Hatcher Joins Average Joes Roster

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Hatcher

Average Joes Entertainment has signed country singer-songwriter Hatcher.

The country newcomer’s first single, “‘Til The Next Time,” co-written with George Birge and Josh Mirenda and produced by Leland Elliot, is available now on all streaming platforms.

The son of an iron worker, Hatcher began singing and performing a capella locally and honed his considerable skills free-styling on the open mic circuit.

“Hatcher aims to set a mood and make a connection with his romantically charged music,”said Forrest Latta, Average Joes VP/A&R. “He’s an incredible singer and storyteller. His brand of country has a blue-collar soul edge to it, and he has passion for creating music that truly touches people.”

“I’m looking forward to working with the team at Average Joes and creating great new music,” commented Hatcher. “I’m also excited about releasing ”Til The Next Time.’ When George, Josh and I wrote this song, we wanted to elaborate about the concept of friends with benefits communicated in a sophisticated way. At the core, it’s an old fashioned love song.”

Sturgill Simpson Releases Surprise Double Bluegrass Album

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Sturgill Simpson dropped a surprise double bluegrass album on fans, Cuttin’ Grass Vol 1 – The Butcher Shoppe Sessions, which is out now digitally on High Top Mountain Records via Thirty Tigers/The Orchard.

Simpson returns to the music he cut his teeth on from his native Kentucky on the new bluegrass project, which he calls “a mixtape for the fans.” Produced by David Ferguson, the first single from the project, “I Don’t Mind,” is an unreleased fan favorite. Dreamed up while he was home recovering from the Coronavirus, Simpson re-imagines songs from his catalogue backed by some of Nashville’s finest acoustic virtuosos on the album, including Tim O’Brien, Sierra Hull, and Stuart Duncan.

Pictured (L-R): Mark Howard, Scott Vestal, Sturgill Simpson, Mike Bub, Sierra Hull, Tim O’Brien, Miles Miller, Stuart Duncan. Photo: Semi Song

“I had it in my mind for a long time that someday I want to cut as many of these songs as possible in this fashion, just organic and stripped down to the raw bones of the composition,” said Simpson. “If you can’t sit down and play a song like that, it’s probably a pretty shitty song.”

A  vinyl pre-order of the project is available now for release December 11, 2020.

Cuttin’ Grass Vol 1 – The Butcher Shoppe Sessions Track List:
1.   All Around You
2.   All The Pretty Colors
3.   Breaker’s Roar
4.   I Don’t Mind
5.   I Wonder
6.   Just Let Go
7.   Life Ain’t Fair and The World Is Mean
8.   A Little Light
9.   Life of Sin
10. Long White Line
11. Living The Dream
12. Old King Coal
13. Railroad of Sin
14. Sitting Here Without You
15. Sometimes Wine
16. The Storm
17. Time After All
18. Turtles All The Way Down
19. Voices
20. Water In A Well

Russell Dickerson Slates Sophomore Album ‘Southern Symphony’

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Russell Dickerson is releasing his brand new sophomore Triple Tigers Records album, Southern Symphony, on December 4. The 10-track record is available for pre-order/pre-save here.

He’s released a new track, “Never Get Old,” from the upcoming project, which was co-produced alongside friend and frequent collaborator Casey Brown and legendary producer Dann Huff.

 

Dickerson gave fans the first taste of Southern Symphony earlier this year with the debut single, “Love You Like I Used To,” which is currently in the Top 10 on country radio with over 106 million global streams to date. Recorded in Nashville, the project is packed with heartfelt ballads about love and nostalgia matched with his signature party anthems, including one of his biggest collaborations to date on the sixth track off the record, “It’s About Time,” featuring Florida Georgia Line.

“Southern Symphony is hands down the best work I’ve created,” said Dickerson. “It’s the best songs I’ve written. It’s sonically the best we’ve created. This album is ten honest and true tracks that tell the story of how I’ve grown as an artist and a man. I could not be more proud of every song on this album. Enjoy!”

