Nate Kenyon Signs With Anthem Music Publishing

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Nate Kenyon has signed an exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Anthem Music Publishing.

A native of Southeast Georgia, Kenyon was raised on a variety of different genres and artists, which influenced his unique writing style and voice. Along with his songwriting, he is also pursuing an artist career as well, and has shared stages with Luke Combs, Jon Pardi, Tyler Farr and Justin Moore, to name a few. Raking in upwards of 50 million YouTube views over the past two years, he has begun building a dedicated fanbase.

“From the first song we heard of Nate’s, we knew he was a special writer,” said Tim Wipperman, President of Anthem Music Publishing Nashville. “His wordsmithing is visceral and paints vivid pictures in your mind’s eye. You’ll be hearing a lot from Nate in the near future!”

“Not only do I get to say I’m lucky enough to have a publishing deal in Nashville, but I also get to say I have one with a family like Anthem that I know has my back,” Kenyon said.

Anthem Music Publishing is a division of Anthem Entertainment, with offices in Nashville, Toronto and Los Angeles.

Devon Gilfillian, Jason Isbell, The War And Treaty, More Set Livestream Concert To Benefit The Equity Alliance

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Devon Gilfillian and Friends are holding a livestream concert, “There’s An Election Going On” on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. ET in partnership with The Equity Alliance, Nugs.net and HeadCount.org.

During the special musical event the artists will perform songs from Marvin Gaye’s classic album, What’s Going On, live. The event will also include special guests playing songs of protest, freedom and community. In addition to Gilfillian, performers will include Aaron Lee Tasjan, Breland, Drew Holcomb, Emoni Wilkins, Grace Potter, Jason Eskridge, Jason Isbell, Joy Oladokun, Katie Pruitt, Kyshona Armstrong, Lera Lynn, Local Natives, The Lone Bellow, Nickie Conley and The War and Treaty.

“I don’t have much political power, but I do have the power of music,” said Gilfillian. “I decided I wanted to learn the entirety of Marvin Gaye’s album, What’s Going On, and use that music to raise money to fight voter suppression, bring people together, and share the message that Marvin was trying to get across. Marvin simply wanted this country to have a conversation, an informed conversation, on the injustice and pain that people are facing. To simply look at ‘what’s going on.’ Almost 50 years ago, this album came out, and every word still rings with such relevance.”

Gilfillian performed the national anthem at NASCAR 2020 on the day they banned the Confederate flag. He recently launched The Good Life Fund, which supports organizations that are doing good in the world, including Give A Note Foundation and Rebuilding Together Nashville.

UMPG Nashville Signs Global Publishing Deal With Ian Munsick (Exclusive)

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Universal Music Publishing Group has signed Ian Munsick to a global publishing deal. Munsick earned more than 20 million streams and more than 200,000 monthly listeners as an independent artist and recently signed with Warner Music Nashville. He is managed by The Erv Woolsey Company/Not a Public Figure Management. HIs first single, “Long Haul,” released earlier this month.

Cyndi Forman, Senior Vice President A&R, UMPG Nashville, said, “Ian brings such authenticity to his songwriting and artistry. His energy and positivity shines through his music and his work ethic. I can’t wait for people to get to know him. Our entire UMPG family is looking forward to working with him and his incredible team.”

Munsick added, “Working with publishers that have as much respect for Country music as Cyndi and Troy Tomlinson is a dream come true. Cyndi is such a champion for young artists like me who want to broaden the spectrum of Country music yet keep it rooted in lyrical integrity. Her ability to balance both the progressive and traditional ranges of the genre is why I’m confident I have the best damn publisher in town.”

Rock/Country Showman Roy Head Dies At 79

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Rocker Roy Head, who later forged a long career in country music, died Monday morning (Sept. 21) at age 79.

Head is best known for his 1965 pop/rock hit “Treat Her Right.” He was a wild, unpredictable showman whose stage performances were legendary. Between 1974 and 1986 he placed 24 singles on the country charts.

He grew up in East Texas, influenced by the musicians in the Black community around him, his mother’s Ernest Tubb records and the weekly broadcasts of The Louisiana Hayride.

