CAA has launched its first-ever Young Winter Bazaar worldwide auction today (Jan. 6), featuring exclusive memorabilia and experiences to help raise funds for non-profit partner organizations through Charitybuzz’s online bidding platform. Funds raised from the auction will benefit CAA’s non-profit partners, including: Communities in Schools of Tennessee, Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, PS 15 The Roberto Clemente School in New York, and Sported UK and Nordoff Robbins in London.
These organizations collectively support more than 20,000 students across four major cities. This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down in-person schooling across the world, many low-income students and their families are experiencing increased financial instability and lack of educational resources. CAA’s efforts provide assistance to students in lower-income households, from providing meals and after-school programming to creating financial resources that further their education.
CAA artists, entertainers and athletes, including Luke Combs, Keith Urban, Kesha, Daisy Ridley, Matthew McConaughey, Jimmy Fallon, Aaron Rodgers, and more donated an array of prizes to support the auction.
A few of the auction items include:
Luke Combs – Two concert tickets (future live tour) with autographed guitar
Keith Urban – Signed, personalized guitar
Jon Pardi – Signed poster, CD
Brantley Gilbert – Personalized message, Two concert tickets
Kesha – Two-person balcony cabin on the 2021 Kesha Cruise
Matthew McConaughey – Signed copy of his book, Greenlights
Daisy Ridley – Virtual meet & greet
Benioff & Weiss – Game of Thrones gift bag with poster autographed by cast & crew members
Trevor Noah – Tickets to future in-person taping of The Daily Show
James Corden – Tickets to future in-person taping of The Late Late Show
Jimmy Fallon – Signed copy of his book, 5 More Sleeps ‘til Christmas
Aaron Rodgers – Signed football jersey
Tony Romo – Personalized, signed football
José Mourinho – Personalized, autographed Tottenham Hotspur jersey
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/07035104/CAA-Logo-Ratio.jpg500750LB Cantrellhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLB Cantrell2021-01-06 14:06:072021-01-06 15:49:39Luke Combs, Keith Urban, Jon Pardi, Brantley Gilbert Support CAA’s Young Winter Bazaar
Ronnie Dunn is offering up some of his photographs for a very good cause as part of his Lensman Project. The photos can now be ordered on his website via prints, hats, throws and more, all to help support the American Cancer Society. The cause is one that definitely hit home for the country legend, whose daughter won a bout with cancer several years ago.
“Three years ago my youngest daughter walked into the kitchen and told me that she thought she was having an appendicitis attack. After thorough testing, our lives changed. The tumor was believed to be a very rare form of kidney cancer seldom experienced by young people. We took her to specialists where further tests confirmed that the tumor was indeed malignant. Like many thousands of loved ones who experience the cancer journey, our world stopped. Thanks to the world-class doctors and cutting-edge technology, the tumor was removed, and she has been cancer free for three years,” Dunn said.
After spending more time outdoors than he normally would during the pandemic, Dunn has been able to use his time off the road and his Lensmen Project to depict the nature that is sometimes overlooked. His cowboy perspective behind the lens offers a rare and unique eye, and in addition to wildlife and outdoor scenes. Dunn’s photographs have appeared on the covers of various magazines and have been showcased in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
For the first time, fans across the globe can purchase Dunn’s Lensmen Project work, with portions of the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. Photographs can now be ordered on his website via prints, hats, throws and more.
“These days I get almost as much satisfaction and enjoyment from photography as I do stepping on stage,” Dunn said. “I really do! I’ve kept a camera in my hand over the years and now I can almost get off a decent picture.”
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/07035105/unnamed-4.png500742Lorie Hollabaughhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLorie Hollabaugh2021-01-06 14:04:102021-01-06 14:04:10Ronnie Dunn’s Lensman Project Photos To Benefit American Cancer Society
Pitch List Podcast, hosted by songwriter Chris Lindsey, is set to launch its 4th season of the show on Jan. 14, with an episode featuring the legendary Bill Anderson.
The lineup for the rest of the season includes interviews with Emily Weisband, Cam, Sarah Buxton, Ashley Gorley and more. Lindsey, a songwriter and producer responsible for hits such as Lonestar’s “Amazed,” Blake Shelton’s “Every Time I Hear That Song,” Martina McBride’s “This One’s For the Girls,” and more, started the podcast in 2017.
Chris Lindsey
Pitch List Podcast has featured iconic writers and artists including John Paul White, Luke Dick, Lori McKenna, session musicians like Tom Bukovac, and music business professionals like Ben Vaughn and Missi Gallimore. The podcast skips the standard interview questions to dive deep into the heart of what makes writing songs so mysterious and captivating. Past seasons of Pitch List Podcast are available to listen to here.
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/07035107/Chris-Lindsey-Headshot-1.jpg12861800Lorie Hollabaughhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLorie Hollabaugh2021-01-06 14:03:052021-01-06 14:03:05Chris Lindsey’s ‘Pitch List’ Podcast Gears Up For Season Four
E. Maxwell, a Legislative Research Analyst for the Tennessee House of Representatives, has published MODERNIZATION OF MUSIC, a book about how technology has affected music in the digital age and one of the most important updates of United States copyright law ever: the Music Modernization Act.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee and in his last year at Nashville School of Law, MODERNIZATION OF MUSIC first began as Maxwell’s law school thesis. NSAI Executive Director, Bart Herbison, acted as his mentor in the process of writing the thesis, and interviews and statements from Herbison, NMPA President & CEO David Israelite, John Rich of Big & Rich, MLC CEO Kris Ahrend, songwriters Ross Golan and Rick Giles, and U.S. Senators Orrin G. Hatch and Lamar Alexander are also in the book.
