Bonus Q&A: PR Tips From Jake Basden, Ebie McFarland, Kristie Sloan, Jensen Sussman

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For the 2017 Artist Roster print magazine, MusicRow exclusively sat down with public relations representatives behind artists including Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, The Robertson Family, Ronnie Dunn, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Bobby Bones, Dierks Bentley, Kelsea Ballerini and Dustin Lynch to discuss PR damage control in the modern age.

Jake Basden, VP Publicity & Corporate Communications, Big Machine Label Group; Ebie McFarland, Publicist/Owner, Essential Broadcast Media; Kristie Sloan, co-owner of the Greenroom and Jensen Sussman, Pres./Owner of Sweet Talk Publicity discuss their experiences with media in a world where clicks are driven with shock and awe, and consumers have devoured many celebrities after their missteps; think: Paula Deen or Kathy Griffin.

The full interview can be found in MusicRow’s latest Artist Roster Print magazine, available with a subscription. We exclusively discuss country music fan demographics—with identities being both Republicans and Democrats, LGBT and conservative Christian or even advocates for Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter. The print feature also discusses how each publicist’s personal reactions have been neutralized to navigate crisis situations.

What follows is a bonus Q&A, which features the publicist’s advice for operating their businesses in today’s environment. Read the exclusive print interview in MusicRow’s 2017 Artist Roster Print magazine, available with MusicRow subscriptions and individually at musicrow.com.

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MusicRow: How can a publicist get their voice heard when pitching for features?

Jake Basden: Rule one is: Know you’re audience. We’re really in the business of telling stories. MusicRow may be perfect for certain things that no one over at People magazine ever may need to see. You have to understand the goal and who you are trying to reach, because a lot of times trying to reach everyone will get you no one.

Kristie Sloan: I love a “No.” Then I can tell you why that “No” doesn’t work. [laughs]. I crave information and if we can figure out why a certain pitch didn’t work, we can try something else. If it’s not a fit, then it’s not a fit—I’m not going to force anything. But if I believe so strongly it is a fit, I want to have a dialogue about it.

Ebie McFarland: There are certain times we will go to our core Nashville journalists, ones who have been championing the format for a long time, to soundboard some stories and say, “Help me find the timeliness here.” A lot of time we’ll postpone a story 8-10 months because it may need told when a single is peaking, not when a single is going for adds—or one of 50 reasons. I think that is why we are so fortunate as a format to have so many people that actually care about these artists in real ways.

Jensen Sussman: Email still doesn’t replace a phone call. PR is so much about relationships and trying to tell those stories. When you can have a dialogue on the phone or in person, you can really go in-depth about that story. I always encourage my team, if you’re not hearing back, you need to get on the phone or take them to coffee. Because a lot of those emails could be deleted if you picked up the phone to have one conversation.

MR: With your rosters, do you get one-on-one attention for national media too?

Basden: It’s so competitive. There’s one music booker at Fallon. There’s tons of publicists trying to reach her. You have to be selfless, thinking of it that way and remembering that part. [Most people at BMLG] are talking about competing against the other 50 people on the country chart. But that booker is looking at every genre…

Sussman: …every single chart, and actors and others non-music related. We were just looking at what we’re all fighting for, pitching for and up against with magazines in print. There’s how many major books? There’s 12 covers a year and six are Hollywood actresses.

MR: Say you’ve secured one of those high-profile features, do you ever then turn and have to sell that opportunity to your client or take responsibility for a potential misstep during the interview?

Sussman: I always say, we present opportunities putting together the strongest campaigns we can and presenting as many opportunities we think are good fits for our clients. That’s our job. But there is an entire team and so many other factors. But we focus on working the hardest in our area—doing the best we can.

McFarland: I would add to that, explaining why it’s a good opportunity [to] team members that perhaps haven’t had a story in the Wall Street Journal, Kickstarter campaign or a New York Times magazine piece. Those set the tone for an album. When you’re trying to emphasize the importance of those outlets, explain why the [placement] can help now and why we recommend it is helpful. Because that’s ultimately why we’re getting paid, is for our expertise.

MR: How might national, or international media operate differently than we do in Nashville?

