan Ruff, Director of Licensing and Publisher Relations, and Duncan Hearn, Director of Marketing and Design.

Musicnotes has established a longstanding commitment to support songwriters through legal commerce, partnering with publishers of all sizes throughout the world. Its e-commerce site has 8 million customers and 50 million sheet music downloads to date. Musicnotes recently celebrated $100 million in royalties paid to artists and writers.

“Nashville is the heart of songwriting – Music City,” said Tim Reiland, Musicnotes Executive Chairman. “Musicnotes.com has been selling great songs and paying songwriters worldwide for more than 20 years. So, our team is thrilled to open a Nashville office – a city where we definitely belong.”

“The Nashville Songwriters Association International is very excited about Musicnotes opening a Nashville location. The company is not only a leader in online sheet music, but they’ve been an important partner with NSAI and the songwriter community for years,” said Bart Herbison, Executive Director of NSAI. “They’ve led in fair payments to songwriters and music publishers. And recently, even volunteered contributions to the WRITER Foundation’s grant program to help songwriters get through the COVID-19 pandemic. Musicnotes will immediately become valued members of the Nashville music community and the community at large.”

BREAKING: Luke Combs Inks Publishing Deal With Universal Music Publishing Group

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Luke Combs. Photo courtesy UMPG

Luke Combs has signed an exclusive, global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group.

A multi-Platinum, CMA, ACM, CMT, Billboard Music Award, and MusicRow Award-winning artist, Combs has seen meteoric success in breaking country music records. Since releasing his debut single, “Hurricane,” in 2016, he has become the only artist to ever hold 16 spots simultaneously on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and the only artist to have eight consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

Combs also holds the record for having the largest streaming week ever for a country album with 74 million streams of his new album What You See Is What You Get. His triple Platinum debut album, This One’s For You, was the most streamed country album of 2019 and tied the record for longest reign atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, spending 50 non-consecutive weeks in the No. 1 spot.

Combs is known for huge hits such as “Hurricane,” “When It Rains It Pours,” “One Number Away,” “She Got The Best Of Me,” “Beautiful Crazy,” “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “Even Though I’m Leaving” and “Does To Me” featuring Eric Church. His current single, “Six Feet Apart,” is currently climbing the charts.

Combs said, “I’m really excited to be joining UMPG Nashville and the strong roster of songwriters they have. Universal Music’s success with publishing a lot of great songs over the years cannot be denied, and I’m thankful to now be a part of that.”

Troy Tomlinson, Chairman and CEO of UMPG Nashville, said, “Luke is building his career like so many great artists of the past. He’s writing hit songs that country music fans identify with. They feel like he’s the guy next door, their friend, someone who knows how they feel and sings about their life. He does that with humility and respect for those who came before him. We are beyond grateful to represent him and his songs.”

Cyndi Forman, Senior Vice President of A&R, UMPG Nashville, added, “I quickly became a Luke Combs fan five years ago after hearing what would eventually be his debut album. It was apparent to me that he was not only a great vocalist and entertainer, but someone who is a songwriter at heart. Luke continues to impress me with his ability to connect with music fans across the world. I’m beyond excited to have the UMPG team become a part of his incredible team.”

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville Signs Karen Kosowski

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Karen Kosowski

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville has signed songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Karen Kosowski to a global publishing deal.

Kosowski is a co-writer on Mickey Guyton’s “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?”, as well as the Top 5 Canadian single “Country Thunder” from Washboard Union, the No. 1 Canadian and Australian country single “What A Song Should Do” from Tim Hicks, Ross Ellis’ “Home To Me,” and Brett Kissel’s single “Anthem.”

Sony/ATV Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston stated, “Karen is a studio wizard. Her songs and productions pull the authentic heart out of every project she touches. She has the rare ability to connect and span across genres, and her career is taking off. We are so pleased to welcome Karen to the Sony/ATV family, and we look forward to supporting her incredible talent.”

Karen said, “I’m thrilled to sign with Sony/ATV. Getting to work with Rusty, Mya and the great Sony/ATV creative team is really a dream come true. I’m grateful to them for already making me feel part of the family, and I’m excited about a future filled with many new songs, ideas, and the occasional shared bourbon!”

Kosowski was raised in Winnipeg, Canada and moved to Toronto in the early 2000s, before relocating to Nashville. She has also found success in the pop genre, co-writing the Top 40 single “Somebody To Love Me” (Tryon) and a Top 5 song at AC radio, “It Won’t Be Christmas,” recorded by Emma-Lee. Kosowski was tapped to arrange and produce a modern remake of the 1980s radio hit “Rise Up,” which features an all-star lineup of Canadian country artists including Meghan Patrick, Tebey, Jess Moskaluke, Gord Bamford, and The Washboard Union. Her work has also been featured on numerous television networks and in feature films, including the award-winning thriller The Scarehouse and the action movie entitled 88, starring Christopher Lloyd.