“MODERNIZATION OF MUSIC explores how technology has affected music in the digital age,” Maxwell says. “Music is consumed much differently due to streaming services, and songwriters have been all but robbed of fair compensation under outdated laws governing their livelihoods. The book dives into the most important update of U.S. copyright law ever—the Music Modernization Act—revealing its story for the very first time through exclusive interviews from top music industry professionals and politicians across the U.S. to provide a nuanced, holistic picture of what recorded music is poised to become.”
“Songwriting almost became an extinct profession in the modern age of digital music distribution because rules more than 100 years old governed how songwriter/composer compensation was set. However, the adoption of the Music Modernization Act changed those rules. E. Maxwell manages to boil this extremely complicated topic down in an interesting and understandable way. Every music lover can get a peek behind the curtain through MODERNIZATION OF MUSIC at how the rules were updated to give American songwriters a chance to earn a fair-market wage in the era of streaming music. Job very well done!” said Herbison.
MODERNIZATION OF MUSIC is available on Amazon now, with a portion of the proceeds going to MusiCares.
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/07035112/Modernization-of-Music.jpg17862500LB Cantrellhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLB Cantrell2021-01-06 14:01:192021-01-06 14:01:19Nashville Legal Analyst And Writer Publishes ‘MODERNIZATION OF MUSIC’
Pictured (clockwise from top right): Taylor Swift and Sherod Robertson; Garth Brooks, Robertson, and Trisha Yearwood; Tim McGraw; Chris Young and Robertson; Carrie Underwood and Robertson; Robertson and Dierks Bentley; Dolly Parton and Robertson. Photos: Courtesy Sherod Robertson
(This article first appeared in MusicRow‘s January 2021 Touring print issue.)
In college, MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson was enamored with the television show Dallas, which followed the saga of the Ewing family and their massive oil empire. The suits and the storylines inspired Robertson to want to pursue a career in business in Dallas so when he graduated magna cum laude from The University of Alabama, he headed west to start that journey.
With a business education and a major in accounting, Robertson took a job with the well-known Arthur Andersen & Co. accounting firm. A few years later, Robertson visited a fraternity brother who lived in Nashville. On that brief visit, Robertson immediately knew he had to leave Dallas and move to Music City. From that first visit, he knew this was home.
“I wasn’t trying to get a job in the music industry,” Robertson said. “I had specialized in oil and gas [accounting]. But through the way it often works in Nashville, I knew someone and that connection led to a career change by helping me secure an interview with Reunion Records, the boutique contemporary Christian music label. I landed the job and soon became CFO of Reunion. Reunion was acquired by Bertelsmann and Arista Records in the mid-90s, and that’s how I ended up working for Arista and that amazing and somewhat legendary team under the leadership of Tim Dubois and Mike Dungan.”
Pictured (clockwise from top left): Cyndi Lauper and Sherod Robertson; Maren Morris and Robertson; Robertson and Eric Church. Photos: Courtesy Sherod Robertson
In 2000, the Arista Records label was merged as an imprint under its sister company RCA Label Group, and many of the Arista staff received pink slips, Robertson included. After stumbling around for a while, he parlayed some work with the Nashville Scene into helping to start a new company, SouthComm, with publisher Chris Ferrell. SouthComm became a media company that owned a number of alternative weekly newspapers and other niche publications such as the Nashville Scene and Nfocus, and eventually purchased MusicRow Magazine from its Founder, David Ross.
In 2010, SouthComm decided to sell off MusicRow. And Robertson decided to buy it.
“I often get asked what gave me the courage and confidence to make the leap from something like finance and accounting to buying a media company. I personally had no journalism experience and the only articles I had written were audit opinions and financial statement footnotes. But looking back, I honestly feel I didn’t have a choice in the matter. It wasn’t even something I needed to analyze or think about. When an opportunity presents itself that is so perfectly aligned with who you are and where you want to go, and most importantly, you are mentally in a place to accept it, taking that first step is ridiculously easy. It’s the execution that follows; however, where all the work begins.
“Once I acquired MusicRow, I became the apprentice. Since I was one of the first two people that started SouthComm and I had so much institutional knowledge about that company, I said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do as part of my deal with the acquisition: I will train someone so that whenever I leave on that last day, you won’t even notice that I have left. It will be that seamless.’ And so I would work at SouthComm for the first half of the day, and then on my lunch break, I would come over to MusicRow and work the remaining part of the day. When I was at SouthComm, I was training someone to take over my role, and when I came here, David [Ross] was doing the opposite and training me to take over his role. So I was very fortunate that after I bought the company, I was able to be trained by the guy who started it in 1981.
“Something I recently realized is that me being a CPA and an auditor at Arthur Anderson in those early days of my career gave me some incredibly useful tools for my role at MusicRow, particularly those I learned on the audit side,” Robertson said. “Knowing accounting is always a good plus when you’re running your own company. I think everybody would agree with that. I never dreamed that my audit skills would translate into any type of asset as a Publisher, but it has. One of the most important skills as a financial auditor is looking for inconsistencies, looking for errors, looking for things that don’t fit, and when you have a company like MusicRow that is generating so much content—whether it’s proofing or just getting that gut feeling that something doesn’t look right and it needs to be adjusted. Those are some of the skills that I brought here from my very first job many years ago.”
Since being at MusicRow, the publication has grown exponentially in value. Robertson took a well-built, innovative and valuable resource for the Nashville music industry, and expanded it, growing the publication’s digital presence. The print magazines have grown and strengthened under Robertson’s leadership, including the lauded InCharge Print Issue and Directory, and the valued Artist Roster and Publisher Editions. Robertson enhanced the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart, acquired the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, launched the MusicRow Weekly Newsletter, implemented MusicRow’s No. 1 Challenge Coins, and much more.