Basden: One way it gets challenging is TV. We get so used to CMT correspondents and artists go out of town to an awards show in Vegas or LA or New York and they go to the carpet and can’t understand why a producer may not know their album came out, or the name of their current single. Artists may not realize the correspondent has just been hired for that day and just has a list of people they need to interview. Whereas someone in [Nashville] who stays up on that information day to day would know that. So you will get feedback from artists in that regard. Even the bookers. Sometimes you’ll have conversations, because we’re consuming MusicRow magazine or Country Aircheck and everything all day [in Nashville], they may not be. That’s a good reminder to keep feeding them with information…

McFarland: …and contextualizing it. When you’re dealing with people that don’t live and breathe the format, it’s important to show in layman’s terms how it’s relevant to them without it becoming a stats or sales story. You have to evoke emotion from the segment, and that has to start with the pitch. If that doesn’t happen, it is very unlikely that it will become a moving piece. That’s a very delicate process, and something you work years to hone in able to be able to craft pitches so they don’t isolate your artist as one particular thing in their mind. Because a lot of times, you’re growing that relationship with that person for the first time, especially with international.

MR: So is that the challenge of publicists, to translate sales stats to compelling stories?

Basden: It is important not to get caught up in stats, like Ebie said. Every day from the label there are new stats. There’s a new No. 1 every week and you can’t go in expecting these people in these other markets to follow the charts like we do. And quite frankly, sales stats are not always a story. They may show momentum, but being No. 1 is not the story. Unless it’s historic.

Sussman: On a human-interest level, what fans and media producers connect with is that story the artist is telling. It seems like a big sales story, but what’s going to connect with them, and for us to get that segment or placement is the story of what that particular artist has gone through or is telling with their music. That is what is going to let us bring that spotlight on them, and that’s how you fall in love with music is because it speaks to you, and what you’re going through. That’s why we’re all in this and why we want to tell those story.

McFarland: Think of discovering music as a child. If you heard a song you liked, the first thing you’d do is read the back of the vinyl or booklet. Think of the way people consume music today. A lot of times they’re Shazaming it or Googling it. We want to create the content so when people hear the music, they are able to go down the rabbit hole and fall more in love and connect more with the artist and their story. Back in the day it would have been you wanted your bio to tell everything with the hopes of starting the conversation.

MR: Jake, from a label perspective, do you ever suggest artists hire an independent publicist from outside of Nashville?

Basden: I get so mad if one of our artists sign with someone outside Nashville because they think that whatever reason they’re in L.A. that they may bring something more to the table. Most times it doesn’t end up working out that way.

Sussman: [laughs]

Basden: So if you’re going to hire an indie in country, that person needs to be on the ground in Nashville. Nashville publicists do a good job looking at the whole picture—digital and print. A lot of times these bigger firms are really doing nothing but booking television for people all the time. We talked a lot about country today, but I think people in other facets of entertainment are crazy for not engaging more with Nashville publicists. Any of these [publicists here today] could do a better job than someone who happens to be on the ground in New York or L.A. I really believe that.

McFarland: We all pay Jake. He’s our publicist. [Laughs]

Do ever feel a sense of competition between each other, not only competing for clients but features and spots?

Sussman: It’s funny, Kristie and I just had drinks the other night. We have such a community [in Nashville] that I don’t ever feel competitive. There’s so much music, so many great artists and all of us are doing such great work. I have so much respect for everyone in the room that if there was a crisis situation and needed to bounce ideas, I really feel like I could call anyone.

Sloan: If anything it’s a healthy competition. Because if someone lands a cover, we all know how hard that is. Or you get SNL. That’s huge!

Basden: Exactly. And you’re opening the door for the rest of [Nashville].

McFarland: But to Jake’s earlier point about New York or L.A., if the growth of Nashville helps to overcome some of the stereotypes about businesses based in Nashville being somehow at a disadvantage geographically, then I’m all for the growth.

Maybe that collaborative nature comes from feeling like in order for somebody in Nashville to win, somebody else in Nashville doesn’t have to lose.

Basden: Except maybe during the CMA Awards.