Head recorded a few rockabilly tunes, then broke through with the R&B barn burner “Treat Her Right.” The single rose to the upper reaches of the charts, prevented from hitting No. 1 by The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”

The song became a big country hit for Barbara Mandrell in 1971. “Treat Her Right” was also covered by Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy “Crash” Craddock, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Mae West, Robert Plant, Tom Jones, Otis Redding, George Thorogood, The Box Tops, Doug Sahm, Sandy Nelson, Joe Stampley and Los Straightjackets.

Head’s version was heard on the soundtracks of the 1991 movie The Commitments and Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

“Apple of My Eye” was the follow-up top 40 hit in late 1965. A string of releases on Back Beat, Scepter and Mercury ensued in 1966-71. Future rock star Johnny Winter got his start in Head’s band The Traits.

It was during this time that Roy Head built his reputation as a microphone-slinging, frantic, manic, back-flipping, leg-splitting stage wild man. Vocal shrieks and enthusiastic shouts accompanied his gymnastic dancing. Head’s offstage exploits were equally colorful, and Head’s re-telling of them was invariably embellished.

When his pop/rock career faded, Head turned his attention to country music.
He made his debut on the country charts with Mickey Newbury’s tune “Baby’s Not Home” in 1974. The following year, he scored his first country hit, “The Most Wanted Woman in Town.” It cracked the top 20 and became a top 10 hit on the Canadian country charts.

Head had his two biggest country hits in 1977-78, “Come to Me” and “Now You See ‘Em Now You Don’t.” Both were top 20 hits on ABC/Dot Records.

Other notable singles included his country versions of Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night” (1978) and Loggins & Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance” (1983). Roy Head remained a Houston music legend into the 1990s and beyond. He retained his reputation as an electrifying showman into his senior years, and continued to be an entertaining raconteur.

Son Sundance Head was a finalist on American Idol in 2006, then won on The Voice in 2016. That led to the top 10 country hit “Darlin’ Don’t Lie” and a remake of his father’s “Treat Her Right” as a duet with Blake Shelton.

Roy Head was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of fame in 2007. He is survived by his wife Carolyn, son Jason (Sundance), daughter-in-law Misty, and three grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Sony/ATV Nashville Signs Publishing Deal With Filmore

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Pictured (Back row, L-R): Josh Van Valkenburg (SATV), Katie Kerkhover, Chris Perkins (Victory Entertainment), Josh Tomlinson (BMI), Anna Weisband (SATV), Mya Hansen (SATV), Tom Luteran (SATV); (Front row, L-R): Rusty Gaston (SATV), Filmore, Dane Schmidt (SATV).

Rising artist Filmore has inked a global publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville. Filmore’s songs, including “Love That About You,” “Blue Skies,” and “Other Girl,” have earned 21 million on-demand streams to date. He’s also toured with Lauren Alaina, Sam Hunt, Russell Dickerson and more.

He will release his debut album, State I’m In, on Sept. 25. The 18-track album was produced by Zach Abend. Missouri native Filmore moved to Nashville after graduating college in 2011 and later released several EPs including 2016’s Proof. “Slower” proved to be his breakthrough song, earning more than 26 million streams. To date, he’s earned more than 146 million on-demand streams and made media appearances on The Bobby Bones Show and NBC’s TODAY.

“Filmore is the definition of a true hustler—his drive, passion and love for music continues to inspire me daily,” said Dane Schmidt, Director of Creative at Sony/ATV Nashville. “We’re thrilled to welcome Filmore and his team to Sony/ATV, and we look forward to achieving great success together.”

Filmore said, “I’m beyond excited to be a part of the Sony/ATV family. Telling my story through songwriting has helped build my career, and for Sony/ATV to put their support and belief in me is such an incredible honor. I can’t wait to see what we all do together!”

Easton Corbin Signs With UTA

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Easton Corbin. Photo: Thomas Crabtree

Easton Corbin has signed with UTA for exclusive booking representation in all areas.
“2020 has brought a lot of changes for everyone but it’s also brought a lot of opportunities. I’ve taken time to work on my team and I’m really excited to be working with UTA,” Corbin said. “Their eagerness and expertise impressed me from the beginning and I’m looking forward to working together which is essential to getting back on the road.”