Robertson adds, “In the first few years, I had two major goals. One was to have a deeper footprint by penetrating the Nashville music industry in a more profound, meaningful way. And the second was to pay down my debt that I used to acquire the company. Looking back, that’s what we have done, and I’m very proud of that.
“There were two different paths I could have gone, and I thought seriously and strategically about both. I could have made the publication more consumer oriented. A lot of industry trade publications end up going in this direction but it often weakens the value for the industry it serves. I purposely decided that was not the path for MusicRow. I wanted to hyper-serve the music industry in Nashville, plant my feet deeper into the industry and become an even more important resource, not just for information, but for connecting people in the industry. As a result, in addition to the core industry members we serve, we also have thousands of country music superfans, who don’t work in the industry, but follow our content because of its integrity and value.”
Pictured (left): Richard Branson and Sherod Robertson; (right): Robertson, Carly Pearce, and ASCAP’s Mike Sistad. Photos: Courtesy Sherod Robertson
Robertson also revamped the existing MusicRow Awards event to an invitation-only, ticketed gala with expanded categories; and he started the beloved, annual Rising Women on the Row honors ceremony.
“[Rising Women on the Row] has been an important event for me because it’s an homage to my late grandmother, so it has a very personal meaning,” Robertson said. “I love supporting badass women in our industry when they’re in the middle of their careers–and shining a spotlight on them and their contributions. It’s important for me to let them know that we all see what they are doing and we want to recognize and honor that. That’s what this event is all about.”
Likewise, MusicRow established the N.B.T. (Next Big Thing) Music Industry Directory in last year’s Touring Print Issue, which showcases Nashville industry members in mid-level roles, who are rising through the ranks.
“This is highlighting the top achievers in the next generation that are going to be the future leaders of our industry. They are literally the future of the Nashville music industry. Reinvesting back into the industry is such an important thing, and I think a lot of us do that. We know how important it is to invest in the next generation that’s coming up. So this is one way we can do that, by recognizing those individuals who are the Next Big Thing.”
Robertson has learned a lot in his 10 years at the helm of MusicRow Magazine. His hard work has paid off.
“The most rewarding part of this role has been the people and the experiences. When I think of the extraordinary people I have met and the amazing things I have been given the opportunity to do, I am completely humbled with gratitude. As I mentally scroll through the names and experiences, I jokingly ask myself, ‘Whose life is this!?’ I am truly very fortunate to be in this position.
“But it takes a tremendous amount of work to do what MusicRow does on a consistent and reliable basis. I’m very proud of our team and the content we generate. It’s exciting to have a group of team members that not only share my vision but have a similar desire to be their very best.”
Pictured (left): Jeannie Seely and Sherod Robertson; (right): Robertson and Tony Brown. Photos: Courtesy Sherod Robertson
As far as the next 10 years, Robertson remains focused on what the Nashville music business needs.
“I think it’s very important on the front end that I’m always looking, not just for new opportunities—because I’m very good at that—but also looking for opportunities where MusicRow needs to be and what we need to be doing,” Robertson said. “My daily philosophy can be somewhat exhausting, so I’m not necessarily recommending it, but on some level I come into the office every single day with the expectation that I have to earn it all over again today. I don’t get to rest on anything I’ve done before. With that mindset, as far as the next 10 years go, it’s being acutely aware of where MusicRow needs to be and how we need to improve and enhance our role of connecting this industry, especially as the industry gets more fragmented—whether it be geographically or the graying lines of the genre, or the expanding digital opportunities or as in this year, the way we continue to work and create during a pandemic.
“We have to always be looking at what we need to be doing. Whatever we do today may be great, but you have to understand that tomorrow, it may not be. It may need to be something else, something different. That’s the key to me, as far as going forward. Some people want to be big, but I don’t use size as a measurement of my success. I use quality of service, value of content, ability to connect all of us together and most importantly, the feedback I receive from industry people that I respect. Those are my metrics.”
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/07035833/Sherod-10year-Collage.jpg12001750LB Cantrellhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLB Cantrell2020-12-23 13:59:522021-01-03 11:02:47MusicRow’s Sherod Robertson Looks Back On 10 Years As Publisher and Owner
The articles below were some of the most-read stories from MusicRow during 2020. For the first two and a half months of the year, the Nashville music industry’s creative superpower was on full blast until suddenly thwarted in mid-March as the COVID-19 pandemic begin ravaging throughout the world. While some members and companies were forced to shut down, others pivoted to working from home. This year will undoubtedly be defined by the pandemic.
These are the top headlines, excluding obituaries featured separately, that captured the most attention as the Nashville music business, bruised and beat up, persevered onward.