All: [laughs]

Pick up MusicRow’s latest Artist Roster Print magazine, exclusively discussing what it feels like when the pressure is on during a crisis situation, available with a subscription.

Kip Moore’s ‘Slowheart’ Is Next Chapter In Evolving Career

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Kip Moore knows the instant that a new album is about to transpire. “It’s like all of a sudden a light starts,” says the singer, whose next project Slowheart will be released Sept. 8. “With whatever I’ve internalized with relationships, being on the road, and observing life in general, there is a distinct thing that happens and I feel it the moment it starts. Within weeks or a month, I know I’m about to write a record.”

Slowheart—named for that inclination to internalize—processes and puts on display those experiences and emotions, taking fans on a journey of colorful imagery and interesting characters. “I watched her pack up her mink coat, pink stilettos and rosary,” he sings on “Just Another Girl.”

Moore’s ongoing story is full of summer flings (“Sunburn”), smoking with Slash (“I’ve Been Around”), sloe gin fizz and fast women (“Fast Women”), but balances it with plenty of grounded material. There’s lost love (“Plead The Fifth”), sincere devotion (“Try Again”), hopefulness (“More Girls Like You”), sunny romance (“Good Thing”), and self-reflection (“Guitar Man”). Along the way, he finds unique perspectives for music’s most timeless topic—love. (If you were my last breath I’d just wanna hold ya.—“Last Shot.”)

“I always want my records to evolve with who I am and what I’m feeling,” he says. “What those vulnerabilities and insecurities are at that time of my life. What my hope is at that time of my life.”

As sole producer of the project, Moore conjures sing-along choruses and guitar hooks galore. Having co-produced his two previous albums, doing it alone this time was a natural step. “I had lived with these songs for so long and I had been imagining all these arrangements,” he continues. “I had a blueprint for each and every one. I knew exactly the sound I wanted. And I didn’t want anybody to deter me from that sound.”

Moore cut about 25 tracks before whittling it down to the final 13. Slowheart was recorded mostly at Southern Ground studio, with the exception of lead single “More Girls Like You” and “Blonde,” which he and co-writer David Garcia recorded at Garcia’s home studio, playing all the instruments themselves.

The singer brought that well-thought-out vision to his recording of “Bittersweet Company,” a song about a fading long-term relationship. “It was such a slow, melancholy acoustic thing when I wrote it,” he says. “I live with it for a while before I go in to record it. I think, ‘How is this song going to grab people live? How am I going to get the maximum feeling and emotion out of this song?’ I think of all the elements, like what that title means. Bittersweet is a contradiction of each other, it’s a double-edged sword. The music and the lyric is a contradiction of each other. The lyric is a heart-wrenching, sad thing, but yet I put this happy melody on top of it. It feels like a straight old-school ‘90s rock ‘n’ roll song to me.”

Moore’s fans and albums have followed him through all phases of his life, starting in 2012 with the small-town nostalgia and young love found on Up All Night. In 2015 he offered the rock-oriented Wild Ones, with snapshots of his life following three No. 1s. Upcoming Slowheart blends the storytelling of his first outing with the rock grooves of Wild Ones to become its own piece of art.

“The reason the records are never going to sound the same is because I’m never going to be that guy that’s going to write in hopes of holding on to commercial success,” says Moore. “If the commercial success happens, that’s the gravy part of it. I’m going to write to the fans that have been there with me, and are growing and evolving with me. And about what pertains to my life. I see that all the time with artists, I know exactly what their record’s going to sound like before they put it out. That bores me and I feel like that is basically trying to keep the train rolling on whatever has gotten you there. I can’t write ‘Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck’ again. I can sing it, because I can go back to that nostalgic place, but I can’t write that song again, because it’s not relative to my life anymore. I had yet to travel the world and experience things the way I have. I don’t have that in my well anymore and I don’t want to go try to dig it back up just in hopes of maybe grabbing a hit. And that gets pressed on me all the time. You start getting in the corporate side of things….I’m always like, ‘Guys, it’s not gonna happen. This is another chapter.’”

