The viral hit by Walker Hayes, “Fancy Like,” is crowned this week’s No. 1 single on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart. Hayes continues his reign at the top of the country streaming songs chart as “Fancy Like” earns another 14 million streams, putting it at No. 6 overall. Since its release, the track has racked in over 180 million streams, according to Nielsen.

Hayes wrote the single with Cameron Bartolini, Shane Stevens and Josh Jenkins and is featured on his latest EP, Country Stuff.

Hayes’ last single “You Broke Up With Me” was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

Click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly containing the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.

The Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. held its 2021 Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner and awards ceremony at The Westin in Nashville last night (Oct. 13) to induct four off-air radio broadcasters and four on-air radio personalities who have made a significant impact on the radio industry during their careers.

The 2021 Country Radio Hall of Fame Class of inductees recognized were off-air honorees Bob Call, RJ Curtis, Bill Hagy, and Norm Schrutt. On-air honorees were Heather Froglear, Buzz Jackson, Bob Pickett, and Angie Ward. Due to last-minute unforeseen circumstances, Call was unable to attend and appear at this year’s event. His induction will be held at the 2022 Hall of Fame event.

CRB/CRS Board President, Kurt Johnson, also presented long-time music industry veteran and member of the CRB board and executive committee, Beverlee Brannigan, with the organization’s 2021 President’s Award.

Country music superstar Garth Brooks was on hand to present another country music giant, Keith Urban, with the 2021 CRB Artist Career Achievement Award. Brooks capped off the award presentation with a special performance of Urban’s 2004-hit song, “You’ll Think of Me,” and was later joined by Urban and Trisha Yearwood for a special performance of “Fishin’ in The Dark.”

Nominations for the 2022 Country Radio Hall of Fame are being accepted through Oct. 29. The Class of 2022 will be revealed at CRS 2022, to be held Feb. 23-25, 2022.

Nestled on the outskirts of Nashville in nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). With its Recording Industry department, including concentrations in Music Business, Commercial Songwriting, and Audio Production, the University is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Nashville music business.

Since beginning its Commercial Songwriting program in 2008 under the direction of professional songwriter Odie Blackmon (“I May Hate Myself In The Morning” by Lee Ann Womack, “She’ll Leave You With A Smile” by George Strait, “Nothin’ On But The Radio” by Gary Allan), the concentration has nearly doubled its enrollment, hosting 158 students this semester.

Called a “Grammy Factory” by NBC Nightly News, the program boasts many accomplishments, including award-winning alumni like Luke Laird, who has cuts by the likes of Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, and Tim McGraw; Laura Rogers, one of the Secret Sisters; Erin Enderlin, who has written songs for Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack; country recording artists Chris Young and Mitchell Tenpenny; and many more.

MTSU’s Commercial Songwriting department also features eight adjunct faculty members who have ties to all parts of the industry, including alumni Dez Dickerson, founding member and guitar player of Prince & The Revolutions; Grammy-winning hip hop producer and songwriter Torrance “Street Symphony” Esmond (Yo Gotti, G-Eazy, 2 Chainz); No. 1 pop songwriter Shelly Peiken (“What a Girl Wants” by Christina Aguilera, “I’m a Mess” by Bebe Rexha); and more.

“We serve a lot of different types of songwriters. The classes are intimate, so there’s only around 12 students in a songwriting class. It’s been a joy creating the program,” Blackmon shares with MusicRow. “I’m most proud of the diversity of the faculty in the program, because it mirrors the diversity of our student body.

“If you look at the different people that are teaching, we have all genres and backgrounds covered. Collaboration of people from different worlds and backgrounds is what makes great music,” he explains. “When you come to MTSU, you’re not in a bubble. We have a diverse faculty and student body, and we’re inclusive in nature. We’re open arms and we welcome all of the different people that come through our doors.”

Though not located directly on Nashville’s historic Music Row, MTSU has deservedly been receiving more and more attention over the last few years. The University has also celebrated many successful alumni within the music business, including Brian Wright, Executive VP, A&R at Universal Music Group Nashville; Kent Earls, publishing veteran and President of Kane Brown’s Verse 2 Music; Mike Molinar, General Manager of Big Machine Music; Daniel Miller, manager at Red Light Management and managing partner at Fusion Music; and award-winning producer Michael Knox (Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Montgomery Gentry); to name just a few.