[April 2, 2020] Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is set to sign Executive Order 23, which requires that Tennesseans stay home unless carrying out essential activities. The executive order remains in effect until April 14, 2020 at 11:59 p.m…
[June 23, 2020] The late John Prine‘s last recorded song, “I Remember Everything,” has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Rock Digital Song Sales Chart, earning the highest-charting single of Prine’s career as a performer…
[June 11, 2020] Lady Antebellumannounced on Thursday (June 11) that going forward, the trio will be dropping the name “Antebellum,” and will be known simply as Lady A…
[November 25, 2020] Kane Brown is set to headline the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington halftime show on Thanksgiving Day. Kickoff will begin at 4:40 p.m. ET, and the game will air on FOX. The performance is a Cowboys tradition, helping to serve as a call to action for Americans to donate to The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign…
[April 27, 2020] For the first time in Academy of Country Music Awards history, the show will be held in Nashville. ACM CEO Damon Whiteside made the announcement during a press conference in Nashville on Monday (April 27)…
Pictured (clockwise from top left): Kent Blazy, Brett James, Steve Earle, Bobbie Gentry, Spooner Oldham
[November 2, 2020] Steve Earle, Bobbie Gentry, Kent Blazy, Brett James and Spooner Oldham have been elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, according to an announcement made today (Nov. 2) by Sarah Cates, chair of the organization’s board of directors…
[September 9, 2020] The Palm, a popular hangout among the music business community, is facing eviction from Hilton Nashville Downtown, reports the Nashville Post. The steakhouse is currently situated across the street from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena’s main entrance, where it has been since it opened in 2000…
[October 21, 2020] A Loretta Lynn statue has been added to the Icon Walk on the grounds of the Ryman Auditorium. Visitors can find the “Coal Miner’s Daughter” statue standing at the northwest corner of the building near the venue’s driveway on Fifth Avenue next to the likeness of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music…
[February 26, 2020] MusicRow is proud to reveal the honorees for its ninth annual Rising Women on the Row celebration. The ceremony will honor six female executives who are making a significant impact on Nashville’s country music industry…
[February 13, 2020] Amy Grant recently shared her personal story regarding the importance of heart health with her fans, in honor of Heart Health Awareness month. In a social media post, the Grammy-winning, Nashville native and fierce music community supporter paid tribute to her doctor, Dr. John Bright Cage…
[August 31, 2020] Carrie Underwood welcomed some special guests on her upcoming new Christmas album, My Gift, collaborating with John Legend on the original song “Hallelujah,” and inviting 5-year-old son Isaiah to appear on the holiday classic that inspired the album title, “Little Drummer Boy”…
[January 31, 2020] Florida Georgia Line has parted ways with managers Seth England and Kevin “Chief” Zaruk of Big Loud, after nine years. FGL first signed with Big Loud Publishing in 2011 and in 2012, released the breakthrough single “Cruise,” which is now 11x Platinum and the best-selling digital country single of all time…
Then Came You starring Kathie Lee Gifford Credit: Vertical Entertainment
[September 25, 2020] Television star, actress, singer, and songwriter Kathie Lee Gifford has lent her artistry to a new film, Then Came You. Gifford wrote, produced, and starred in the film, and she wrote the music with Music Row hit-maker Brett James. Film distributor Vertical Entertainment plans a one-night showing of Then Came You nationwide via Fathom Events on Sept. 30, followed by an on-demand and digital release on Oct. 2…
Maren Morris poses with the Female Artist of the Year award at the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards. Photo: John Shearer/ACMA2020/Getty Images for ACM
[September 16, 2020] The 55th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Keith Urban and airing on CBS, marked the first time the awards show aired from Nashville, featuring performances from three iconic venues—the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Bluebird Cafe…
Eric Church accepts award for Entertainer of the Year at The 54th Annual CMA Awards. Photo: Courtesy CMA
[November 11, 2020] The 54th Annual CMA Awards were celebrated in Nashville tonight, airing live on ABC, and co-hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker…
[May 28, 2020] Nashville’s Douglas Corner Cafe, a longtime favorite spot for music lovers and songwriters, will close its doors for good, according to owner Mervin Louque…
[August 12, 2020] Thomas Rhett has signed an exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music Nashville. The multi-Platinum singer-songwriter was most recently signed to Sony/ATV…
Pictured (L-R, back row): Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young, Morgan Wallen, John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Chris Stapleton; (L-R, front row): Tanya Tucker, Tenille Townes, Carly Pearce, Ingrid Andress, and Lauren Daigle backstage at All for the Hall: Under the Influence, benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
[February 11, 2020] The seventh annual All For The Hall, benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, sold out Bridgestone Arena last night (Feb. 10). With Keith Urban serving as the host, the show was billed as All For The Hall: Under The Influence, and each special guest played a song of their own and a song that had influenced them. Urban was joined by Tanya Tucker, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Carly Pearce, Morgan Wallen, Tenille Townes, Brothers Osborne, Lauren Daigle, and Ingrid Andress throughout the night.
[August 31, 2020] Big Loud Records artist Morgan Wallen has scored a huge streaming hit with his latest, “7 Summers.” Now, Republic Records is partnering with Big Loud to work Wallen’s music, and will start with a radio campaign for “7 Summers”…
[August 18, 2020] MusicRow Magazine revealed the winners of the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards in a series of videos on all MusicRow online platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, starting at 9:00 a.m. today (Aug. 18). The winners for the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards are…
[February 11, 2020] Gabby Barrett‘s journey from the American Idol finals to country radio success could be the epitome of the lyrics featured in one of her songs, “Jesus and My Mama”: I don’t break and I don’t bend…
[December 1, 2020] Rising Nashville music industry leaders have been selected as MusicRow Magazine’s 2021 N.B.T. Industry Directory. Now in its second year, MusicRow’s N.B.T. Industry Directory is the first and only list of its kind, showcasing Nashville music business professionals who occupy important roles at their respective companies, and who are on a trajectory of excellence to successfully lead the Nashville music industry into the future…
Pictured: Kevin Jonas, Sr. (Founder and CEO), Denise Jonas (Founder), Terri Jo Box (Songwriter), Roger Hodges (Artist Manager with Jonas Group Entertainment). Photo: Courtesy of Jonas Group Publishing All photos are Courtesy of Jonas Group Publishing
[September 15, 2020] Jonas Group Entertainment, led by founder/CEO Kevin Jonas, Sr., has opened the Nashville-based publishing division, Jonas Group Publishing, with flagship writer Terri Jo Box.