The current chapter shows Moore recording outside songs for the first time, including “The Bull,” a song by Jon Randall and Luke Dick about flipping the bird to “all the bulls that bucked me off.” Moore says, “That’s the first time a song had really punched me in the mouth like that that wasn’t mine. That’s how I feel about everything right now.”

And though Slowheart hasn’t even been released, Moore is evolving to the next chapter. “I’ve already been writing what I think will be the feel of the next record after this one,” he says. “You’ll find out, but it’s completely different than Slowheart. I’m still the same person at my core. But where I’m at musically right now is completely different from where I was a year ago. I want there to always be a direct correlation of my life and what I’m making musically.”

In the meantime, Moore is itching to share Slowheart with fans on the road. “That’s the hardest part,” he sums. “When you’ve been sitting on all these songs and waiting to play them live. Because I write around that.”

His headlining Plead The Fifth Tour kicks off Oct. 19.

Moore will perform in Nashville on Sept. 10. He is teaming up with skateboarding champion Tony Hawk for the Music City Skate Jam presented by Harley-Davidson. The event at Music City Walk Of Fame Park will include a skate demo by Hawk with proceeds benefitting Kip’s Kids Fund and the Tony Hawk Foundation.

SLOWHEART Track List:

1.Plead The Fifth (Luke Dick, Josh Kear)

2. Just Another Girl (Kip Moore, Westin Davis, Ben Helson)

3. I’ve Been Around (Kip Moore, Dan Couch)

4. Fast Women (Kip Moore, Blair Daly, Westin Davis and Troy Verges)

5. Bittersweet Company (Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Troy Verges)

6. Sunburn (Kip Moore, David Garcia, Josh Miller, Steven Olsen)

7. More Girls Like You (Kip Moore, Steven Olsen, Josh Miller, David Garcia)

8. The Bull (Jon Randall, Luke Dick)

9. Blonde (Kip Moore, Steven Olsen, Josh Miller, David Garcia)

10. Good Thing (Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Troy Verges)

11. Last Shot (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, David Lee Murphy)

12. Try Again (Kip Moore, David Garcia, Josh Miller)

13. Guitar Man (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, Westin Davis)

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Levon, The Sisterhood, Ashley McBryde Plan Solar Eclipse Opry Shows

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Levon

Columbia Nashville/Epic Records’ new trio Levon are confirmed to perform at the Opry Plaza in Nashville on Monday, August 21, prior to the total solar eclipse as part of the Opry Total Eclipse Plaza Party Presented by AT&T. At the event, guests will enjoy live music on the Plaza stage from Levon starting at approximately 12:30 p.m., just prior to the total eclipse at 1:27 pm. Ashley McBryde will perform prior to Levon, and again after the eclipse.

Also signed under the Sony Music Nashville umbrella, country duo The Sisterhood will make their Grand Ole Opry debut on Sunday, Aug. 20. The Opry this particular night is a momentous one as it is celebrating the once-in-a-lifetime Total Solar Eclipse in the U.S. which occurs the following day, as Nashville is in the direct path. In addition to The Sisterhood, the all-star line-up for the two special Sunday night “Total Eclipse” Opry performances on August 20th includes Little Big Town, Darius Rucker and Wynonna, among others.

The Sisterhood 

JRA Fine Arts Rebrands To Ovation Artist Group

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Ovation Artist Group staff, pictured (L-R): Marc Whitmore, Meg Ellisor, Tyler Lewis, Melissa Miller, Jeff Roberts, Bill Marquardt, Teddy Pagano.

Known for booking Dailey & Vincent, Sandi Patty and Ramsey Lewis, JRA Fine Arts is rebranding and changing its name to Ovation Artist Group.

JRA Fine Arts previously focused on booking shows in performing arts centers and symphonies. Under its new name, the company will expand its reach to include clubs, festivals, casinos and other concert venues.

Ovation Artist Group also recently expanded its roster to include Kurt Elling, Ramsey Lewis and soul singer Sam Moore. Ovation Artist Group is a division of the Jeff Roberts Corporation, which is also home to Jeff Roberts & Associations, which represents Casting Crowns, for King & Country, Lauren Daigle, Skillet and more.