With the growing exposure and student body, the Commercial Songwriting program will soon be moving into a new home on the campus.

The new Songwriting Center will include classrooms and a lounge area, both of which will be functional by January of 2022, as well as a state of the art beat lab, writers’ rooms, offices, a vending area, and an atrium fit for live performances for up to 300 people.

“[This new building] shows a commitment to the songwriting concentration, which is newer compared to the music business or audio,” Blackmon states. “It gives students confidence too. We’re going to have Gold and Platinum award plaques from different alumni line the walls so that when students walk down a hallway, they see people that have come before them that have actually done it. They’ll know they’re at the right place and that they can do this if they work hard.

“[Our students] deserve it and they’re going to get it at the cost of a state school education and not $60,000 a year,” he says.

The project, which is expected to be completed in its entirety in January of 2023, has already received over $300,000 in funding, but still needs some help for the new equipment.

Post-COVID, Blackmon expresses plans for live performance fundraisers with students from the program. “Several years ago, Eric Paslay, who’s an alumni, did a show where students opened up and got the experiential learning of opening a show. Eric closed the show and we sold tickets and also got donations, so I plan on doing more of those.”

With much in store over the coming months, MTSU’s Commercial Songwriting program has the promise of a bright, hopeful future ahead for the department and its many students. To contribute to the fundraising efforts for the program’s new home, you can go to the MTSU development webpage or click here to make a tax deductible donation to the Songwriting Center.

For more information on MTSU’s Recording Industry program and the Commercial Songwriting department, click here.

Nashville’s leading music industry publication MusicRow Magazine has released its 2021 Publisher Issue print edition, featuring Mercury Nashville’s Lauren Alaina on the cover.

In the 2021 Publisher Issue, MusicRow does a deep dive into the First Family of Music Row—The Bradleys—chronicling their impact on the Nashville music business and beyond. Members of the Bradley family discuss their history in Nashville and the legacy that their family has created. Featuring conversation with Clay, Jerry, and Patsy Bradley, this issue highlights some of the family’s greatest achievements and showcases treasured photos from over the years.

This issue also includes a conversation between UMPG’s Troy Tomlinson, Warner Chappell’s Ben Vaughn, Sony Music Publishing’s Rusty Gaston, Creative Nation’s Beth Laird, and Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar as the group of publishing giants give an update on the state of Nashville publishing in 2021 and the ever-growing importance of songwriting in the world today. “I delusionally believe that music has the absolute power to change the world for a better place. That’s what attracts us to songwriters,” Gaston shares. “[We look for someone] who has that natural heart for translating a real human emotion, something that we all connect with–whether that emotion is about love or loss or about that feeling of needing to clock out on Friday and relax with a beer.”

Also on tap, Tree Vibez Music’s Leslie DiPiero and Verse 2 Music’s Kent Earls explain the process behind artist-led publishing ventures. Focusing on the work of Florida Georgia Line and Kane Brown, this issue captures their separate journeys within the publishing realm so far as they continue building their own empires, as well as what they look for in writers when adding to their rosters.

Elsewhere, the Publisher Issue offers conversations with Anthem Entertainment’s Tim Wipperman as he reflects on 35 years in the music business, while also looking forward to future success at Anthem Entertainment as he helms the ship. Additionally, Black River Publishing’s Rebekah Gordon takes us inside the world of indie publishing as she discusses their solid roster of a dozen songwriters and her journey to becoming VP of Publishing.

MusicRow also catches up with CEO of The MLC, Kris Ahrend, to talk about the organization’s launch and first year of operation in Nashville.

The 2021 Publisher Issue also highlights the work and careers of some of Nashville’s most in-demand songwriters, including Sony Music Publishing’s Michael Carter, Big Loud/UMPG’s Ernest, Warner Chappell’s Martin Johnson, Sheltered Music’s Alex Kline, UMPG’s Lee Thomas Miller, and breakout country artist Brittney Spencer, who is self-published.

This annual resource includes the 2021 Publisher Directory, listing Nashville’s top publishing companies, as well as organizations and services available for songwriters.

Single copies of MusicRow’s 2021 Publisher Issue are available for purchase at musicrow.com for $45, and are included with yearly MusicRow memberships.