Pictured: Hannah Mulholland, Naomi Cooke, Jennifer Wayne
[May 14, 2020] Hannah Mulholland has announced her departure from the trio Runaway June. Mulholland, alongside Naomi Cooke and Jennifer Wayne, formed Runaway June in 2015 and signed with BBR Music Group’s Wheelhouse Records…
[May 7, 2020] Sony/ATV has added two new executives to its Nashville office. Cam Caldwell joins as VP, Business Affairs, while Courtney Pender joins as VP, Human Resources…
[August 3, 2020] Ashley Gorley has set a new record, as he earns his 50th No. 1 song at country radio with LOCASH‘s “One Big Country Song,” which is at No. 1 this week on Mediabase. With this milestone, Gorley—who is signed to Round Hill Music Publishing—becomes the only songwriter in any genre to earn 50 No. 1 singles in the history of the Mediabase and Billboard Airplay charts…
[March 3, 2020] Beloved Nashville music venue The Basement East was destroyed early Tuesday morning (March 3) when a tornado ripped through much of Nashville around 1:00 a.m. The tornado caused severe damage in areas of Nashville including East Nashville, Germantown, Donelson and Mt. Juliet…
[August 13, 2020] Members of the band Gone West are going separate ways. Colbie Caillat and Justin Young are splitting from bandmates Jason Reeves and Nelly Joy. On Wednesday, Caillat posted the news on Instagram…
[March 26, 2020] Thirty-one of Nashville’s studio singers came together using their cell phones during Nashville’s ‘Safer at Home’ order to record and lift their collective voices to share a message of hope and encouragement with “It Is Well With My Soul”…
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/07035826/MR-Rewind-2020-Ratio.jpg8001200LB Cantrellhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLB Cantrell2020-12-23 13:59:322021-01-03 11:01:00Rewind: MusicRow’s Top Engaging Stories Of 2020
Since 2002, the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart has crowned No. 1 songs in the secondary country radio marketplace, celebrating 43 songs in 2020. MusicRow congratulates each artist, songwriter and label for its accomplishments this year.
Luke Bryan. Photo: Jim Wright
Three artists achieved triple No. 1s this year, Luke Bryan (“What She Wants Tonight,” “One Margarita,” “Down To One”), Florida Georgia Line (“Blessings,” “I Love My Country,” “Long Live”), and Luke Combs (“Does To Me,” “Lovin’ On You,” “Better Together”).
Bryan’s single “One Margarita” spent an incredible three weeks in the top spot on the chart on June 4, June 11, and June 25. Several artists earned two weeks at the chart pinnacle, including Combs (“Lovin’ On You”), Carly Pearce & Lee Brice (“I Hope You’re Happy Now”), Thomas Rhett feat. Jon Pardi (“Beer Can’t Fix”), Tim McGraw (“I Called Mama”), and Chris Stapleton (“Starting Over”).
The winners of the 19th Annual MusicRow CountryBreakout Awards, based on radio airplay reported by stations on MusicRow’s radio panel, will be revealed on Wednesday February 17, 2021.
2020 MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart No. 1s
Jan. 9: Luke Bryan, “What She Wants Tonight”
Jan. 16: Jake Owen, “Homemade”
Jan. 23: Kane Brown, “Homesick”
Jan. 30 & Feb. 6: Carly Pearce & Lee Brice, “I Hope You’re Happy Now”
Feb. 13: Eric Church, “Monsters”
Feb. 20: Morgan Wallen, “Chasin’ You”
Feb. 27: Florida Georgia Line, “Blessings”
March 5: Ingrid Andress, “More Hearts Than Mine”
March 12 & March 19: Thomas Rhett & Jon Pardi, “Beer Can’t Fix”
March 26: Luke Combs & Eric Church, “Does To Me”
April 2: Carrie Underwood, “Drinking Alone”
April 9: Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, “Nobody But You”
April 16: Gabby Barrett, “I Hope”
April 23: Kenny Chesney, “Here And Now”
April 30: Justin Moore, “Why We Drink”
May 7: Keith Urban, “God Whispered Your Name”
May 14: Miranda Lambert, “Bluebird”
May 21: Sam Hunt, “Hard To Forget”
May 28: Florida Georgia Line, “I Love My Country”
June 4, June 11 & June 25: Luke Bryan, “One Margarita”
June 18: Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott & Chris Tomlin, “Be A Light”
July 2: Chris Janson, “Done”
July 9 & July 16: Tim McGraw, “I Called Mama”
July 23: Kip Moore, “She’s Mine”
July 30: Lee Brice, “One Of Them Girls”
Aug. 6 & Aug. 13: Luke Combs, “Lovin’ On You”
Aug. 20: Jason Aldean, “Got What I Got”
Aug. 27: Jon Pardi, “Got What I Got”
Sept. 3: HARDY, Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson, “One Beer”
Sept. 10: Morgan Wallen, “More Than My Hometown”
Sept. 17: Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, “Happy Anywhere”
Sept. 24: Lady A, “Champagne Night”
Oct. 1: Parker McCollum, “Pretty Heart”
Oct. 8: Kenny Chesney, “Happy Does”
Oct. 15: Jameson Rodgers, “Some Girls”
Oct. 22: Kelsea Ballerini, “Hole In The Bottle”
Oct. 29: Darius Rucker, “Beers and Sunshine”
Nov. 5 & Dec. 17: Chris Stapleton, “Starting Over”
Nov. 12: Brothers Osborne, “All Night”
Nov. 19: Florida Georgia Line, “Long Live”
Nov. 25: Rascal Flatts, “How They Remember You”
Dec. 3: Luke Combs, “Better Together”
Dec. 10: Luke Bryan, “Down To One”
Lyndsay Cruz, Damon Whiteside. Photos: Courtesy The Academy of Country Music
In a challenging year for all, the Academy of Country Music, like most companies, worked hard to pivot.