Company president Jeff Roberts says, “It’s an exciting time for Ovation Artist Group and our artists. We felt a bit limited in the past but with this change, the addition of a few agents and satellite offices in London and Los Angeles, the sky’s the limit for what we can offer our clients.”

Dr. Ralph Stanley Tribute Coming To Grand Ole Opry In October

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Numerous country and bluegrass artists will gather on Oct. 19 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House to salute the late Dr. Ralph Stanley.

Billed as, Dr. Ralph Stanley Forever: A Tribute Concert, the event is set to include performances from Dierks Bentley, Nathan Stanley, Heidi Newfield, Daryl Worley, Cody McCarver, Ralph Stanley II, Doug Supernaw, Smith & Wesley and more.

“My Papaw was a special man and this is going to be a special night,” said Nathan Stanley, grandson of Ralph Stanley. “I’ve asked a lot of my friends to come and honor his legacy. I am committed to keeping his legacy and music alive – forever. This night is going to be incredible.”

Presented by Stanley Music Group, the event will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are available now via Ticketmaster.

13-Year-Old Tegan Marie Inks Deal With Warner Music Nashville

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Pictured (L-R): Peter Strickland (CMO, WMN), Scott Hendricks (EVP A&R, WMN), Tegan Marie, John Esposito (Chairman and CEO, WMN), Veronica Zelle (Co-Founder and CCO, Sweety High) and Frank Simonetti (Co-Founder and CEO, Sweety High)

At just 13 years old, performer Tegan Marie has become the youngest country artist currently signed to a major label.

The Michigan native’s father began uploading Tegan’s cover videos to media platform Sweety High when she was seven years old. Since then, Tegan Marie has appeared on Good Morning America, the PBS special Smokey Robinson: The Gershwin Prize, the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards, The CMA Music Festival, and country festival Stagecoach.

Her breakthrough came when she recorded a version of Florida Georgia Line’s hit “H.O.L.Y.,” which earned more than 17 million views on Facebook alone. She makes her Grand Ole Opry debut tonight (Aug. 18).

“This new generation is passionate about country music. Tegan Marie, with the kind of natural talent already resonating with audiences, represents a new breed of digitally-savvy artists that we want to be a part of,” said John Esposito, Chairman and CEO, Warner Music Nashville. “What attracted us to Tegan Marie was her voice and a confidence that was beyond her years. Her success on Sweety High and in social media exemplifies not only how country talent can be nurtured on these platforms but also how we will reach the next generation of music consumers.”

“The moment I saw Tegan Marie’s early videos I knew she had the ability to speak to young girls at an important time in their lives,” said Veronica Zelle, Sweety High Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “Working closely with her these past years, and witnessing her growth, I’m thrilled that a forward-thinking label like Warner Music Nashville has welcomed her to their roster.”

Sweety High CEO and co-founder Frank Simonetti added: “In this deal with Warner Music Nashville both Tegan Marie and Sweety High have gained a great partner that believes, like us, in doing whatever it takes for their artists.”

Visitation And Memorial Planned For Jo Walker-Meador

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Jo Walker-Meador served as CMA Executive Director for nearly 30 years. Photo: CMA

The family of CMA’s longest-serving Executive Director, Jo Walker-Meador, will receive friends during a visitation and separate memorial service in Nashville.

The visitation will take place Tuesday, Aug. 22 from 4-7 p.m. at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home & Memorial Park (660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, 37204).

Following a private burial on Wednesday, Aug. 23, an 11 a.m. memorial service will be held at Christ Presbyterian Church (2323 Old Hickory Blvd., Nashville, 37215).

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Sarah Cannon Fund at PearlPoint Cancer Support.

The late Walker-Meador, who was respected throughout and beyond Nashville as a pioneer for the advancement of country music around the world, died Tuesday following a stroke at the age of 93. Read MusicRow‘s LifeNotes from Robert K. Oermann here.

TPAC To Honor Norbert Putnam, Dan Fogelberg, Dollar General At Annual Gala

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The Tennessee Performing Arts Center will present its highest honor, the Applause Award, to legendary musician/ producer Norbert Putnam and the Dollar General Corporation at its annual fundraising event, the TPAC Gala, on Saturday, Aug. 26.