Nashville Metro Council Approves Bill To Loosen Restrictions On Home-Based Businesses

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Metro Council voted Tuesday evening (July 7) to approve the Home Occupation Modernization bill (BL2019-48) in Nashville, an ordinance amending Section 17.16.250 of Title 17 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws relative to home occupation, which regulates people operating a small business from home. The council voted 25-14 to approve the bill, which was sponsored by Councilman Dave Rosenberg.

The ordinance allows home businesses in Davidson County to have customers visit their homes; previously, home-based businesses were legal, but were prohibited from even one client from entering the business. This has long affected many home-based recording studios in Nashville, which had technically been operating in violation of the law for several years.

“These regulations create a hardship on residents seeking additional income to survive in a city with a skyrocketing cost of living…and create a significant barrier for children seeking tutoring services, music lessons, and other enrichment,” the ordinance states.

The approval also comes as good news to those who wish to offer private musical instruction in their homes.

The bill does come with restrictions, including:

  • No more than one part-time or full-time employee not living within the dwelling may work at the home occupation location.
  • No more than five employees may reside within the dwelling at a home occupation location.
  • A maximum of six visits per day and no more than three trips per hour are allowed. Customer visits must occur by scheduled appointment and only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Home occupations that are allowed customer visits include personal instructors (training individuals or groups in academics, arts, fitness, personal defense, crafts and other subjects), general office (for the provision of executive, management, administrative or professional services, but not involving medical services), personal care services (including spa services, beauty and barber care), multimedia production (staging and recording of video or audio productions that occur indoors and do not require sound to leave the premises), and artisan manufacturing (the shared or individual use of hand tools, mechanical tools and electronic tools to manufacture finished products or parts as well as the incidental storage, sales, and distribution of such products within the limitations of this section).

Certain home occupations are not allowed under the bill, regardless of whether customer visits are allowed, including the manufacture or repair of automobiles and other transportation equipment, the repair of equipment that takes place outdoors and the outdoor storage of construction, scrap, or salvage materials.

A home occupation that does not serve customers on the property and does not employ anyone who does not live within the dwelling are not required to acquire a permit. Home businesses that do not meet those qualification need to provide the Codes Department with an affidavit verifying the applicant has confirmed that operating the home occupation will not violate any home owners association agreements or bylaws, condo agreements or restrictions, or any other agreement governing or limiting the use of the property for a home occupation. The permit applicant must be the owner of the property, a relative of the owner of the property, or, if renting, must have at least a one-year lease for the property.

A permit could be revoked after three complaints in a single year. If a permit is revoked, no home occupation permit can be issue to the applicant for the same property for a period of one year from the date the permit was revoked. The permit holder can appeal to the Zoning Administrator’s decision to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a public hearing.

MusicRow Awards Voting Begins Today, July 8

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Voting for the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards begins today, Wednesday, July 8 and ends on Friday, July 17 at 5:00 p.m. CT.

This year’s honors will be announced virtually among multiple MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Presenting Sponsor of the 2020 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.

To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow member here.

Nominees for the MusicRow Awards are determined by a committee comprised of critics and tastemakers, with outside nominations being considered for Breakthrough Songwriter and Breakthrough Artist-Writer. Male and Female Songwriter nominees are based on data from MusicRow’s Top Songwriter Chart. Eligible projects were active between April 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020.

Click here to see the complete list of nominees.

The Top 10 Album All-Star Musicians Awards will also be announced on Aug. 18, recognizing the studio players who played on the most albums reaching the Top 10 of Billboard‘s Country Album Chart during the eligibility period.

Nielsen To Cut 3,500 Jobs Globally

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Ratings company Nielsen reported yesterday (July 7) it will exit several markets and businesses, and will eliminate 3,500 jobs globally.

As part of the plan, the company will exit several smaller, under-performing markets and non-core businesses in the second half of 2020. Nielsen expects the plan to be substantially completed by the end of the year and for restructuring actions and other permanent cost-saving initiatives to drive approximately $250 million in pre-tax annual run-rate savings. 

“These restructuring actions will further expedite our transformation to a more efficient, agile, and scalable organization and are designed to drive sustained margin expansion and increased cash generation. As part of the optimization plan, we have made the difficult decision to exit selected businesses and markets and permanently reduce our workforce,” said CEO David Kenny in a company statement.

The New York City-based marketing, research and ratings corporation currently employs about 46,000 people and operates in 100 countries.