Just two weeks after postponing the original April 18th show date for the 55th ACM Awards from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the Academy produced ACM Presents: Our Country, an at-home special that reached nearly 11 million viewers after airing on CBS and on CMT. In addition to the special, the Academy produced a pre-show that aired across Academy social platforms and Twitch, to which nearly 400,000 people live streamed.
During the show’s broadcast ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music, announced the launch of ACM Lifting Lives COVID- 19 Response Fund, created to assist those in the country music industry who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Since then, ACM Lifting Lives has raised and distributed $3.5 million. They reopened the fund on Giving Tuesday, in time to help more in need during this holiday season.
While gearing up for the first live awards show during the pandemic, ACM released its first single, “On The Road Again (ACM Lifting Lives Edition),” a collaboration featuring this year’s ACM New Artist nominees—including Ingrid Andress, Gabby Barrett, Jordan Davis, Russell Dickerson, Lindsay Ell, Caylee Hammack, Cody Johnson, and Morgan Wallen—and joined by the legendary Willie Nelson on the remake of his original hit.
Then, for the first time ever, the 55th ACM Awards took place in Nashville, Tennessee on Sept. 16 at three iconic locations including the Grand Ole Opry House, Ryman Auditorium and Bluebird Cafe. The 55th ACM Awards was the first live awards show during COVID-19, bringing a total of 7.63 million viewers, reaching the No. 1 driver of social videos online for the day. The Academy worked diligently to make sure safety protocols on-site including testing, sanitizing and health screenings were enforced leading up to and onsite. With all protocols in place, a virtual Radio Row and virtual Press Room was created in order to keep radio, media, press and artists safe during this time.
The Academy also launched a consumer-facing site to help promote label priorities and artists through summer and fall, ACM: The Hub. The Hub included virtual events such as Wine Down Wednesday, a happy hour series featuring rising female country music artists. On behalf of each artist, the Academy’s partner, 1000 Stories® Bourbon Barrel-Aged Wine, contributed a $2,000 donation towards the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund, bringing in a total of $18,000 from the series. The Academy also launched the ACM: The Weekly, a live concert-like experience on ACM social platforms, on The Hub. The ACM Weekly features 3-4 artists each week.
The ACM’s CEO, Damon Whiteside, and ACM Lifting Lives Executive Director, Lyndsay Cruz, spoke with MusicRow recently about 2020, and what challenges and accomplishments the year entailed.
MusicRow: The start of the lockdown in the U.S. was so close to the ACM awards in April. You guys pivoted to the Our Country special in two weeks. Tell me about making that decision and how you guys were able to pull that together so quickly.
Whiteside: It was a pretty quick turnaround, but we felt like we already had that date secured on CBS and we knew that the fans were looking forward to an award show. So we were just so in that mode and, obviously, the artists were planning to perform and they wanted to be promoting their latest music. Of course, at the time, we thought maybe tours would be coming back in the summer, at that point we didn’t know. It just seemed like a really good opportunity for us to still utilize that date and a great opportunity to bring some comfort to the fans and just bring music to the fans. The [ACM Presents: Our Country] special was just an idea that was brought up between RAC Clark, our executive producer, myself, and our team Dick Clark Productions.
We just got on the phone one day and said, ‘Can we really pull this off?’ And at that point, too, there really hadn’t been any of the virtual shows yet. After our show aired, there were several after that. But we were about the first to do one of those. So we just jumped in; we took it to CBS and they really liked the idea, too. Within a day, we got it all approved and started reaching out to artists’ managers. It just all really came together. And of course, we gave direction to the artists, but we really had the artists shoot it themselves in their own homes or locations. It was an interesting flip of where they sort of put it together creatively themselves, where they were at. We just worked with them on all of that, and it obviously turned out really fantastic.
Eric Church performs on ACM Presents: Our Country
When it came time for the ACM Awards in September, you guys were really first out of the gate with a truly live awards show. What were the guiding posts of what was most important to you in planning that event?
Whiteside: It was the first true live awards show back, meaning that we had a lot of live elements in it, including the awards, which was really the first time that had been done where we had winners in the room, coming out on stage to accept awards. It was all live-hosted as well, Keith [Ubran] was there, live doing the hosting and several of the performances were all done live, too. So it was a lot of coordination. Our priority was that we really wanted to have as much live element to it as we possibly could, while being cognizant of the artist safety. That was a major part, ensuring that the artists felt safe, but that we could still be true to the award ceremony component of it by giving away the awards live.
We were able to accomplish that by being able to have artists essentially quarantine back on their buses and then as they needed to be on stage, then they were brought in. It was all very meticulously choreographed so that no artist would ever actually see each other, which would then cause them to go off and want to hug or talk to each other. We were really meticulous about that to make sure that an artist that came in to accept their award and then to do press, they would literally never see other artists. It was all staged that way so they were completely safe.
From the awards show perspective, it was all new for us, not only because of COVID, but it was the first time in Nashville in our history. We were in the three most iconic venues in Nashville, and going live to three different venues was something we had never done. So there were all of these elements that just were a first time thing for us. What was important was we wanted to really just honor the industry, of course, but also really honor the fact that we were in Nashville for the first time at these iconic venues and the fact that, artists had all been quarantined for so many months and we hadn’t seen them perform for so long. We just wanted to bring a really exciting show but also make sure that we were being really respectful of what was going on in the world and bringing some comfort, joy and music to the fans. It’s been dragging on so long that people feel disconnected from live events and disconnected from being able to see their favorite artists on a big stage, so it was important that we brought a full-sized show to them, but in a very safe way.