The center also will honor the legacy of the late, celebrated singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, who lived, performed, and recorded in Nashville, with a special posthumous award presentation. TPAC will present the world premiere of a new, original musical, Part of the Plan, featuring Fogelburg’s music beginning September 8.

The TPAC Gala, themed to the Tony award-winning hit musical, An American in Paris, will begin with cocktails and a silent auction in the lobby of Andrew Jackson Hall, followed with the award presentation, dinner, special performances, and additional music by 12 South.

“So many artists, songwriters, and performers are drawn to Music City, just as Dan Fogelberg was as a teenager,” said Kathleen O’Brien, TPAC president and chief executive officer. “That continued allure is the result of contributions of organizations like Dollar General, which fosters literacy and arts education in our community; genius artists like Norbert Putnam who helped to make Nashville a place for creative risk and collaboration and educators who understand how the arts inspire learning and change lives. We’re so proud to recognize the efforts of our honorees at this year’s gala and to celebrate our thriving creative community.”

“I am extremely excited and honored to receive the Applause Award and be present to honor the legacy of my old pal, Dan Fogelberg. The music we created together provided a template of creativity for generations to come,” Putnam said. “Dan was a triple-play musical genius who could write, play and sing with the greatest of all time. It is also a great honor to return to TPAC. I vividly remember an opening night invitation from Martha Ingram to attend the first concert in this beautiful venue. I will dust off my tux, polish my shoes and practice, once again, that extremely difficult knot, and attempt — a socially acceptable bow tie. I am also looking forward to visiting with my old friends and acquaintances from that ‘golden era’ of Nashville history.”

 

Third Man’s ‘Luck Mansion Sessions’ Round Two Due Out Aug. 25

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The second installment of the Luck Mansion Sessions, featuring pairings of Josh Hedley and Erin Rae, and John Paul White and Rodney Crowell, is set for release Aug. 25.

The sessions were documented during Americana week last year in Nashville, when Third Man Records partnered with Luck Reunion to bring together some artists. For five days, they all set up in the parlor room of the pop-up “Luck Mansion” in East Nashville to perform, record, and in some cases, pen two songs for Third Man Records engineers to record immediately, after just a few hours of preparation, press onto 7″s, and ultimately bring to the masses. The goal was to document spontaneous creative collaborations before they are put through any sort of industry machine line, and in March, Third Man shared the encounters between Sarah Jarosz and Parker Milsap, Lilly Hiatt and Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Dylan LeBlanc and Rayland Baxter.

Hedley and Erin Rae’s performance included Hank Williams Jr.s’ “Old Habits” and a haunting rendition of Guy Clark’s “My Favorite Picture of You.” Hedley, a mainstay on Nashville’s lower Broadway honky tonk Robert’s, has recently been signed to Third Man Records.

John Paul White and Rodney Crowell performed Crowell’s “The Girl On The Street” as well as one of three original tunes penned for the Luck Mansion Sessions, “Don’t Think That I Can’t Feel You When You’re Gone.” “Don’t Think That I Can’t Feel You When You’re Gone” is White and Crowell’s first co-write, but not the first collaboration for the pair. White joined Rosanne Cash on vocals for the song “It Ain’t Over Yet” off Crowell’s 2017 release Close Ties (New West). The song and the record have been nominated by the American Music Association in the categories of Song and Album of the Year.

Black vinyl versions of these recordings will be available beginning August 25th at indie retailers, with pre-orders starting today via thirdmanstore.com.

More Sweet Than Bitter: Rascal Flatts, Music Industry Celebrate ‘Yours If You Want It’ No. 1

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Photo 1 L-R: Joe Don Rooney, Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus. Photo: Ed Rode

Members of the Nashville music industry gathered at performing rights organization BMI’s Nashville office yesterday (Aug. 17) to celebrate Rascal Flatts‘ 17th No. 1 hit, “Yours If You Want It.” The track was penned by ASCAP writer Jonathan Singleton, who is signed with Big Machine Music, and the late BMI writer Andrew Dorff, represented by UMPG Nashville.