Southern Symphony follows the 2017 release of Russell’s Gold-certified debut Yours, which bowed at No. 5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, No. 1 on the Emerging Artists Chart, and yielded three consecutive No. 1 smashes, including the double-Platinum “Yours,” the Platinum “Blue Tacoma,” and Platinum “Every Little Thing.”

Southern Symphony Track List:

  1. Never Get Old
  2. Home Sweet
  3. All Yours All Night
  4. Love You Like I Used To
  5. Forever For A Little While
  6. It’s About Time (ft. Florida Georgia Line)
  7. Honey
  8. Southern Symphony
  9. Come To Jesus
  10. Waiting For You My Whole Life

 

Track45 To Debut ‘Small Town’ EP October 23

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Pictured (L-R): Track45’s Ben Johnson, KK Johnson, Jenna Johnson. Photo: Joseph Llanes

Track45 is releasing their Small Town EP on Friday, October 23 on Stoney Creek Records.

The trio have writing credits on every track and produced several cuts, but they also enlisted the help of creative collaborators like producer Byron Gallimore. The EP includes the upbeat “Come On In,” with its inviting hook and a cappella intro that tells you exactly who they are and where they come from, “Me + You,” an instrumental groove laced with steel guitar, and “Met Me Now,” which mines regret and the desire to reset time. The collection captures a sound that draws from their assorted country, rock, R&B, and pop playlists.

Hailing from Meridian, MS, siblings Jenna, Ben, and KK Johnson have taken family-based, small-town values and stories as well as their experience as a family and love for one another and combined their own individual successes to create their musical style. Each has signed their own individual publishing deals and compiled impressive outside cuts with artists including Justin Timberlake, Charlie Puth, Lee Brice, HARDY, Lauren Alaina, and more. Ben just earned his first No. 1 as a songwriter with Lee Brice’s three-week, chart-topping hit “One Of Them Girls.”

“We moved to Nashville with a big dream,” says the members of Track45. “We’re so proud that our first EP, Small Town, tells the story of who we are and where we’re from. We poured our hearts into this project, and we hope people love it as much as we do!”

Zoom Rolls Out New OnZoom Option For Paid Live Events

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Zoom has launched a way for users to put on live, pay-to-attend virtual events, CNBC reports.

The new OnZoom service for hosting premium events is entering public beta in the U.S. and will become available worldwide in 2021, according to CNBC. OnZoom helps Zoom build on the exposure it has had this year with the onset of the pandemic and enables the company to encroach on the territory of companies that sell tickets to live events like Eventbrite and Live Nation. Unlike most of its live-ticketing competitors however, Zoom won’t take a cut of ticket sales during the OnZoom public testing period, which is expected to last at least through 2020. The company’s head said it will look at whether it should start charging next year, however.

Earlier this year, Zoom reached more than 300 million daily call participants at one point. Zoom users have to have paid subscriptions and be located in the U.S. to create single or repeating events through the new OnZoom feature, and people must have Zoom accounts and be located in the U.S. to join the events. The number of attendees is determined on the host’s Zoom subscription level, and organizers can hold events for free or ask attendees to donate to specific nonprofits if they want.

 

Sony/ATV Nashville Signs Nate Smith To Worldwide Deal

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Nate Smith. Photo: Rachel Deebs

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville announced today (Oct. 16) it has signed breakout country singer/songwriter Nate Smith to a global publishing agreement.

Originally from Paradise, California, Smith’s single “Wildfire” has garnered nine million Spotify streams and two million TikTok views. Smith has opened the stage for prominent artists across genres including Brett Eldredge, Michael Ray, Travis Denning, Eli Young Band, X Ambassadors, and Pitbull.

Sony/ATV Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston stated, “Nate has an incredible ability to inspire hope and bring people together with his songs. We are so pleased to welcome Nate to the Sony/ATV family—he has unlimited potential, and this is just the beginning for him and his career.”