Taylor Swift’s live debut performance of “betty” at the 2020 ACM Awards. Photo: Getty Images | Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music
The ACM has given back $3.5 million in COVID relief aid and plans to continue to give back in 2021. Lyndsay, what does it mean to you for ACM Lifting Lives to have such an impact during this time?
Cruz: Oh gosh, don’t make me cry. We had a really ambitious slate of events and initiatives planned for 2020, for just the general fund of ACM Lifting Lives because [Taylor Wolf] the manager of ACM Lifting Lives—I call her my partner—we spent 2019 really trying to refine the mission of Lifting Lives. Not necessarily a rebrand, but just getting laser focused on what we do. So we’re excited about 2020 and all of the things we were going to accomplish. Of course, that all came to a screeching halt. We had always been operating a disaster relief fund, very quietly, called the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. And that is for folks who are in the industry, who face the financial hardship or a personal disaster, whether that be a medical issue or something that happens to their home. So we had been set up to do that. And then when COVID hit, we realized we’re actually in a position to give back more. We have smart investment managers that sit on the board of Lifting Lives, we have some reserves. So we thought, ‘This is an opportunity to help people that the government wasn’t helping yet.’ We knew there was going to be a stimulus package, but we thought, ‘We can do this. We have the resources.’ So we created the application and then we started the process. We approved and allocated about a $1 million in approximately a week and a half, and these were small grants. These were $2,000, $1,000 grants based on need and criteria. Then the funds were gone.
From that point on, it was just any sort of fundraising opportunity we could grab onto, we did. We just completely focused on this fund because Stimulus checks ran out, PPP ran out, and there was no getting back on the road in sight. So we just continued to say, ‘We’ve got to keep on fundraising for this.’
[Through the fundraising efforts], we just kept banking the money and saying, ‘We know we’re going to reopen this fund. We don’t know how much, but we we’ve got to do it because the need is still so great.’ We had to close our fund, obviously, but we had a wait list. So people were just sort of waiting until we had funds to distribute.
We had about $500,000, in cash and from fundraising around September. We wanted to reopen the fund before the end of the year and we want to get money into people’s pockets before the holidays. So my awesome partner, Damon Whiteside at the ACM, and I crafted a plan to just start knocking on doors of companies that were under more financially stable footing, and the first were labels and DSPs. We got an amazing $500,000 gift from Amazon and we basically hit up every label and they all came in with a cash donation. So we raised about another $900,000, and then we made up with our reserves that difference to reopen the fund with $2 million. [As of this interview], we will have given out the $2 million. Taylor and I looked at the number today and I think we had about $75,000 left to give.
We’re so grateful that we’re in a position that we can do that, but we have a feeling that this is going to continue on for a bit longer, and so we’re trying to get ahead of it for 2021 to think about a third round.
Whiteside: I just want to give credit and kudos to Lyndsay and Taylor and their dedication this whole year. I’ve been at ACM almost a year, but I’m so impressed with Lifting Lives and the fact that it can be so nimble and it can be so many things to so many people in need. I’ve seen it just firsthand, them pivot this year from one need to another. I mean, we started the year with a tornado in Nashville and our team was out doing volunteer work and Lyndsay was working to get funds to people that needed it. And then it pivoted to COVID, and all the other things that we do on a daily basis. To me, it’s just been so powerful to see, as soon as there’s a need, Lifting Lives can identify the need and then address that need. I can’t underline enough the fact that yes, there is MusiCares out there, which was a huge fund that did great work, however, that was across the entire music industry. We’re the only ones that are doing this for country music, that’s literally serving the country music community directly with funding. So I have to applaud Lyndsay and the Lifting Lives team again on that. That’s pretty miraculous.
Damon, this was your first year at the ACM. Tell me what tackling such a difficult year was like during your first year.
Whiteside: I’ll have a better answer in January. I went into it really excited obviously, and there was a lot of major things to really tackle this year. A big part of that, too, is me just living in two cities. I was going to be half the time in L.A. and half in Nashville, so that was going to certainly be a challenge. Coming into it, I literally was just focused on the Vegas show in April and making that the best we can make it. There’s a lot of feedback I’d had from past years and I just had a lot of ideas and a lot of feedback from the staff and the board on a lot of things that we wanted to accomplish this year.
I wasn’t really [as focused on] introducing a bunch of new ideas, I really wanted to elevate what we do as an organization and elevate how we serve the industry. That would be a big win for year one. And then obviously, a couple of months in, everything started to change. I’ve said this a lot to our staff, too, that I feel like, in a strange way, the pandemic really forced us to be more innovative than we probably could have ever been. Our Country really proved it to us, where we could pivot from canceling an awards show in Vegas to immediately flipping and doing a two hour CBS special, plus the livestream. All of that was just learning, you know, there’s really no rules here. If we have a really strong idea and we have the support of the board, let’s go for it and make it happen. I think it really showed all of us that we could do things differently and we didn’t have to do things based on how we’d done them in the past. It was almost like, everything is up for discussion this year.
Whiteside: Not at the moment. We’re still researching. Nothing has been decided as of yet, a lot of that being just because of the year. Hopefully early next year we’ll be able to make some decisions and determine what that’s going to look like for us. Nothing has been confirmed yet.
Of all the successes and resilience that the Academy has shown this year, what are each of you most proud of?