Corbin released his previous single “Turn Up” earlier this summer, and his second collaboration with EDM star Lost Frequencies, “One More Night,” has already earned over 3 million Spotify streams. He recently performed the song “Didn’t Miss A Beat” during an appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show on Sept. 3. Corbin co-wrote the song alongside Brad Clawson, Shane Minor and Wade Kirby, who also produced the track.

Reservoir Inks Deal With Sorted Noise

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Pictured (Top, L-R): Scott Cresto (Reservoir EVP Synch & Marketing), Spek (Reservoir EVP International and Emerging Markets), Beatchild (Reservoir writer), Hannah Miller (artist), French Braids (Reservoir writer), Jason Collum (Co-founder & Partner, Sorted Noise), Perrin Lamb (Head of A&R & Partner, Sorted Noise); (Bottom, L-R): Josh Collum (Co-founder & Partner, Sorted Noise), Holley Maher (artist), CAMM (artist), Jim Beanz (Reservoir writer).

Reservoir has inked a deal with synch-focused music company Sorted Noise to acquire their catalog of masters and publishing copyrights. As part of the deal, Sorted Noise will run synch-focused songwriting bootcamps featuring Reservoir songwriters, as well as camps dedicated to creating fresh covers of classic Reservoir catalog copyrights.

Copyrights for classic songs including “Jungle Boogie,” “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher,” and “Oh, Pretty Woman,” have already been covered, while Reservoir songwriters Jim Beanz, Beatchild, BEXAR, Tristan Bushman, Noby Sidez, and French Braids have participated in Sorted Noise-led camps, including the last in-person camp held in February before the company moved to virtual to accommodate safe social distancing practices. Though based in Nashville, Sorted Noise and Reservoir plan to expand camps to London and Copenhagen, among other locations, in the coming year.

Mississippi natives Josh Collum, Jason Collum, and Perrin Lamb founded Sorted Noise in 2008. The company’s bootcamps in Nashville earned a more than 70% success rate for placing music written by their community of over 50 artists, producers, and musicians in a variety of film, TV, and ad campaigns, including TV shows such as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, This Is Us, Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee, American Horror Story, and in ads for brands such as Chase, IKEA, DKNY, HBO, and Nutella, among others.

Sorted Noise partnered with the music team behind NBC’s hit series This Is Us to craft the song “We Can Always Come Back To This,” which peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Rock Charts and went on to earn a nomination for Best Original Song in TV at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards.

“Sorted Noise’s creative approach to the synch market and incredible track record speaks for itself. Their innovation in this space is exactly the kind of forward-thinking approach that we look for in a partner and we’re proud to be bringing this value-add to our songwriters and catalog,” said Rell Lafargue, Reservoir President and COO.

Scott Cresto, Reservoir’s EVP of Synch and Marketing, who previously worked with Sorted Noise in his capacity as President of synch agency Music Alternatives, added, “We had great success with the Sorted Noise crew at Music Alternatives the past several years. We’re looking forward to continuing and expanding upon that success now that they have been brought into the Reservoir fold.”

“Synch camps themselves aren’t unique, but what is unique, is a company like Reservoir bringing a team on board to exclusively focus on their roster and catalog,” said Sorted Noise Co-Founder and Partner Josh Collum. “It allows us to truly get to know their artists, writers, producers, and songs, and this better understanding ultimately leads to better art. It’s strategic and forward-thinking, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”

Sam Hunt, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini Set For Virtual iHeartCountry Festival On Oct. 23

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This year’s iHeartCountry Festival, which was originally slated for May 2 in Austin, Texas, before it was postponed, will be held as a virtual streaming and on-air radio special on Oct. 23 beginning at 7 p.m. CT.

Dierks Bentley, Lady A, Sam Hunt, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Riley Green, Morgan Evans, and Gabby Barrett are among the performers, with a guest appearance by Bobby Bones. The festival, presented by Capital One, will be recorded live on one stage in Nashville and will stream exclusively on livexlive.com and broadcast live across iHeartMedia’s more than 150 country music radio stations in local markets and at iHeartRadio.com.

“Despite this year’s pandemic, we are honored to still be able to host one of country music’s most anticipated nights with an iconic lineup of the genre’s biggest artists,” said Rod Phillips, Executive Vice President of Programming for iHeartCountry. “Although fans won’t be able to celebrate in person, the show will be available to our millions of listeners across our iHeartCountry stations nationwide and through the exclusive stream on LiveXLive.”