Smith said, “I’ve always been told that you want to surround yourself with people who believe in you even more than you do, and that’s what I’ve found with the Sony/ATV family.”

Smith began his music career at 23 years old when he moved to Nashville and signed his first label and publishing deal. He eventually had to leave Music City and move back to California to be with his family, and it was during that time a devastating fire struck Paradise and destroyed everything he owned. Through his experience with loss and grief, Nate re-discovered his love for country music and began writing songs again.

Soon after, Smith co-wrote “One of These Days,” a tribute song to honor Paradise, California after the devastating wildfires in 2018. The single quickly went viral and became an anthem of hope for fire victims struggling with loss and pain. After the success of “One of These Days,” Smith was inspired to continue his songwriting career and move back to Nashville. Since then, he signed a new management deal with Chief Zaruk and Simon Tikhman at The Core Entertainment.

Smith also released his new single “Under My Skin” today.

Jaden Hamilton Signs With Sony Music Nashville

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Pictured (L-R): Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO; Jaden Hamilton; Alison Mingino, Sony Music Nashville A&R Manager. Photo: Adam Davis

Country artist and TikTok creator, Jaden Hamilton, has signed with Sony Music Nashville.

The singer-songwriter is debuting his Ain’t That Something EP today (Oct. 16). The four-song collection, produced by Matthew McVaney, features new tracks “Thinkin’ Bout You” and the title track, along with previously released “Found Myself in a Country Song” and fan-favorite “Long Night Letting Go.”

Photo: Matthew Berinato

A native of Prairieville, LA, Hamilton was raised on a mix of classic country and hard rock, surrounded by the sugarcane fields and tread-marked dirt roads referenced in his lyrics. They were the backdrops to his earliest TikTok clips, where he first established a highly-engaged digital audience, with over 365,000 followers on the platform to date. After two weeks at Louisiana State University, and faced with an invitation from a pop producer to move to L.A., Hamilton went with option three and relocated to Nashville.

“I’m so excited to get the news out that I’ve signed with Sony Nashville. I’m grateful to be a part of such a supportive team that works with many artists that I look up to,” says Hamilton. “It’s a dream come true to be able to share this news and release my EP today. I’m super proud of these songs and I think they capture who I am as an artist.”

Hamilton is managed by The Erv Woolsey Company in partnership with Regulator Management.

Weekly Radio Report (10/16/20)

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Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Radio Report.

Tennessee Breaks First Day of Early Voting Record

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Through Wednesday, Oct. 14, a record-breaking 273,325 people cast their ballot by voting early or absentee by-mail. This is a 91% increase from the first day of early voting in 2016 and a 120% increase over 2012.

“I’m excited that Tennesseans are engaged and are making their voices heard at the polls,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “We are on pace to break our previous early voting turnout record, which was set in 2016.”

Early voting for the State and Federal Primary and County General election runs Monday to Saturday until Thursday, Oct. 29. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Tennessee voters can find their early voting and Election Day hours, polling locations and more with the free GoVoteTN app or online at GoVoteTN.com.

While visiting the polls, Tennesseans are encouraged to wear a face covering and maintain a six-foot distance from poll officials and other voters.

Nashville Entrepreneur Center Aiding Small Businesses Affected By COVID-19

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The Nashville Entrepreneur Center will launch Renew Nashville, a citywide initiative designed to provide small businesses and entrepreneurs negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with world-class expertise and resources aimed at increasing their rate of survival.

By partnering with five local nonprofits—Pathway Lending, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Business Incubation Center, Conexión Américas—the Nashville Entrepreneur Center is leveraging its position as the hub for entrepreneurs, providing participants access to master-class resources, executive level advisors, and the support of the city’s largest business network. Entry into this invaluable program will increase the survival rate for those most vulnerable to the pandemic.

The program is free to the first 500 small businesses to connect with Renew Nashville and register in Davidson County. Any Davidson County small business impacted by COVID is eligible, and this opportunity is open to any industry and any segment, including those in the music industry.

Applications to participate in Renew Nashville are open now.