Cruz: All the arrows point to the COVID fund and how many people we’ve been able to help. To date, we’ve been able to help about 2,000 people. Again, these are small grants that we’re helping people just put food on the table or pay their rent or mortgage. Hearing from the folks and what a significant impact that made for them; we had people say, ‘Wow, we didn’t think anyone cared,’ and also, ‘When I’m in a better place, I’d really love to come back and help you all in some way.’ That’s incredibly powerful for us.
[I’m also proud of] the amazing partnership with Vanderbilt in Nashville. This year we had our 11th annual ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, which is a research educational camp for people with a developmental disease called Williams Syndrome. It brings together these campers from around the country to do songwriting with the amazing Ross Copperman, and Runaway June sat in and helped write the song. We were still able to do that, even though it was virtual, and we had other artists like Tenille Townes, Michael Ray and Frankie Ballard. So we were able to still pull that off, and we expanded our partnership with Vanderbilt and were able to announce a $750,000 endowment to expand our work with people living with autism. So we’re able to create the ACM Lifting Lives Autism Lab at Vanderbilt, and it’s going to establish autism as one of our signature initiatives.
Frankie Ballard, Tenille Townes, and Michael Ray participate in ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp.
Whiteside: Obviously I want to echo everything she said, I don’t think there’s anything bigger we can point out than the COVID response. That’s just hands down, obviously our proudest moment or accomplishment of the year. But, on the ACM side, I feel like we’ve really elevated the ACM brand this year and what it means to the industry and the fans. We’ve been able to really serve the industry more than we have in a lot of years, if not ever, just in terms of having the Our Country special right at the moment our artists needed it most. It was right at the beginning of the pandemic, when people were more scared, and we got such a great response about what comfort that brought the fans. And then, I couldn’t be more proud of the show in Nashville. We started out the year thinking that we were going to be country’s party of the year, which is our normal positioning for the show, and then ended up doing a night of hurt and hits with a new host and with being the first live show back. I’m proud we were able to pay respect to the Nashville community. So between those things, it just made ACM able to really support our industry and in a huge way.
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/07035735/Cruz-Whiteside-Ratio.jpg8001200LB Cantrellhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLB Cantrell2020-12-23 13:26:442021-01-03 11:23:12The Academy of Country Music’s Damon Whiteside And Lyndsay Cruz Recount 2020 [Interview]
CeCe Winans is hosting the virtual Evening of Thanksgiving with Compassion International on Feb. 21, 2021 with some surprise special guests to help bring some joy and encouragement to those needing it. The event was originally slated to take place in November but was postponed due to the pandemic.
An Evening of Thanksgiving with CeCe Winans! worship live stream concert will feature praise and worship music as well as many favorites with a full band performance. Those sponsoring a child through Compassion International will receive a ticket into An Evening of Thanksgiving plus access to a separate VIP event that includes exclusive performances, a special conversation with CeCe Winans and family members, and a few additional surprises. Tickets are available here.
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/07035729/unnamed-5-4.jpg12201220Lorie Hollabaughhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLorie Hollabaugh2020-12-23 13:22:342021-01-03 11:24:49‘An Evening Of Thanksgiving With CeCe Winans’ Set For February 21st
Pictured (L-R): GOYA Foods CEO Bob Unanue, former NFL player Jack Brewer, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Lee Greenwood, NASCAR legend Richard Childress, and U.S. Congressman Bill Flores
The Lee Greenwood Patriot Awards Gala at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott in Houston was held earlier this month, and raised over $500,000 for the Helping a Hero organization.
This year, Helping a Hero honored five trailblazers with The Lee Greenwood Patriot Award for their leadership and commitment to our wounded warriors: NASCAR Legend Richard Childress; GOYA Foods CEO Robert “Bob” Unanue; South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem; U.S. Congressman Bill Flores (TX-17) who championed veteran reforms while in Congress; and multi-Platinum artist Michael W. Smith.
Funds raised from the evening will enable Helping a Hero serve post-9/11 severely wounded warriors through their Wounded Hero Home Program, emergency needs program, and other support programs. Plans are underway to build homes for deserving wounded warriors desperately needing specially adapted homes in Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Texas, as well as a special project in South Carolina. Notable attendees at the event included Bass Pro Founder and CEO Johnny Morris, Kalahari Resorts Founder and CEO Todd Nelson, Woodforest National Bank President Jay Dreibelbis, Latina Voices Co-Host Sofia Adrogue, Stewart Builder’s Mark Stewart, and Herbster Angus Farms CEO Charles Herbster.
“I have been supporting Helping a Hero for a decade and I’m humbled by the work they continue to do to help our wounded warriors,” said Greenwood, who hosted the Annual Helping a Hero Gala and presented the Lee Greenwood Patriot Awards. “This year proves that there is nothing that can stand in the way of our love and support for our nation’s heroes. It is an honor to partner with Helping a Hero and help with giving back to our wounded warriors who sacrifice so much for our nation.”
“We extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to Lee Greenwood, our sponsors, supporters, honorees, board members, advisory board members, and staff for making the event a huge success,” said Helping a Hero Chairman of the Board of Directors Hector Villareal. “I am honored to serve those that have served and sacrificed protecting our freedom. God bless the USA.”
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/07035728/L-R-GOYA-Foods-CEO-Bob-Unanue-former-NFL-player-Jack-Brewer-South-Dakota-Governor-Kristi-Noem-Lee-Greenwood-NASCAR-legend-Richard-Childress-and-U.S.-Congressman-Bill-Flores.jpg7311023Lorie Hollabaughhttps://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.pngLorie Hollabaugh2020-12-23 12:51:502021-01-03 11:26:17Helping a Hero’s Lee Greenwood Patriot Awards Gala Raises Over $500,000 For Wounded Vets