Other festival partners include Country Crock, Jane, Progressive Insurance, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as the exclusive charity partner.

Weekly Register: Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs Top Sales Charts

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Gabby Barrett. Photo: Robby Klein

Gabby Barrett tops this week’s Country On-Demand Streaming Songs chart with “I Hope,” which was streamed 7.8 million times this week, according to Nielsen. Morgan Wallen‘s “7 Summers” lands at No. 2 this week, with 7.5 million streams, followed by Jason Aldean‘s “Got What I Got” at No. 3 with 7.3 million streams. Lee Brice‘s “One Of Them Girls” is at No. 4 with 6.8 million streams this week, with Wallen’s “Chasin’ You” at No. 5 with 6 million streams.

Luke Combs‘ What You See Is What You Get is at No. 1 on the country albums chart this week, with 23K in total consumption. Wallen’s If I Know Me is at No. 2 with 20K, followed by Combs’ This One’s For You at No. 3 with 19K. Kane Brown‘s Mixtape Vol. 1 is at No. 4 with 15K, followed by Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller at No. 5 with 11K.

Industry Ink: Michael Ray, FBMM, ‘Meet Music Row’ Silent Auction, Chad Jeffers

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Michael Ray Shares Cocktails And Conversation During Virtual Chat

Pictured: Cris Lacy and Michael Ray.

Michael Ray and Warner Music Nashville EVP A&R Cris Lacy held a virtual chat with nearly 150 guests from across the industry on Sept. 15. During the conversation with Lacy, Ray revealed that he has new music on the way, beginning with “Whiskey And Rain” due out Sept. 25. The two closed the evening with Lacy presenting Ray with a plaque commemorating five RIAA Gold-certified tracks (“Her World Or Mine,” “One That Got Away,” “Get To You,” “Think A Little Less,” “Kiss You in the Morning”) and three chart-topping singles.

Jason Leiss Elevated To Associate Business Manager At FBMM

Jason Leiss

Jason Leiss has been promoted to Associate Business Manager for FBMM, working with Scotty McCreery, John Hiatt, Tenille Townes, and Sam Hunt. Leiss joined FBMM in 2010 and was upped to Account Executive in 2012. In 2015, he qualified for Account Manager status and in 2018, achieved the requirements for Senior Account Manager. Leiss graduated from MTSU with a major in Business and a concentration in Entrepreneurship.

“When your clients are creative, every day is an adventure, and no two days are exactly alike. Nothing is more rewarding than reminiscing with a client about a goal they established in the past and knowing I helped empower them to accomplish it,” Leiss said. “My wife and three young daughters are my motivating force; I aspire to be the best business manager in the universe!”

Chad Jeffers And Greg Cooley Partner For Encore Home Group

Pictured (L-R): Greg Cooley and Chad Jeffers

Chad Jeffers, one of Nashville’s most respected and in demand musicians, has partnered with one of the area’s most successful Luxury Homes realtors, Greg Cooley, to form The Encore Home Group. The company will specialize in catering to high profile clients searching for a home in the Middle Tennessee area, with a special emphasis on artists and music industry executives who are considering the Nashville area.

Jeffers has spent the past 13 years on the road with Carrie Underwood, performing for a global audience on some of the world’s largest stages. Cooley is a founding member and principal broker with Compass Nashville, where he leads the local Sports and Entertainment division and has more than 13 years of experience in his profession.

For more information contact Jeffers at 615.414.7959 or [email protected] and Cooley at 615.628.7141 or [email protected].

Meet Music Row Silent Auction Raises $52,000 For Second Harvest


This year’s Meet Music Row Silent Auction raised $52,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. The auction featured sessions with producer Dann Huff, CMT Senior V.P. of Music Strategy and Talent Leslie Fram, Make Wake Artists’ Chris Kappy (Luke Combs), Broken Bow Records Music Group VP of A&R Sara Knabe, Sony/ATV CEO Rusty Gaston, the Nashville Pandora team, and more.

“I am overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who stepped up to make this a success. Because of the industry professionals who donated their time, the people who helped us spread the word, and the bidders who dug deep, Second Harvest will be able to keep a lot of people from going hungry,” said auction organizer and Bluebird Cafe Open Mic night host Barbara Cloyd.