The celebration was bittersweet, as Dorff died in December 2016. He had just turned 40. “Yours If You Want It” marks Dorff’s fifth No. 1 single. In tribute, attendees donned Dorff’s signature gray shirt, sunglasses and cigar uniform.

BMI’s Leslie Roberts and ASCAP’s Beth Brinker were on hand to honor the song and its writers.

“It is a bittersweet day, but I prefer to focus on the sweet,” said Roberts, “the success of uber-talented songwriter Andrew Dorff, and the celebration of the power of music and songs. Lyrically when you hear this song, it’s ‘classic Dorff.’ When we hear one of his songs is on the radio, we will smile and think of all of the love he showered on all of us.”

UMPG’s Kent Earls said, “Andrew would have loved this day. He loved writing songs and getting those songs recorded and getting singles. I’m honored that we get to celebrate another Andrew Dorff No. 1 today. Imagine walking into a writing room and meeting Dorff for the first time—slumped down in a chair, gray shirt or hoodie, covered in tats, wearing sunglasses inside, with no guitar or computer. If you didn’t know Andrew, that had to be intimidating. There were few writers who could see through that veneer and even fewer who could see what it took creatively and emotionally to pull the best out of Andrew. Jonathan Singleton was at the top of that list. It is rare that we get to see both writers equally represented throughout a song. Jonathan with your insane melodies and the undeniable phrasing paired with Andrew’s twisted lyrical sensibilities, ‘Yours If You Want It’ is the epitome of what you guys created every time you wrote together.”

Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar celebrated Singleton and Big Machine Label Group trio Rascal Flatts.

“I swear if you are listening, you can hear the Country Music Hall of Fame working on the plaques in the rotunda for those guys,” Molinar said. “It’s not time yet, but one day…”

“Yours If You Want It” is the 10th No. 1 for Big Machine Music. Big Machine Music presented Singleton with a plaque with the lyrics to the bridge of the song and has the real signatures from both Singleton and Dorff.

Pictured (L-R): Back Row – Big Machine Records’ Kris Lamb, Stephen Dorff, Steve Dorff, BMI’s Leslie Roberts, Universal’s Kent Earls, ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, Big Machine Label Group’s Allison Jones, BMR’s Jim Weatherson; Front Row – BMLG’s Scott Borchetta, Rascal Flatts, Jonathan Singleton, Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar. Photo: Ed Rode

Big Machine Label Group founder and CEO Scott Borchetta also announced that Rascal Flatts has agreed to renew their contract with Big Machine. Borchetta shared that he brought the paperwork to the No. 1 party. “We’re going to renew our vows right here onstage at BMI,” Borchetta quipped.

“We knew we had something special,” said Rascal Flatts member Joe Don Rooney. “At that point we just wanted to do it justice. Jonathan and of course Andrew, his legacy will live on through this song. We are so humbled by this. You go 17 No. 1 songs, and go, ‘wow.’ It feels like just yesterday that we were moving to town.”

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a single that we wanted so badly to go No. 1,” said fellow Flatts member Gary LeVox. “and not for us and not to try to sell tickets. We’ve never wanted a No. 1 so badly and we would go do anything in the world it took to get it to No. 1, for you and for Andrew. It meant the world to us to be able to cut it.”

Big Machine Music commissioned gray shirts emblazoned with Dorff’s photo and “Yours If You Want It.” It was noted that merchandiser Richards & Southern made a run of shirts for the party in only three days and donated the shirts.

Among those in attendance at the No. 1 party were Andrew’s father, legendary songwriter Stephen “Steve” Dorff, Sr., and Andrew’s brother, actor Stephen Dorff.

“Thank you for being here. Andrew loved this town and loved everybody here. Loved Jonathan,” Stephen “Steve” Dorff addressed the crowd. “I just want to thank BMI, Big Machine Records and your whole staff for bringing this all the way home and Rascal Flatts for making an absolutely perfect record. Thank you.”

First Tennessee Bank and Pinnacle Bank were also on hand to celebrate the song’s accomplishments.

“You may have had ‘Bless The Broken Road’ and ‘My Wish’ that touched people globally,” summed Molinar, telling the trio, “but this song was for us, for this Music Row community.”